Hidden Gems

            There is a popular TV show named, “Antiques Roadshow.” It goes about and looks at people's items that they know very little about, but they hopefully think it may be worth a lot of money. People generally like to roam about the countryside scouring various flea markets in hope of finding a long lost painting worth over six figures. Maybe that old sword that has been in the attic for years is really a rare item and worth a lot of money. I recall one such find where a person thought they had an expensive violin but it turned out to be almost worthless. The bow for that violin however, did turn out to be worth about 6 thousand dollars. Valuable gems are not restricted only to material items, but are certainly available in the Scriptures if you take the time to look for them. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”

            This passage reminds us of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and how that it came at exactly the right time. It was the right time when Jesus took on flesh and was born in a manger in the city of Bethlehem. The timing would fit perfectly the prophecies that were written hundreds of years prior to His coming. The common language of the day in which we find the incarnation of Jesus was also important. The language of the day was Greek and most of the New Testament is written in the Greek language. The complexities of the language bring about the hidden gems that are scattered throughout the New Testament. Everything about the language is important as we find God saying exactly what He wanted to say to each and every one of us. Take for instance the word “love.” While we have one word for “love” there are several different Greek words. We find that evident in John 21 when Jesus is conversing with Peter and Jesus asks Peter if He loves Him. Peter answers that he does love Jesus, but both of them use different Greek words and the exchange continues until finally both are using the same Greek word and then Peter uses two different Greek words of the word, “know.” Hence, we find another gem that sends goose bumps up your spine. Another example of a gem is found in Ephesians 2:8-9 in the tenses and construction of the passage and how it supports eternal security of the believer. You don't have to go to a garage sale to find these gems, but you do have to spend time in God's Word actually studying what it says. This is where the meditation is important. One man described meditation as being similar to a cow chewing a cud. It eats it over and over again and so should we mull over the words again and again squeezing every drop of understanding and wisdom from a passage of Scripture. We sometimes become more concerned with reading our five chapters a day so we can complete the reading of the Scriptures again this year than spending time meditating over a passage. It would perhaps be profitable for us to read our five chapters and find at least one verse to meditate on during the day. Ask as many questions as you can about the passage and find out what it says and what it doesn't say. You will find many blessings that will excite you for many days to come as you study God's Word. Praise God today that He has given us a personal copy of His Word.

Profit

 When we think of the word, “profit,” we think perhaps of making money on something. During my senior year at Washington Bible College, I worked at the Christian Book and Bible Store in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. It was run by a couple who were members of the church we were attending. The couple were book keepers by profession, but had opened up the store a number of years before I came on the scene. They explained that if you bought 5 books, you needed to sell 3 of them to pay for the books, the fourth book would be to pay for the upkeep of the store and the fifth book would be profit. Ted and Harriet just loved books and getting them out into the hands of people to read them. They also loved the Word of God and selling Bibles was one way to get the word out. A lady once came in and said that she wanted to purchase a red Bible. Harriet replied, “Every Bible should be read.” Second Timothy 3;16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 

           This is a classic passage in reference to God's Word and contains several things worth mentioning. The word “inspiration” is unique and only occurs in this passage. It is a combination of two Greek words and turns out to actually be, “God Breathed.” The passage then goes on to say that all scripture is “profitable.” It then goes on to say how it is profitable in the lives of believers and list four different categories, doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction. When we think of “profit” we normally think of money made on a deal. We purchase something for a dollar and sell it for two dollars, hence we have made a dollar in profit. The Scriptures are not speaking of monetary gain but something that is profitable to the spiritual life of the believer. This is why it is important to go through the Scriptures and meditate on each and every passage. There is spiritual profit in all of them. There may be that time when you look at a certain passage and wonder how it could be profitable in your life. If you dig enough on every verse you will find how it is profitable in one of the four areas mentioned in Second Timothy 3:16. In one of my ministries, there was one woman who would ask me every morning for a gem from the Word of God. I had to be prepared when I walked into the dining room each morning to have a special gem from the Word of God. They are there, but gems are those things that you need to dig for beneath the surface. It is true that some of them are right on the top and easy to see, but others are just a tad below the surface. One might consider what the word “changed” means in Second Corinthians 3:18 or the meaning of the word “earnest” in Ephesians 1:18, or the different words for “love” that are used in the discussion between Peter and the Lord Jesus Christ in John 21. We soon find that the definitions and structure of the Word of God are indeed profitable for our lives. Don't neglect the Scriptures and your personal involvement in them. You need to hear, read, study, meditate and memorize the Word of God. Soon, you will see just how they can be profitable to you also. Praise God for giving us His Word.

