Choose Wisely

Friday, September 22, 2017, 2:52 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Seek the Lord.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 3:14-22 (NASB).

Complacent (vv. 14-16)

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

Complacent – “marked by self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies” (M-W).

The speaker is Jesus Christ. And, he is addressing his complacent church. They are neither totally indifferent to the Lord nor are they fully on fire (passionate, enthusiastic) for him. They are somewhere in between the two, fully content with mediocrity, self-absorption, and fundamentally unconcerned about their spiritual conditions or their relationships with the ONLY true God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are worldly, and are living not much different from those who make no profession to faith in Jesus Christ at all. And, they are followers of man more than they are followers of God; more caught up in forms of religion rather than having a passionate, faithful and vital relationship with their Lord, Savior and King.

The sad reality of it all, though, is that this type of Christianity is being encouraged and promoted in today’s modern churches. They are being taught that God does everything for us, and that nothing is required of us at all other than some non-descript “faith” in Jesus Christ, but not the kind of faith Jesus taught, or that his NT apostles taught. Some of their leaders even go so far as to discourage repentance and obedience to Christ, in order to appease human flesh, and to gain disciples after themselves. They want to make everyone feel good about themselves, even in their sins, and to not offend anyone with the truth, and so they lie to their congregations and they lead them to follow humans, and they encourage worldly living.

So, what we have are a whole lot of people who bear the name “Christian” but who don’t reflect Christ in their attitudes, actions or thinking, and who think God is ok with them being that way, because that is what is being modeled to them by many of their leaders. So, they may or may not spend any time in God’s Word or in prayer, throughout their day, and God may or may not get a bare acknowledgment from them, and their free time will often be spent doing what THEY want to do, and not what GOD has for them. And, many of them are convinced that their lives are their own to live how they want as long as they give God some of their time and offerings, and many of them, too, are engrossed in being entertained continuously.

Counsel (vv. 17-18)

Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

Counsel – recommend, advocate, encourage, guide, instruct, or warn; to give advice to (someone); to suggest or recommend (something) (M-W).

Jesus loves his church, even the church which is half-hearted in their devotion to him, or who have forsaken their first love, or who have a reputation of being alive but are mostly dead, etc. Yet, this does not mean he is ok with them remaining in those conditions, or that he doesn’t have something better and necessary for them, or that he won’t chastise them in order to move their hearts back to him in purity of love and devotion. He will! He said so, and he is true to his Word. So, he urges, counsels, encourages, teaches, and stimulates them towards what is good for them, and he warns them against what is bad for them, and in order to move them to repentance, to renewed faith in him, and to faithful and passionate obedience to him and to His Word.

The counsel here is basically for them to move from their self-sufficiency to finding their all-sufficiency in God alone. It is also to do a self-examination and to see their own spiritual condition through God’s eyes, and through the scope of God’s Word, rather than through the lens of human thinking and reasoning. They think they are ok just how they are, because their itching ears longed to hear smooth, pleasing messages which told them that they could continue in sin and still have the blessings of God in their lives. But, God is not ok with them continuing in a sinful course, and this kind of thinking isn’t reflective of what the Bible teaches, either. So, Jesus desires that they know what his Word teaches, and that they now obey it.

So, what is Jesus’ counsel to them, in reality? It is that they purify their hearts via repentance (turning from sin to God) and via obedience to him and to his commands, and that they walk (conduct their lives) in the Spirit and no longer according to (in agreement with) their flesh (sin natures). It is that they die daily to sin and self, and that they live to Christ and to his righteousness. And, it is that they make Jesus Christ truly Lord (owner-master) of their lives, and that they become his bond-servants. It is also that they now see life through God’s eyes and no longer through the eyes of humankind and the flesh, and that they follow what is truth and reject the lies and the deceptions of humans who would lead them astray.

Convince (vv. 19-22)

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Convince - to bring (as by argument) to belief, consent, or a course of action; to persuade (sway, convert, win over) (M-W).

This is a lot like a lawyer’s closing arguments where he must convince the jury to vote in favor of the verdict he proposed based upon the evidence he presented to them of the facts of the case. This is the turning point in the argument, where now a choice must be made, and a person’s future must be determined. Only, in this case, the ones being persuaded here to make a resolution are actually the ones on trial, and they must make the decision concerning their own destiny, whether or not they will choose to follow Jesus or shut the door in his face for eternity.

