Willing

This song is about being willing to obey Jesus Christ, to be his witness, to love others with his love, to know his power and working in our lives, and to be transformed into his likeness. 

As well, it is a prayer and a call to God for the Holy Spirit of God to come in power, and to change our hearts within this hour in which we now live, so that we may be like Jesus always, and to be that light that shines in the darkness, so that others can come into the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I think we have probably all heard the saying, “God does not need our abilities, what he wants is our availability.” He doesn’t want what we think we should do for him. He wants our lives surrendered to him, our all on the altar, willing and ready to follow him wherever he leads us.

Willing  

An Original Work / August 17, 2011

I am willing to obey You;

Have Your Spirit live within me;

Know Your power; be Your witness

To a world who needs You greatly.

Love within me spread to all men,

So that they might come to know Him;

Know His power; His forgiveness;

Be transformed into His likeness.

Holy Spirit, come in power,

Change our hearts within this hour.

May we be like Jesus always;

Be a light that shines in darkness. 

https://vimeo.com/118532725

Your Work of Faith and Labor of Love

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 ESV)

This was a letter penned by the apostle Paul, as carried along by the Holy Spirit. The letter was from Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So this was not an institutional church like we have today, associated with specific church denominations, incorporated as not-for-profit incorporations (businesses) under the state (the government), being marketed to the world just like any other businesses of human origin. And it was not a building called “church.”

The church was and is all who are of genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, who have died with Christ to sin and have been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to righteousness. We are all who have repented of our sins, who have turned from our sins to obey the Lord and his commands. We are all who are walking in fellowship with the Lord under the direction of the Holy Spirit in doing the will of God for our lives, for the glory of God.

But that doesn’t make us perfect people, nor does it mean that we will never sin again. But the Scriptures do make a definite distinction between those who merely give lip service to the Lord and those who are of genuine walks of faith in the Lord. It teaches us that if sin remains our practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord do not become what we practice, that we do not know God, we are not born of God, we are not in fellowship with Jesus Christ, we are not saved, and we don’t have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Now these words were spoken to a very specific group of people, commending them and thanking the Lord for them and for their walks of faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus. So we can only apply these words to our own lives if this is how we are living, in truth, and in practice. 

So, what specifically are the apostles thanking the Lord for here? They were thanking the Lord for the church’s (the people’s) work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Wow! That goes against what so many preachers are teaching the people today. For so many are teaching a gospel of salvation absent of all works, even if they are works of faith and labors of love of the Spirit of God in obedience to the Lord in ministry to the body of Christ and to the people of the world.

For they love to quote Ephesians 2:8-9 which tells us that we are saved by God’s grace, which is God’s gift to us, as is the faith to believe in Jesus. For it is also through faith that we are saved, which is of God, and which is not of our own doing, and not of our own works lest any of us should boast that we somehow did something in ourselves to earn or to deserve our own salvation. But not one of us can even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father persuades us to repent of our sins and to obey the Lord.

And since the faith to believe in Jesus is persuaded of God, and not of our own doing, then we don’t get to define what that faith looks like. God does. His word does. And if we read the next verse, verse 10, it says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So our faith is not absent of works, they just have to be the works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (in practice).

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

And all throughout the New Testament we are told that we must die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands and live holy lives pleasing to God if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God. And this is not working in the flesh to try to earn God’s grace, but it is walking in the grace of God and in the salvation that our Lord provided for us via his death on that cross so that we can die with him to sin and live to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living.

For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works,” the “good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (see: Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-9)

So, it is not true that God requires no works or that works have nothing to do with our salvation. We are saved to do the good works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them, by his power. And the New Testament is loaded with instructions to us regarding the good works that we are to be doing, too. And the Scriptures make clear that if we refuse to do the works of God and to obey his commands, but we continue to live in sin and for self, that we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[John 15:1-11; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:8; James 2:17] 

So, we are to be the people of God who do the works that God prepared for us to do, and who are engaged in the labors of love which he has called us to do, and who are steadfast of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and of his gospel message, which is that Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and now live for him and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands. For to this we have been called of God to his service and to obedience to him and to do his will for our lives – all in his power and strength and wisdom.

Have Thine Own Way, Lord 

Words 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! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z11avpKNLsA

You Have Given Me Life

“If your law had not been my delight,

    I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts,

    for by them you have given me life.

I am yours; save me,

    for I have sought your precepts.

The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,

    but I consider your testimonies.