Great Expectations

          My sister once declared that the only thing she would like to have was a cabin in West Virginia, a fire place, snow outside, a Golden Retriever a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. That was the picture that she had painted of herself having everything she wanted in one place. She ended up, however, in a small trailer with a swamp cooler in Apache Junction, Arizona having suffered a stroke and would then end up in a nursing facility in Peoria, Illinois. The culture in which we live has indoctrinated with pictures of ideal circumstances and if we should be chance achieve them, then we could classify ourselves as being successful. The usual American dream is filled with material possessions that we feel we couldn't be without even though we use very little of them. Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” 

            Joshua receives some critical instruction as he steps into the main leadership position over the country of Israel. His instruction connects him to the preceding book, which is the book of Deuteronomy which concerns God's Law. Joshua was to meditate on the writings continually, both day and night and if he did he would have a prosperous way and he would also have good success. The word “success” here is one that is translated more as acting “wisely.” It is used some 70 times in the Old Testament and the most of those times, which was only 12, was translated as “wise.” It is translated as “success” only here in the KJV but is also translated as “success” in some other translations. Our culture is not to ready to seek “wisdom” in this life. We would rather pursue after an unusual car, a dream house in a beautiful location, the ideal family situation, or even relaxing by a pool in a tropical paradise. Wisdom is not one of those things that is high on the list of most people. Oh, we might be okay with being looked upon as a wise person, but it is not something that we may openly pursue after. God, on the other hand, instructs us that the is a way to be successful and prosperous in this life if we follow His guidelines rather than those of Godless people in high positions of learning. Knowing God's Word is always high on the list of desirable characteristics but God goes on to say that we should “meditate” on His Word both day and night. That is pretty much all of the time of our existence. Everything must be put through the grid of God's Word. Everything that you do in your life should be funneled through the Scriptures. We also find that prosperity is not going to be measured by the number of zeroes after some figure in your bank account but is really measured by how well you are keeping God's Word and applying it to your life. How do you meditate on something? A gem cutter, may hold up a diamond he has just cut, to the light to admire the colors and the shape of the stone. A chef may savor the result of a culinary creation with a blend of spices and herbs. A musician may sit back with eyes closed and enjoy the blending of voices and instruments in the creation of a pleasant sounding musical work. A person of God, will think upon the Word, God's Word, and mull over each and every word and thought. He will notice what God says and what God doesn't say. He will be lifted up by every word and thought of the Scriptures. You will think on them day and night, even when you lay in your bed and your eyes close for sleep. In the end, you will find that your way is prosperous and certainly you can be determined to be a successful person. Praise God for His Word.

Living Sacrifices

            My Father had a rather unique way of killing chickens for dinner. He would take the head of the chicken and tuck it under one of the chicken's wings and then rotate the chicken about ten times. The Chicken then appeared to be in a daze and would lay its head still on the chopping block until the ax fell. One day, my Mother had to do the process and so she did exactly as Dad had told her to do. She tucked the head under one wing, rotated the chicken and sure enough, the chicken's head was still on the chopping block. She didn't use enough force however to sever the chicken's head and so hit it several times until some red lines appeared on the neck of the chicken. After about 5 small whacks, the chicken woke up and was ready to leave the chopping block as soon as possible. When you are alive and placed on the chopping block, your natural desire is to get off as soon as possible. Romans 12:1 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.” 

