The Bible...

     There are 31,102 verses in the Bible which averages out to about 26 verses per chapter, from the 66 combined books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  I say this because I have been noticing recently that as we approach the end of this year, there are some people who have been encouraged to pick the verse that is going to be their "verse of the year" for 2019.  I had one professor that took a sabbatical and spent the entire time studying Ephesians 2:8-9.  It may have been his verse or passage for the year but I don't really think so.  People are often encouraged to do something different at the beginning of a new year and they start out with great expectations as to what is going to be accomplished.  One could say, "Well, one verse is better than nothing."    Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
         We know the story of Psalm 119 with its 176 verses, all of which speak about the Word of God except five verses.  There is also the fact that many of us have calendars which have a daily verse on them.  When I graduated from Washington bible College, I had to submit a "life verse" to the college to put under my picture.  I never had a senior picture, so didn't have to complete that assignment.  We are reminded in Second Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is inspired by God and that it is profitable.  That being understood, all of the Bible is important.  We know that the Bible has the answer for the way to heaven.  It shows us the plan of salvation, whereby we can be saved from the penalty of our sins.  The Bible also shows us the way in which we can conduct ourselves on a daily basis and how we are to have and maintain relationships with God and with other people.  It seems to be obvious that there are some people who have a greater love for the Word of God than do others.  I knew one man from Kenya who read through the Bible ten times in every year and each time in a different language.  Some might say that it was impossible, but if you purchase the Bible on tapes or discs you find that there are less than 96 hours from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation.  So, if you have picked out your verse for the year, that is good, but don't stop there.  Make the Bible, the Word of God, the center of your life for the coming year and all of the years to come.  Praise God today that He has given His Word to us. What a shame it would be if we just let it sit on the coffee table or in a drawer.

The Bible

     This bassoon player from Rolling Prairie, Indiana took some tests and later boarded a train for Chicago, Illinois and a trip a little North to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.  I was given a new set of clothes and everything that I would need to begin life as an enlisted person in the United States Navy.  One thing that was included in my training was a book entitled, "The Bluejackets Manual."  It would be the source of any information to help me in my journey as a newly recruited man in the U. S. Navy.  One of the first things I learned was how to tie a square knot as every piece of my new wardrobe had to be washed and dried on a clothes line tied there with square knots.  Everything we needed to know was in the manual and you kept doing it over and over until it was perfect.  Obviously, it is good to read the manual.  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."
         Every believer has the same manual only we call it the Bible, or the Holy Bible.  It contains the Old and New Testaments and is our Guide for everything that we need for this life.  It contains many things that are considered to be the "milk" of the Word of God.  These are basic things that remind us of our salvation and the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible goes on to give us the guidance that we need for our life.  Today's passage has a list of four things that reflect our journey in this life.  It names "doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction."    You probably have a basic book for your occupation, which some may have dubbed as your bible.  If you are a chef, your have your guide book.  If you are a mechanic, you have your guide book.  If you are a boy scout or a girl scout, you have your guide book.  Just as all occupations have their guide book, the believer also has a guide book which is the Bible itself.  Knowing that we have a guidebook doesn't make it applicable in our lives.  If I wanted to know my knots, I would look in my Bluejackets Manual.  If I want to know about God, I look in the Book that He has written for us and to us.  If I want to know how to live this life the way God wants me to live it, then I look into His book.  There sometimes arises just a small difficulty in that people look everywhere else for answers instead of the place that they should be looking.  Doctors don't have the answers.  Martha Stewart doesn't have the answer.  Hollywood doesn't have the answer.  Wikipedia doesn't have the answer.  God's Word has the answer.  If you want to learn how to tie a square knot, you may find it in the Bluejackets Manual.  If you want to find how to get to heaven and live the Christian life, you will find the answer in the Holy Bible.  Praise God for His sending us His "Manual for Life."

The Testimonial

        World trade has made many things available to many people all at the same time.  You can just look at the labels and see where the products have been manufactured.  I once was given an electronic device that had the complete King James Bible on it and it was manufactured in China.   When a new product comes out that is really great, one of the best ways to promote it is to have testimonials.  I read a lot of testimonials, called reviews, of a product I am thinking about purchasing.  These are people who have actually tried the product and found it to work. You can have all of the advertising you want, but the personal testimonial is the greatest method of promoting it. If you want to find out if a car is good or bad, then just talk to a couple of owners and see what they think about it. In spiritual things, we call this the personal testimony. As John said in his first epistle, in 1 John 1:1-3 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."

