The Absence of Opposites

“...God also hath set the one against the other...” God’s scales have two sides; one balances out the other. He does not take away the one in favor of the other. Both are necessary for the right balance. You find the worth of the one by the presence of the other. “The day of prosperity” is only appreciated by “the day of adversity.” The two work together for good.

Whenever you find sweet, you’ll find bitter close by. They’re twins, though they are opposites. The one does not outlive the other. It’s “till death do us part.” Where there is faith, there is an element of doubt. Else, how would one know he has faith, if there is not something to compare it to?

And so it is with peace: turmoil sits in the seat next to it. Contentment’s twin is discontent, and sadness is close kin to joy. There is no victory if the battle is missing. If there is an absence of the opposite, then we’ll never know our true worth as a Christian.

Years Beyond Your Age

The proverbial saying that he or she is “old before their time” is not necessarily a bad thing when put into the right context. In fact, it should be desired, for it can be most advantageous in life. What I’m speaking of is drawing wisdom from those seasoned saints who have, as they say today, “Been there; done that.”

Rehoboam got into big trouble because “…he forsook the council of the old men…and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him.” Like many nowadays, he sought advice from those who had never been down the road he was seeking to travel, thus rejecting the elders’ good sense.

Now just what are some of the things these senior saints would have those following them to major on in this brief, fleeting life? One thing I’ve noticed about their recommendations is that they all seem to be in agreement as to the important issues of life.

So here are a few words of wisdom from those who proudly wear the hoary head of years of experience. They all wish they had read their Bibles and prayed more. Without exception each mourns the fact they did not take more time “smelling the flowers.” Spending quality time with family and friends, they tell us, would be a top priority, if they could do it all over again. Anxious care would have been replaced with a loving trust in Him. And above all, each old timer agrees, Jesus Christ would be the center of every part of their lives, both in the little things as well as the big.

Don’t be among those who at the end of their lives regrettably say, “Oh, I wish I would have listened.”

Praying

“[M]en ought always to pray...” Our Lord did not say we should want to, but that we ought to pray. Flesh will never, and can never, fulfill the former. Therefore, if we wait until we feel like praying, it will never be done.

Whenever you get on your knees to pray, make up your mind that you are entering the battle of your life. It is interesting that the armour we are to attire ourselves in, spoken of in Ephesians six, has to do mainly with when we pray.

Prayer is not only a privilege, but a sacred duty. Like the Old Testament priests, it is part of our “…duty of every day.” The New Testament proof text that we are to pray daily is found in, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Whenever I feel least like praying, I find it is then I need it most. It is well to remember that God’s benefits follow our obedience. It was “…after they had prayed,” things started happening.

But it is important not to forget that prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. When you pray you talk to God, when you read the Bible, God talks to you. Let’s make sure the conversation is not one-sided in our favour.

Hungry at theTrough

We hear much through the media about the starvation around the world. This is tragic, and our hearts are moved when we are told of it. But there is something of greater concern than physical hunger. Literally untold multitudes of God’s sheep are going to the feeding troughs this Lord’s Day, only to find them empty, and having to go away hungry.

God’s great indictment against His shepherds of old was that they had not fed His flock. The last thing the Chief Shepherd commanded His chosen underlings, after His Ascension back to the Heavenly storage bins, was to “feed my sheep.”

During this great dearth on earth, Pharaoh’s words are worth heeding: “Go unto Joseph.” Our Heavenly Joseph is able to open God’s storehouse of plenty for the man who wants to feed God’s hungry people.

Let us pray God will send a revival into the hearts of those who minister the Word of God that, if they serve moldy leftovers from yesterday, they will begin to get hot bread from Heaven as it leaves those fiery ovens.

I once saw a sheep run to a dear farmer’s wife, bestowing upon her all the love and affection possible for an animal to give. She explained to me, “Please forgive Fluffy; I fed her from the time she was a little lamb, and she loves me to death.”

Harboring Hatred

In the Old Testament, we find a vicious enemy who was trying to destroy God’s people. We are told it was “for the old hatred.” It’s recorded that these same people had “a despiteful heart,” which is always characteristic of this sort of person.