             Most sacrifices are dead when placed on the altar. Paul, however, in this passage uses a different term and a mixture of words to give a new picture to sacrifice. He remarks that we are the sacrifices and that we are living sacrifices that are now on the altar. One college professor years ago remarked that the problem with living sacrifices is that they have a tendency to want to get off of the altar. That is the picture that we have in our daily lives. While being a living sacrifice is pleasing to God, we sometimes find ourselves slipping off of the altar. In fact, it is not necessarily slipping, but running as fast as we can. Paul does however go on in Romans 12:2 to inform us of how we are to actually do the sacrifice. It goes on to say, “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.” There is that transformation process that is going on in your spiritual life that is producing a change. The passage says that we are being “transformed.” This is the metamorphosis that is going on day by day in your spiritual life and it is taking place by the renewing of your mind. Most, if not all, of our problems in life begin in our own minds. The impure thoughts, the gossip, the accusations cause us to go off on wild tangents that lead us down the road of discouragement and depression. We not try to remove ourselves from the altar but to trust the LORD in all things each and every day. It has always been interesting to note that many sins begin with covetousness. To covet something, will often begin in the mind as a desire to have something that is not yours but you still endeavor to try to get it any way that you can even if it involves doing something that is contrary to God's will. Ministries have gone down the tubes as a result of a person coveting another person's spouse. There was a reason that God said, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife...” or anything else that is thy neighbor's. It can be your neighbor's wife, car, home, fishing rod, computer or anything else that he or she has. If coveting begins in the mind, then that is the place for “renewal” as Romans 12:2 exhorts us to do. Take the exhortation from Romans 12 seriously and make sure you remain on the altar of sacrifice even as a living sacrifice and to not seek to crawl off of the altar. Praise God for His guidance in the practical areas of our lives.

The Unexpected

           Sometimes it is said that a person has a "bee in their bonnet."  I guess the expression would be referring to a woman who had a bonnet on with a bumble-bee underneath.  Obviously, there would be much commotion if such were the case.  I remember back as a young boy, I was walking along the back road of our house toward my friends house and had just a t-shirt on that hot summer day.  A bumble-bee flew up the short sleeve and began flopping all over the place.  I did some fancy jumping that day trying to get the bee out of my shirt.  I finally got it out after it had stung me three times.  I could see the three welts as they quickly shot up.  Now, everyone had said that the bee can only sting once and would then lose it's stinger.  I guess this was the wrong kind of bee.  Needless to say, he cause me much commotion.  Just imagine what a swarm of bees would do to an advancing army.  Joshua 24:12 says, " And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow."   

           I always like to reflect how God has His ways in to meet His needs at any given time.  The army of the Amorites probably had weapons of some sort and were prepared to attack the Israelites but God simply sent the hornets in to take care of them.  Now, that's going to mess up an army.  This reminds us that God can use all kinds of things in our lives and in fact can even use us as we become available to Him.  Who would ever have thought that a simple bee would be able to bring defeat upon an army?  Well, it did, and God can even use you and I to accomplish His purposes.  We are all familiar with the words that say that with God all things are possible.  Obviously, that is very true.  We may look at things that take place in the world as just an event over which no one has any control. We see floods, storms, snow, ice, tornadoes and even pandemics. We blame the world's conditions on too many people, climate change, racism, and political parties. In all of them, however, we often overlook the fact that God has a purpose and that He is in control of each and every event. He is not surprised by any occurrence no matter how big or how small. God may be teaching you a lesson or He may be using you to teach someone else an important spiritual lesson. You may never understand the reason certain things happened the way they did until you get to heaven. Second Timothy 2:21 says, “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.” This was the theme verse for a teen ministry and meant, “Fit for the Master's Use.” So, even though you may not be able to figure out how He is going to get things done, just be available.  You might be surprised as to what God does in your life.  Praise God for His methods.

