Spiritual Growth

  As a child, it is amazing how many things that my mother considered to be wrong, would stunt your growth.  One of them was whether or not I would eat the crust on the bread.  If I would not eat it, then my growth would be stunted.  That, of course, meant that I would be forever short in stature.  People often come up with a list of things that will supposedly stunt your growth.  The list is usually just so that the child will do what it doesn't want to do.  Spiritually speaking, there is one thing that will stunt your spiritual growth.  It is refraining to read and study the Word of God.  Second Peter 3:18 says, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen."   Peter's epistle here reminds us that we are indeed commissioned to grow.  The Lord wants us to grow and this growth is determined by how much we know about Him.  This means that we will take various opportunities to be in God's Word.  As you may remember, the group called, "The Navigators," had an illustration of a hand gripping a Bible.  The more fingers that were wrapped around the Bible, the harder it would be for someone to pull the Bible out of their hand.  The five fingers were to signify five different ways of getting God's Word into the life of a believer.  Those ways were:  Hearing, Reading, Studying, Memorizing and Meditating.  If the believer would do these five things in regard to the Word of God, then the Word would be implanted into their lives.  We have found it convenient to probably do the first two of those methods.  We can use tapes to "hear" the Word of God and then we can find maybe 15 minutes a day to read a portion of the Scripture.  But, do we get involved in the actual "study, memorizing and meditating" on the Scripture?  These require more time and our time seems to be chewed up by other things.  We have meeting with others, we have exercise classes or just time blocks that have been committed to exercise because we have eaten too much, and affairs to attend because of our social commitments.  As you can see, it is difficult to maintain a time of study, memorizing and meditation.  What will happen?  Oh, it probably won't be disastrous, but you will find that your spiritual life will be stunted.    It will do a lot more to stunt your growth than not eating the crust on your bread.  Praise God today that He has given you the instructions that you need in order to achieve an increase in your spiritual stature.

 

Rejoicing

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Philippians 4:4 says, “ Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

     Advertisements for toothpaste usually show s someone smiling with a big grin, showing off their pearly white teeth.  It is, however, just an advertisement.  I often see people with fake smiles just like the ads but they are inwardly hurting inside.  I had a heart attack in 1990 as many of  your know and I read the book of Philippians every day while in the hospital.  It was a comfort to me as the theme is joy and rejoicing throughout the book.  Idid have the peace of God in my heart and so could rejoice in Him even when lying in a cardiac intensive care unit in Parkersburg, West Virginia,

     The word “rejoice” is found about 183 times in the Bible, and much of it is in the Psalms, but in the New Testament, the Book of Philippians has the most references to “rejoice.”  It occurs ten different times.  The book itself has a very practical function in our Christian lives and a lot of it occurs in this fourth chapter.  Rejoicing sometimes is difficult for us but we are still admonished to rejoice.  The key is to notice how we are to be rejoicing.  We are to rejoice in the Lord alway.  The passage continues with another exhortation in which we are to give thanks for everything.  That sometimes is just as difficult as rejoicing, but again, it is an exhortation that we are not to avoid.  When you read the Bible through and get to the last chapter of Revelation, you soon discover the “We win.”  Death will be conquered, our bodies will be new, we will be in heaven with God, there will be no more tears, there will be no more suffering and it will last forever and ever.  That is a just cause for rejoicing during the temporary suffering that we have on this earth..  As I approach my final days, I have to remind myself often of this fact.  In the end, I will win and there is no power on earth that can stop my winning.  I realize that every day I live is both one day closer to my death or one day closer to the rapture, whichever comes first.  So, I win and Satan loses no matter how makes me feel by his feeble buffeting of my body and my mind.  This particular verse is also a chorus that is sung in churches today and I can’t help but sing it when I come to this verse.  It is a “round” and I go over it and over it singing the parts, Rejoice in the Lord alway and again I say Rejoice.  When you feel a tad down or just in poor spirits, just remember what is in store for us after our brief journey on this earth.  “This earth is not my home, I’m just a passing through.”Praise God today for the joy that only He can bestow on us.

Transformation

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     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.”

     Sometimes it is just so easy to go with the flow.  There was a high school tradition in the state of Indiana and it involved the color of corduroy jeans that was worn only by the senior class.  It was a cream color and only the seniors were allowed to wear them.  I could hardly wait until I was a senior so I could get my pair of Senior Cords.  My cousin, in another school, decided to wear them as a sophomore and his mother got a call saying that her son needed a pair of pants as his was flying from the flagpole.

     The world system likes to try to set the standards for everyone.  Sometimes they are good but most of the time they are not Biblical and would lead us in a direction that is contrary to God’s Word.  The above passage gives us three things that we should be doing as believers and the first one is to present our bodies to God on the altar as living sacrifices.  We are not to bargain with God, but simply to submit to Him.  As one professor once said, “The problem with living sacrifices is that they want to crawl off the altar.”  Instead, our attitude should be, “Here I am Lord.  Use me as you need today.”  We need to be willing to do so.  The second thing we are to do is to not be conformed to the plan of the world.  That means that you choose God’s way over the world’s way every time.  You are able to distinguish between the world system and God’s Word which means that you know what God’s Word says on the matters of life.  The third thing is for every believer to be transformed.  This is a very unique word and is basically used only three times in the New Testament.  It is the metamorphosis as a worm is changed into a butterfly.  The word is used in the “transfiguration” of Christ and in Second Corinthians 3:18 where we are “changed.”  That change takes place when we let God’s Word into our hearts and into our minds.  We can have various ways of getting God’s Word into our hearts and one of them is through the memorization of it.  We are never too young or too old to memorize Scripture.  A steady input of the Bible is necessary if you are to be transformed and God’s Word will do just that to each and everyone of us.  Praise God today for His Word which will meet every need in our lives.

Love

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     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.”