        A good witness is one who has seen, who has heard and has touched. It is no wonder then that God has chosen this method in which to send forth His Word. While there are many things about which we could testify, the one main thing is salvation itself. If a saved person tells a lost person about salvation, the message is much more credible. Romans 10:13-14 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" Paul listed the simple steps of salvation taking it back to the first step. If a person is going to believe, they are going to have to hear the gospel message. And if they are to hear the gospel message, then someone has to declare it to them. The word "preacher" here does not denote the office of the pastor, but rather the person who "proclaims" the message. We are all people who can proclaim  God's wonderful grace and we can testify as to what it has done for us. However, we are sometimes reluctant to share this message with others. We ought not be afraid to do so. We share the message. That is, we share what we have seen, what we have heard and what we have touched. The Holy Spirit does the convicting. As the parable of the sower explains, we are to just be faithful in casting out the seed, or the Word of God. Then, God takes care of the rest. How about being a "proclaimer" of God's Word as we get close to beginning a new year?  Praise God for the message that He has given to us all.  Share your testimony as to what God has done in your life.

All Wrapped Up

      A drive through the neighborhood finds the trash cans piled high with empty boxes and colored paper, all of it being the remnant of gifts that were given and opened.  I never was a good gift wrapper.  There are those who can square off the corners and trim the packages so they look like they were done by a professional gift wrapper.  Mine look like they were done by an 80 year old elf.  My Mother was a good gift wrapper from tie boxes to BB gun boxes.  I am thankful now for gift bags and colored tissue paper that makes the job a lot easier.  Instructions were given tot he shepherds, so many years ago,  that they would find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.  Even that would be important in the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  John 3:16-17 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.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."   
      Much has been written about the wrapping of the the baby Jesus and I am sure that most of you have heard sermons on what it means.  There is not one coincidental fact about the birth that is not important.  Prophecies were being fulfilled with every minute detail.  As Galatians 4:4 mentions, it was the fullness of time.  Our verse for today, one of the most popular in this modern era speaks about the Perfect Gift.  We do know that God's Son was a Gift, because God "gave" Him in order that the world might be saved.  There will be countless gifts this year that won't last past the first set of batteries or that will soon fall apart.  The only lasting gift was the One that was given almost 2,000 years ago.  The Lord Jesus Christ has been satisfying the needs of His disciples in countless ways that we will never know about this side of heaven.  People in need will have their needs met by this Eternal Gift.   Grief will be satisfied by this Perfect Gift and His all sufficient grace.  Missionaries will have their needs met.  Those in danger will find help and resources in the Risen Savior Who had been wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger so many years ago.  The whole point is this.  You satisfaction for this year's Christmas will not be found in the ham from a grocery store or a winter coat  or that new electronic device.  Satisfaction is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ and while we all know that fact, we often either forget it or it becomes overshadowed with the contents in a brightly colored box.  So, take a moment real soon, where you thank God for His unspeakable gift.

Blending In

    This is the time of the year when hunters put on their camouflage clothes and head out to the woods in order to go hunting.  i tried to hunt one year and bought a 12 gauge shotgun and about 5 boxes of shells, each box a little different size shot for the multitude of animals I was about to harvest.   I didn't get the usual amount of gear that blends into the woods.  I chose to wear a bright orange hat as to prevent someone else from shooting me.  The camouflage clothing helps them to blend into the bushes and trees.  If they stand still, you can't even tell that they are.  They even go so far as to put on a scent that will disguise them.  They don't want to have anything on that will tell the animals that they are around.  The armies of the world have long used camouflage to keep from being seen by the enemy.  They are deliberately blending in to their surroundings.  Blending is not always the best thing to do.  Take for instance, the church.  It should not blend into the world system.  Unfortunately, that is what has happened in many cases.  The result has been a church that is completely disguised from what it should be.  Second Corinthians 6:16-17 says, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,"
         God has given us instructions to the point that say we should not be blending in with the world as if we were camouflaged, but that we should stand out from the world.  We should be a contrast to the world system.  Many Christians have become more like the world as they do the same things as those who are in the world.  They listen to music that is so like the world that you can't tell the difference.  They read the same books, see the same films and react the same way to worries, problems and frustrations.  The result is that you can't tell the difference between the church and the world.  The simple truth as that the church needs to return to the Bible.  The Scriptures need to be that which is central in its life.  To accomplish this, individuals, that make up the church, need to get their lives straightened out with God.  The bottom line is that the believer needs to be different and needs to be "separate" even as the Apostle Paul said to the church at Corinth.  So, take a look in the mirror and see if you are reflecting That which is Christ like or are you simply blending in to the world system?  Remember!  You have been purchased and you are not your own.  Praise God for His plan of salvation and His plan for daily living. 