I have seen a limit to all perfection,

    but your commandment is exceedingly broad.” (Psalms 119:92-96 ESV)

Suffering Afflictions

As human beings, we all suffer afflictions to some degree or another. We all go through trials, though some of us more, and some of us less. For we live in a sinful and fallen world, and we live in flesh bodies which fail us sometimes, and which can get sick and injured. And as followers of Jesus Christ, if we truly are walking in obedience to the Lord in doing his will, we will be hated and persecuted for righteousness’ sake, even by others who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and by pastors, and by family and friends.

And if our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus are not strong and consistent and determined, we may easily be swayed by our circumstances and be moved by our trials and tribulations to withdraw or to pull back so as to lessen the pain and suffering. But if the law of our Lord (his commandments under the New Covenant and his gospel of salvation) is our delight, then when the trials and testings of this life come upon us, we will automatically turn to the Lord and to his strength and wisdom in seeing us through it all.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; John 16:33; John 17:14; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

God’s Commandments

The commandments of the Lord (New Covenant) are not something to be dreaded or dismissed as archaic. So many people today are teaching that, as Christians, we do not have to obey the commandments of the Lord. And some are even teaching that no repentance is required, either, i.e. no denying of self, no dying to sin daily, and no walks of obedience to our Lord, even though Jesus and his NT apostles taught those as required of God for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God, for that is what faith is.

For if we want to have new life in Jesus Christ our Lord we must first of all be crucified with Christ in death to sin, then we can be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. This is the life of Christ within us who have been reborn of the Spirit of God, that we should forsake our lives of sin to now follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. Walking in holiness, and not in sin, is what this new life in Christ is all about.

We belong to Christ Jesus only by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. But this faith requires death to sin and living to righteousness in obedience to our Lord’s commands, or it is not biblical faith which is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness and of our need to repent of our sins and to follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord, we do not know God, we are not born of God, and we don’t have eternal life.

When we truly belong to the Lord Jesus via this God-gifted faith in him, which is not of our own doing, he is the one directing our paths. He is the one leading us in the way of righteousness and in the forsaking of our sins to follow him in obedience to his commands. And he is the one to protect us spiritually from our enemies who are out to destroy us. He may not deliver us from all persecutions, since he said we will be persecuted, but he will keep us from falling and from giving way to fear if we place our trust in him.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Perfection

Now, with regard to the subject of perfection, not one of us will be absolutely perfect (complete, reaching the end) until Jesus Christ returns and he takes his faithful ones to be with him for eternity. Only then will our salvation be complete and will we be perfect in Christ, and only if we are those who are in the process of walking in obedience to our Lord in obeying his commands and in doing his will and purpose for our lives, who are no longer walking in sin, making sin our practice. Now righteousness (of God) is our practice.

But the perfection of God and of his commandments is exceedingly unlimited and without end. We can absolutely rely upon the Lord and his teachings to be perfect in every respect, without error. But let me add here that the Scriptures that we have available to us in multiple languages and in multiple translations (or transliterations) are not as perfect as the original manuscripts, for they come from copies of copies of the originals and are translated by human beings, who may or may not be godly people.

Can the Scriptures, then, still be trusted? Absolutely! But it is best to find translations which are the most accurate to the original manuscripts, while still being readable. And it is good to read the Scriptures in their full context to get a more accurate understanding of what they are teaching. It is also a good practice to compare Scripture with Scripture if something you read doesn’t seem to agree with other Scriptures. And always read them under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to get the correct understanding.

Also, test everything and everyone who is teaching the Scriptures to make certain that what they are telling you is the truth, no matter who they are, for not one of us is absolutely perfect. And many people today are teaching Scriptures out of context and are twisting them to say what they do not say if taught in context. So be wise, be discerning, pray for understanding, read the Scriptures in context, and test everything against the Scriptures and in context to make certain that what you are believing is really the truth.

Lead Me Gently Home, Father

By Will L. Thompson, 1879

Lead me gently home, Father,

Lead me gently home;

When life’s toils are ended,

And parting days have come,

Sin no more shall tempt me,

Ne’er from Thee I’ll roam,

If Thou’ll only lead me, Father,

Lead me gently home.

Lead me gently home, Father,

Lead me gently home, Father,

Lest I fall upon the wayside,

Lead me gently home.