     I have had several cats, one at a time, but over the last 30 years, we have had at least one cat in our home.  The first was “Trooper.”  He was a tuxedo cat much like Sylvester, had long hair but only around ten pounds.  Then came Sasha, then Zena and finally, Tina Louise.  In all cases, I loved the cat.  Tina and Sasha were very loving cats and would sit on my lap while I rubbed under their chins.  I took care of the cat and observed the cat and sometimes went to the vet with the cat.  I was a dog person before, but now, I love my cat which is now in a very nice home in a different city, but I miss the cat that I loved so much.  Now, what  kind of love did I have for my cat?  If the cat became sick, I knew it.  One morning after a night of worrying about Sasha, I woke up to find her dead on the living room floor.  I wept uncontrollably over the loss of Sasha and I mourned for her, but she was gone.

     Basically, I had “agape” love for my cat.  I would endeavor to do righteous deeds to meet the needs of my cat, much the same way as I do with people.  You see, I also love people, but it is not the same type of love that I have for my wife of 62 years.  That is agape also, but also along  with the physical love that  we have for each other .  We know what each other is thinking.  There are only two types of love mentioned in the Bible, agape and phileo.  Eros is not mentioned in the Scripture and is probably the most popular in the world as it is the erotic love or physical attraction but has absolutely no connection with any righteous acts.  The erotic love is what produces the one night stands that result in unwanted pregnancies or the pornographic industry that is so popular in the world today.  There are no righteous acts to meet someone's needs.  Now the verse, or passage for today is one of the most popular and well known verses in the Bible.  John 3:16 presents the needs, that our sins might be cleansed, and the One that is doing it is God Himself.  The word used for “loved” in this passage is agape, the righteous act  to meet the needs of another.  We have the need and God met it with the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.  So, we are not speaking about “gutter” love in this passage, but one of the most supreme examples of meeting someone else's needs, our needs of payment for sin.  When you want to look at this further, go to John 21 and look at the passage of the fish breakfast and the conversation with Peter.  Both are using the word “love” but in the first  two instances, they are different words.  Ask yourself what is Christ saying and what is Peter saying.  Praise God for His agape love for mankind including you and me.

Spiritual Strength

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Ephesians 3:14-16 says, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;” 

     In 1978, we left Alexandria, Virginia and headed down to Christiansburg.  We traveled down the interstate on fairly flat roads until we got within 50 miles of our destination.  Then, the landscape changed as we began to go up and down the mountains.  We were in awe at the beauty having lived previously in fairly flat areas of Virginia including Norfolk Washington, D.C. , and Alexandria, Virginia.  We now take it for granted as we have lived here for some time.  After living here for 5 years, we took off for Madrid, Spain and that was another experience that produced awe in our lives.  There are many sites and wonders in the world in which God has granted us to live that are exciting and wonderful to behold.  Such is the passage above however from the first three chapters of Ephesians.

     The firs three chapters are showing us our spiritual bank account and some of the many wonderful blessings that we have “in” Christ.  The passage above relates to us Paul’s prayer for the saints in Ephesus as well as us who are members of the church, the body of Christ.  Paul mentions the fact of his bowing the knees before God and that we would be strengthened with might by HisSpirit in the inner man.  Notice the words, “according to the riches of His glory.”  It is not, “out of” but “according to” that we have this strength.  When you get  something out of, it may just be a small amount, but when it is “according to” it means it is relative to the power and riches of Him Who is giving.  In this case, it is the Son of God, The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior Who is blessing us with this strength in our inner man.  What a prayer!  You can be awestruck over natural beauty but just think of the resources that you have available to you in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ,  This should be a great lifter of the spirits and countenance of every believer.  Unfortunately, we often become used to being a Christian and forget the power that we have and the strength that is at our disposal.  What do we need to fear when we have been so blessed as this?  Be encouraged today and remember, or recall the wonders of God.  Praise God for His working in our lives day by day, hour by hour.

God's Provision: Poverty to Riches

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Corinthians 8:9 says, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

     All my life has been one of struggling with a budget and not having enough to make it from one week to another.   We always made it through although at  some times we wondered how it was going to be possible.  I have now lived over 80 years, having had my 84th birthday, and God has never failed me in the past so I always rest in His provision however it might be.  I do find myself in a quandary at this point as I am aware of a number of healthcare workers that are struggling to make ends meet, having to work two jobs, long hours and just barely making it.  Many are not “believers” in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Some attend church  and some are relying on a “baptism” to make them worthy of salvation.  They don’t read the Scriptures nor, it seems, love the Lord with all their heart, soul, strength and all their mind.  Most of all, I have a burden for their souls, their eternal destiny.  James reminded me that we often need to supply their needs along with our prayers and blessings and as James put it, “faith without works is dead.”  That is something that seems to be easy for us, or at least it did for me, to just look the other way.  I can’t do that any more.   If a child is starving, you give him food.  If a child is thirsty, you give her a drink of water.  

     The above passage is just one of about twenty four exhortations on giving that are found in chapter eight and nine of this book.  The Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator, had it all, yet  He became poor for you and me that we might become rich.  He suffered and died on the cross in one of the worst forms of execution that was ever devised by the human race.   You literally died of drowning in your own fluids and the pain of the hands and feet being nailed to the cross was horrifyingly painful.  His body was already beaten until His back was bare and the crown of thorns had been jammed on His head.  He suffered until He said, “It is finished.”  It meant  that the sin debt of every sin ever committed was now paid in full.  The Philippian Jailor asked that important question, “What must I do to be saved.”  Paul’s answer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ…”  Yes, Christ became poor so that we might become rich.  What a contrast to have left the throne in glory and to take on flesh through the virgin birth with Mary and to live for 33 years and then to end it all with the crucifixion.  The guarantee however, came on Sunday morning when the tomb was empty and after 40 days, He went back to glory with the reminder that He will come again.  If we, as believers, were to die today, we would go from poverty to riches in the twinkling of an eye.  Please pray for the healthcare workers here, that they hear and understand the gospel message and tha somehow God would use me and others to meet their financial needs as well.  Praise God for His Omnipotence.