And, although Jesus is still being loving and gentle, he is warning them of the dangers of making the wrong choice. He is letting them know that he will chastise and reprove them, and so he urges them to turn from their sins of complacency, idolatry and spiritual adultery, and to return to him as their ONLY God and LORD. Although they have mostly rejected him and his Lordship over their lives, he has not rejected them. He is still calling out to them, still counseling, loving, urging and warning, and reminding them of what he did for them in dying on a cross so they could be free from sin. And, he is still inviting them into fellowship with him, if they will just open the doors of their hearts to him and let him be LORD of their lives.

And, so true to God, and to his nature, and to how he consistently has dealt with his rebellious children, down through the ages, he always offers the opportunity for restoration and renewal in relationship with him to the one who will turn from his sin and will turn to follow Jesus Christ with his or her life, and who will reject his or her idols to make Jesus his or her ONLY God. His message is most always to first confront us with our sins, then to warn of the consequences of our sin, then to call for repentance, and then to promise restoration and renewal for the penitent.

Yet, we must know here that if we choose to reject his voice, and to continue on our own course of living for sin and self, following after our own fleshly desires, while ignoring his counsel, that we won’t have the promise of heaven when we leave this earth, but a fearful expectation of eternal punishment in the fires of hell (Lu. 9:23-26; Ro. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Jn. 1:6). So, what will it be? Choose wisely, because your future depends on it.

Seek the Lord / An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/114870641

Building Up

Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 10:59 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “When in The Stillness.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 13 (Select vv. NASB).

Test Ourselves (vv. 5-6)

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.

What is the test to see if we are in the faith? It is the Word of God, and what it teaches us with regard to our salvation from sin and God’s “eternal gospel” (Rev. 14:6). So, what is this gospel? It is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – left his throne in heaven, humbled himself, came to earth, took on human flesh, and was crucified on a cross for our sins, although he had done no wrong. He who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross so that we might become the righteousness of God. By his stripes we are healed. Yet, he was also resurrected from the dead, so that in Him we might have life! He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. So, by faith in him, we are crucified with him in death to sin, and we are resurrected with him to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

So, what should this new life in him look like? Well, if we have been crucified with him in death to sin, it means we have been delivered out of slavery to sin, so sin should no longer be our master. We must no longer be addicted to any sin, because Jesus set us free! So, we ought to consider ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. And, we should no longer walk (in lifestyle) according to our sinful flesh, but we must walk (conduct our lives) now according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God. For, if we continue in (walk in) sin, and we make it our practice, we don’t know God, we don’t love God, and we don’t have the hope of eternal life with God, but only a fearful expectation of judgment (See: Ro. 6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-25; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-6; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

We must understand that God’s grace to us is not free license to continue in sin without guilt, and without remorse. This is not to say that we will never sin again (See: 1 Jn. 2:1-2), but that sin should no longer have rule and rein in our lives, but we should now live to give honor and praise to God by our lifestyles. We must understand here that God’s grace, which brings salvation, instructs (commands) us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly passions (lusts) and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return. When we believe in Jesus, our lives are no longer our own, to live how we want, but Jesus bought us back for God with his blood, so he is now to be our Lord and master and us his bond-servants. Yet, if we do sin, we repent, and we continue to walk in the Spirit.

Do What is Right (vv. 7-10)

Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.

Appearances can be deceiving. We may be doing right, but appear to others as though we are failing, or we may be failing miserably, but appear to others as though what we are doing is right. So, it isn’t how we look to others that is critical, but it is what is truly in our hearts, and which is reflected by how we live, that absolutely matters to God. What matters is that we do right, not that we look good on the outside and that other humans approve of us. And, doing right is doing what God’s Word teaches us we must do, not merely hearing the Word, but doing what it says. But, our obedience to God and his Word may meet with disapproval of others who don’t understand God’s Word or who misinterpret what it says.

Yet, we should be able to say, with Paul and the other apostles, that we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. Amen! We should be people of integrity, honesty and purity, and have nothing shady about us. We ought not to have any secret sins we are holding on to, but we should be completely transparent about what we do when no one else is looking. We must know the truth through the study of God’s Word, but also through obedience to what it teaches us, and then we can live the truth consistently. And, living the truth will often mean that we will meet with rejection, misunderstandings, disapproval and persecution from those who reject the truth, because they want to live however they want and not how God wants them to live.

