All For Good

Psalm 121:1-2 ESV

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

    From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth.

Have you ever been in a situation where you just don’t know what to do? It is one of those situations where, no matter what you do, it could turn out badly. If you respond in a particular way, it may be twisted and used against you, but if you don’t respond at all, that could also be misinterpreted and used against you, too. So, it’s a “catch-22.” It’s a potential lose-lose.

For, “a catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations” (Wikipedia). It’s “a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule,” i.e. it’s “an illogical, unreasonable, or senseless situation” (M-W dictionary). It’s definitely a contradictory situation with no seemingly viable good solution. For, it makes no sense.

So, when we are faced with such situations as these, we must look to the Lord to be our help. If we try to go it alone in our flesh, i.e. if we try to figure it out ourselves, it probably will blow up in our face, and that won’t be good, not that there is any time when relying on ourselves is a good idea. And also not that if the Lord leads us in a direction that it is always going to go smoothly, either, for people do get persecuted for doing good.

Yet, in times like these, in particular, but in everything we need to look to the Lord to be our wisdom, our counsel, our help, and our strength. Even if bad things come from it, if we have trusted in the Lord to help us and to counsel us in the right direction, and if we have followed his counsel, and it is biblical counsel, then we can be at peace in knowing that we followed the Lord, and we can trust him to work it all out for good in our lives.

Psalm 121:3-6 ESV

He will not let your foot be moved;

    he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

    nor the moon by night.

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are true biblical Israel. For, the promise of God was to Abraham and to his seed, which was singular, meaning Jesus Christ. So, those of us who believe in Jesus are heirs of the promise.

We are God’s people, his children. Everyone else, including Jews who have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah, are now regarded as Gentiles. For, they are of Hagar, still in slavery. They are the nations, i.e. those who do not believe in the one true God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.

[See: Romans 9:6b-8; Gal. 3:10, 16, 26-29; Gal. 4:22-31; Eph. 2:14-18; 1 Jn. 2:22]

So, to apply this to today, this applies only to those who have turned their lives over to Jesus Christ, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him.

He is going to help us to be steadfast in our faith despite all opposition, persecution and difficult situations which test our faith.

If we will listen to him, and if we will heed his counsel, and if we will trust him for solutions to our “catch-22” situations, he will show us the way we should go, and he will give us all we need to do what is right, no matter how it turns out, or how it seems to turn out initially, for we don’t see what God is doing in ways that are not visible to us. For, what seems hopeless to us is not impossible to him.

So, we need to turn to him for help, and then trust him with the results. For, he is all powerful and he is completely sovereign over all things, and nothing escapes his notice or takes him by surprise. And, he is totally trustworthy.

Psalm 121:7-8 ESV

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

    he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep

    your going out and your coming in

    from this time forth and forevermore.

For those of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are being kept safe from all evil so that we do not succumb to it, if we are living by the faith we profess. For, we are not puppets on a string. We can still sin against God. We can succumb to evil if we remove ourselves from under his umbrella of protection by us choosing to ignore him and to go our own way.

But, if our faith is firmly planted in the Lord and in his Word, and if we are looking to him for our help and counsel and strength, he is not going to let us down. He will never leave or forsake us. He is not going to refuse to help us. But, he will lead, help, counsel and give strength and empowerment to follow him in the right way and to resist Satan, to flee temptation and to draw near to God in full assurance of faith.

And, that should give us great encouragement! For, he is going to give us all we need in every situation in our lives to rise above all that opposes God and his Word and his gospel of our salvation.

And, he is going to carry us through every trial and give us all we need to endure unjust suffering and to keep on growing and maturing in our faith in our Lord Jesus. So, we should never fear whatever he brings our way or whatever he allows to come into our lives, for he is still in control, and he has not deserted us. He is with us always.

But, it isn’t just that he keeps us from giving into temptation to sin, if we will yield to his rule over our lives, but that he is sovereign over every aspect of our lives. In Psalm 139 it says that all the days ordained for us were written down in God’s book before any of them even came into being. He had a plan and a purpose for our lives even before he created the world.