Friends

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

     My Father was a friendly fellow and if you were around him for any length of time, you might be embarrassed at times by his actions.  He spoke to everyone who crossed his path even to a stranger.  He would greet them as they passed by on the street.  He once told me that everyone would like to be greeted as you pass by and you could see the countenance change of the stranger and many times a smile and a greeting were returned.  Dad knew that people were often lonely and a kind word, even in a greeting might well make their day a little brighter.   From others point of view, they might assume that he was a tad obnoxious like his joking at the cash register or asking for a lapidary hammer in the local Sears and Roebuck store.  The salesman would look puzzled and then Dad would say, “You know, a rock hammer.”  Well, as fate would have it, I have become like my Father.  I like to talk to people and ask them questions and if I can say their name ten times, I might remember it the next day if I write some characteristic down that they have.

     The above passage exhorts us about the value of friendship and how one person can help another.  It has been said, “No man is an island.”  We live in the midst of over seven billion people.  That’s a lot of people and many of them are lonely.  While in Spain during our first couple of months, we lived in the midst of 200,000 people in the city of Alcorcon, and yet we were lonely because we couldn’t speak the language.  We landed with two words under our belt, “tacos” and “hola.”  People soon got tired of trying to talk to us because we didn’t understand anything for a long time.  Pablo became a friend.  He was a young man that knew more English than we did Spanish and so persisted in  helping us almost  everyday.  He did sharpen our countenance and many of our struggles with the language soon became humorous stories.  Many people do try to isolate themselves from others and can become lonely even in the midst of thousands of people.  In the end, would like to have had a reputation for being friendly to those that I meet whether it is fellow veterans at the hospital, or here at the senior living facility with both staff and residents or even on the street or complete strangers.  I would like to sharpen another’s countenance.  Praise God for His working in our lives today.  Share it with someone by saying, “Hello.”

Suffering and Glory

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

      First Peter 1:7 says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"     

       Most people's lives don't remain the same for very long.  There may be times when things seem to go the same but if there is one thing sure, your life will soon change.  People's lives are much like the weather.  If you are not happy with the weather, just wait a few minutes and you will see it change.  A clear sky will soon cloud up and rain will happen.  Then, the clouds will break and the sun will shine brightly.  The same thing is true with our lives.  It all has to do with a common element that all believers seem to experience.  It is the experience of "suffering."  Most believers will say that they don't enjoy suffering.  Who would enjoy having what seems to be, bad things happen to them.  But, there is a purpose for it all and will often lead to greater things.        

       First Peter 1:7 says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"  If you were to give a one line evaluation of First Peter, it might read, "Suffering leads to glory."  Twelve times, the apostle Peter used the word "glory" in this first epistle.  Almost all of the occasions are connected to suffering.  Peter pointed out that while suffering is undoubtedly going to take place, it will give way to the greater experience, that of glory.  Sooner or later, you might experience sickness, grief, frustration, discouragement or depression.  King David experienced many of these things yet he gave us instructions in the Psalms by his example in that he would cry out to God for help during those times.  The same is true for us today.  Peter reminds us that it is the trying of our faith that leads to our suffering.  While we might think that we are where we want to be spiritually, God has other plans for us.  He is molding us into what He wants us to be.  This often includes a certain amount of suffering.  The "glory" part can't be seen at this time.  Notice that it comes apparent at the "appearing of Christ."  While it might be difficult to say, remember that suffering does lead to glory.  Praise God today for His working in our lives.

Search the Scriptures

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Acts 17:11 says, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” 

     It is interesting to note the various names of churches.  Some bear the name of the locality, such as Jennings Creek, or 19th Street Baptist.  Others will have a doctrine such as “Grace” or “New Covenant” while others may have an expression about God such as Bethe.  I have seen a number of different churches in my day and very few of them were named the First  Corinthian Church of such and such a city.  The church at Corinth had a lot of problems as one can see from the first epistle but then the work that was done was great and it shows in the second epistle.  The book of Acts shows us the journey of Paul down the coast of Greece and after he left Thessalonica, he came to Berea

     You will find a good number of churches like to be called “Berean.”  They like to put that word in the name because of the characteristics of the Berean church.  Two characteristics are evident and the first is that they received the Word with all readiness of mind.  Paul makes mention of this apparently because not all of the established churches were this way.   They were hungry for the word of God.  When you find someone like that, you have the inclination to pour out everything you know to them.  Some churches are more inclined to entertainment or a social gospel and they care less about the proclamation of the Word of God.  The second characteristic was that they searched the scriptures whether those things were so.  At that time in history, all they had was the Old Testament, but they searched the Old Testament to verify wha Paul was saying was the truth.  We live in a day when this is so vitally needed.  This is the only measurement that we can have about a church or a preacher.  Do they stand on the Word of God or is it just entertainment?  John MacArthur once said that when you are cut you should bleed “bible.”  it  was an indication that you should be filled with the Word of God in everything and in every time of your life.  It is to be your guide in every decision that you make.  You will find that through “searching the Scriptures” you will find the answer to your life's problems.  The Bible, the Word of God, has been verified by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The tomb is empty and His words are what we need to live our lives today.  We need to ask ourselves if we are like the Bereans.  Do we search the Scriptures or just take what is said and not question it at all.  We need to always beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing in the pulpits of America and the rest of the world.  Praise God t

Sharing

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Matthew 5:32 says, “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”

     We lived near railroad track and often heard the train whistle at the other end of a long corn field as the New York Central would pass by.   At one point in our lives in this new area, we noticed that a lot of hobos were stopping at our back door and asking for a sandwich. Mom was a tad frightened by them but always made a sandwich for them and they politely thanked her and would be on their way.  There seemed to be a string of them coming to our door and that was when Dad found an “X” scratched on our white mailbox. We had been marked by the firs hobo as that this was a place for a sandwich.  Dad painted the mailbox and the line of hobos stopped.  Even though Mom grumbled at it, she always gave them a sandwich of ham salad, made with bologna, pickle and mayo and a glass of water.