What is the cause of such a perpetual hatred? Simple, they allowed an “old hurt” to fester until it became “an old hatred.” Old grudges must be vented sooner or later. Like a volcanic mountain that has lain dormant for years, once it erupts and spews its hot lava, it can be destructive even to itself.

I’ve seen people whose grudges became their graves.

The Answer to Spiritual Snobbery

“He…lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, to make them inherit the throne of glory.” Some misguided souls believe the Old Testament saints were saved by works. You’d have a difficult time convincing Hannah of this. As far as she was concerned, it was all of Grace. As good a woman as she was, she realized all her righteousness was but “filthy rags.” And that it was God, and God alone, Who took such a person from rags to riches and from being a pauper to becoming a prince.

It is wise to remember, when speaking of someone’s personal holiness, righteousness, or godliness, that they received it from Someone else. Whenever you see a beggar in royal apparel, it is safe to say, he didn’t get it on his own. We are all spiritually destitute, and, like beggars, must “bum” everything we have from Another. Is it any wonder this wonderful woman admonishes us, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth.”

God took us from a dunghill, not “Nob Hill.”

A Lasting Legacy

“…this woman was full of good works…” This was Dorcas’ lasting legacy. She put into practice what Paul preached: “In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works.” She not only had a pattern for the coats and garments she made, but, more importantly, she left them a Godly “cut-out” that they might pattern their lives after.

Seneca was one of the greatest of the Stoic philosophers. He was falsely accused by Nero of conspiracy and ordered to take his own life. He was refused the right to leave a will. Turning to his weeping family and friends, he said he would leave them the best thing he had— the pattern of his life.

Good works speak louder than great words.

The Real Menace

“Get thee behind me, Satan.” The late Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “If we cannot discern the chief cause of our ills, how can we discern the cure?” Jesus looked past the means to the real culprit.

When we play our blame game, we usually list either the political, social, or cultural conditions for our dilemma. But they are only puppets on strings, controlled by Satan behind the scene.

If we can only see flesh and blood as our adversary, then we will never rise from our sick beds. We are in a spiritual battle with the Prince of Darkness, who hides in the shadows. Those who have put on the armor of light will recognize him for who he really is.

Lon Chaney, the actor, was known as “the man of a thousand faces, but it was always him behind each one. So it is with Satan.

Nonchalant Preaching

For half a century now I have observed preachers and their preaching. There seems to me to be a great void in many a pulpit today. The single word I would use to describe this missing ingredient is intensity.

I once heard a well known evangelist preach a memorized sermon while looking out a window ninety percent of the time. This type of detached preaching is a disgrace to the ministry. Casual sermons produce that kind of saints.

The old Methodist preacher, Fightin’ Bob Shuler, on one instance introduced my mentor, Dr. Joe Henry Hankins, as “A steam engine in britches.” I never heard “The Doc” raise his voice, but I saw him raise his listeners into the Heavenlies on many an occasion.

Dr. Bob Jones Sr. said, “I have never entered the pulpit that I didn’t think I would die if God didn’t bless the message.” No doubt this lack of intensity is the problem in much of our contemporary preaching. Preachers need to realize, you can’t get pretty music out of a fiddle with loose strings.

A Personal Altar

“We have an altar, whereof they have no right…” It was objected by the legalistic religionists that the assemblies of the primitive Christians were destitute of an altar. Not true, says the writer of this “Him-book.” “We have an altar,” says he, but it’s not a material, but spiritual one.

The author goes on to say that those who insist on the first are excluded from the second. To adhere to one is to deny the other. If you feed off the former, you cannot feast off the fat of the latter.

Christ is both our Altar and Sacrifice. The shadow of the Old Testament must now give way to the substance of the New. The altar is no longer to be found in the house of God, but in every heart of the people of God. This way God can give an “alter call” anytime, and need not wait for a preacher to do it on Sunday.

Wasted Years

“I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten…” Who among us does not regret having some wasted years in our lives? But the God of all Grace promises those who humble themselves and who admit they were the cause—a bumper crop. It will more than compensate for the loss.

Spurgeon said, “There is a strange and wonderful way in which God can give back to you wasted blessings.” No past famines can make future blessings impossible. All our losses can be restored. He can give fullness for famine, and replace poverty with plenty. It is never too late to make a new start, no matter how hideous the sin, or how many years have been abused and misused.

