He Saves the Humble

Psalm 18:1-3, 6b ESV

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

    and I am saved from my enemies…

From his temple he heard my voice,

    and my cry to him reached his ears.

Sometimes in this life we will be brought to places of decision where we will have to go against the majority opinion in order to love our Lord and to give him the honor and loyalty that he alone deserves. And, sometimes we may even have to stand alone with no one else supporting us but God. And, so we will need much strength and courage to stand strong on our faith.

Peer pressure can be very powerful, especially if it comes from those within our own faith. And, there may even be temptation to go along with the majority opinion just to make peace. But, if going along with the majority means dishonoring our God, then we must choose God over humans. We must have courage to stand strong on our faith even in the midst of much strong opposition. But, the Lord will be our strength, so we must not fear.

The Lord will give us all that we need to remain faithful to him in all ways and to stand on the word of God and to not falter due to human opinion. So, when we are presented with such situations as this, we are to go to the Lord in prayer, seek his counsel, and then do what he says, believing he will get the glory through it all. And, he will help us to endure, and to be faithful, and to not give way to the enemy of our souls who wants to bring us down.

Psalm 18:16-19 ESV

He sent from on high, he took me;

    he drew me out of many waters.

He rescued me from my strong enemy

    and from those who hated me,

    for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

    but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into a broad place;

    he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

Our God rescues us who love him in many different ways. He may physically rescue us from our human enemies, but he may not. For, he does not promise us that we will never have to suffer. In fact, he promises us that we will have to suffer for the sake of his name, and for the sake of his gospel. And, he tells us quite frankly that we will be hated, and that we will be persecuted and accused falsely and put in prison and killed for our faith.

So, his deliverance of us and his rescuing us from our enemies is not always going to be physical. Most of the time, I believe, the deliverance comes from within, not from without. We are delivered from fear of what people are going to do to us or say about us. We are set free from the power Satan once had over our lives. We are strengthened and encouraged in the Lord to stand strong in our faith, too, and in this way the enemy is not able to defeat us or to overtake us to the point to where we deny our Lord.

So, even in the midst of a fierce battle with the enemy, which is against our minds and against our hearts, in the strength of the Lord we can stand firm. And, in this way the enemy cannot defeat us. He cannot overtake us. He may injure us, but we will not be destroyed! Amen! And, sometimes, too, the Lord will deliver us from our enemy through death, and then our suffering will be no more, but we will be forever with our Lord. Amen!

Psalm 18:25-30 ESV

With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

with the purified you show yourself pure;

    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

For you save a humble people,

    but the haughty eyes you bring down.

For it is you who light my lamp;

    the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

For by you I can run against a troop,

    and by my God I can leap over a wall.

This God—his way is perfect;

    the word of the Lord proves true;

    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

Amen! We are saved by God through his grace when we humble ourselves before our God in submission to his will and in turning away from our sinful lifestyles to follow him in obedience to his will and to his ways. For, we are only made righteous through the blood of Christ shed on a cross for our sins.

We can only be blameless and pure through our faith in Jesus Christ, and not of ourselves. God’s grace to us and our faith in him are both gifts from God to us in order that we might be saved from our slavery to sin and be found in him pure and holy. But, we must receive his grace into our lives, and we must apply the faith he has provided for us to our lives, as well.

Yet, we need to understand that his grace to us is not just forgiveness of sins and a promise of heaven when we die. His grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions (fleshly lusts) and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return (Tit. 2:11-14; cf. Eph. 4:17-24).

Also, our faith in him is not just a religion, and it is not just lip service, nor is it faith in some kind of religious practice. For, the faith that it takes to believe in Jesus is divinely persuaded as to God’s holiness and his righteousness and of our need to humble ourselves before God, and to surrender our lives to him to be lived for him, for his glory and praise.

And, this is why God gets the glory when we live our lives for him, for we cannot do this in our own strength or via our own willpower. It is only as we surrender our lives over the Lord and as we submit to the Lordship of Christ over our lives that we are made righteous before God in his sight. For, it is through his empowerment and by his grace that we are able to live for him and no longer for the flesh.

Yet, those who refuse to yield their lives to his control are still the ones in control of their own lives, and so they are still walking by the flesh, in the darkness, and not by the Spirit. They are still dead in their sins and are not alive to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And, this is because they will not let go of their flesh lives, and they will not surrender their lives to the control of God’s righteousness (Lu. 9:23-25; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

So, if you want the Lord to be your shield and your defense, and you want to be shown his mercy, and to have forgiveness of sins, and the hope of eternal life with God, and the promise of heaven when you die, then you need to yield your life to his control. You need to then, in the power of God’s Spirit, walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. Then, the Lord will be your advocate (Rom. 8:1-17; Col. 1:13-14).