     If we open our eyes, we soon realize that there are those around us who have needs and sometimes they are financial needs.  I have been guilty of not being very generous with my wallet but more recently, things have changed in my attitude towards my very limited amount of money.  When I find that there are genuine needs, I feel the urge to give towards it.  I think our nation has been a good example at times even though it seems we give more to the foreign people than our own who also have needs.  It was interesting to note that in the recent shortage of baby formula that a shipment came from a foreign country to us.  We had a need and someone else gave to supply that need.   Missions is where the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is preached to the lost around the world.  Much of the money raised for missions still stays in the United States.  Harold Stevens once said that we spend more money on dog food than we do for world missions.  I have mentioned before that the blessing is a two way affair, both for the recipient and the giver.  I may get scammed by some people now and then but that is between them and the Lord.  The church, which is the group of believers, still needs to reach out in both home and world missions.  I am often so glad I am in America and not in Syria or the Ukraine or Iraq or the Sudan.  These people still need our help as a nation and as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If nothing else, please pray for the strife, hunger and needs of the Gospel for those who are lost whether it be in the Bronx or Timbuktu, Chicago or Madrid, San Francisco, or Hong Kong.  Praise God for His blessings to all of us.  May we all be ready to give when the need is in front of us.

Prayer for Your Enemies

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Matthew 5:43-44 says, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” 

     I try to be a friendly type of person.  I like to talk to people and to ask them questions as to where they are from, their family, if they go to church at all, what denomination they are and anything else I can find out.  I write stuff like that down so I can remember more about each person.  Some people open up and others do not, but I still ask the questions.  I even do it at the Veterans hospital where I go every two weeks.  In all of this I find out that not everyone likes me for one reason or another.  I guess that is the case in almost everyone’s life.  Some make false assumptions, may not like my constant singing even when it is just humming by myself.  I do complain a bit about conditions where I live and have the feeling that management would like to see me out of here.

     That leads me to the above passage.  Still, in all of the situations of our lives, we need to be about the business of prayer and not for the good things in life but also those things which come from our unfriendly neighbors.  Everyone has something going on in their lives even our unfriendly associates.  They may have a sick relative at home or financial problems or some unknown condition even to them which is bothering them.  So, we continue to pray for those people.  I guess they need it more than the “good” neighbors that we all have and love to be with.  It seems that  our inclination is to be like Elijah and want fire to come down and destroy our unfriendly associates but that is not the goal of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Everfy person in this place, both residents and all of the staff have a soul that is going to spend eternity somewhere.  All of your unfriendly associates all have souls that are going to be going into an eternal destination somewhere and that is the chief prayer that I would have for each and every one of them.  I pray that they will know Christ before it is too late. Praise God today that His call is still going out but the final call is coming soon.  We just don’t know when it will be.

Thorns

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Corinthians 12:7-9 says, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 

     We had a lot of gravel roads in my area of Indiana or what they would call, “tar and chip.”  Loose stones were forever on the edge of the road and when i had shoes on, one small stone would flip up and end up inside of my shoe.  They always felt like the rock of Gibraltar and I couldn’t walk very far until I had to stop, take off my shoe and shake it until the small stone, about the size of a pea, would roll out, put my shoe back on and keep on walking.  Life is like that sometimes.  In life, however, you can’t stop, take off your shoes and shake out the “thorn” that is in  your flesh.

    There are a couple of valuable lessons in the above passage.  First, we see that Satan’s messengers are active and that they can “buffet” the believer.  If Paul could be buffeted, so can we.  Paul regarded whatever it was as a “thorn in the flesh” and he prayed three times to have it removed and God said, “no.”  The thorn was used by God to keep Paul “humble.”  He could have easily been proud of his special revelation but was not.  Third, we see that Christ gives a promise that is applicable to all of us in any situation in which we find ourselves.  God’s grace is sufficient for “thee.”  It is sufficient for Paul and it is sufficient for you and me.  To be honest, I have a hard time with patience in my life in regard to people and situations in which I find myself.  You know what happens when you pray for patience?  You get tribulation because tribulation works patience.  (And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; Romans 5:3   You will never know you are getting better at patience without having the tribulation in your life to “prove” it.  In every failure in my life, i am able to go back to this promise of God’s grace and that it is sufficient even in the face of my “thorn” for that day.  Sometimes, we may feel like we are in a briar patch of thorns instead of just one but God, but GOD, is working in our lives and we are growing day by day.  Praise God today for even the thorns and especially His grace.

But God

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Ephesians  2:1-4 says,”And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 

 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others   But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,.”

     My library is, for the most part, gone.  Well, I have been moving the bookcases and books for the past 45 or so years.  When we went to Spain, It took 30 mailing bags with no more than 60 pounds in each bag.  They were shipped via a freighter and took about 2 months to get there.  I am too old to cart around the boxes of books and so most of my library is now digital.  I had two concordances, Strongs and Youngs, which were big books to start with just by themselves but they contained every word in the Bible along with where it was and how many times it was used and the various definitions.  Now, however, I use the concordance on my computer and in an instant can have a listing of every occurrence of individual words but also phrases.  There is one phrase which occurs 44 times in the Bible and it is, “But God.”    When you find that phrase, it will point out a contrast that only God does.