And why does He do these things for us? That we may “praise the name of the Lord your God that hath dealt wondrously with you” (Joel 2:25-26).

Remember; He is the Lord of the locust-eaten years.

U-Turns

One of the common denominators in the ministries of Jesus, the Twelve, Peter and Paul was that each emphasized the necessity of repentance. They taught repentance leads to restoration of God’s favor, and impenitence to ruin. Thinking that we need not do a complete u-turn from vices in our lives, to practicing Godly virtues, is a destructive delusion.

Repentance is acknowledging and admitting we are rebels at heart, who must lay down our arms. True repentance is the right view of sin, self, and the Saviour. Real repentance is more than eating crow, it’s agreeing with Gods estimate of your sin. It is taking God’s side against the person you hold dearest: You!

It is shameful how many of us are so shameless today. In Ezra’s prayer he said, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee…” I’m afraid we are more like the people of Jeremiah’s day, of whom it is said, “…they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush.” We need repenting that doesn’t need repenting of. There is far too much heartless repenting in each of us.

The old preachers used to preach there are three steps to Biblical repentance: First you get mad; then you get sad; but then you get glad.

Big Hearted

“…our heart is enlarged…be ye also enlarged.” In the physical world, an enlarged heart can be a dangerous thing. Not so in the spiritual world. In this sphere, it is an exceedingly healthy thing to have. Paul had one, and he encouraged other saints to have one also.

The Bible tells us we are to have tender, pure, loving, clean, open, joyful, upright, obedient, honest and good hearts. But, above all, we should have a big heart. It says of Solomon, “And God gave Solomon…largeness of heart.” As the saying goes, “He was big-hearted.”

If you want a big heart, let God fill it.

Parental Needs

“…and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.” This is Mark’s moving account of the healing of a young man, devil-possessed (Mk.9:14-29). One would think that our compassionate Lord would have immediately taken care of this crucial situation. But, instead, He begins a conversation with the boy’s father about the lad’s history and the father’s belief. All this, while the man’s son is wallowing at their feet, foaming at the mouth, gnashing his teeth in pain.

At the close of the story, we find the purpose of this time interval. It is apparent that the Great Physician cured more than the patient. He helped the parent, also. During this waiting time, the father’s faith was tested, and he was taught parental patience. Often we parents think our children’s sad condition is the only issue. But, at the end of the ordeal, embarrassed, we find we were not in too good of spiritual shape ourselves!

Convenience and Character

“…when I have a convenient season, I will…” Felix, like many today, was a man of convenience. But convenience and character rarely, if ever, mix. Doing right is not always easy, but it is always right. Character is doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. A person with this rare quality does not procrastinate when faced with everyday decisions and the responsibilities of life.

Most anyone is willing to carry a cross, if it is weightless or made of velvet. But how few there be who will take up the daily cross Christ spoke of. For this latter one can be burdensome, cutting into certain areas of our lives, thus making things very inconvenient for us. Since our cross is to be taken up daily, we should not be surprised if some portion of each day will be inconvenient for us.

Men and women of convenience never carry crosses.

A Particular Creation

"[Comparing] themselves among themselves, are not wise.” Corinthianism, with its comparitivism, has not died out in these contemporary times. No matter in which age you find it, or among what people, as Paul states, you will always find that such individuals are void in understanding. On a test of spiritual intellect they never score too high.

To be sure, we are always the loser when we play the comparison game. On one hand, if we compare ourselves with someone on a lower plane, then we become proud and overbearing. If, on the other hand, our comparison is directed toward one who is superior and on a higher plateau, we are prone to become envious and insecure.

In such comparisons, there can never be contentment, for we will always have a disproportionate opinion of ourselves, one way or the other. And either will always be for the worse. The one will lean us toward a superiority complex, the other, an inferiority one. It will leave us inflated or deflated.

We need moral courage to be ourselves. Comparison can’t change an individual. It only confuses the issue. Looking in the mirror and seeing yourself is not so bad, when you realize you are the direct and particular creation of God.