So, nothing just happens to us. Either he causes it to happen or he allows it to happen, and whatever he allows or whatever he brings into our lives he will use for his purposes to make us holy and to conform us to his likeness. And, for me that brings great comfort to know that my God is watching out for me, that he has me in the palm of his hand, and that nothing can touch me but he allows it, and he allows it for a purpose, and he will bring good out of it in some way.

And, even if we think we know this, we might be surprised to learn how easily we might forget when we are truly faced with situations that greatly test our faith. So, we need reminders. I know I do. And, I am thankful to the Lord, not only for the reminders in his Word, but for how he teaches us through one another. Today I was greatly encouraged by reading other people’s posts and hearing what the Lord was teaching them and how that was helping them to grow in their faith.

So, in all things, and in all situations, no matter how bad some of them may be, we have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and we must realize that we truly need him all the time, and we must lean on him for support and trust in his counsel and follow him in doing what he says to do. And, then we need to believe that he is going to work it all out for good.

I Need Thee Every Hour

Hymn lyrics by Annie S. Hawks, 1872

Ref. by Robert Lowry, 1872

Music by Robert Lowry, 1872

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee every hour; stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

        

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

        

I need Thee, O I need Thee; every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

*copyright status is public domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWVgLd2e4CE

Saturday, June 22, 2019, 11:11 p.m.

The Arrow That Flies

Psalm 91:1-2 ESV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

    my God, in whom I trust.”

Another word for “dwell” is “abide” or “live,” and Jesus said if we abide (continue, remain, stay) in his word, we are truly his disciples. He also said that if we keep his commandments, we will abide in his love. Then, we read further that whoever does the will of God abides forever, and that if the truth of the gospel abides (remains, stays) in us, then we will abide in the Son and in the Father. And, then we learn that no one born of God makes a practice of sinning (Jn. 8:31; Jn. 15:10; 1 Jn. 2:17, 24; 1 Jn. 3:6-9).

So, this dwelling in the shelter of the Most High has to do with us living what we say we believe. It has to do with us acting in accord with God. We must walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh if we want to have eternal life with God. So, this means that we submit to, agree to, and are faithful to God and to his Word, and that is where we remain and continue. It doesn’t mean we are perfect, but that we are living, in lifestyle, according to the teachings of scripture and under the authority of God.

So, for God to truly be our refuge and our fortress, we have to put our trust in him, not in lip service only, but in the depths of our hearts and souls. He has to be Lord of our lives, in other words, and our lives must be given over to him to be lived for him and to walk in his ways and in his truth. For, 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. He died, too, to redeem us (to buy us back for God) that we might now be his possession and that our lives would now be lived for his glory and honor.

[Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; 1 Co. 6:20; Tit. 2:11-14]

Psalm 91:3-6 ESV

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

    and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

    nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

There are many people, at least in America, who claim to be Christians, many of whom have not truly made the Lord their trust. They are not truly dwelling in the shelter of the Almighty, for they have made their true home the pleasures that this world has to offer us. Thus, they are unfriendly and detached from the Holy Spirit of God, for they do not submit to God or to his purposes for their lives, but they are still being ruled by the flesh.

So, they have insulted the Spirit of Grace. They are living unrestrained lives, wild at heart, living and behaving foolishly, feeling that they have prevailed, that they have succeeded in mastering their own lives. And, they are actually living in opposition to and in competition with the grace of God, because they are the ones still in control of their own lives. And, many of them are speaking out against the true gospel, condemning it, and are speaking against those who are still teaching it, too.

So, this “arrow that flies by day” is Satan’s arrows which he is shooting at the Lord’s anointed who are sharing the truth of the gospel. And, he is using human beings to do his dirty work, too, in his attempts to destroy the true gospel message and its messengers.

So, many who are resisting the Spirit and the Lord’s true gospel of grace, are literally coming against the true gospel and its messengers by spreading gossip, i.e. rumors, and what is false in order to try to steer people away from the true gospel to follow after Satan’s lies. And, they seem to be in the majority, and so they feel they have conquered, that they have been victorious. And, they feel they have defeated the opposition. But, they have won no real victory, for their lives are still in bondage to sin.

