A Special Friend Abides with Us!

“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. ³⁹(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” John 7.38-39

Jesus is speaking here in the Temple area to those who would take time to hear Him. He states at the very outset that His remarks are for a particular group of people: “He that believes on me … ” So His comments are directed particularly to those who had already made the decision to follow Him.

But what was the special element in these remarks that would peak anyone’s interest? I believe it is found in v. 39: “ … this spake he of the Spirit … ” The day of Pentecost had not yet occurred (as we see happening in Acts 2). So while the Holy Spirit had appeared for specific purposes to empower some in the Old Testament, His permanent dwelling place in the hearts of believers had not yet occurred.

Jesus continues with: “ … which they that believe on him should receive:” Here was clearly a promise to which they could look forward. We read these words in John 20.22: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:” He has already told His disciples that He would not leave them comfortless. I believe these men received the Holy Spirit at this time, based on the tense of the verb used here, which means that it should happen at once.

When Jesus ascends back to heaven then He will send the Holy Spirit to every believers, but these men were special to Him. The one thing you and I can count on today is the ever-abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Let’s allow this “river of living water” to flow through our lives and allow Him to affect others through us. Just my thoughts …

His Might – Not Mine!

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6.10

This is one of those “I really need this” verses for me. I suspect this is true for some others reading these words. In vs. 1 – 9 Paul has given some necessary instructions to children, to fathers, and to servants. And then he says, “Finally my brethren… ” This is the summary of what he has already said.

“ … be strong in the Lord … ” What great words of encouragement. The Lord is EVERYTHING we need. Whether I am a child, a parent, or a servant, the Lord is all I need. Fretting and worrying seems to have become a way of life for some. How about we exchange our fretting and our worrying for God’s strength? In Psalm 37.1 we read: “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.” And then in vs. 40 we read: “the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.”

God really is “ … my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” (Psalm 91.2)

“Be strong … in the power of His might.” Omnipotence is probably not one of God’s attributes that we think about every day, but we certainly need to remember “His might.” Remember, it is His might that can and does defeat Satan. 1 Peter 5.8-9a remind us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: ⁹Whom resist stedfast in the faith … ” Why should we ever attempt to fight Satan in our own strength when the power of God’s might is extended to us?

Every morning when I get up, I take a handful of pills to take care of some health issues I have. This verse is one of the spiritual tablets I need to take to heart every day. Why don’t you try it? Just my thoughts …

This Is the Real Deal!

“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. ¹⁵Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” 1 John 4.14-15

We are hearing the words of an “eyewitness” here. John said, “ … we (I) have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” At this point in John’s life he is not imagining anything. He HAS seen the risen Christ. He is relating the words of Jesus to this lost world. He came “to be the Saviour of the world.” Jesus did not die as a martyr. He did not die for a cause. He died to be the Savior of the world.

How bold or how ashamed are we to name the name of Jesus in a public setting? Look at John’s words once again: “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God … ” We live in a culture that does not like to hear about Jesus because if what He says is true (and it is) then mankind is headed straight to hell if they do not KNOW Jesus as the Son of God.

Look now at John’s next phrase: “ … God dwelleth in him … ” How privileged we are to have God dwelling within us. We are MORE than simply His creation. We are His children. He dwells in us. But that is not all. God dwells in us and “ … (we) in God.” This is not some fancy dream and someone has cooked up to make everybody feel good. These words are from the Holy Spirit through John to us. In John 17.21, Jesus spoke these words: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. ²²And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:”

When you and I are able to grasp this truth and begin to live differently because of Whose we are, the world will notice. Just my thoughts …

What Does It Take to Move You?

“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16.8

What does life look like when we set the LORD always before us? The focus of our daily life moves from self to the Savior. Seems simple doesn’t it? But it is far from simple. We are born with a selfish bent and that seems to grow stronger with each passing day. Some one who is a narcissist has never learned to move the focus of life from self to anyone or anything else.

In these words the psalmist reveals his heart. He has come to some point in his life when he recognized that God is the significant One and not himself. He was chased by King Saul, who wanted to take his life. He was betrayed by his son who tried to take over his kingdom. He slept under the open sky as a shepherd and had plenty of time to evaluate life. His conclusion? “I have set the LORD always before me … ” That was when life for him moved from self to His God.

Why would a man like David make such a change in attitude and purpose? He tells us: “ … because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Knowing that God was always with him, David made the choice to live like God was looking over his shoulder – because He was. When Saul became king, David already knew that one day he would be king – God had said. When Absalom attempted to steal his kingdom, David already knew it would fail – God had said David would be king, not Absalom.