At Calvary

Words by William R. Newell, pub. 1895

Music by Daniel B. Towner, 1895

Years I spent in vanity and pride,

Caring not my Lord was crucified,

Knowing not it was for me He died

On Calvary.

Chorus (Refrain):

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;

Pardon there was multiplied to me;

There my burdened soul found liberty

At Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;

Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,

Till my guilty soul imploring turned

To Calvary.

Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything,

Now I gladly own Him as my King,

Now my raptured soul can only sing

Of Calvary!

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!

Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!

Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span

At Calvary!

*Copyright status is Public Domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kace3TBloZo

Sunday, July 7, 2019

At the Very Gates

Matthew 24:3-5 ESV

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, it is our belief that Jesus is God (the Son), and that he came to earth, took on human form, and he suffered and died on a cross for us that we might be delivered from our bondage to sin and from the punishment of sin (eternal death and torment). We also believe, by him taking our punishment for our sin when he died on that cross, that he bought us back for God with his blood so that we might now live for God.

We also believe that he rose from the dead after three days, and after he had shown himself alive to his disciples and to many others that he then ascended back to the Father in heaven where he is preparing a place for those of us who have trusted in him to be Lord and Savior of our lives. And, we believe that one day he is going to come again to take his followers to be with him forever. But, before he returns, evil is going to reign on this earth.

And, many people are going to be led astray by some of those who claim to have the message of salvation from sin. They may not say literally, “I am the Christ,” but they will proclaim to have the message that gives life to all humans, and they will declare that their message is the truth, and that they have the power to promise people eternal life with God. But, the message that many of them are bringing is a lie from hell, for it saves no one, but it leaves them still dead in their sins, bound for hell, while promising heaven.

For, what they teach is a half-truth diluted cheap grace gospel that appeases human flesh and which quenches the Spirit of God and denies Jesus Christ as Lord (owner-master) of our lives. For, they promote a human faith that is based in the flesh, which yields not to the Lordship of Christ, which dies not to sin and self, and which does not live for God and for his righteousness. It is lip service only with no transformation of heart and mind away from sin to walking by the Spirit in holiness and righteousness in the power of God.

Matthew 24:9-14 ESV

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Not all who call themselves Christians are hated by the nations. Many of them are loved by the world because they are still of the world, and because they don’t try to persuade anyone to believe in Jesus Christ. For, they are convinced by liars and deceivers that they are to “stay in their own lane” and that they are not to say anything that might offend the ungodly. And, they believe they are just to be “good deed doers” going around “blessing” people, and that they are not to make proclamation of the gospel of Christ.

The hated, and those delivered up to tribulation and death, thus, are “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus;” “those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus” (Rev. 12:17; Rev. 14:12). These are the ones who are being delivered up to tribulation and to death by the nations – the nations which includes the false church and the worldly church. For, who put Jesus to death? It was the religious leaders within the temple of God who called for his crucifixion.

For, it is those who have fallen away from the faith and from God who are the persecutors of those who have held firm to the testimony of Jesus Christ and of his gospel of salvation from sin. And, these who have fallen away will betray and hate one another, and will turn one another over to be killed for their faith and for their testimonies for Jesus Christ, or for disloyalty to tyrannical governments, too. For, their love has grown cold and their respect for God’s authority and for the authority of his word are non-existent.

But, it is he (or she) who endures to the end who will be saved. And, this is so important that we get this truth. For, our salvation is not a one-time experience, we then live however we want, and one day we get to go to heaven. Our salvation is a life-long process of letting go of the flesh and of putting on Christ and his righteousness, being conformed to the likeness of Christ. Our faith must be present tense, and that faith must be proved genuine by our walks of obedience to our Lord (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 6:7-8).

Matthew 24:29-35 ESV

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

Although many people refuse to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ now, for they refuse to submit to his Lordship over their lives, one day everyone is going to know that he is God, and that God is Lord of all. It does not mean that they will then believe in Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives, for when he returns, he is coming to judge, and he is coming to take his loved ones to be with him forever. And, for those who kept refusing to believe in him, it will be too late. But, they will see, and they will know that he is God.