So, we need to encourage one another in the faith through building one another up in Christ, so that we are not led astray by sin’s deceitfulness. And, the end goal is that we may all become mature in Christ and no longer live like we have not been set free from sin. Yet, encouragement (building one another up) is not merely just for cheering others on or giving them a pat on the back or a boost to their self-esteem. It is to promote spiritual health and strength by inspiring and urging them to walk in the Spirit and no longer according to their flesh. And, it is by ourselves doing nothing against the truth, but only for the truth, so that we set the example for how one ought to live. For, we lead by example more than we do by words only.

Made Complete (vv. 11-14)

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Twice in this passage of scripture is the encouragement to “be made complete.” This has to do with our lives being in good working order, in proper spiritual condition, through conformity to Christ’s likeness. It has to do with the adjusting of our lives to be in conformity with God’s Word via repentance and via obedience to God’s Word and Christ’s instructions to us, his church, all in the power and working of the Holy Spirit now at work in us and through us. We no longer willfully hold on to any sins, but we are daily putting to death, by the Spirit, the deeds of the flesh, so that we can walk daily in the Spirit in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, with all integrity.

So, if this is not where you are, and you have failed the test as to whether you are in Christ (in the faith) or if you are not being “made complete” because you are willfully holding on to any pet sins, then I pray today that you will repent of any known sins, and that you will determine to follow your Lord in obedience from this day forward, not holding anything back, and that daily you would be putting to death, by the Spirit, the deeds of the flesh so that you can walk in the Spirit in Christ’s righteousness and holiness. I pray that this is the way all of us would live in the power and working of God’s Holy Spirit, who is at work in our hearts in conforming us to Christ’s image.

When in The Stillness / An Original Work / September 26, 2011

When in the stillness of this moment,

Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.

Be my desire, set me on fire,

Teach me to love always.

Help me to walk in fellowship with You,

Listening to You; sit at Your feet.

Whisper Your words to me,

Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth.

While we are waiting for Your blessing,

Lord, in our hearts be King today.

Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,

List’ning to what You say.

May we not stray from your word within us,

Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,

Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,

Our offerings to You bring.

Help us to love You, Lord, our master;

Be an example of Your love,

Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,

Showing them Your great love.

Teach them to love You, follow You always,

Bearing their cross and turning from sin;

Walking in daily fellowship with You,

Making You Lord and King.

https://vimeo.com/126984144  

Sound an Alarm!

Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 7:44 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Trust Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Joel 2 (Select vv. ESV).

Warning of Judgment (vv. 1-3, 11)

Blow a trumpet in Zion;

    sound an alarm on my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

    for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,

a day of darkness and gloom,

    a day of clouds and thick darkness!

Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains

    a great and powerful people;

their like has never been before,

    nor will be again after them

    through the years of all generations.

Fire devours before them,

    and behind them a flame burns.

The land is like the garden of Eden before them,

    but behind them a desolate wilderness,

    and nothing escapes them…

The Lord utters his voice

    before his army,

for his camp is exceedingly great;

    he who executes his word is powerful.

For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome;

    who can endure it?

So many times, in Christian circles, when they talk of judgment, they are speaking of the final judgment when we humans will all be called to account for what we did with our lives on this earth - whether or not we believed in Jesus Christ and followed him in obedience and surrender, or whether we chose to not trust in him as Lord and Savior of our lives, and thus did not surrender to and obey him (See: 2 Co. 5:10; Ro. 8:1-14). Yet, that is not the only judgment referred to in scripture, and God’s judgments are not just directed at the unsaved who have not followed our Lord in obedience.

All throughout the Old Testament, most of the judgments appear to be directed against God’s people, not against the ungodly, though he judged them, too. And, the purpose of them was not merely to punish, but to bring God’s people to repentance and to renewed faith in Him as their ONLY God. As well, many of these prophecies of scripture (Old and New Testament), concerning the judgments of God against his people, were either intended to apply to these last days, or had dual fulfillments intended for both that period of time as well as for these final days. At least half of Isaiah, for instance, is about Jesus Christ and the Messianic age, from best as I can tell.