Timing is Everything

Not only is our Sovereign the God of eternity, but He is the Lord of time. He controls every aspect of it. He can make it stand still, go backward, or run it ahead. But He is distinctively the God of the present. And why is this? I think C.S. Lewis put it best when he said, “Where, except in the present, can the Eternal be met.” Therefore, as they say, “There is no time like the present.”

We must be cautious that we do not mistake a seemingly right situation for the right time. Take Simon Peter’s case for example. The Lord had told him how he would die (John 21:18-19). And in Acts 12:3-6 the circumstances would lead one to think this was the time his Lord had spoken to him about. But though the situation was right, the timing was wrong, for this memorable event could not come to pass until, as Jesus had said, “…when thou shalt be old.”

It is not the circumstances, but timing, that counts. Let us keep our eyes on God’s clock and not on the conditions. If we do, we, like Peter, will sleep better.

Sink or Swim

An old preacher who used little quips to preach entire sermons, used to say, “Duties never conflict.” Three words, but what a wealth of wisdom! If we ever needed to heed them, it’s today. In a busy ministry that spanned some forty years, I had to remind myself over and again of this truth.

Most of us busy bees have so many irons in the fire that, when it comes time for branding, we don’t even know which one to use. The frustration, anxiety, and confusion we experience, come from the fact, we have too much on our plate. Something can be good and right, but it’s not for us. Most of our burdens are self-imposed.

In God’s plan for each life, He leaves time for us to “smell the flowers.” It is not all work and no play. The Lord never puts on us more than we can carry. It is Satan who overloads us with the extra baggage. God has certain things He has ordained for us to accomplish—certain specific things. To go beyond these is to go beyond the will of God.

When I was a pastor, we went through a dire financial time. I prayed for two years, every day, but things only grew worse. Then the Lord revealed to me that if I would let go of my staff of five, it would solve any and all of the problems. But because of my affection for them (and some pride), I refused and held on. Finally, when I did submit, everything turned for the better. My life, my church, my home, and the lives of my staff, were all blessed.

Things we hold to are fine until they begin to sink us; then we must let go of them if we expect to survive.

The Adjustable Apostle

“I am made all things to all men.” (1Cor.9:19-23) Paul was not speaking of spiritual compromise or being a chameleon. The text is not speaking of inward convictions, but rather, outward conditions. He’s discussing adapting to various situations. A haughty spirit will reject this humble approach. This giant of a man, both in intellect and spirituality, could fit in, no matter what the culture or custom. To do this, one must know people. He must be familiar with a variety of backgrounds. This takes reading, observance, and knowing a little bit about a lot of things. Anyone can do this.

A Christian should be able to sit with paupers or walk with kings and be comfortable with both. Such a person will be misunderstood and maligned, many times from his own ranks. If you condescend to the ignorant, you’re patronizing them; if, on the other hand, you ascend to sit with the elite, you’re proud. Therefore, if you’re going to attempt to help all men, as in Paul’s example, you will do it at your own expense, and at the risk of being criticized for your seeming inconsistencies.

Adjustment necessitates change, but that requires courage.

The Cup That Can Change You

Someone has said Gethsemane was the Holy of Holies of Jesus’ life on earth. I don’t know about that, but I do know it can be ours. When we drink of the cup He has placed before us—even down to the last bitter dregs in the bottom—we will be forever changed.

When the dark night of the soul hovers over us, and “Not my will, but thy will be done,” falls from our lips, then we will never again hold to a cheap religion. You can’t come out of your Gethsemane and remain frivolous and flippant about our Lord. For it is in the gloom of the Garden that we see the true value of life.

When I finally lay down self, I take up God. When I surrender everything, I can endure anything. A betrayer’s kiss, physical suffering, a dreaded cross—I can finally go it alone. The moment of surrender is the moment of victory. When I give up my finite will, then God’s infinite will will be accomplished.

It is either our “Remove this cup from me,” or His, “Drink ye all of it.”

C.S. Lewis' Advice on Making a Better World

Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither. It seems a strange rule, but something like it can be seen at work in other matters. Health is a great blessing, but the moment you make health one of your main, direct objects you start becoming a crank and imagining something is wrong with you. You are only likely to get health provided you want other things more-food, games, work, fun, open air. In the same way, we will never save civilization as long as civilization is our main object. We must learn to want something else even more.