Lead me gently home, Father,

Lead me gently home;

In life’s darkest hours, Father,

When life’s troubles come,

Keep my feet from wand’ring,

Lest from Thee I roam,

Lest I fall upon the wayside,

Lead me gently home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Y9cb0f76A

Caution: This link may contain ads

Tell-Tale Signs

The tell-tale signs of liars’ lies

Are often seen within their eyes.

Their body language tells a lot

When they are then put on the spot.

They will not look you in the eyes,

Or else they’ll put on a disguise.

Pretending is part of their game,

They shift from truth and others blame.

Forgetful are they, truth not tell,

Their made up stories straight from hell.

They tell the same stuff o’er and o’er,

The truth you tell them, they abhor.

They will not listen to the truth,

For they are surely so uncouth.

They may pretend from time to time

That what they’re doing’s not a crime.

The truth they not tell bothers them,

For it exposes lies, and then

It calls them to repent of sins

And to the Lord be obedient.

But they’re content within their lies

To live and put on a disguise.

The fear of God, they have not known,

And so in Him they have not grown.

So life eternal not for them

And of their sins they’re not forgiven.

For they refuse belief in God.

They follow the road that is broad.

So be not like them, tell the truth.

Follow Jesus. Be like Ruth.

Go where’er your Savior leads you

Live the truth of what He feeds you.

An Original Work / August 6, 2022

Do Not Refuse Him Who is Speaking

“See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25-29 ESV)

Although it does not say, it is generally accepted that Paul is the writer of Hebrews, so I will use his name. But regardless of who actually penned the book, God is the true author of the Scriptures. So, these are the words of God to the people of God, but yet it can’t be assumed that everyone professing faith in Jesus Christ is truly a child of God or that everyone is walking in fellowship with the Lord in holy living, in obedience to the Lord, and not in sin. 

And Jesus Christ said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (see Matthew 7:21-23).

In this chapter of Hebrews it speaks much about struggling against sin and God’s disciplines in our lives. “It is for discipline you have to endure” (v. 7). And “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (v. 11). “And make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed” (v. 13).

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears” (Hebrews 12:15-17 ESV).

So, the warning to us here is that we are not to refuse the Lord Jesus who is speaking to us through his word as the Jews did who rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah and who chose their sins, instead. And Jesus told them plainly that God is not their Father, and that Abraham is not their father, but that the devil is their father and that they do the works of the devil because they refuse Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah. And if Abraham is not their father, they are not inheritors of God’s promise to him and to his seed (see Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47).

So, it is not enough to just make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, just like it is not enough for a Jew to claim Abraham as his father, for all of God’s promises to us have conditions, mainly the condition of obedience to his commands. For his word teaches us that if we do not obey him, like so many did in the wilderness, we will not inherit eternal life with God. We will not receive his promises any more than any Jew is a recipient of God’s promise to Abraham if they do not obey God by believing in Jesus Christ.

So, if we ignore the words of the Lord, and if we think that we can live however we want while we go through the motions of religious practice, then we have another thing coming. For he says in Romans 11 that we can be cut off, too, like he cut off all the non-believing Jews who refused Jesus as their Messiah, the Christ. For we are all going to be judged by God on the basis of our deeds. Those for whom sin is their practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to the Lord, they will not inherit eternal life. And all Jews who do not believe in Jesus will not inherit the promise God made to Abraham.

And the Lord will judge his people. And he will shake the earth and the heavens in order to remove the things that have been made in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain, such as genuine walks of obedience to our Lord in holy and righteous living, to the glory and praise of God, in the power of God, by the grace of God. For Jesus died on that cross so that we will die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, not so that we will go on living in sin while claiming heaven as our eternal destiny. Heaven is not promised to all those who do not obey God.

And so the encouragement here is for all of us who profess the name of Jesus Christ to offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. And that acceptable worship of God is for us to give our lives to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our acceptable worship of God. And that also includes that we must no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we must be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God so that by how we live our lives we prove what is the acceptable and perfect will of God. So we must no longer walk in sin, for our God is a consuming fire to all who will not obey him.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387

Where is Jesus?

I was praying this afternoon (5/22/11), and I was thinking about the busyness of our lives and how we can get so busy with all of life's activities that Jesus often takes a back seat or is forgotten altogether from our lives. The Lord inspired me to write a song about all the things in our lives, which begs the question to be asked, "Where is Jesus?" 

The assumption is not that Jesus is missing, but the question posed is for us to examine our own lives to see if he is there involved with us in all of our activities, and if we are involved with his will for our lives while we are engaged in all our busyness. Or are we involved in activities which would not be pleasing to him? Or is Jesus taking a back seat in our lives? Or is he forgotten altogether?