Even in the NT we are warned of judgment against those who call themselves followers of Christ and against Christ’s church (See: 1 Pet. 1:17-19; 1 Pet. 4:17; 1 Co. 11:29-32; Heb. 10:30-31; Heb. 12:1-12; Jas. 3:1; Jas. 5:9; Rev. 2:1-29; Rev. 3:1-22). God also judges nations, and Christians live in these nations, and thus we will incur at least some of what the nations themselves endure when our nations are judged by God. And, God will also judge the “Great Prostitute” of Revelation. Generally speaking, she represents the world’s system, but more specifically the worldly church living in adultery against God. Even more specifically I believe her location is mainly in the USA, and directed primarily at our government and military, in union with the institutional church, which shares culpability for their crimes.

Bottom line, I believe God has declared judgment on the adulterous church, which, in many cases, is living in adultery against God with their respective governments, but more specifically with the US government, and that this was prophesied in the Old and New Testaments. And, this judgment entails physical and financial disasters, the takeover (conquering) of nations and peoples and Christians, utter chaos, ruin, and much hardship, trouble and persecution for followers of Christ (See: Rev. 13, 17-19). And, we, who are servants of the Lord, are to sound the alarm and blow the trumpet and let the people know this is coming, and to call for all people to repent of sin.

A Call for Repentance (vv. 12-14)

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,

    “return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

    and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the Lord your God,

    for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;

    and he relents over disaster.

Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,

    and leave a blessing behind him,

a grain offering and a drink offering

    for the Lord your God?

When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner-master) and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (See: Ro. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 2:20). Yet, that does not mean we will never sin again (1 Jn. 2:1-2), but it does mean sin is no longer our master, we are set free from enslavement to sin, and we are now free to walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness (See: Ro. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24). Yet, it also does not mean that we can never wander from our pure devotion to Christ and not need to repent and to be brought back into fellowship with our Lord (See: Rev. 2-3). It is possible for anyone who has genuinely put their trust in Jesus Christ to drift away and to need to be brought back.

So, this is a call to those who have strayed from their pure devotion to God to repent of your sins, and to return to God with all your heart. We can compare this to a husband or a wife who has committed adultery against his or her spouse repeatedly, over a period of time, being called upon to return to his or her spouse and to be faithful to him or to her from this point forward, not reluctantly, but sincerely and in truth, truly desiring his or her spouse above all else. This is the call! It is to forsake your “other lovers” and to make God your only LOVE, GOD and LORD. And, it truly is to desire him above all else and to make him truly master and owner of your lives.

Many people who profess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives live not much differently from the people of this world who make no profession of Christ as Savior, and this should not be! God called us to come out from the world and to be holy, set apart (unlike, different) from the world, because we are being conformed into the image of Christ. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. His grace to us is NOT carte blanche (free rein) to continue living in sin. His grace instructs us to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly passions (lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s return (See: Jn. 15:19; 2 Co. 6:17; Rev. 18:4; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Tit. 2:11-14).

A Promise of Restoration and Revival (vv. 28-32)

“And it shall come to pass afterward,

    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

    your old men shall dream dreams,

    and your young men shall see visions.

Even on the male and female servants

    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

God’s purpose in judging (discipling, chastising, scourging, reproving and/or testing) his children, i.e. those who have trusted in Jesus Christ to save them from their sins, is not just to punish (correct) wrong doing, but to mature us and to revive us. His purpose in disciplining us is for our good, that we may share his holiness, and that, for those of us who have been trained by it, it may yield a fruitful harvest of righteousness in our lives. It is also to produce in us perseverance, proven character and faith, patience, endurance, and hope. We also go through such difficulties in order that we may learn compassion, that we may comfort others in their sorrows, and that we may learn to rely on God and not on ourselves (See: Ro. 5:3-5; 2 Co. 1:3-11; Heb. 12:1-12; 1 Pet. 1:6-7; 1 Pet. 4:12-17; Jas. 1:2-4).

So, even though it is painful when God judges us or when he disciplines us, it is for our good, either to return us to pure devotion to Christ or to mature us in Christ. If repentance is what is needed, then when we repent, God restores us, renews us and revives us, and he pours out his Spirit on us, too. I personally believe that God is going to bring difficulties into our lives which will lead his wandering saints back to him, and which will mature his faithful ones in him even to a greater degree. I also believe this is happening or will happen on a large scale, and that when this takes place, his Spirit will be poured out on us in a mighty way, and the gospel will go forth like it has not done in a really long time, and that many people will be saved before Jesus Christ returns for his bride. So, I am believing God for this, even when all looks hopeless, for faith is believing in what we yet cannot see.