     The word, “but,” is going to indicate a contrast between two different things or even actions.  Such is the case in the passage for today.  Paul describes how we all are before salvation.  We were dead in our sins and headed for an eternity without God.  We were walking in our lives according to the lust of our own flesh.  We were following the idea, “If it feels good, do it.”  For many people in the world in which we live, drugs, alcohol and sex prevail and seems to be the accepted norm for all of society.  We come to a point where we feel there is no hope in this life and we even say, “There is no God.”  Then, we come across a phrase like, “But God.”  It goes on to say “who is rich in mercy, and that He, God, is filled with love for us  even in our seemingly despicable state.  “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8b)  How much does God love us?  Just read John 3:16.  The next time you see that little phrase, “But God,” just circle it and notice what is happening right after those words.  Praise God for all of the times He steps in changes our lives.

The Message of the Cross

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     First Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

     A little over fifty years ago, wow, that’s hard to believe, my mother in law, Irene Hartig gave me a plain wooden cross that supposedly was made of olive wood from Israel.  I have had the cross on my wall either in my office or home.  Today, that same cross is above my computer which is on top of my small refrigerator.  The cross is always before me.  For me, it is a constant reminder of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for me and for all people, in the payment of our sin debt.   It was a debt that we could not pay and only the Lord Jesus Christ could do it.  I usually get up early in the morning, listen to some Scripture and then check what’s new on Facebook.  I came across a sermon by Alistair Begg which reminded me of the cross and the preaching of the cross in the world today.

     As the passage above says, for the unbeliever, or those who are on the road to perishing, the preaching of the cross is foolishness.  In other words, they don’t believe in it and the Word of God makes that clear.  The contrast is found where it says, “...unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.”  There were three crosses on the hill that day when Christ was crucified.  The Lord Jesus Christ was on the middle cross with a thief on either side of him.  One of the thieves believed and the oher did not.  To the one that believed, Christ said that he would be with Him in paradise..  As Pastor Begg pointed out, the thief didn’t have time to be baptized, or to learn the doctrine of justification by faith or the total depravity of man.  When he got to paradise and perhaps was asked the question, “Why are you here?”  He could simply answer, “The man on the middle cross said I could dome.”  That’s the only answer he could give and it is the only answer that we can  give.  If God were to ask you and I the same question, “Why are you here?” and our answer began with the word, “I” it would be wrong.  Nothing that we can do can ever merit salvation.  It is only what took place on Calvary on that cross that presents us worthy.  Paul goes on to say in First Corinthians fifteen the core of what the gospel is in verses three and four.  It simply is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  At some point in our lives, we are going to have to ask ourselves, on “What do we base our salvation on?”  If you are depending on baptism, or the signing of a card, or going forward, or doing a lot of good works for others than you are still lost  First Corinthians 15:3 says, “...Christ died for our sins…”  he was buried and then He rose from the dead.  Praise God today for the message of the cross.

Parting Instructions

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     First Thessalonians 5:14 says, “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

     The junior/senior prom was a big deal in our school in Rolling Prairie, Indiana.  I was on the prom committee for one of them, planning where it was to be, usually a big hotel in South Bend, the menu and the entertainment. The girls on the committee didn’t want peas on the menu for fear of chasing one around a plate and having it fall on a prom dress, so green beans were always chosen.  It was the custom to stay up all night with activities here and there.  My mother would always give me instructions that were to be obeyed without fail and were emphasized in short sentences as I would go out to the 1955 Pontiac.

     The Apostle Paul does somewhat the same thing here as he often does, giving a list of short “imperatives” that are to be obeyed without fail.  The closing chapter of this book list a least seventeen different commands which, when you look at them, seem to take a lifetime to complete.  The passage for today has four such commands that are important for us to do.  They are practical for our lives and ones that I need to reemphasize about ever month or so.  The last one in the passage, “be patient with them all” is especially difficult for me.  Patience is not one of my strong attributes.  I do better with some of them, but they all need to be better and I would guess that all of us have the same needs.  I would like to think that I help the “weak” in the faith to be stroner but sometimes I wonder about that also.  Start at verse twelve and go through the list and pick at least one or more and begin to work on it in your life.  There is one that says, In everything give thanks as you see in verse eighteen.  In fact we learn that giving thanks is the “will of God” for our lives.   How about praying without ceasing or not quenching the Holy Spirit in someone’s life.  You can see why it takes a lifetime just to get them to be a part of your character.  As you go out the door today, your mother may not be giving you  your marching orders, but the Apostle Paul did.  Praise God today that we have a plan of the day for our lives..

What Do You Think About ?

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

It is always the best route to think good about people in general but probably is very difficult to actually put into practice.  It seems that I deal with this continually in my life and especially more recently in our present living situation.  Staff people tend to treat you affectionately just because you are old and they are trying to make you feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.    One thing that seems to be lacking is what I would call “sincerity.”  The word “sincere” basically means “without wax.”  In the old days when a marble vase was for sale and if it had a dent in it, they would cover it with wax and could be seen if you held the vase up to the light.  If the vase was smooth all over, it was sold as “sincere” or without wax.  It  is hard to find people who are without wax or are concealing their true feelings towards others.  It isn’t a new problem or Paul wouldn’t have written the above passage as he was being led by the Holy Spirit.

The best of people have flaws in one area or another and so the remedy is the above practice.  Paul sums it all up with eight things.  It is a lot better than Peale’s Power of Positive Thinking.  These eight items  can be used with people or that which is going on in your own mind with all kinds of “conspiracy” theories  whether it be from the government all the way down to who did what to you yesterday.  My parents said that old saying quite often, “If you can’t say anything good, don't say anything at all.”  There must be however, something that is on the profitable side about any given circumstance.  It  would be good to just copy the 8 words, “true, honorable, just , pure, lovely, commendable, excellence and praiseworthy, on a piece of paper and tuck it into a place where you could keep it handy to pull out in times when your mind wants to go in another direction.  Instead of calling a person a “nitwit” try to think of some of their good traits based on the above passage.  We are living with a lot of people who all kinds of dementia and some of them just go around looking for their dead husband or dead father or mother.  They rattle the door knob at all hours when they walk the halls and sometimes I get irritated but then after realizing their mental state, I go out and have prayer with some of them.  Another one has a hell like an indian on the warpath and I do the same thing with her.  I can always think, “There but by the grace of God, go I.”  I only hope that the rest of the world uses the above passage when they think of me and my walk in this life.  Praise God for the renewing of the mind.  “Think about these things.”

