Whatsoever Things …

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15.4

    Hope is something that you and I cannot live without. So, when you are reading the Bible and you see something and wonder, “Why is this in here?’, here is the reason: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning … ” You have a choice. You can LEARN from history or you can IGNORE it. To ignore it means you don’t care what others have experienced in the past. You are going to “do your own thing”, no matter the cost.

    If I see someone whose life is “messed up” and I know how they got that way, I can either learn from what they did to get in a mess, or I can ignore everything I see and say it doesn’t matter. EVERYTHING in life matters. My first goal in life should be to glorify God and whatever comes into my life that doesn’t glorify God must be cast aside. If His glory is primary in my daily living, then the focus of my life is going to be Him and not me. Let’s make the deliberate effort today and every day to release the control of our lives to God’s Holy Spirit and see how the events that some and go will be controlled differently. Just my thoughts …

Hang On – He’s There With You!

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Isaiah 43.2

       I don’t know when I have read greater words of encouragement than these. God’s promise of His presence with us in each of these circumstances ought to bring us great joy. I can’t count the number of times I have passed through the waters. We all know what that feels like. God says to us that He knows what the\at feels like and He will be with us. Many times, all we need is the encouragement that our God is there with us.

    “through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee … ” I don’t remember ever being in a fast-flowing river and feeling overwhelmed, but my imagination can envision great fear when one is in such a situation. You don’t know IF you can make it, or HOW you can make it, in light of your circumstances. God says to us, “I’ve got this!”

    This last one is a powerful picture: “when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” I remember as a child being in our apartment and the apartment under ours caught on fire. The fear for me was overwhelming. God doesn’t say, “If thou walkest through the fire” but rather, “when thou walkest through the fire”. Hang on – it is coming. But you don’t have to face it ALONE! God promises protection that can come from no other place but Him. Hallelujah! Just my thoughts …

All Scripture Is Inspired By God!

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷ that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3.16-17

    This first phrase needs to be one that we lock onto: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God … ” There shouldn’t be any passage of Scripture that we question because we don’t want to believe it or obey. I read some time ago this short phrase: “God said it. I believe it. And that settles it for me.”

    The fact that all Scripture is inspired by God makes this next phrase all the more powerful: “and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” Doctrine is important because it teaches us how to live the way God wants us to live. Reproof is “an expression of blame or disapproval:” The Bible has the authority to tell us what is wrong with the way we are living but also to provide correction – telling us how we ought to live for God. Finally, instruction in righteousness is the how-to of living for God daily, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute.

    “that the man of God may be perfect … ” The word “perfect” here means one who is mature in Christ. This last phrase gives us reason for daily reading the Word of God: “throughly furnished unto all good works.” If I want to live in a way that pleases God, I need to know what He says about how to please Him and that is only found in His Word. Just my thoughts …

It’s All About Him!

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” 1Peter 5.6

    I don’t know about you, but one of the things with which I struggle is an arrogant spirit. At times I seem obsessed with wanting everyone to know what a great guy I am. With that observation comes this first phrase that says: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God … ” When one humbles himself, he does not think less of himself, but rather he thinks of himself less. We stop being the object of our own affections. This requires that I realize that my life is NOT about me at all, but it is all about HIM! THAT focus every day changes the real meaning and purpose of life.

    This second phrase is equally challenging: “, that he may exalt you in due time:” How easy it is for me to want to exalt myself, so that others will realize how important I am. But the truth of the matter is this … if I am going to be exalted, I want God to be the one who exalts me. If He does it, it is done in such a way that it is NOT about me, but it is all about Him! I want my life to be a reflection of God’s work in the heart of a sinful man who is fully yielded to Him. I want to live that life every day. How about you? Just my thoughts …

WHEREVER WE ARE!

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1.8

    Several significant truths in this verse. First of all, our power comes from the Holy Spirit. Every child of God receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. So, everyone of us has access to this power. It is up to us to yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s control so that power can be exercised. None of us is a significant witness without the power of the Holy Spirit.

    The next significant truth is that we are all to be witnesses of Christ and that witness is to go into all the world. This is one reason the church sends missionaries to the “uttermost part of the earth”. When a missionary comes to our church and says, “Here am I. Send me!” they have no other way to go unless we send them. It would be easy to concentrate on “the uttermost part of the earth” and forget about Jerusalem. Where is our Jerusalem? Next door? Across the street? At the machine next to ours at work? It is WHEREVER WE ARE! Wow! That sharpens the focus of this verse. So, as this week unfolds before us, can we asl God to bless the missionaries we have helped to send, while ask Him to sharpen our focus on our neighborhood or WHEREVER WE ARE? Just my thoughts …

Mercy – a Wonderful Thing!