Trust Him / An Original Work

August 15, 2012 / Based off Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be of courage;

Be strong and take heart today.

Do not fear when foes attack you.

Trust in God always.

He will rescue you in times

Of trouble and distress,

He’ll comfort you in all ways

As you trust Him with your life today.

Trust in Him always.

God is with you; He’ll not leave you.

You can always count on Him.

He will fulfill all He promised

Before you began.

His word teaches you

All that you need for this life.

Let Him lead you. Open your heart;

Let his truth envelope you today.

Listen and obey.

Love your Lord God; follow Jesus.

Repent of your sins today.

Make Him your Lord and your master;

Trust Him and obey.

Follow Him where’er He leads you

In His service; be His witness,

Telling others about Jesus’

Price that He did pay

For your sins always.

https://vimeo.com/115369887

The Three Ps

Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 4:47 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Trust Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Matthew 5:1-12 (ESV).

Poor in Spirit (vv. 1-6)

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Happy or fortunate are we from having received God’s spiritual benefits and provisions to us as a result of his grace to us, by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross for our sins, and through our believing heart response to Christ’s love and mercy to us. He demonstrated his love to us by dying on the cross for our sins even while we were still dead in our sins, so that we could go free from slavery to sin and have eternal life with God. Amen!

So, what should be our believing heart response to Christ’s love and mercy to us? We should humble ourselves before God with contrite (remorseful) hearts, confessing and repenting (turning away from) our sins. And, we should bow before him in humble submission to his will for our lives, making him Lord (owner-master) of our lives and us his bond-servants (slaves). We should take this attitude that our lives are no longer our own, to be lived how we want, for we were bought back for God with the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross for our sins, so we are to honor God with our lives.

Then, we should no longer live to please ourselves and to gratify the sinful cravings of our flesh, but now our lives should be lived for God, to walk in his ways, his truth, his holiness and his righteousness. In fact, serving God and obeying his will should be top priority in our lives. We should desire our Lord more than anything else, and want to please him in all that we do and say, rather than live our lives to be accepted by others. This means we don’t give God a small portion of our lives or our time or our talents and the rest is ours to do with what we want, but we submit ALL to him to follow him.

Pure in Heart (vv. 7-9)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Whereas the first section of this writing dealt primarily with our relationship to God, this section deals primarily with our relationships with other human beings. We are blessed of God when we show others his mercy, for mercy will then be shown to us, perhaps in similar circumstances, and in similar ways. To show mercy is to be compassionate, kindhearted, sympathetic, forgiving and benevolent towards others, particularly as they are suffering or are in need. Yet, mercy never entails compromise of faith, tolerance (acceptance) of evil, or placating of (appeasing, pacifying) sin. For instance, it is never kind to lie to people or to withhold from them the truth in order to make them feel good about themselves in their sins.

For, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be pure in heart, not only in relationship to God, but in all our attitudes, thinking, desires, affections and actions towards others. To be pure in heart means to be unadulterated (untainted, unmixed) with the world, and with regard to sin, and within our whole being – mind, body and soul. This means that, in all our sympathy, compassion and kindness towards others that we exemplify purity (integrity, honor, decency, goodness, morality, and uprightness) and that we don’t use sympathy as an excuse to engage in sinful acts or to tolerate sin in others.

As well, people often confuse the terms “peacemaking” and “peacekeeping.” They are not one and the same. A peacekeeper is one who tries to keep peace – absence of conflict - at all costs, including the compromise of principle, truth, integrity, personal health and well-being, sanity, true conflict resolution, and sincerity (genuineness) in order to avoid conflict of any kind. This helps no one, it saves no one, and only serves to internalize anger and resentment within the mind and heart of the peacekeeper, and brings nothing to resolution.

Jesus Christ was a peacemaker, not a peacekeeper. He never compromised his faith and integrity for the sake of absence of conflict. In fact, he frequently incited conflict in order to bring about conflict resolution. He took head on the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day. He did not sugar-coat anything with them. He told them the truth about their wickedness and their hypocrisy, and this only angered them more. Yet, he did so because he cared about their sinful condition, and because he was concerned about the people whom they were leading astray, and so he brought these things to the surface so they could be dealt with, so that true peace could come to the hearts of his listeners, which is peace with God, forgiveness of sins, restoration with God, and true fellowship with Jesus Christ. Amen!