Resurrection

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Matthew 28:5-6 says, “But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”

One November afternoon in 1963, i went down to the instructor’s lounge at the Armed Forces School of Music to find every eye focused on the television.  There was silence in the room as the report came across the TV, President John F. Kennedy had been shot while in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.  Every life seemed to be changed that day as no one knew at that moment how severe the shot had been.  Jackie, in her pink outfit, was stained with her husband’s blood.  Later on, we all learned that he was dead.  I won't’ forget the day nor the events that followed.  Every military man in Washington, D.C. area was put into action if nothing more to stand in a cordon in front of the White House  where radios could be heard in the crowd that Jack Ruby then killed Lee Harvey Oswald.  Later on, we would stand in another cordon at the Memorial circle as the funeral went past and dignitaries from all over the world would pass by.  You don’t forget important events that changed the world.

Such is the case of what happened some 2000 years ago at the tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The eleven apostles and some of the disciples were afraid because their Leader was dead, or so they thought.  The women were the first to go down to the tomb expecting to find the body of the Lord Jesus Christ and to put more spices on it, but what they found was a much different scene.  The stone was rolled away and some angels were there explaining what had taken place.  Some of the most famous words in history were uttered that morning when the angels said, “He is not here…”  Oh, the grave clothes wee still there, already saturated with spices and the head linen was neatly folded in a different place.  It was like a cocoon still showing the shape of a body, but the Lord was not inside.  He was gone.  He had raised from the dead being the conqueror of death and the grave, never to die again.  The was the day that changed the history of the world.  Even though the world now says, 2022 “common era” we all knew it by 2022 AD, anno domini, the year of our Lord.  The world doesn’t want to say that any more so they try to change it but the date is still a testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who proved beyond a shadow of a doubt tha He is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity.  Because of Him and only because of Him, we too, have hope in this world of that which is to come, eternal life with Him.  Praise God today for the resurrection.  He is Risen!!!

Going Home

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Corinthians 5:8   says, “ We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

     I was born in Michigan City, Indiana in 1938 which makes me 83 years old, I guess if my math is correct.  I have thought many times how thankful I am that I was born in America and not in Aleppo, Syria or Kiev, Ukraine. There is hardly a building standing in Aleppo as it seems everyone had their turn in bombing it.  In Kiev, old people my age are pusing heir walkers trying to get out of the way of advancing bombardment by the Russian army.  In many cases, they have what belongings they can carry in something similar to a Walmart plastic bag.  Things may not be perfect  in America, but at least the jets that fly over low have the insignia of the U. S. A. and not the red star.

The comfort for the believer is that we are not only citizens of the United States of America, but we are also citizens of heaven as Paul mentions in the Book of Philippians 3:20.  Paul went on to say in Second Corinthians 5:20 that we are “ambassadors” for Christ.  This is because earth is not our home, but heaven is!  An ambassador is one who represents the leadership of another country.  Our King and Supreme Ruler is the Lord Jesus Christ and if you are a believer, then  you are an ambassador representing His kingdom wherever you go.  When an American dies on foreign soil, his body is returned to the United States.  Many military personnel that have been killed in action return via Dover Air Force Base.  They come home to their final resting place.  In the same manner, when a believer dies, he or she goes home to their homeland and in our case, it is heaven because that is where the Lord Jesus Christ is.  Whether you're reading Job 19 or First John 3 or the Book of Revelation, you get the picture of what it will be like to be standing there face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ.  All the people who were tone deaf on earth will have perfect voices with which they will be praising God in song like you never believed.  Your eyesight will be perfect and able to see all of the millions of colors.  Your body will be without pain.  No more need for Tylenol or aspirin.  In just a brief moment, at your last heart beat, you will be present with the Lord and absent from your body.  I have seen a lot of dead people during my ministry and I often think that the part that I knew, the Spirit that made them who they were, has gone back to God according to Ecclessiastes 12.  You will then be able to say, “Finally home.”   Praise God for our permanent citizenship.

Eyes Forward

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Proverbs 4:227 says, “ Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.  Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”

     I am 83 years old and one would think that I would be free from certain things in this life.  Well, Iet my guard down and got trampled on so to speak.  I got overly concerned about some people in the facility that are on the working staff which resulted in, shall we say, very negative reactions.  I didn’t know how to take patronization, that is, being called “sweetie,” “darlin” and “we love you.”  I saw it happen while working at Our Lady of the Valley and was frowned upon by management.  The effect is what I am dealing with now and the challenge from the above passage is what I should have been incorporating in my own life but failed to do.   The temptation is to say, “I won’t do it again, that is, care about someone's difficulties in life.”  I know that is not going to happen, as it is not in my nature to do so.  I don’t want to be that cold to the works that God has ordained me to do according to Ephesians 2:10.  One of my nurses from the home health group said, “Bring it all to the cross and leave it there.”  That was pretty sound counsel but has been difficult for me to” leave it there.” 

It seems to me that the opening 8 proverbs or so, have a lot to say about the pursuit of wisdom and the above passage mentions several of our parts of our body that should be vital in our pursuit of wisdom such as the eye gate.  Knowing that Satan used the “lust of the eyes” in the Garden of Eden and then with Christ Himself, it is sound advice to keep your eyes upon that which is profitable to the ministry whale you are here on this earth.  We are always liable to give in to the temptation to turn either left or right when our eyes begin to wander off to another direction rather than straight ahead.  The solution to the dilemma is always the same.  It revolves around Scripture and Prayer.  My beloved Pastor Randy pounded that into me for fifteen years and I will always thank  Him for this basic truth.  It is Scripture and Prayer that will conform us to the image of Christ.  I thank you for allowing me to relay the confessions of an old man, an old pastor, an old husband, an old father.  Keep your eyes on the Lord in all things and let Him be your Guide.  Praise God today for His leading in our lives.