Although the Lord has called them to himself, which is an invitation to his true grace, which is an invitation to let God/Jesus be the driver of our lives, the one in control, they have ignored his call in favor of remaining in the muck and mire, i.e. the filth of this world. They have refused his offer to turn their hearts from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ, because they want to be in the driver’s seat and to still be able to follow after their own flesh.

But, we are not to fear these who are literally working in opposition to the truth of the gospel and who are opposed to those who are still teaching that we must repent of our sins and we must walk in obedience to our Lord if we want to have eternal life with God. We are not to fear these arrows which are coming against those of us who are still following the Lord in obedience to his will. They can do no real harm to us. Yes, they can destroy our reputations and they can turn others against us, but we are still secure in the protection of the Almighty, and so we have nothing to fear, for they can kill the body, but they can’t kill the soul.

We also have nothing to fear of death, for we know that our trust is in the Lord, and that we are abiding in him and in his word, for we have listened to his call, and we have responded by letting him exchange our sin for his righteousness. We have yielded the control of our lives over to the Lord, and we are letting him lead and guide us in the way he would have us go. We have said “Yes” to Jesus and “No” to sinful lifestyles, and thus we have that guarantee of eternal life with God if we remain in him and in his love.

Psalm 91:14-16 ESV

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

    I will protect him, because he knows my name.

When he calls to me, I will answer him;

    I will be with him in trouble;

    I will rescue him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

    and show him my salvation.”

This is a wonderful promise to those of us who have made the Lord our trust. Again, this is not saying we are living in absolute sinless perfection, but that daily, by the Spirit, we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and we are walking according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God, and that the Lord is the driver of our lives and not our flesh.

We are holding fast to the Lord in love. And, to love God is to obey his commandments, not in absolute perfection, but in practice, in lifestyle, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit of God who dwells within us. And, his commandments are not burdensome. They can be summed up in two: to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. And, this means to honor God with our lives and to love others the way in which he loves us.

But, we must know this. In the New Testament we read that part of our faith in Jesus Christ means that we are going to suffer as Jesus suffered, so this is not a promise that we are never going to have to go through anything bad. The Word of God says we will be mistreated, accused falsely, betrayed, hated, persecuted, beaten, falsely arrested and even killed for our faith and for our testimonies for Jesus Christ.

But, this is a promise of spiritual protection through it all, that our Lord will be with us, that he will strengthen and nurture us, that he will be our helper, and that we will be able to stand strong on our faith, and keep pressing on in the strength of the Lord even if all hell should break loose and an army come against us. We can remain confident in our Lord and in his mighty power to deliver us from the persecution so that it does not destroy us. He will carry us through it all, and through it all he will get the glory and praise.

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

A Solemn Reality

Mark 8:31-33 ESV

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

When I read this passage of scripture this morning, what immediately came to mind is how Jesus said that we would suffer as he suffered, and also how so many people today are rebuking those of us who are teaching this truth, saying it isn’t so. And, truly it is because they are not setting their minds on the things of God, but on the things of man. So, we need to not listen to what they are saying.

For, what so many of them are saying is that faith in Jesus Christ is a mere acknowledgment or profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but that their faith does not have to alter their lifestyles. Change is recommended, in some cases, but it is considered optional. Or, in some cases, the necessity of change is even discouraged, claiming it is works-based salvation. Sin is rarely talked about, and death to sin and living to righteousness, as required for our salvation, is not being taught by the majority.

The grace they are teaching, thus, is a cheap (false) grace which leaves people still dead in their sins, bound for hell, while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny. And, so many people have bought into this lie. Thus, when they die, they are going to hear the Lord say to them, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” And, they are going to be surprised, because they believed they were going to heaven, because they believed the lie.

Mark 8:34-37 ESV

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?”