Persecuted for Christ (vv. 10-12)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

When we are poor (humble) in spirit and pure (upright) in heart, in relation to God and in our dealings with others, and when we are Christ-like in being peacemakers, instead of being peacekeepers, we can expect to also be persecuted by those who do compromise with the world, and who do so in order to make “peace” with the world and to be accepted by everyone. For purity of heart and humbleness of spirit before God, and refusal to compromise faith and convictions, is not popular, and is often scorned and derided as being self-righteous, hateful, bigoted, and intolerant of others who are different from us. Yet, although we should be tolerant (patient, sympathetic, gracious and considerate) towards all people, we should never be tolerant (accepting, indulgent or lenient) towards sinful lifestyles.

Yet, when we are being persecuted (mistreated, abused, slandered) for doing what is right, and for standing on the Truth of God’s Word, we should rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ and for his gospel of salvation. For many people will say whatever people want to hear because they want to be liked by them, and they call that being kind, but lies are never kind. Lies send people straight to hell. People may hate and persecute you in this life for telling them the truth of the gospel, but if later they respond positively to that truth, they will thank you in eternity for helping to save their souls and to lead them to eternal life with God.

So, don’t be ashamed of Christ or his gospel, or be afraid of what people might do to you, but keep on sharing the gospel, for many need to hear the truth, and, if not now, later they will thank you for it. So, be bold, be strong, be courageous, and be pure in heart and walk in love, and do not be afraid.

Trust Him / An Original Work

August 15, 2012 / Based off Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be of courage;

Be strong and take heart today.

Do not fear when foes attack you.

Trust in God always.

He will rescue you in times

Of trouble and distress,

He’ll comfort you in all ways

As you trust Him with your life today.

Trust in Him always.

God is with you; He’ll not leave you.

You can always count on Him.

He will fulfill all He promised

Before you began.

His word teaches you

All that you need for this life.

Let Him lead you. Open your heart;

Let his truth envelope you today.

Listen and obey.

Love your Lord God; follow Jesus.

Repent of your sins today.

Make Him your Lord and your master;

Trust Him and obey.

Follow Him where’er He leads you

In His service; be His witness,

Telling others about Jesus’

Price that He did pay

For your sins always.

https://vimeo.com/115369887

Fame and Treasure

Monday, September 18, 2017, 8:08 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read varied scriptures on the topic of taking up our cross.

Treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21, 24)

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

The Lord Jesus has been impressing on my heart for a while now the thought of a time that is coming in America, in particular, when we are going to have a financial crash of some kind, but at the hand of thieves who come to steal, kill and destroy, but from within our own nation, not from without. Yet, economics is not my strong suit, so I don’t comprehend it all. But, I do know that the “beast” is going to bring the world to the point where we can’t buy or sell unless we have its mark, so just from what the Word alone teaches, we know this is inevitable. We already know that our dollar is not worth anything, i.e. it an I.O.U., so America could go bankrupt, and at the hands of our own government, in agreement with their political allies in the world of banking and industry, i.e. the wealthy and powerful of the world.

So, our focus needs to be on our Lord God and on his kingdom and not on the things (possessions, wealth) of this world, because it could all go away in a flash. Yet, even if it didn’t, still we are not to focus our time, attention, value, passion and devotion on things that are bound to go away. But, we are to store up treasures in heaven. Our time, resources, talents, passion and affection should go to ministering to people’s needs and to sharing with them the gospel of our salvation instead of living for self-pleasure, fun, entertainment, and storing up “stuff” that is just going to rot one day anyway. We need to hold lightly the things of this world, and not make them our gods, and be ready to respond with grace when the time comes when our human resources all disappear. And, we must be about living for God and using what resources he has given us for his kingdom and for his glory.

A Person’s Enemies (Matthew 10:34-39)

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

There is much talk these days both about “unity” and “peace.” But, what kind of unity, and what kind of peace is the question, even within the gatherings of the church. Much of it is unity with humankind and humanistic philosophy, values, morals, marketing schemes, attitudes and behaviors, and NOT unity with God/Christ and His Word. Much of it is also peace with other humans, but at the cost of compromise of truth, faith and conviction. So, we need to know the difference so that we don’t fall for a lie thinking we are actually following the truth. For many liars and deceivers exist even within the gatherings of the church who are leading God’s people astray.