True Joy

   Do you possess real joy?  We don't often let people know what is going on in our lives because it would take too much time and they probably aren't interested anyway.  At least, that's what we often think. I often say that I am doing OK for my age.  That seems to be my stock answer for "How ya doing?"  Webster, in his dictionary of 1825, defines "joy" as, "The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune,the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits."  Wow!  That pretty well sums it up.  In his definition, Webster pointed out that joy was caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed.  That type of joy doesn't last very long.  Oh, it might be there for a short time but it can pass as fast as the wind drives a wisp of smoke from our vision.  In other words, "Poof.  It's gone."  There is, however, another source of joy that doesn't diminish with time nor is it affected by any outside influences.  First John 1:3-4 says, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. [4] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."   
      As one of the Christmas carols says, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come.  Now, that sums it up a little bit better than what Webster did.  This is a joy that supercedes any joy that can be brought about by success, good fortune, the gratification of a desire or of some good that we possess.  All of those things can quickly pass away and in most cases, they do.  The joy that God gives us through His Son stays with us and never gets tarnished by the things of the this world or of the spiritual world.  This type of joy is always present.  Do we always share this joy in our own lives?  Not always.  You see, there are times when sin comes into our lives and our fellowship with God is temporarily broken until our sin is confessed (1 John 1:9).  This joy can be restored in our own being once we confess that sin that separated us in the first place.  The joy that God gives will always be present and it will always be full.  So, when you sing "Joy to the World" this Christmas season, remember the that this joy is because of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise God today for sending His Son to come into this world and to die for our sins.  So, reflect on your own joy especially when you sing the song, "Joy to the World."  Praise God because He is the Real Source of Joy.

As

        I was speaking with a rehabilitation worker on day when a very tall co worker came by.  The one to who I was speaking said, "He's a tall glass of water."  We often use expressions that will tell us something about another person or situation.  I guess such expressions are called "similes."  God uses the term over 3,000 times in the Bible and almost 200 times just in the Book of Psalms.  Psalm 103:12 reminds us, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."  

      The word "as" is classed as an adverb and for a little word of just 2 letters is a word that is used a great deal and does much in our means of conversation and writing.  It is a word that makes us to be compared to something else.  To say that a person is fast as a Gazelle is to describe how fast they can run.  When God uses the word, "as" in His Word, it makes a vivid description that helps us to understand a certain action or trait.  We may wonder at times just how far God has removed our sins from us.  I might take an envelope, put something in it and then seal the envelope and say "Well, it is gone."  That would not be exactly true, because even the sealed envelope might be close at hand.  The above verse of Scripture is an example whereby God reveals to us just how far away our sins are.  We know that compass points are important to directions and that you can go North only for a short time before you begin going South.  It is half the circumference of the earth.  Quite opposite is the fact that East never meets West.  You can travel East for the entire circumference of the globe and never see a point where West would be your new direction.  In fact, East never meets West.  To answer then the question, just how far are our sins from God, He makes the above statement as far as the East is from the West.  That sealed envelop is gone completely.  This is even better than the little song that says our sins are buried in the deepest sea.  While God has removed our sins, our transgressions, our iniquities completely, we have the tendency to keep remembering them.  Not only do we remember our own transgressions, we also have an even greater tendency to recall the transgressions of others that are a part of our lives.  When God forgives our sins, they are gone as far as the East is from the West.  When we say that we forgive someone else, the transgression is only a thought away before we can bring it up again.  Praise God today that His forgiveness  is complete, and the offense never raised up again.