Jesus made it quite clear the cost of following him. Yes, his grace is a free gift to us, but that free gift is not just forgiveness of sins. It is deliverance from our bondage to sin, which requires death to sin and living to righteousness. And, it is empowerment of the Spirit of God to live new lives in Christ Jesus, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Yes, it is true that we can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation. No amount of good works done in the flesh will ever result in us being saved from our sins and bound for heaven. It is only by God’s grace, through God-given faith in Jesus Christ that any of us can be saved and have eternal life with God. But, if the faith is from God, then it will submit to God, and it will leave lifestyles of sin behind to follow Jesus in obedience.

For, God-given faith in Jesus Christ is crucified with Christ in death to sin, and it lives to Christ and to his righteousness, all in the power of God’s Spirit now living within the life of the true believer in Jesus Christ. And, this kind of faith, which is necessary for salvation, now walks (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. It does not demand absolute perfection, otherwise Jesus would not have had to die, but it does demand that we die daily to sin and self and that we walk in obedience to God.

For, if we hold on to our old sinful lifestyles (practices, habits), we will lose our lives for eternity, and we will hear, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” But, if willingly we die to our old lives, and we now walk in obedience and in submission to Christ as Lord of our lives, then we are promised eternal life with God, for this is what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. This is the kind of faith we must have to have the promise of heaven as our eternal destiny, and this faith must be ongoing until the end of time, too.

[Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; 1 Co. 6:20; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8]

Mark 8:38 ESV

“For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Being ashamed of our Lord and his Words is not just about denying him and his word with our lips. But, this has to do with denying him by our lifestyles. So, someone can profess faith in Jesus Christ outwardly, and they may even be great expositors of scripture, and be those who have great biblical knowledge. But, if they do not put the Word of God into practice in their daily lives, and if they, instead, are following after the ways of their flesh, then they are ashamed of the Lord and his Word.

So, what this means is that, when our Lord returns for his bride, that those who chose to walk in the flesh rather than according to the Spirit, he will deny, and they will not enter into his heaven. For, faith in Jesus Christ has to be more than just a feeling or a thought or a religion or some acknowledgment of Christ as Savior. True faith is proved genuine by what we do; by what we live.

There are many people today who are literally at death’s door, and who think that they are going to heaven when they die merely because, at one point in their lives, they made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Or, they will think so based on church attendance, and tithing to the church, or good works. But, by their lifestyles, they denied the Lord and they did not love him or his Word or his gospel message, but they had in mind the things of man, instead.

So, if that is where you are today, please take note of what this scripture and the ones noted really teach. For, if you live to the flesh, you will die in your sins, not have eternal life with God, no matter what you profess with your lips. But, if you live to the Spirit, then you will live with Christ eternally. So, please make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life today, for not one of us knows if we have tomorrow. Don’t gain the world but forfeit your soul.

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

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Husbands and Wives

Ephesians 5:15-21 ESV

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Before we get into this next section of scripture on the subject of husbands and wives, I believe that it is critical that we understand what precedes this topic of marriage in this book of Ephesians.

Beginning with chapter four, we read that it is necessary for us that we walk (in lifestyle) in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. And, all believers in Jesus Christ have been called to holiness. And, to be holy is to be set apart (unlike, different) from this world of sin, because we are being made to be like Jesus.

Also, we are to do what is for the mutual edification of one another, as believers in Jesus. And, edification means “to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge” (M-W dictionary). It also means to inspire, urge, encourage and to nurture. And, this includes speaking the truth to one another in love so that we will all grow to maturity in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Then, it says that we need to understand what it means to be saved from our sins. We are to no longer live like we did before we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Coming to faith in Jesus means we put off our old self, “which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,” and we are to put on (apply to our lives) our new self in Christ Jesus, “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:17-24).

And, then it gives us some examples, such as we need to put off lying to one another, and we need to tell the truth. If we get angry, we are not to sin against one another in our anger, and we are to give the devil no foothold in our lives. If we have been stealing from others (taking what is not ours without permission), then we need to do honest work and then help others who are in need, etc.