Short-Term Parking

“Jesus taketh…them up into an high mountain apart.” Some Christians are always looking for “mountain-top” experiences. They want to be on a spiritual high all the time. But it is important to realize that Jesus is the One who picks the time and place for such experiences. It is He who determines the when and the where, not we, ourselves.

Many of us, like Peter, think that such experiences are for long-term parking, but they are short-lived, at best. It is well to remember that in life’s long sentence, the capital letters are far fewer in comparison to the many lower-case ones. And so it is in the Christian life.

There is something else I have observed through the years about these spiritual mountain climbers. I notice they are swift to climb the Mount of Transfiguration but noticeably slow to ascend the Mount of Crucifixion. But, for the Christian who desires transformation, the order is the latter mountain comes first.

Mount Zion will be the Christian’s eternal mountain-top experience.

Seeking the Spectacular

“...but the Lord was not in the wind...the Lord was not in the earthquake...the Lord was not in the fire...” How prone we are to look for God in the spectacular. Our impressionable and impulsive spirits give way so readily and easily to temporal externals.

We are so reluctant to admit the strong wind, in comparison to the Almighty, is no more than hot air; the earthquake is only a small, insignificant tremor; and the fire, man-made, using a light bulb and dangling scarlet cellophane in front of it for effect.

We need to hide our faces in our mantles, blinding us to all these passing, outward, earthly manifestations, and listen for the inward “still small voice” that will never pass away.

In the Temptation, Satan was for the spectacular; our Savior, for the Scriptures.

Saul's Clan

"And Saul said unto Samuel…the people took of the spoil…" Saul's clan is still among us. There are those who refuse to take the responsibility for their own actions, and, in many cases, to make things worse, their loved ones encourage this. There is a mass of people today who seem to think it is never their fault.

As a parent, and while I was a pastor, I taught those under my leadership to learn to blame themselves. If it is always someone else's fault, you will never feel the need for change in your own life. The prodigal son got out of the hog pen when he blamed himself. And so will we.

If you keep passing the buck, you'll stay a pauper.

A Room Full of Doors

Our Heavenly Father would have His children live by faith. There is no other way to please Him. It is the greatest compliment we can bestow upon Him. To stand before our God and say, “I believe You, no matter what”—is the highest respect and honor we can pay Him.

This is not an isolated incident that happens only once in our life. It begins at our conversion and ends with its consummation. It’s “from faith to faith.” “The just shall live by faith.” It is a daily, moment by moment trust in the Almighty for both life and breath, and all that comes in between. We are so prone to live by, and trust in, circumstances, feelings, temperaments, and an unending list of other broken reeds. But God’s desire for us is a life of faith.

The way in which the Lord teaches us this vital lesson is to “shut [us] up unto the faith.” He puts us in impossible situations and shuts every door but one. After we are weary and worn from trying all the locked doors, in desperation we finally try the door of faith. When we do, we find that all the time it was the way out, just waiting for us to enter through it.

At the end of the natural is the supernatural, and, at the end of self is God.

Rocks, Pebbles, and sand

“The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” The following article is one that my wife came across in one of her college classes. I believe we Christians can learn something from it. I know I did.

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open area between the rocks. The students laughed.

He again asked the students if the jar was full, and they again agreed that, yes, it was.

The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things—your faith, your family, your health, your friends—anything that is so important to you that if it were lost you would be utterly destroyed.”

“The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale, like your job, your house, your car, etc. The sand is everything else—the small stuff. If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly more important.

Raw Materials

“ye judge after the flesh…my judgment is true.” When we judge one’s progress in the Lord, we invariably judge how far they have come by comparing them to the front runner. But comparing ourselves among ourselves is not wise, says the apostle. When God considers how far we have advanced in our Christian lives, He does it from the perspective of how far we have come from where we started. For example, it would be unfair to judge Peter’s progress using Paul as a standard. For Paul started way ahead of Simon. C.S. Lewis says, “You can’t judge simply by comparing the product in two people; you would need to know what kind of raw material Christ was working with in both cases.”

Many of us make the mistake Joshua made concerning the Gibeonites. Because he judged after the flesh, he thought they had come a long way, “From a far country.” Yet, in reality, they had not come far at all but were “neighbors,” who had actually come a very short distance.