There is a hymn with these words:

Jesus is my Savior, I shall not be moved;
In His love and favor, I shall not be moved,
Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters,
Lord, I shall not be moved.

I shall not be, I shall not be moved;
I shall not be, I shall not be moved;
Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters,
Lord, I shall not be moved.

Just think about it! Just my thoughts …

The Lord is Good. Right?

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalm 34.8

This is an interesting phrase: “O taste and see that the LORD is good … ” How does one taste and see that the Lord is good? We find these words in Jeremiah 15.16: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jeremiah figured out a way to “taste and see that the LORD is good … ” It is reasonable to assume that you and I can “taste” the Lord by spending time in His Word. He has revealed to us in His Word everything we need to know to “trust in Him.”

I spoke about trusting Him in a previous article. Without absolute trust in Him we cannot exercise absolute faith in Him. I believe that God’s goodness is something we experience every day. Sometimes we may not recognize it, but it is there none-the-less.

This is a rhetorical question, but I will ask it anyway. “Do you DESIRE the blessings of God on your life?” Every person who is a Christ follower and is in his/her right mind would answer, “Absolutely!” Our days would be miserable if we never experienced the blessings of God. So the psalmist reminds us: “… blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Would it be right to say that the more we trust Him the more we will be blessed? I believe that is a good conclusion.

So how does all of this affect us? When we spend time in God’s Word, we are able to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. So when we have tasted the Lord through His Word, we are able to trust Him absolutely and to be blessed by Him. This is a simple equation that yields profound results. Just my thoughts …

 

Trust Him? For What?

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. ⁴Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” Isaiah 26.3-4

When someone uses the word trust, we often ask ourselves, “Why should I?” The word trust occurs two times in these two short verses. In one phrase we read: “Trust ye in the LORD for ever … ” Generally speaking, when we are asked to “trust” someone, we carefully consider the object of trust.

V. 3 tells us, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” I wonder if we can visualize the concept of our minds being “stayed” on someone? Can you remember when you were attracted to someone and all you could think about was him or her? When you were with them, you couldn’t keep your eyes off them. In some small way that may illustrate this idea of being “stayed” on someone.

In exchange for having our mind stayed on the Lord, He promises us “perfect peace.” Sometimes when our trust is placed in another human, we are deeply disappointed with their behavior. But when our mind is “stayed” on the Lord, we will never be disappointed. We literally can “trust” in Him without fear of failure or disappointment.

V. 4 states: “Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” Again, when we ask ourselves why we should trust Him, we are told that “the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” The Eternal Self Existent One is our everlasting strength. We are admonished that we can trust Him forever. If we can have confidence enough to trust Him forever, surely we can receive from Him what we need to serve Him, and that is “everlasting strength.” Don’t try to accomplish in your own strength what can only be accomplished when we make Him our everlasting strength. Just my thoughts …

What Are You Wearing?

“The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 15.29

I’m not sure how this fits with your understanding of God, because we know that God is omnipresent. But I believe that Solomon is speaking about relationships here and not the proximity of God to this world and its inhabitants.

How is the Lord far from the wicked? Since God is just and His justice does not permit Him to abide in the presence of sin, He is far from the wicked. They have either refused to receive Christ’s payment for their sin, or they have not yet heard that God has a son named Jesus and He died to pay for their sins.

This takes us to the next phrase in this verse: “ … he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” How does a sinner become righteous? We must first acknowledge our own Unrighteousness. Then we must come to understand that the Eternally Righteous One wants to clothe me in His righteousness. In 2 Corinthians 5.20-21 we find these words: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. ²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

In being reconciled to God, we have acknowledged our sin, recognized Christ’s death as payment for our sin, and said “Yes” to Christ as the only substitute for sin. There is NO OTHER person, church, or religious experience that can be substituted for this payment for sin. It really is that simple.

When I was “… made the righteousness of God in him”, I was immediately clothed in the righteousness of Christ. So when Solomon says, “he hears the prayer of the righteous,” that includes me, and you if you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. This is a simple truth with profound results when we come to understand it. Just my thoughts …

Watching, Waiting, and Serving

“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 3.5

This is an interesting phrase: “ … direct your hearts into the love of God … ” Paul says to the Thessalonian Christians and to us also that “the Lord direct your hearts … ” Do you get the idea here that we need some direction to allow ourselves to be bathed in the love of God? I know, we spit out the words of John 3.16 almost without thinking about them: “For God so loved the world … ” We flippantly say, “Yeah, I know all of that stuff. God loves everybody.”