One Way

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Mark 16:16 says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Does it make any difference what you believe?   It has been estimated that there are about 4,300 different religions in the world.  A number of years ago, a man by the name of Jim Jones persuaded a large group of people to be his followers and to promote his own religion, so to speak.  In blind obedience they drank poison kool aid in the end and all of them died.  The object of their faith was completely wrong and no matter how devout they were in their belief, they still perished into a Christless eternity.  You can believe that the earth is flat and that the moon is made of cheese but that won’t make it right.   In the end, we have to come to a point where we will not drink the kool aid of unbelief.

The above passage deals with only two choices and not 4,300 different avenues of belief.  You either believe in the words and the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ  or you do not.  There are countless people who seem to think that all roads lead to heaven when in reality, there is only one way and the Lord Jesus Christ in John 14:6  told us that He was the Way to the Father and that there was no other way.  That means that there are only two belief systems going on in the world today.  You are either Christian or Pagan.  You are either on the narrow way to heaven through Christ alone, or you are on the broad way to eternal destruction through the other 4,299 false ways because they are trying to omit Christ.  This is the basic reason that we have missionaries going around the world to proclaim the message of salvation.  For the Christian, there is only one basket in which we put all of our eggs and that is “Christ  alone” and nothing else.  Thee is nothing to be added to that work which was accomplished on the cross at Calvary.  A. T. Robertson says of this passage, ““The omission of baptized with “disbelieveth” would seem to show that Jesus does not make baptism essential to salvation. Condemnation rests on disbelief, not on baptism. So salvation rests on belief. Baptism is merely the picture of the new life not the means of securing it.” (Robertson)  Your belief does matter and the question is, In “Whom do you believe for salvation?”  Pr aise God that there is the Way of salvation.

Proclaim The Message

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Timothy 4:2 says, “ Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

Our first  ministry after college was at Trinity Baptist Church in Christiansburg, Virginia.  During my time there, I had the opportunity to work with the pianist, Jenny Spain.  She did a cross stitch of the above verse of Scripture and gave it to me.  It  always hung on the wall, first  in my official office at the church and then in Mostoles, Spain and then in every office or home in the churches in which we served.  To me, it was a reminder and an exhortation of what my purpose as a Christian was in all of the things in which we would find ourselves in the years to come.  I been up all night bowling, all night roller skating, although not very well, eating pizza at midnight and in all of these situations, the gospel was preached.  If there was a church function, we had a time in the Word of God.

Adam Clarke says of this passage, “ Be urgent whether the times be prosperous or adverse, whenever there is an opportunity; and when there is none, strive to make one. The Judge is at the door, and to every man eternity is at hand! Wherever thou meetest a sinner, speak to him the word of reconciliation. Do not be contented with stated times and accustomed places merely; all time and place belong to God, and are proper for his work. Wherever it can be done, there it should be done. Satan will omit neither time nor place where he can destroy. Omit thou none where thou mayest be the instrument of salvation to any.”  The story of the cross stitch becomes an opportunity.  The memory of how to plow a field, becomes an opportunity.  The sailing through the Straits of Magellan becomes an opportunity.  In fact, every conversation can be used to preach the Gospel.  Some may reject the preaching or teaching of the Word of God and in that case you go on to find the one that is hungry for the Word of God and you pour out your heart with everything that you know.  I ask questions of almost  everyone I know like where are  you from?  What  is your family like?  Did you ever go to church? Are you Baptist or Cathlic or Jewish?  It was dark in the hospital one morning and I asked the Phlebotomist  if she was a Christian?  It was Easter time and I wanted to say, “He is Risen.”   There are plenty of people that want to hear the message and God puts them in your path every day.  You and I are those who have received the exhortation just like Timothy.  “Preach the Word.”  Praise God today for the message that He has given to us.

New Directions

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Acts 16:6-7 says, “ Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,  After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.” 

My wife, Diane, married a U. S. Navy musician in June of 1960 and then became the wife of an A. T. and T. security/budget/cookbook engineer and then a pastor’s wife and after that a missionary in Spain.  Her first airplane ride was from Washington, D.C. to New York and then to Madrid, Spain.  We then went to a children’s home for three months, caring for ten girls who had emotional problems of one sort or another and then off to a small church in Gloucester County and then to Parkersburg, West Virginia.  After the problems of old age began to sit in, we retired to Roanoke, Virginia but I took yet another position at Our Lady of the Valley as Pastoral Counselor.  She has been faithful and by my side through many trials and certainly many different positions.  We are now in an assisted living facility and it looks like new things are about to happen as God is closing this door and opening another.

The above passage is one of my favorites as it shows how Paul and Silas wanted to go back to those churches that they had established to see how they were doing but the Holy Spirit closed the door on them twice.  We don’t always know how God is going to move us from one place to another, but He certainly has His ways and sometimes uses other people to get us going in another direction.  When we went to Spain, we were challenged by a man named Harold Stevens  who said that America spends more money on dog food than they do in reaching the lost with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Then, Carlos Gomez reminded us that the town of Mostoles, Spain, just 20 kilometers from Madrid, had 200,000 people and only one protestant church of about 150 members.  Christiansburg, in 1978 had over 40 fundamental churches preaching the gospel for only 20,000 people in Montgomery County.  He said, “Come over and help us.”  That what Paul and Silas heard when the Macedonian call was issued to Paul.  The gospel then went from Asia Minor to Europe.  I am sure glad Paul obeyed the call.  Last time I checked, I still had the freedom of free speech guaranteed by the constitution and the words that I say are the truth and for the most part from he Word of God.   So, again, new ministries are on the horizon and the means might be different but the audience is the same in that they need to hear what God says for these days and for the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  Praise God for His leading in all of our lives.