Next it says we are to be imitators of God, i.e. we are to become like him in his thinking, character, attitudes, and actions. And, he is pure, holy, good, righteous, honest, kind, etc. Thus, sexual immorality or impurity of any kind should not even be hinted at among us, for everyone who is (in practice) sexually immoral or impure or covetous, etc. has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God (See: Eph. 5:1-14).

So, then we are told to look carefully how we walk (in lifestyle, in practice). We are to be wise in our thinking and behaviors and not willfully do what is unwise and sinful. We need to find out what the will of God is for our lives, and then do it. We are not to live out of control in sinful addiction, but we are to honor God with our lives. And, we are to be encouraging and submitting to one another in our walks of faith, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:22-24 ESV

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

So, it is with that background that we can correctly understand the instructions to us wives here. Therefore, the “everything” here does not include anything that is against God and his Word, such as anything that is immoral, or which involves us lying, stealing, or cheating, etc.

If our husbands try to lead us into sin, we can say “No,” in other words. If they try to involve us in what is immoral, impure, and unrighteous, we can decline. We do not have to submit to evil. And, I believe that also includes not submitting to anything that would involve us enabling them or participating with them in their sin, to where we would be assisting them in some way to sin. This is real important that we understand this.

And, I believe that fits perfectly in line with submitting to our own husbands “as to the Lord,” for the Lord is not going to ask us to sin, and he is not going to sin against us and ask us to participate with him in his sin, because he is sinless. So, just as we submit to the Lord, in every way in which we submit to him, and in the same manner, we are to submit to our husbands.

For, notice that it also says that the husband is the head of the wife in like manner as Christ is head of the church, and is himself its (her) Savior. So, the husband is to be like Christ in his headship over the wife, not bullying or being a tyrant or demanding what is unreasonable or sinful, and not treating his wife as a doormat for him to walk all over. He should honor her, instead.

Also, we read in verse 21 that we are all to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. So, just because the husband is the head of the wife does not mean he has to rule with an iron fist or that everything has to be his way. Marriage involves give and take, and each partner has something to offer. Yes, he has the final word – the final authority and responsibility for decisions that are made, but a good husband is going to yield to his wife’s wisdom sometimes, too, for God gave her to him as his helper.

Ephesians 5:25-33 ESV

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Although these instructions are specifically directed at the husbands, there are elements of this that also apply to us wives. We are to love each other, and this kind of love is self-sacrificial, putting the other person’s legitimate needs above our own. But, this kind of love also prefers what God prefers, which is what is moral, holy, upright, honest, pure, and kind, etc. And, it wants what is truly best for the other person, as God defines “good.”

Thus, this kind of love will give of one’s life for the benefit of the other, if need be, and that may not be to require a literal physical death. But, it can mean to be willing to suffer for the sake of helping the other to walk righteously before God. Now, the wife is not to become the spiritual head, that is the man’s job, but she is also his helper, and as his helper, she is to come alongside him and to assist and encourage him in his walk of faith.

But, the husbands, before God, have been given an enormous responsibility here to not only love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, but they are to spiritually lead their wives and help them to grow in their walks of faith, not harshly, but lovingly, tenderly, and kindly encouraging them towards walks of obedience, and leading them by example.

Now, the Lord illustrates for us what the relationship between a husband and a wife should look like. It should look like Christ with his true church, how the Lord is with us, and how we should be with him.

And, if we all lived like that in our marriages, there would be no divorces, no adulteries, and no broken hearts or homes. I am not saying we will all be perfect, but that we can love each other in this way, because we, who are in Christ, have the love of God living within us and the empowerment of the Spirit to walk righteously.

And, lastly, us wives need to respect our husbands. This word “respect” means to show concern, care, consideration, thoughtfulness, attentiveness, kindness, appreciation and regard for. It involves submitting to them as we submit to Christ. And, it also means that we are their helpers, and that we encourage them in things that are good, and that we are looking out for what is beneficial for them, and that we do them good and not harm.

But, the overriding factor in all of this is submission to Jesus Christ. He is to be Lord over our individual lives and over our marriages, too. So, in everything we do, we are to do it as unto the Lord, which will be what is in line with his Word, and it will be what is holy and righteous, too.