So, this is a warning to all who are now taking God for granted or who are thinking they are going to heaven based on some profession of faith, while they refuse to bow to him as Lord of their lives. Our God is completely faithful in all that he does, and he will do everything he said he would do. His word makes it perfectly clear that we will all be judged by how we live. If we live to please the flesh, from that flesh we will reap destruction. But, if we live (sow) to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life.

This also serves as an encouragement, too, to those who are waiting, and watching for his return. When we see these things taking place, many of which are now happening, we know that his return is near, and this should strengthen our hearts and our faith, for He is our hope! He is our joy! He is our deliverer! And, although he has placed us on this earth for a purpose, and we should be fulfilling that purpose, we should also be looking and longing for his return, for the day he takes us home to be with him.

Another wonderful encouragement here, too, is that God is God! He is completely in control and sovereign over all that he has made. Satan cannot outwit or outshine God. The enemy of our souls, although he can fight against us, cannot win. Jesus already won this battle for us on that cross. Satan can certainly fight against the truth of God’s Word, and he can even bring about the death of the Lord’s servants, but the Word of God will prevail. The message of the gospel will go forth to the ends of the earth, and then the end will come. For, God’s Word will never pass away. Amen!

Mighty in Power

An Original Work / June 17, 2019

Jesus, our Savior, reigneth forever;

Mighty in power, His name we honor.

He’s our refuge from all evil.

God our righteous, He’s our fill.

He satisfies us with all His blessings.

We magnify Him. Our praise to Him sing.

Glory and honor, praise to the Father,

Perfect in wisdom, He is our vision.

He delivered us from all sin

So, in Christ, we’d be forgiven.

He purifies us. His love will guide us.

He is beside us, holy and righteous.

Our Holy Spirit, comfort in sorrow,

Strength in our weakness, hope for tomorrow.

He gives courage to be bold in

Witnessing for Jesus Christ.

He teaches all things about our Savior.

New life in Jesus, we found His favor.

https://vimeo.com/343126112

Sing Praises

Isaiah 12:1-2 ESV

You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

    for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

    that you might comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation;

    I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

    and he has become my salvation.”

When God first created humankind, they were without sin. But, then they sinned against God by disobeying his command to them. And, since that time all humanity has been born into sin with sin natures. All have sinned and have come up short of attaining God’s approval and his holiness.

So, God provided a way for us to be delivered out of our slavery to sin and to be made righteous with God. He sent his only begotten Son to the earth to be born as a baby, and to grow up to be a man, and to suffer like we suffer, and to be tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin.

He sent Jesus Christ, God the Son, to the earth also to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, to heal the sick and afflicted, to comfort the sorrowful, to feed the hungry, to deliver people from demons, to give sight to the blind, and to set the captive free from his bondage to sin.

And, he sent him to be our perfect Lamb blood sacrifice for our sins so that we can die with Christ to sin and live with him to righteousness, all in the power, working, and strength of his Spirit now living within us. For, Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21).

So, our salvation from sin is not merely forgiveness of sins, an escape from hell, and the promise of heaven when we die. Our salvation is deliverance from our sinful lifestyles. It is a transformation of our hearts and minds away from living to sin to now walking (living) according to the Spirit of God.

So, we give thanks to God for delivering us out of our slavery to sin and for giving us new lives in Christ Jesus, empowered to live for our Lord.

Isaiah 12:3-6 ESV

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,

    call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples,

    proclaim that his name is exalted.

“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

    let this be made known in all the earth.

Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,

    for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Also, our salvation is not a one-time event and then we are good to go no matter what we do from that point forward. Our salvation is a lifelong process of forsaking sin and living for the Lord. Daily we die to sin and self, and daily we put on Christ and his righteousness. It is those of us who are walking according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh, who have the hope of salvation from sin and heaven as our eternal home.

And, when Jesus sets us free from our addiction to sin, and he gives us new lives in him to be lived to his righteousness, then we should want to give praise to the Lord for what he has done in saving us, and for giving us new meaning and purpose for life. And, we should want to tell others, too, about his salvation, and about how they can be saved from their sins, too.

We should want to tell others all about God; about Jesus Christ. And, it should bring joy to our hearts to share with others about the greatness of God, and of all his godliness, holiness, purity, steadfastness, faithfulness, love, tenderness and compassion towards us, too. And, we should desire to give God all honor, respect, submission and obedience.

We should be filled to overflowing with gratitude to our Lord for all that he has done for us in saving us from our sins, and for all the many spiritual blessings that he pours into our lives on a regular basis. For, he is perfect, and he is completely faithful in all that he does.