Many of these liars and deceivers also mischaracterize Jesus, his mission, and his ministry on the earth, and in order to support their manipulations of truth. They do this to gain disciples after themselves, not after Jesus Christ. So, they paint Jesus as this “do-gooder” who went around making everyone feel good about themselves and who never made waves or made anyone uncomfortable or who never offended anyone with his words or actions. And, thus they promote that, to be like Christ, that is how we should also act.

But, Jesus didn’t come here to make everyone feel good or to be accepting of all religions and sinful addictions or immoral lifestyles. He came here to deliver us out of addiction (slavery) to sin and to free us to now come under the control of his righteousness, for this is why he died. What he taught stepped on a lot of toes, and made people very uncomfortable and even angry, and that is what got him killed. So, if we follow the Jesus of the Bible, and not the man-made version, we can expect to be hated and persecuted, not have everyone like us. Even people of our own faith, in our own cities, and in our own families are likely to turn against us and to reject us when we stand on what is truth and we reject the lies of Satan, so be prepared that if you truly follow Christ with your life, that it could cost you your life.

Losing and Saving (Luke 9:23-26)

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

So many people today are teaching a false grace do-nothing “entitlement” gospel message which has Jesus doing everything for us but with us being required nothing in return. But, that is just not biblical. Jesus said we have to deny self and die daily to sin if we want to be his disciples. Paul said the same when he said that if we walk (conduct our lives) after the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if we walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit, we will live with Christ for eternity. The Bible does not teach that nothing is required of us. It teaches the opposite, for if we profess faith in Christ, but we continue living sinful lifestyles, in addictive sinful behavior, we do not have the hope of heaven when we die, but a fearful expectation of judgment. If we want to be Jesus’ disciples, we have to walk in obedience to him and to his Word.

For Our Good (Hebrews 12:7-11)

“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 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.”

When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with him in death to sin, and we are resurrected with him to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. God’s grace to us is not a free license to continue in willful sin against God. His grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions (lusts) and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s return. Yet, we still live in these flesh bodies, and we still have the propensity to sin against God, so God disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness, and that it might yield a harvest of righteousness in the lives of those of us who have been trained by it.

What this discipline looks like, though, could vary depending upon the individual or depending on what God needs to do in an individual’s life to mature him or her in his or her faith and to conform them to his likeness. Yet, what we do know is that God’s Word says we will go through hardships, trials, persecutions and troubles, and that through these we will learn perseverance, patience, compassion and to rely on God and not on ourselves, among other things. So, such trials are for our good, and we should not fear them when they do come, but we should trust in God’s sovereignty over our lives, submit to his perfect will, and go with him wherever he sends us, for he has a plan and a purpose for it all.

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken  

Henry F. Lyte / Mozart/ Arr. Hubert P. Main

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;

Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.

Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known;

Yet how rich is my condition! God and heav’n are still mine own.

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too;

Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue.

And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love and might,

Foes may hate and friends disown me, show Thy face and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn and pain!

In Thy service pain is pleasure; with Thy favor, loss is gain.

I have called Thee, “Abba, Father”; I have set my heart on Thee:

Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, all must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me, ’twill but drive me to Thy breast;

Life with trials hard may press me; heav’n will bring me sweeter rest.

Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me, while Thy love is left to me;

Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith, and winged by prayer,

Heav’n’s eternal day’s before thee, God’s own hand shall guide thee there.

Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;

Hope soon change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Good Conduct

Saturday, September 16, 2017, 6:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read James 3 (ESV).

We Who Teach (vv. 1-5a)

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

Not many Christians should become teachers of the Word of God. This is not something we should do lightly, or just because someone asked us to do it, or because we just like to hear ourselves talk. We should also not become teachers just because we have biblical knowledge, or because we might be gifted with words, in the natural, or because we think the position will gain us some kind of prominence or popularity. We should only become teachers of the Word because we are called of God to teach, and because we are trusting in him to give us the words he wants us to say. In other words, teaching the Word of God should be a calling of God, and led of the Spirit, and it should be practiced in complete submission to the Spirit of God.