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

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

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

His Promises Won't Break

Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Satan is a liar and a deceiver. So, one of his biggest schemes he uses against us is to lie to us, and he does this in so many different ways. For, he wants us to doubt God, to question his sovereignty, and to believe that Satan and our circumstances have power over us. But, they don’t. And, he wants us to believe him, instead of God, so he will twist the truth to convince us that the truth is a lie, and that the lie is the truth.

Satan will use any means possible, at his disposal, to try to get us discouraged and doubting, so that we will give up, and so we will be convinced that he still has power over us. And, this is why it is so critical that daily we put on that armor of God and we fight off his lies with the truth. And, I think that when we are tired or we are weak, or when we are not feeling well, is when we are the most vulnerable, too.

But, we don’t do this in our own strength, for our strength will fail us. We do this in the strength of the Lord and in his mighty power at work within us. We surrender our circumstances to the Lord, we yield to his sovereignty, and we believe he is going to work out all things for the good of us who love him, who have been called of Him according to his purposes. And, we do this regardless of how we “feel” at any given moment, too. For, feelings can’t be trusted. I know that all too well.

Ephesians 6:13-17 ESV

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…”

So, if we want to be able to withstand Satan’s onslaughts against us, we have to daily take up that whole armor of God and use it against the devil’s schemes. And, we can’t give the devil a foothold in our lives, either, by compromising with the world or by taking liberties with God’s grace. For, God’s 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 Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14).

In other words, if we are people who practice lies, we are not going to be able to fight off Satan’s lies. If we are people who regularly consume what is immoral and of the filth of this world, we are not going to be able to fight off temptation to idolatry, lust, and immorality. And, if we are people who compromise scripture in order to justify sinful practices, then we will not be able extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one. So, we have to forsake sinful practices and daily walk in the power and strength of the Lord.

We have to be walking by faith and not by sight. We have to daily, by the Spirit, be putting to death the deeds of the flesh. And, we have to be walking by the Spirit and no longer be living to gratify the sinful cravings of our flesh. For, we can’t put on the armor of God if we have not first taken off the mind and the deeds of our sinful flesh, for they are counterproductive.

Yet, even if we are living by the Spirit and no longer by the flesh, that does not mean that we may not be vulnerable to Satan’s evil schemes against us. For, we can be walking righteously before our God, and doing what he commands us to do, and then, out of nowhere, Satan will come against us, and he will attack us in one way or another to bring us down, to get us to doubt God, and to get us to give up, and to give way to fear.

So, we can’t let our guard down, for we are in a daily battle against the enemy of our souls. But, we can be encouraged, because Jesus already won this battle for us on the cross. So, daily we just have to apply to our lives what Jesus already accomplished for us, and we have to fight Satan like we believe Jesus already won this battle, too, with confidence that we are the victors through Christ, who loves us, and that Satan is a defeated foe.

But, this can’t be just a defensive battle or we will not survive the onslaught of the enemy. We have to use offensive tactics, as well. In other words, if we are going to fight off temptation to sin, we have to be proactive in putting up safeguards to prevent us from giving way to temptation. And, if we are going to put on the Sword of the Spirit, i.e. the Word of God, then we have to daily be feeding our minds and hearts with God’s word, and walking in obedience to what it teaches us.

And, then we need to be sharing the truth of God’s Word with others so that they can come to know Christ as Savior and Lord, and/or so that they can grow in their walks of faith with Jesus Christ. We need to be in the practice of sharing our faith with others and of encouraging our fellow Christians with the truths of God’s Word, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

And, these songs don’t have to sound professional, by human standards, either. We don’t even have to have great voices. The whole purpose of them is for our encouragement, not for our entertainment.

Ephesians 6:18-20 ESV

“…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

And, not only do we need to make it our practice to be sharing the Word of God with others, for their salvation, and for their encouragement in Christ, but we need to be praying for one another, too, in the Spirit, not in our flesh. And, while we are in prayer, we need to be alert for Satan’s attacks against us, for he hates it when we pray. But, part of this alertness, too, is we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice convicting us of sin, leading us in a particular direction, or teaching us something we need to learn.