“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6.36

    Mercy is one of those topics that is talked about a lot, but I’m not sure we understand it or fully comprehend its meaning. The dictionary defines mercy as: “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” In a courtroom, if a defendant is guilty, the judge may lessen or suspend the sentence of punishment.

    In the arena we are discussing here, Luke is suggesting that you and I extend mercy to others in the same manner our Heavenly Father has extended mercy to us. Our first thought may be, “I’m going to make them pay.” But aren’t we glad our Heavenly Father didn’t look at us and make the same statement? As a matter of fact, had He done so, we could not have paid for our sin but Jesus could and He did. Hallelujah!

    So, we don’t extend mercy because we feel like it, or we are in a mood to be generous. We extend mercy because that is what we are told to do. And we are told to do it because it is what our Heavenly Father has already done for us. May the Lord help us, today and every day, to extend mercy to others, not on the basis of whether or not they deserve it, but on the basis of God’s mercy extended to us and His instructions for us to do so. Just my thoughts …

He’s Got It Covered!

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4.19

    I hope you believe this. When was the last time you had a need that was so great that you thought NO ONE could meet it? As you well know, needs come in all shapes and sizes and usually at the most inconvenient times.

    Notice how Paul describes the problem of needs: (1) my God – Paul wants us to know this is not just ANY God, but his personal God. I trust He is your personal God too. (2) shall supply all your need – realize that God knows your need better than you do. How is He going to do this? (3) according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. When you think through this statement, you don’t have a need that is greater than God’s riches. Not only does God KNOW about your need, and have the RICHES to supply your need, but His Son, Jesus Christ, is the means through which He will accomplish this task. He’s not sending an angel to handle the need. He is sending His Son to handle the need. What great encouragement. What great compassion. What great understanding He manifests toward us. These are “Just my thoughts …”

For Thy Pleasure!

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4.11

    John reveals a truth that we all know: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power … ” Then he states two powerful truths: (1) for thou hast created all things, and (2) for thy pleasure they are and were created. What do we learn about God from these two statements? It seems like such a simple statement to say God created all things. But when we look at this world we live in, we should be overwhelmed at God’s creative power. Let’s think for a moment about the human body. Can you comprehend the function of the human brain? Doctors have been trying to figure that out since medicine began. Think about the ability to touch something and determine whether it is hot or cold. This body of ours is amazing.

    Now, this last phrase: “for thy pleasure they are and were created.” ALL things that God created were created for His pleasure. God’s purpose in creating us was so that He would be glorified in and through us WOW! That adds a new dimension to life. When I realize that my purpose for being alive is to glorify God, that brings a different focus to my life. It takes the focus off me and places it squarely on God. How about if you and I make the determination to live our lives in such a way that we really do glorify God EVERY DAY? Just my thoughts …

Walk Humbly? Really?

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6.8

    Have you ever noticed that when God speaks, He doesn’t stutter? There is no question in this verse as to how you and I are to live.

    Let’s examine this phrase: “what doth the Lord require of thee … ” If you are anything like me, you WANT to know what God requires of us. Only three things are mentioned: (1) to do justly, (2) to love mercy, and (3) to walk humbly with God. WOW! To do justly. If that means what I think it means, God wants and expects me to consciously live in an honest, upright, God-honoring manner ALL THE TIME! There is never a time when it is permissible for a child of God to live in a manner that dishonors God. So, what does that require of each one of us? It requires a total surrender to the Spirit of God – ready for this? EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY!

    The follow-up statement is a challenge for us too: “… to love mercy”. How does that fit with, “I’m going to make them pay for what they did to me!”? I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the times in my life what others have rendered mercy to me rather than what I deserved.

    Finally, “to walk humbly with thy God”. When I recognize that I live my life every day in God’s presence and He is watching everything I say and do, how can I live any other way except humbly? To live humbly is to display a low estimate of our own importance. There is never a time or place when it is appropriate for us to display arrogance in our lives, rather than humility. May God grant us the desire, and the commitment to look at these three statements today and live our lives to glorify God. Just my thoughts …

What Are You Thinking?

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Matthew 6.25

    This word “Therefore” takes us to back to v. 24: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Since we cannot serve two masters, we must commit to God if we are to allow His Holy Spirit to control us. This phrase is powerful: “Take no thought for your life … ” Isn’t this what most of us do most of the time? So, let’s ask the question, “What is Jesus’ purpose in this statement?” Is He saying to us, “I gave you My Spirit to take care of all these things for you”? IF we spend all our time more concerned about what we eat, or drink, or wear, we are not going to have time for anything else. Loo at these words: “Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” There IS more to life than what I eat and what I wear. When I became a child of God, EVERYTHING in my life changed. I need to take thought for what God wants for me and from me as I serve Him. If I am unwilling to do that, then I am worthless to God’s kingdom. Think about it! Just my thoughts …