Even at that, i.e. even when we are called of God and submitted to his purposes, we are still humans living in flesh bodies, and we will stumble, at times, for we are not yet perfect, although we are being perfected (made holy), and we are being conformed into the image of Christ (See: Phil. 3:12-16). Yet, this should never be used as an excuse for continued and willful sin against God. Many professing Christians continue to live as though they have never been delivered from slavery (addiction) to sin, and then they excuse it away with “I am not perfect.” May that never be! May we always strive toward maturity in Christ Jesus, holiness, and godliness, in the power of God’s Spirit now at work in our hearts and lives, and for the glory of God!

If we do stumble (sin), particularly in our speech, we should humble ourselves before God and others, admit our wrong, and then seek God’s guidance in turning away from that wrong, and doing what is right.

Tongue a Fire (vv. 5b-12)

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

I think all of us can attest to the truths presented to us in this passage of scripture, with regard to our tongues (our speech). Yet, the tongue, itself, is not the real culprit, for the Bible teaches us that it is out of our hearts that our mouths speak (See: Matt. 15:18-19). In other words, if we want to tame our tongues, we must first deal with what is in our hearts. If in our hearts we are storing up hatred, envy, strife, murder, jealousy, unforgiveness, malice and bitterness of spirit, these are what will come out of our mouths, particularly when we are put under pressure. So, we must willingly yield these things over to God, let go of all wrong attitudes, and replace them with godly thinking and attitudes, and with love for our fellow humans.

Yet, I believe it goes back even one more step further, and this has to do with what we are willfully and knowingly allowing or are taking into our hearts and minds on a daily basis. You have heard the saying, “Garbage in; garbage out,” most probably. It is true. If what we are consuming on a daily basis is rage, pornography, nudity, disrespect towards others, devaluing of people, murder, envy, strife, mocking of others, humor at others’ expense, immorality, sexual perversion, adultery, cheating, and lying, etc., this is what our minds will think on, and this is what will influence our heart attitudes, and this is what will spew forth from our mouths, too.

So, we need to make certain that daily we are taking into our minds and hearts what is godly, holy, righteous, and pure, etc., and that we are applying these right thoughts and attitudes and behaviors to our daily lives. And, we need to put off (or out of our lives) all that is ungodly, unholy, impure and unrighteous, including what we take into our minds via outside influences, as well as any wrong attitudes which we willingly dwell upon. And, we need to let go of all that is evil, and allow God to fill our minds and lives with his peace, holiness and righteousness. Then, our tongues should follow suit.

Who is Wise? (vv. 13-18)

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Do we think we are wise and understanding, and that we have much knowledge, especially with regards to Biblical knowledge and understanding? Then, we need to show it by our good conduct in all meekness and gentleness of spirit. Words can be cheap if they are not followed up with or supported by our actions. If we say we love God, or that we have fellowship with him, but we continue in willful sin against him, we are liars, not truth tellers. If we claim to love God, and to worship him, but we don’t do what he says, in daily practice, we don’t really love him or know him, the Bible says. So, true knowledge and wisdom is not in what we know, in our heads, but it is in what we do with what we know, because it is now applied to our hearts.

We also need to be people who live by the truth, and who are not hypocritical. We should never pretend to be more than we are, or act as though we are living beyond where we are living. We should not make an appearance (act) of godliness while we deny its power in our lives via willful sins against God. We should always be truth tellers, but to speak the truth in love, not in brashness and rudeness and in order to willfully bring hurt to others unnecessarily. In other words, I recognize that sometimes the truth hurts, and we can’t avoid all that, for it is often necessary for true healing to take place. The gospel is truth, but it offends many people, because they do not want to conform their lives to Christ or to his gospel. Yet, we must share the truth of the gospel, because it means salvation for many lost souls.

Thus, wisdom can be godly and it can be earthly. It can be of God, or it can be of the devil. Truth can be for our good, or it be to cause harm. If we preach one thing, but practice another, we do more harm than good. So, we must test our hearts, our attitudes, and our behaviors against the truth of God’s Word, get rid of all which defiles us, and cling to what is good. Make sure, in our teaching, that our motives are pure and godly, and that we are not being hypocritical in our teaching because we profess one thing while we secretly are engaged in willful and continued (addictive) sins against God. If God puts his finger on areas of our lives where we need to repent of sin and follow him in obedience, then we need to obey, and not resist him.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

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