We need to pray for one another, because we are in a spiritual battle, and Satan does want to defeat us. And, so he does attack us in many different ways. So, we must guard against giving way to fear, and we must remain steadfast in our faith. And, we need to pray for one another to resist Satan, to flee temptation, and to draw near to God in full assurance of faith.

For, we are all going to have trials and tribulations to test our faith, but our Lord is our strength and our fortress during these times. We just have to rest in him, and call on him in our suffering, and he will bring healing to our hearts. For, he is completely faithful to all his promises.

When Pretty Things Get Broken

By Joni Eareckson Tada

I have a piece of China, a pretty porcelain vase –

It holds such lovely flowers; captures everybody’s gaze.

But fragile things do slip and fall, as everybody knows.

And when my vase came crashing down, those tears began to flow.

But don’t we all cry when pretty things get broken?

Don’t we all sigh at such an awful loss?

Jesus will dry your tears, as He has spoken;

‘Cause He was the one broken on the cross.

My life was just like China, a lovely thing to me;

Full of porcelain promises of all that I might be.

But fragile things do slip and fall, as everybody knows.

And when my life came crashing down, those tears began to flow.

‘Cause don’t we all cry when pretty things get broken?

Don’t we all sigh at such an awful loss?

Jesus will dry your tears, as He has spoken;

‘Cause He was the one broken on the cross.

Now Jesus is no porcelain Prince. His promises won’t break.

His holy word holds fast and sure. His love, no one can shake.

So, if your life is shattered by sorrow, pain, or sin –

His healing love will reach right down and make you whole again.

‘Cause don’t we all cry when pretty things get broken?

Don’t we all sigh at such an awful loss?

Jesus will dry your tears, as He has spoken;

‘Cause He was the one broken on the cross.

Now don’t we all cry when pretty things get broken?

Don’t we all sigh at such an awful loss?

But Jesus will dry your tears, as He has spoken;

‘Cause He was the one broken on the cross.

Lyrics free download, compliments of Joni and friends:

https://ww.joniandfriends.org/media/premiumoffers/When_Pretty_Things_Get_Broken.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46iLv0t7pms

Living and Dying

Psalm 103:11-14 ESV

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,

    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame;

    he remembers that we are dust.

We are all sinners by nature. We have all sinned and have come up short of attaining God’s divine approval and his righteousness. Not one of us can earn or deserve our own salvation. For, we are but flesh. No amount of good works, on our part, will ever gain us God’s divine approval. And, this is why Jesus, God the Son, came to earth, took on human form, and died on a cross for our sins, and was resurrected back to life from the dead.

For, in Jesus’ death on that cross he became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. So, when he died, our sins died with him, and when he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over sin, on our behalf. And, the whole reason he did this was that we might be able to die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness, because he paid the price for our sins with his blood so that we could be reconciled to God.

Thus, it is only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, that any of us can have our sins forgiven – that we can be delivered out of our slavery to sin. Only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, can any of us die with Christ to sin and live with him to righteousness, too, and have eternal life with God.

But, we need to understand what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and what God’s grace to us looks like, too. For, not one of us can even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father first draws us to Christ. And, even the faith to believe in Jesus is a gift from God. And, the word “faith,” literally means to be persuaded, i.e. to be persuaded by God as to his righteousness and holiness and of our need to walk righteously in holy living.

So, if God draws us to Christ, and he persuades us as to his holiness, and he gifts us with the faith to believe, then this kind of faith is going to submit to the Lordship of Christ, and it is going to forsake sin to follow Jesus.

Also, God’s grace to us is not just forgiveness of our sins so we can go to heaven one day. It is also not free license to continue in sinful practices without guilt or remorse, either. God’s 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 Christ’s return. God’s grace to us paid the price for our sin so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin and so we could live holy lives.