And, he always has our best interest in mind. His desire for us is that we be conformed to his likeness and that we walk in holiness, because this is what is best for us, and it is what will bring him praise, honor and glory. So, we should sing his praises continually, and be ever thankful to our Lord.

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Hymn lyrics by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907

Music by George C. Stebbins, 1907

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master, today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!

Power, all power, surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!

Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway.

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me!

*copyright status is public domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSnBbgsecD4

A Genie in the Sky?

Psalm 33:8-12 ESV

Let all the earth fear the Lord;

    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

For he spoke, and it came to be;

    he commanded, and it stood firm.

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

    the plans of his heart to all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Too many people these days take God for granted, or else they minimize him and who he is. They reduce him to nothing more than a genie in the sky, or to a doting grandfather there to grant people’s every desire and request. They have an entitlement mindset with regard to God, thinking that God is there solely for them, but that they owe nothing to God.

But, God created us to worship him, to revere him, and to give him honor, respect, and true praise and adoration. As new creatures in Christ Jesus, we were created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. As born again believers in Jesus Christ, if we are truly in him by faith, we died with him to our old lives of sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness. For, he died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21).

So, it isn’t “let all the earth believe in Jesus so that they can go on in their sinful lifestyles without guilt,” but it is “let all the earth fear the Lord.” And, to fear the Lord means to give him honor, praise, loyalty, devotion, worship, respect, and obedience.

To fear him is to give our lives fully to the Lord as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our true worship of him. We are to be no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we are to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sinful practices to following our Lord in surrender and in obedience to his Word (Rom. 12:1-2).

So, those who are teaching a cheap grace gospel that saves no one from their sins, because it delivers no one from slavery to sin, will go nowhere with God. Their plans will come to nothing. For, what they are teaching is a lie. What they are teaching is of human origin, and is intended to tickle itching ears and to appeal to and to pacify human flesh.

For, Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow (obey) him. He said that if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self) we will lose them for eternity. But, if we lose our lives (die to sin and self) for the sake of his name, we will then have eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

Psalm 33:13-17 ESV

The Lord looks down from heaven;

    he sees all the children of man;

from where he sits enthroned he looks out

    on all the inhabitants of the earth,

he who fashions the hearts of them all

    and observes all their deeds.

The king is not saved by his great army;

    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

    and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Some people have the mistaken notion that, once they “believe” in Jesus, he no longer sees their sins, and that all he sees when he looks down on us is Jesus. So, they feel as though they can continue in their sinful practices because God no longer sees their sins and that his grace covers them all.

But, the whole of the New Testament “blows that notion out of the water” (an expression). Yes, when we believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation, he forgives our sins, and they are no longer held against us. We are no longer under condemnation. But, true belief in Jesus involves death to sin and living to righteousness, and it is continuous until the very end of time.

And, all throughout the New Testament, those who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives are warned against continuing in sinful practices, and they are instructed to put off their sinful ways and to put on Christ and his holiness and purity, and to do this daily. So, if God can no longer see our sins, why all the warnings to the church against sinning?

Also, since the scriptures are real clear that it is those who are walking according to the Spirit who have eternal life with God, and that those who are still walking (in practice) according to the flesh will die in their sins, this means that God does indeed still see when we sin, and that true faith in Jesus Christ involves walking by the Spirit and not by the flesh (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8).

And, since nothing is hidden from God, and he does truly see everything that we do, and we will be judged by our deeds (see noted scriptures above), then we have to know that a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ is not going to save us from our sins or guarantee us heaven when we die. For, it is based in the flesh, not in the Spirit, and thus it cannot rescue us from our slavery to sin, for it refuses to die with Christ to sin that we might live with Christ to his righteousness.

Psalm 33:18-22 ESV

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

    on those who hope in his steadfast love,

that he may deliver their soul from death

    and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;

    he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him,

    because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

    even as we hope in you.

So, it is those who walk in the fear of the Lord who have the hope of eternal life with God, not those who merely give him lip service. And, this is not works-based salvation. For, we can do nothing in ourselves to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Yet, our salvation from sin involves us dying with Christ daily to sin and self and daily living to him and to his righteousness, all in his power and strength at work within us. This is true faith!

For, the faith to believe in Jesus Christ is a gift from God to us. It is divine persuasion as to God’s will and purpose for our lives, too. And, if persuaded of God, we will submit to the Lordship of Christ over our lives, and we will surrender our lives to the Lord to do his will in his power and strength. And, we will walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. Yet, it doesn’t mean we will be perfect, or that we will never sin again, but that sin is no longer our master, but Jesus Christ is our only Lord.