Getting on the Elevator

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

John 3:36 says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” 

  Today’s quote that I received via email was from Charles Spurgeon.  It is too long to repeat, but I would like to paste in just the latter portion.  It  says, “You may believe the most orthodox creed in Christendom, and perish. Do you trust – for that is the cream of the word “believe” – do you trust in Jesus? Do you lean your whole weight on Him? Have you that faith which the Puritans used to call “recumbency” or “leaning”? This is the faith that saves – faith that falls back into the arms of Jesus, a faith that drops from its own hanging-place into those mighty arms."  I can think back to quoting the Apostle’s Creed time and time again.  The crucifix on the rosary was used to prompt one to quote the Apostle’s Creed.  I had said the rosary many times and had quoted the Apostle’s Creed, yet belief was far from my heart.  I also began other catechisms and could answer as I was supposed to.  I memorized those answers but again, belief was far from my heart.

I can still hear Dr. Fred Brown as he preached concerning an elevator.  It was one of his illustrations.  You can believe with all of your strength that the elevator will take you to the top floor, but until you get on, the doors will simply close without you.  Spurgeon seems to have hit the nail on the head with the “cream” of the word “believe” which is to “trust.”  In Whom do we trust?  That’s one of the primary questions.  We have an inward tendency to trust in ourselves that things will work out rather than trusting in God.  Trusting means everything not just the small things that you are trying to accomplish on your own.  It is easy to trust God for your daily bread when you have a thousand dollars at you disposal.  Try trusting God when you have one buck and a candy bar and a bed roll.  This is a true example of a missionary in Bangladesh who was happy and that was all that he possessed at that moment yet he knew that God would provide.  Do you trust God that much?  Would you trust God if you were Job who had lost everything and couldn’t figure out why?  Trusting God is not just for the things of daily life but first of all, to get one to heaven.  The words of Jesus in John 14:6 tell us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven so to trust in Him is the supreme example of believing.  I had thought that I believed for years but it was a superficial belief not much greater than the demons.  They knew who Jesus was  in every case.  Praise God for His being the Reason for our belief.

Thoughts

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  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;” 

My life has been far from perfect.  In fact, it is not even close and I have had my share of reprimands in my life like getting the Ford tractor stuck between two trees in the woods because I was too lazy to get off of it and get the cows into the lane to the barn.  I had to get the farmer, Bert, to come help rock it back and forth until it was unjammed from the trees.  There was also the time when I was told to cut down the corn in the soybean field.  We always rotated the crops and it was bean time.  Well, I found two rows of corn about twenty feet long and proceed to cut them down like the rest only to find out later that it was the farmer’s wife’s sweet corn patch at the end of the bean field.  Once you cut it with a machete, you can’t make it stand up again.  Reprimands are never nice nor comfortable, but often necessary if one is to grow in the Lord.  After receiving them, however, my mind begins to come up with all kinds of arguments as to why or how I was right and they were wrong.  That is when I need the above passage.

Adam Clarke has a great deal to say of this passage, and it is more than I can put into this short devotional.  Clarke refers to the Greeks and their idolatry and the arguments that they had for them.  For me, the passage hits me simply with the words, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”   For me, this is the “game changer” as people would say today.  My mind can run wild and apparently in my later years is running out of control and so now I have to “happy pill” to compensate for my devious plans.  When I get overstimulated in my mind about how thins are going wherever I am at, I am reminded of Philippians 2 where the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, humbled Himself and became flesh through the virgin birth and then lived a perfect  life as if to show us how it should be and then died on the cross for me.  Reprisal or vengeance is not ours, but the Lord’s.  Our thoughts should be honoring the Lord at all times and not just when things are going our way.  My life and  yours are short and much is to be done and to waste your mind on such things other than the preaching of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is just a waste of valuable time.   Praise the Lord today for His being the object of all of our thoughts and long to see Him face to Face.

Interruptions

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

     Life has its interruptions.  Mark Lowry once commented about the interruptions in life and the lessons tha we learn from them.  It seems that life would go along fine if there were no interruptions in it but like it or not, we got interruptions.  You just settled into a routine and “boom, you got an interruption.  I had my share of interruptions for the past 3 years.  I had weakness, slid out of bed, off to the hospital, heart attacks, although they said they were small, and finally two moves, no cars, no cat  and a bunch of new relationships if you want to call them that.  Well, I thought I was getting back to “normal” but then discovered that “normal” is now something from what it was before.  Normal now is four walls, a ceiling and a floor, one window, and a bathroom where you bang your elbows as you shut the door while trying not to fall into the bathtub.  Normal now has two DNR’s hanging on the door so if we are on our way to glory no one will try to interrupt that.

     The above verse refers to the financial need of the church at Philippi.  They had given much to the Apostle Paul and found themselves in want.  Adam Clarke says of this verse, “As you have given to me in my distress, God will never suffer you to want without raising up help to you, as he raised you up for help to me.”  It is always comforting to know that God supplies our needs.  In the case of the church above, they need money but in my case, the needs are different.  I don’t need money  yet but in a few years I will be out of money and probably homeless.  Still, God supplies our needs.  Now, please notice that He does not supply our “wants” but our needs.  Our needs may just  consist of food for the day, a place to sleep at night and some rags to put on our body.  Everything else is an extra blessing, like my 3.3 refrigerator which serves as my computer keyboard holder, or my small microwave.  There may be those things in your life and mine that we want and we seem to almost get them, but then that interruption comes into your life.  It might be a trial of your faith and once you make it through that one, God comes along and gives you another one, but  God only gives you that which you can take.  He won’t break your back, He will just make you stronger for you to be able to help someone else.  So, learn from the interruptions.  Praise God for interrupting your life in some way today.  Look for the blessings that will follow