Why did Paul think it necessary to remind us to let the Lord direct our hearts into God’s love? Could it be that we DON’T understand how MUCH God loves us? Is God’s love for us reflected in our daily lives as we interact with other people? If WE don’t reflect the love of God to a lost and dying world, God doesn’t have a Plan B. We are the only plan He has.

Are there specific instructions in God’s Word about His love? Indeed there are. Here are just a few verses to gve us some understanding: Romans 5.5: “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans8.38-39: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And there are many more.

But let’s move on to the last phrase: “ … and into the patient waiting for Christ.” The Thessalonian believers lived with the expectancy that Christ would return in their lifetime. Several chapters in 1 Thessalonians make reference to Christ’s return – His imminent return. Paul used his writings to direct their hearts “ … into the patient waiting for Christ.”

I must ask myself, and you too, “Am I looking for the imminent return of Christ?” Am I patient in that waiting – meaning that I am doing all I can FOR Him while I await His return? These thoughts are significant to me. I pray they are to you. Just my thoughts …

Do You Know the Rules?

“I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.” Psalm 119.7

Think about it! Just about everything we attempt in life has some rules attached to it. When you get a driver’s license you must pass a test to see if you know “the rules.” When you go to a sporting event of any kind, there is at least one official present to make sure you go by the “rules.”

If we “go by the rules” things will probably turn out ok. One translation uses the word “rules” to translate “judgments” in the verse above. Does it seem unreasonable that the Creator of the universe has “rules” on how we should live for Him? More specifically, isn’t it reasonable to assume that the Savior of sinners has some “rules” He wants us to obey?

I think the key phrase in the verse above is this: “ … when I shall have learned … ” So how do we “learn” these “righteous rules”? I believe we have three sources for learning them: (1) The Word of God, (2) The Holy Spirit, and (3) the local church and its fellowship of believers.

Let’s look at these for a moment: (1) The Word of God. I have, over the years, become a lover of history. I can read about people I have never met who made significant contributions to the world and our nation. I will never have an opportunity to meet them in this life because they are deceased. When I open the Word of God, I am not just reading a history book (although it contains much history). I am reading the inspired, infallible Word of the Eternal God. In this Book He tells me HOW He wants me to live.

(2) The Holy Spirit. In addition to the written Word, I have God living within me to help me with day-by-day decisions – and sometimes even moment-by-moment decisions. If I fail to give heed to His voice within, it is certain that I will NOT follow the “rules” I have learned if I have been reading the Word of God.

Finally, (3) The local church and its fellowship of believers. Over the 50+ years of public ministry, I have heard this phrase over and over: “I don’t have to go to church to worship God. I can do it anywhere.” While the “worship of God” is an important part of attending the church, I am also instructed in “the rules” by the man of God who is preaching that day. And I am also able to rub shoulders with others who may be going through some things that I am experiencing. I can learn from them.

So, this first phrase is possible when I learn the “rules.” “I will praise thee with uprightness of heart … ” Just my thoughts …

Some Things DO Last!

Some Things DO Last!

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24.35

In a world where change is constant, it is very comforting to remember, “my (Jesus’) words shall not pass away.” The Bible has been attacked by so many different people and on so many different fronts. But it still stands! Some years ago I came across this piece of poetry. It has been an encouragement to me many times over. Here it is:

The Anvil of God’s Word

“Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

“‘How many anvils have you had,’ said I,
‘To wear and batter all these hammers so?’
‘Just one,’ said he, and then with twinkling eye,
‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’

“And so, I thought, the Anvil of God’s Word
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone.”

—Attributed to John Clifford

When we consider that the heaven and the earth have been around since God created them in Genesis 1(6000+ years), the words of Jesus here are very strong. “Heaven and earth shall pass away … ” The ONE thing we have come to depend on – heaven and earth – is going to pass away. Revelation 21.1 says: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;” In essence Jesus is saying, “What I have said is going to last longer than what I have done.”

In order for us to fully grasp the significance of Jesus’ words, we need to think of a world where there are NO words from the lips of Jesus. We have no, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” We have no, “If you love me keep my commandments.” We have no, “I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” We are left without any hope whatsoever. Thank the Lord for this truth: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Just my thoughts …