So, true faith in Jesus Christ means dying with Christ to sin and living with Christ to his righteousness. It means we are committed to following our Lord in surrender and in obedience to his will for our lives. Our dependency is on him, and not on our own strength. Our lives are now given to him.

Fully Ready!  

An Original Work / June 19, 2013

Based off Acts 20-22, 26; Mt. 28:18-20; Ac. 1:8

Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?

I’m fully ready to suffer for Christ.

If I must die for the sake of His name,

I am convinced it will not be in vain.

Glory to God and to His Son Jesus,

Who has redeemed us; bought with His blood.

May I speak to you? Jesus came to me;

Asked of me, “Why do you persecute me?”

He said, “Now get up and stand on your feet.

Go, and you’ll be told all I have for you.

I have appointed you as a servant,

And as a witness; you have been sent.”

“Go into the world and preach the gospel.

Open the blind eyes. They will receive sight.

Turn them from darkness to the light of Christ;

From power of the evil one to God,

So they may receive forgiveness of sins,

And a place among those who’re in heav’n.”

https://vimeo.com/115439432

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Giving Thought to Our Steps

Proverbs 14:2, 3, 5, 6 ESV

Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord,

    but he who is devious in his ways despises him.

By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,

    but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

A faithful witness does not lie,

    but a false witness breathes out lies.

A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,

    but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to all walk in uprightness in the fear of the Lord. We are to honor God with our lives, and we are to treat our Lord with full respect and reverence, walking in obedience to him, and following him in his ways and in his truth. We should be those who walk in integrity, in all honesty, in trustworthiness, and in purity of devotion to our Lord.

For, if we truly love God, we will walk in obedience to him. Those who choose not to obey him, as a matter of course (practice, lifestyle), do not love him, but they despise him. They have chosen their own path to follow rather than to follow the way of holiness and righteousness. So, instead of being truth tellers, they are liars and deceivers. And, instead of honoring God with their lives, they scoff at him and his Word, instead.

Yet, those of us who love the Lord our God should speak words of wisdom and discernment – the words of life and of love for God and for our fellow humans. Our speech should be truthful and never mixed with lies or deceit. We should always show faithfulness and honesty in all our speech, and false testimonies should never be on our tongues. Our tongues should reflect Christ and not our flesh, and definitely not our culture, because we love God.

Proverbs 14:7, 8, 11, 12 ESV

Leave the presence of a fool,

    for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

    but the folly of fools is deceiving.

The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

    but the tent of the upright will flourish.

There is a way that seems right to a man,

    but its end is the way to death.

Scripture teaches us that bad company corrupts good character. So, it is wise for us not to become companions of fools. And, fools are people who do not act wisely, but who make it their practice to behave recklessly, irrationally, and thoughtlessly, for they are lacking in good sense, judgment and discretion. So, it is better for us to make close friends with those who will influence us in ways that are good, upright, godly and wise, too.

It is foolishness to follow after our own flesh, to do what our flesh desires, rather than to walk in obedience to our Lord. It is foolishness to go the way of worldly wisdom rather than to make the Lord our counsel. The foolish are not in the practice of following good counsel or discernment, but they tend to let their feelings and their flesh rule their hearts, minds and actions. And, in the end, it will not go well for them, for if we walk according to our flesh, scripture says we will die in our sins, not live with Christ for eternity.

Nonetheless, if we walk in the ways of the Lord, and we do not follow after the ways of the foolish, then we are wise, and we are discerning. And, we will be blessed in what we do. Our lives will have purpose and direction, we will be at peace with God, and we will have the joy and the presence of the Lord in our daily walks of faith. And, in the end, we will have eternal life with God, and we will have no fear of death, for we will be with our Lord forever.

Proverbs 14:15, 16, 22, 23 ESV

The simple believes everything,

    but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,

    but a fool is reckless and careless.

Do they not go astray who devise evil?

    Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.

In all toil there is profit,

    but mere talk tends only to poverty.

Another word for “simple” is “naïve.” In some ways, it is good to be those who are trusting and childlike, when it comes to trusting in God our Lord. But, it is not good if it means we remain immature spiritually and we lack in discernment, and therefore we are easily tossed here and there by every wind of teaching by those who are deceitful and wicked, and who would lead us astray from our pure devotion to Christ to follow after them, instead.