And, this is why this Old Testament passage, and New Testament passages, as well, stress the fact that God’s love and his forgiveness and his compassion are toward those who fear the Lord, who respect, revere, honor and obey him. For, to come to faith in Jesus Christ we must die to our old lives of living to sin and self, and be reborn of the Spirit of God. And now, empowered by the Spirit of God, we must walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, if we want to have eternal life with God.

Thus, we need to understand that when the Lord removes our sins from us, this is not just him forgiving our sins, but it is him delivering us out of our addiction to sin, and it is him putting sin to death in our lives that we might no longer walk in (live in) sin, but that we would now walk in his holiness and righteousness. And, this is granted to those of us who fear him, to those of us who have humbled ourselves before God in repentance and have turned to Jesus to walk with him now in his ways and in his truth.

Psalm 103:15-16 ESV

As for man, his days are like grass;

    he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

    and its place knows it no more.

This is the destiny of all who have not trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. True, all of us are going to die physically one day unless we are still here when Jesus returns for us, his bride, and he takes us to be with him forever, without us having to die a physical death first. But, we are not all going to die spiritually. Some of us will live on with Christ forever.

For those of us who are following Jesus Christ with our lives, our lives on this earth have meaning. They have purpose. They have direction. And, they have empowerment from on high to walk righteously and to surrender to Christ and to obey him in doing what he commands us to do. And, so our time on this earth is productive and fruit bearing for God’s eternal kingdom.

So, even though all flesh is going to die one day, and not one of us knows how long we are going to be on this earth, we don’t all have to live with this sense that we are just here for a time and then one day we will be gone, and that’s the end of it all. That all sounds so utterly hopeless. We can live with purpose and even die with purpose, and we can live on even after death, with our Lord for eternity, and that is hope!

Psalm 103:17-19 ESV

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

    and his righteousness to children's children,

to those who keep his covenant

    and remember to do his commandments.

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

    and his kingdom rules over all.

So, even though, as flesh, we are going to die one day, and our flesh will be no more, yet because of God’s love to us, to us who fear him, we can live on forever, not in flesh bodies, but one day in glorified bodies. And, this is a promise from God to all who walk in the fear of the Lord, and who live to please him, and who walk in obedience to his commands, in his strength.

And, this is not just Old Testament teaching, either. This is what the New Testament teaches us, too. We must walk according to the Spirit if we want to have eternal life with God. For, if we walk according to the flesh, we are going to die in our sins, and not have life everlasting with our Lord. If we make sin our practice, we will die without Christ for eternity.

This is not saying we must live in sinless perfection, for if we could, Jesus would not have had to die. But, this is saying that either our lifestyles are given over to following Jesus Christ with our lives or they are given over to following the flesh. Either we practice sin or we practice righteousness. This is not saying we will never sin, but that sin should no longer have dominion over our lives, but now we should be servants of Christ’s righteousness.

So, if you want to be assured that you have eternal life with God, then you need to humble yourself before the Lord, surrender your life to him, submit to his Lordship over your life and, empowered of the Spirit of God, now walk with him in obedience to his commands, and follow his leading in your life. For, this is what it means to believe in Jesus. This is what God’s grace does. It transforms us away from living to sin to living to righteousness.

Faith in Jesus Christ means our lives are no longer our own to be lived the way that we want. For, faith in Jesus Christ means we now belong to God, because Jesus bought us back for God with his blood so that we might now honor God with our lives. And, it means Jesus is now Lord (owner-master) of our lives and that we are to now submit to him and do what he says. For, there is no better life, and there is no other life on this earth that we are to live, for we were made for this purpose, to give God glory through our lives.

May Christ Be Seen in Me  

Lyrics by Lois DeHoff

Music by Percy Crawford

…Then closely walking by Thy side, may love flow out thro' me,

That those whom Thou shalt lead my way may, too, find life in Thee.

May Christ be seen in me, O Lord,

Hear Thou my earnest plea; 

O take me, fill me, use me, Lord,

Till Christ be seen in me.

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

Sunday, June 16, 2019

[See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Gal. 5:19-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Co. 6:20]