  

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does." ~ James 1:22-25

Where is Jesus?  

An Original Work / May 22, 2011

Fishing, swimming, boating, sailing,

Driving, hiking, camping, trailing,

Bowling, golfing, TV watching,

Videos, movies and talking –

Where is Jesus found?

Friends and Facebook chat and email,

Internet, blogs, news sites, retail,

Magazines, books, sports and music,

Laptops, I-Pads, smart phones, texting –

Where is Jesus now?

Jobs, careers, and data bases,

Business, money, many faces,

Get ahead of everyone who’s

Competition; always running –

Where does Jesus fit?

https://vimeo.com/119508871 

No Root of Bitterness Allowed

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (Hebrews 12:14-17 ESV)

If we read this first sentence as one whole thought, I believe that we will see that this is not saying that we should be at peace with all people in the sense of absence of conflict. For holiness means to be unlike, different from the world, because we are being conformed by God to his likeness of character. And this word “peace” means “to join, tie together into a whole,” “properly wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together.” (interlinear) And we are to be joined to Christ and to his body, but not to the world.

But as much as we can be at peace with all people to where we are not fighting with anyone, we should strive for peace. We should not be troublemakers and those who just enjoy stirring up conflict. Yet, as servants of the Lord, we must be his witnesses in taking the truth of the gospel to the people. And when we speak the truth in love to people we are going to have people who will try to fight against us and who will reject us and persecute us, and some of these people may profess faith in Jesus Christ.

And then notice with me what this says about holiness, “without which no one will see the Lord.” Do you see what this is saying? If we are not living holy lives, in practice, to the glory of God, in walks of obedience to his commands, we will not see the Lord. We will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what we confess with our lips. For Jesus Christ died on that cross so that we will die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, and so that we will no longer make sin our habit.

So we cannot be worldly people, and not godly, in practice, and still have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God. If we are there, living that way, and if we continue to live worldly lives in disobedience to our Lord, and in walks of sin, and if we do not repent of our sins, and turn, and now follow Jesus in obedience, the Scriptures teach clearly that we will not inherit eternal life with God. For it is not enough to just give lip service to the Lord, but we must walk in accord with his will and purpose for our lives.

And this is why the church is given warning after warning all throughout the New Testament against walking in sin, and against worldly living, and against disobedience to our Lord’s commandments under the New Covenant. For when it says to “see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God…,” it is letting the church know that a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ is not going to land them in heaven. They must die to sin daily and walk in obedience to the Lord, or they will not have eternal life with God.

For God’s grace to us is not just forgiveness of all sins and the guarantee of heaven when we die. God’s grace sent Jesus Christ to that cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And God’s grace is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.

[1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26; Titus 2:11-14; Acts 26:18]

And then we have a warning here that we are to see to it that no “root of bitterness” springs up within us and by it we become defiled. For the Bible teaches us that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” And these stem from what is stored up in the heart in the way of bitterness, hatred, anger, resentment, pride, selfishness, unforgiveness, and revenge, etc. For what is stored up in our hearts comes out in our actions and words and attitudes.

[Luke 6:45; Matthew 15:17-20]

So what this is saying is that what we have stuffed in our hearts impacts how we treat God and how we treat other people. For example, if someone was hurt by a family member early on his life, he may become angry with that family member and hold on to that anger throughout his life. If the family member was female, for example, he may end up hating all women, yet he may be a smooth-talker and a charmer at the same time. But deep down he devalues women and so sexual immorality is what he goes to.

And that is why we have the example of Cain and Abel. Abel’s offering to God was acceptable to God but Cain’s was not, and so he hated his brother because his brother’s deeds were righteous and his were not. And then we have the example here of Esau who sold his birthright for a single meal. He sold his inheritance to feed his flesh, and that is what many professing Christians are doing today, living in sin, and not in walks of obedience to the Lord, and thus they have sold their inheritance to feed their own flesh.

So we need to take these biblical warnings to us seriously and not just assume that we are a “shoe in” (a guaranteed winner) to go to heaven when we die just because we profess faith in the Lord Jesus, and/or just because we attend gatherings of what are called “churches” religiously on Sunday mornings. For true worship of God is not something we do religiously once a week for an hour or two. True worship of God is 24/7 and it involves surrender of our lives to the Lord in holy living, by the grace of God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

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