So, we should believe God, and we should believe his Word, but even there we must give thought to our steps, for many are led astray by taking scriptures out of context to make them mean what will support their sinful lifestyles. So, when it comes to believing the Word of God, we need to make certain that we are reading the Word in context, and that we are comparing scripture with scripture, so that we get its full meaning, rather than making it say what tickles itching ears. For, the wise turn away from evil. They don’t excuse it away and coddle themselves in their sin.

If we truly are followers of Jesus Christ, not in name only, but in practice, then we will seek to do good and not evil. For, we understand that when Jesus Christ died on that cross, he did not die merely to forgive us our sins and to promise us heaven when we die, but he died that we might die with him to sin, and he lives that we might live with him to righteousness. Therefore, we will follow our Lord in obedience, and we will not live for the flesh, but we will live for God to do what he has called us to do and to be.

Proverbs 14:25, 32, 33, 34 ESV

A truthful witness saves lives,

    but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.

The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,

    but the righteous finds refuge in his death.

Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding,

    but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.

Righteousness exalts a nation,

    but sin is a reproach to any people.

So many people today are teaching a false grace gospel which does not save lives from sin or from hell, because it does not require death to sin or living to righteousness. Rather it teaches a profession of faith that does not have to be accompanied by action. It says you can “believe” in Jesus and have heaven secured as your eternal destiny, but that God does not require you to leave your lives of sin behind you or to follow him in obedience.

So, someone who tells the truth, and who teaches the whole counsel of God, and who does not teach a half-truth gospel, is one who saves lives, because he or she is teaching the truth which sets people free. He or she is teaching that we must leave our lives of sin behind us to follow our Lord in obedience if we want to have eternal life with God, because that is what God’s Word teaches (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Tit. 2:11-14).

Yet, those who are teaching the truth which saves lives also understand that teaching the truth will bring upon them much rejection, persecution and even death for the sake of the name of Jesus, and for the sake of the gospel of our salvation. For, many are following after the lies, and they are denying the truth, and they are excusing away their sin, and they are rejecting righteousness, so they don’t want to hear or to believe the truth that sets people free from their slavery to sin. And, some of them will, thus, attack those of us who are telling the truth. Yet, we are not to fear them or what they may do to us, but we are to keep on telling the truth that sets people free. Amen!

Fully Ready!  

An Original Work / June 19, 2013

Based off Acts 20-22, 26; Mt. 28:18-20; Ac. 1:8

Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?

I’m fully ready to suffer for Christ.

If I must die for the sake of His name,

I am convinced it will not be in vain.

Glory to God and to His Son Jesus,

Who has redeemed us; bought with His blood.

May I speak to you? Jesus came to me;

Asked of me, “Why do you persecute me?”

He said, “Now get up and stand on your feet.

Go, and you’ll be told all I have for you.

I have appointed you as a servant,

And as a witness; you have been sent.”

“Go into the world and preach the gospel.

Open the blind eyes. They will receive sight.

Turn them from darkness to the light of Christ;

From power of the evil one to God,

So they may receive forgiveness of sins,

And a place among those who’re in heav’n.”

https://vimeo.com/115439432

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

In Whom Do We Trust?

Jeremiah 17:5-8 ESV

Thus says the Lord:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man

    and makes flesh his strength,

    whose heart turns away from the Lord.

He is like a shrub in the desert,

    and shall not see any good come.

He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,

    in an uninhabited salt land.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

    whose trust is the Lord.

He is like a tree planted by water,

    that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

    for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

    for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

What does it mean to trust in the Lord; to make the Lord our trust? Certainly it is our faith, our belief in God – in Jesus Christ. It is also dependence on the Lord in all things. It is to have confidence in him and in who he says he is, and in what he says he will do. Yet, it is also committing our lives to him, surrendering our all to him, and submitting to his Lordship over our lives.

And, what is our faith? It is more than a mere acknowledgment of Jesus as our Savior, or of Christianity as our religion of choice. It is our devotion, loyalty and faithfulness to our Lord as King of our hearts and lives. It, too, is divine persuasion as to God’s holiness, righteousness and purity, and of our need to die with him to sin and to live with him to righteousness.

Thus, if we believe in Jesus Christ with this God-given faith, then we will submit to him as Lord, and we will die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness. We won’t be looking for loopholes in order to get out of obeying him, or to excuse away our faithlessness and sinful practices. Yet, many who profess the name of Jesus do exactly that.