New

   I once went in to an auto store years ago and found a small container of spray that had the title, ”New Car Scent.” Most people like to get into a brand new car and just sit there taking in the aroma of a mixture of new plastic, metal and leather. There is no scent of old apple cores, french fries under the seat and opened drink cans. It is new and smells new. Well, it doesn't seem to last too long, so someone came up with the idea of trying to put the aroma of a new car in a small can so you cold spray it into your old jalopy and make it smell like a brand new car off of the show room floor. Yep, I bought it and to be honest, it didn't remind me of a new car at all. It had the aroma of a transformer that had just overheated. So much for the new car smell. We still like to have things that are new, no matter what they are. 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.” 

           The word “new” occurs 150 times in the Bible and much of the time refers to something that is new as compared to something that has been around for some time. We have the reference here of a new creature but there is also the mention of a new song, a new city and a new earth all in the book of Revelation. The Apostle Paul in today's passage makes the reference to a new creature and defines it as someone who is “in Christ.” If any person is “in Christ,” he or she is a “new” creature. There comes that time when each person realizes that their present life is far from God wants it to be and no matter how many times we endeavor to get things right, it just doesn't happen. We long to not fly off the handle at the least aggravating thing, or to find ourselves doing something that we know is wrong, but we do it anyway. Actually, sins begin to pile up in our lives and we are crushed beneath the load and try some self help idea only to end up in failure time and time again. We long to be different but it just doesn't happen. Then, a person hears the Gospel message and the words of Paul and Silas, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and ye shall be saved.” As Wesley put it in the hymn, “And Can it Be,” my chains fell off. In that instant, the sinner becomes a “new creature.” That for which your soul yearned, suddenly appears and you are set free. You are now a new creature. You tried in the past to purchase such a change but couldn't do so. Now you find that this precious change, this new life, this new creature, is a free gift from God and that there is nothing that you could have ever done to earn such a wonderful change. As we dwell on this passage for today, please notice the words, “in Christ.” That is where the change takes place and only there. The flip side is also true that if a person is “not” in Christ, they are not a new creature no matter how many degrees they have, or how much money they have or how many gurus they have visited. There is one way and only one way and that is to be “in Christ.” Praise God for such an unspeakable gift.

Thouhts

       “ A penny for your thoughts.” I haven't heard that expression in recent days but I used to hear it when I was in high school, of course, that was a long time ago. It would usually come up when you were just sitting there looking off into space and someone would want to find out what you were thinking about. When you didn't want to tell them, you would just say, “Oh, nothing.” That wasn't usually true as your mind seems to always be active thinking about one thing or another. I don't recall ever having a moment when there wasn't some thought or two roaming around in my head. I will have to admit that many of my thoughts are completely without value for anything. There might be some profound thought here and there, but for the most part, they are just random thoughts that come and go. 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;” 

         

            The word that is used for “imaginations” is a word that Paul used twice in his writings and that does not occur anywhere else other than those two times, here in 2 cor. 10:5 and in Romans 2;15, where it is translated as “thoughts.” Realizing that our minds are never in neutral, but always thinking about something, the question comes up, “What are we thinking about?” Perhaps we are thinking about how we can acquire a new material possession or perhaps how we can attract another person's attention, or perhaps we are thinking about how we can get even with someone who has made an aggravating statement about us. Perhaps we heard a rumor about something and we are wondering how it could possibly be true and what is to become of it. The imagination, or the thought process in our minds, is something that is continually active and it is especially active when we seek to imagine what people are going to do to us or what they are going to say if such and such takes place. That is where the imagination runs rampant and all kinds of scenarios come to mind which usually don't ever stand a chance of taking place, but we think that they could and if they do, this is the way we will respond to it. Of course, it never happens and you have wasted a lot of time on useless imaginations or thoughts. The lesson of the verse is simple. “Capture the thoughts.” We are to “bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” When I think of the principle of this passage, I almost automatically think of Philippians 4:8 where it says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” This passage tells us what to think about. Notice the last four words, “...think on these things.” It begins with thinking about that which is “true.” What better place is there to be safe than thinking about Scripture? Praise God today for giving us His Word in which we can think and ponder and meditate and find rest, hope and peace.