Many who profess the name of Jesus have turned away from the Lord and are following after humans and human-based religion, instead. And, they are following after their own flesh instead of following after the Spirit of God.

And, they are convinced that they are saved and that they are bound for heaven merely because they paid some lip service to the Lord, but while they refuse to surrender their hearts to God. And, in the end they will be surprised to learn that the Lord never knew them. “Depart from me!” he will say to them, instead of “Enter into my heaven, good and faithful servant.”

But, blessed are we who have made the Lord our trust, who have surrendered our lives to him, and who are walking in his ways and in his truth, in his power and strength within us. This is not saying we are perfect people or that we will never sin again. But, it is saying that Jesus is our Lord, and that our trust is in him, and that sin no longer has mastery over our lives, but that God is truly King of our hearts.

We have nothing to fear. This is not saying that nothing bad will ever happen to us, but that we don’t need to fear what may come our way, for our God is with us, and he is living within us, and he will carry us through it all even to the end of time, and then he will take us home to be with him.

Jeremiah 17:9-10, 12-13 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things,

    and desperately sick;

    who can understand it?

“I the Lord search the heart

    and test the mind,

to give every man according to his ways,

    according to the fruit of his deeds.”

A glorious throne set on high from the beginning

    is the place of our sanctuary.

O Lord, the hope of Israel,

    all who forsake you shall be put to shame;

those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth,

    for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.

The human heart is deceitful. Surely it is! And, as long as we live in these flesh bodies, the Spirit within us will be at war with our human flesh, and our flesh with the Spirit. And, this is why scripture instructs us that daily we must take up our cross and follow Jesus; daily we must put sin to death, by the Spirit of God. Our salvation from sin is a lifelong process of daily dying to sin and self, and daily yielding to the Lordship of Christ over our lives.

This is why scripture also teaches us that what we do and how we live does impact our eternal security. We are not saved by our own works. We can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Our good deeds will never outweigh our bad deeds. But, we are saved to good works, which God prepared in advance that we should do. And, what we do and how we live is evidence of whether or not we truly do believe in Jesus Christ.

Thus, scripture also teaches us that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (in lifestyle) by the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. It teaches us, in fact, that if we walk (in practice) according to the flesh, that we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God. And, it says that we will reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 6:7-8; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

So, this is not just Old Testament teaching. This is New Testament teaching, too (See: Rom. 2:6; Rev. 2:23; Rev. 22:12; Matt. 16:27).

Jeremiah 17:14-18a ESV

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;

    save me, and I shall be saved,

    for you are my praise.

Behold, they say to me,

    “Where is the word of the Lord?

    Let it come!”

I have not run away from being your shepherd,

    nor have I desired the day of sickness.

You know what came out of my lips;

    it was before your face.

Be not a terror to me;

    you are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Let those be put to shame who persecute me,

    but let me not be put to shame;

let them be dismayed,

    but let me not be dismayed.

If we turn away from the Lord, and we go our own way, and we forsake him and his statutes, and we follow after human flesh, instead, it will not go well for us in the end.

For, it doesn’t matter what we profess with our lips or what we think we believe in our hearts. For, how we live reveals what we truly believe. And, it is our deeds which give evidence to whether or not our faith in the Lord is genuine or not.

For, God’s grace to us is not free license to continue in sinful lifestyles without guilt and without remorse. His grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return (Tit. 2:11-14; cf. Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

So, don’t take his grace for granted. Don’t think that how you live doesn’t matter to God. It does! And, your eternity does depend on you knowing the truth and you living the truth, for the truth is what will set you free.

Broken and Contrite  

An Original Work / May 13, 2012

I come before You, Lord, my Savior,

With humble heart and crushed in spirit.

I bow before You, I implore You,

Heal my broken heart, I pray.

Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,

You are the King of my heart.

Lord, purify my heart within me;

Sanctify me, whole within.

Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully

The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.

I pray You give me grace and mercy,

Strength and wisdom to obey.

Father God, my heart’s desire,

Won’t You set my heart on fire?

Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders

My walk with You, now I pray.

Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,

My heart cries out for understanding.

I want to follow You in all ways,

Never straying from Your truth.

Holy Spirit, come in power,

Fill me with Your love today.

Lord, mold and make me;

Your hands formed me;

Live Your life through me, I pray.

https://vimeo.com/118841304

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Clearheaded Discernment

Romans 12:1-2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

If we have trusted Jesus Christ, God the Son, to be Lord and Savior of our lives, it means we have given our lives to God. We have surrendered our wills to the will of the Father in heaven. We have died with Christ to sin that we might live with Christ to righteousness. The old self is now done away with, and the new self has now come into being, via new birth in Christ.

Therefore, we are to give our whole being to the Lord as a living sacrifice, set apart (unlike, different) from the world, because we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. We are to no longer conform our lives to the ways of this sinful world, doing the kinds of things that this sinful world does. But, we are to be changed (transformed) in the renewing of our minds, with minds set on things above, not on things on this earth (of this world).

And, now we are to live holy lives, acceptable and pleasing to God, by the power of the Spirit of God living within us and at work within us. And, this is our spiritual worship of God. This is our true worship of God.

For, we can sing songs of praise to God, and we can even lift our hands in the air, or dance, or shout out our adoration of our Lord, but if we have not surrendered our lives to the Lord, as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to him, then we are not truly worshipping him. For true worship of God is surrender to him, yielded to his will, in walks of obedience to our Lord.

Romans 12:3 ESV

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

If our lives are truly surrendered to the Lord as living sacrifices, we are not going to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, but we should have the correct perspective of ourselves. We should see ourselves as sinners saved by grace, who could do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation.

We should have an honest realization of where we were outside of faith in Jesus Christ, and that it is only by God’s grace, through God-given faith in him, that any of us can be made righteous in God’s sight.

But, this doesn’t mean we continue to walk in and to wallow in sin, thinking that makes us more humble. This also doesn’t mean we that we coddle others in their sin, or that we close a blind eye to sinful practices in others out of fear we will be tagged as judgmental and as “holy rollers.” It also doesn’t mean that we cease teaching on holiness for the same reasons.

It just means we have a realistic and biblical perspective of our own lives and of who we were outside of faith in Christ, but also of who we are by faith in Jesus Christ, too. And, this means that we give God all the glory for anything he accomplishes in and through us, and we don’t take credit for ourselves for what we can only do by faith in him. And, it is an honest realization, too, of our total dependency on our Lord in and for all things.

Romans 12:9-13 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Genuine Love

As followers of Jesus Christ, our lives are to be distinctly different from those who have no faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, our love for others should be honest and sincere, not fake. Yet, this doesn’t mean that we are to be mean to people in order to be honest, either, just because we don’t want to pretend what we don’t feel. For, this kind of love is not based in feelings.

This kind of love is of God, and therefore it prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, pure, upright, godly, moral, honest, trustworthy and kind.

Therefore, we will treat others with kindness in all honesty and sincerity, not in fakery, because God is love, and because he lives within us, and because his love is being lived out through our lives as we are obedient to him. And, we will do so because love is action, not feelings, for we can love others even when we don’t feel some mushy gushy feeling towards them. For, we are commanded to love even our enemies.

Yet, when we love with this kind of love, we will hate evil and we will cling to good. Thus, this kind of love will never placate sin or coddle it, thinking we are being “nice” to people. For, it is never kind to lie to people or to lead others into sin or to give approval or permission for them to continue in sin. For sin is what ruins people’s lives and it is what sends them to hell if they have not turned away from it to follow Jesus with their lives.

Fervent in Spirit

If we are truly followers of Jesus Christ, we will desire him above all else, and our hearts’ desire will be to serve him with our lives. When we hear teachings on spiritual gifts, our hearts should be stirred within us, and we should long to serve our Lord using the gifts he has given to us. No one should have to push or persuade us to want to serve the Lord. The Spirit living within us should move us to want to serve our Lord.

We also should not have to be talked into reading our Bibles or praying or walking in obedience to our Lord, either. We should hunger and thirst after the Word of the Lord, and we should be in conversation with our Lord throughout our days, no matter what we are doing. We should always have ears attentive to the Spirit’s voice and hearts ready to respond in obedience to his promptings and to his commands.

If you have ever been in love with someone, and you know what it is like to want to be with that person, to talk with him or her, to share your dreams and hopes, to talk about your day, and just to be in that person’s presence, then you know what your relationship with the Lord should look like, too, only completely pure. For, he compares his relationship with us, his bride, to a marriage between a man and his wife.

This is the kind of zeal we should have for the Lord, where we desire him, we long to spend time with him, we want to do what pleases him, we want to hear what he has to say to us, and we want to share our heart with him, too. We should want to go where he goes and do the kinds of things he likes to do. And, we should want to know his heart, too, so that we can be united with him in heart and mind. And, then our lifestyles should reflect that, too.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

*copyright status is public domain

Monday, July 1, 2019