You who think you’re lagging behind, take heart. If you do your best, and those in the lead do not, you may find yourself out front in the end. For, “…many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”

You need not catch up to the rest, only do your best.

A Change of Scenery

“And he [God] said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid...” Running from her mistress’ harsh treatment did not change who or what Hagar was. She still remained, “Sarai’s maid” in the sight of God. Only by returning and submitting could she find her freedom and be blessed. “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman.”

A change in geography does not bring a change in character. If we cannot change in the place where we are, it’s doubtful we can some place else. True, we cannot change circumstances around us, but we can change the character within us. Demas thought he could run from himself by going to Thessalonica, but he found, to his dismay, when he entered the city limits, he was there to greet himself. He only ran from himself to himself

We do not need a change of scenery but a change of heart.

Listening to the Bushes

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it was the beginning of a new life for Moses. One of the definitions for curious is, “taking an undue interest in other’s affairs; prying.” But another meaning is “arousing attention or interest through being unusual or hard to explain.” It was the latter of the two that turned everything around for Moses.

He never forgot the day that “he turned aside to see.” For when God saw his curiosity for the supernatural, He spoke to him. We need a holy curiosity today. We need to be awestruck by the supernatural within the natural. Yes, a common desert brush, like a lot of others in the wilderness, but this one had God in it.

Many are seeking the supernatural today, apart from the natural bush. Could this be the reason we have no time for common people? We pass by them, not interested why this “bush” of a man or woman has supernatural fire burning in the midst of them. Maybe if we turned aside to see, God would speak to us out of the midst of these plain, ordinary human bushes, in this desert land through which we walk.

May each of us be on the look-out for bushes that God is in. Some will be illiterate, others stooped with age, while a few may be inexperienced youth, still others, poor, with little esteem. But if we will stop and show an interest in these common bramble bushes, they can be the means of transforming our lives!

Keeping the Law

“He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law”; “Love is the fulfilling of the law”; “All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”; “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.”

Jesus Christ fulfilled the law. He sent His Spirit into us at our conversion. Therefore, the law is “fulfilled in us” (not by us). The love we are void of by the first birth, He “sheds abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost” at our second birth, enabling us to fulfill the law, by love

All the law hangs on one hook... love. That should be the Christian’s only hang-up.

Jumping to Judgment

“If thou shalt hear say…Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently…if it be true.” Hearsay is generally a dangerous standard to go by. First of all, you’ll find those repeating a matter usually don’t hear too well! And, as a result, you’ll get what they thought they heard. The well meaning messenger also adds his or her own analysis, flavored by their imagination as to what they heard.

It is always wise to investigate, thoroughly and accurately, any hearsay. Especially when dealing with important issues, great pain and care needs to be taken in examining what has been reported, and it needs to be done without prejudice or partiality. This approach is God-like (Gen.18:20-21).

Without investigation and confrontation, you’ll never know the truth of hearsay.

Finders Keepers

“...he that loseth...for my sake shall find it.” Paul had suffered the loss of all things. The only thing left on the shelves of Job’s life was the dust where his losses used to sit. And Peter’s testimony was that he had lost everything to follow Christ.

Years ago, a gospel singer by the name of Dave Boyer sang a song that blessed me each time I heard it. The title was “I Lost It All to Find Everything.” The three above-mentioned men found this to be so in their lives.

Christ promises that no person can lose anything for His sake that He will not replace the loss one-hundred fold, not only in this life, but the one to come.

I hear testimonials quite frequently from saints who tell of the things they have lost for Christ. I am always tempted to ask them the question, “And what did you find?” The emphasis is not on the loss, but the gain. To lose and not find is a double loss.

Losers, for His sake, are not weepers.

Feeling Our Way Along

“...like the blind...we grope (feel) as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night...” We speak of “blind faith,” but faith has good eyesight; in fact, it’s 20/20. It’s when one goes by their feelings that it indicates darkness in their life.

Isaac made a terrible decision in his life when he went by feeling, because of the dimness of his eyes. And what of sightless Samson? What a sorry spectacle, as he feels (gropes) for the pillars before a laughing world.

God has given each believer spiritual eyesight. We need never to grope through our spiritual life as though we had no eyes of faith to see with. Feelings are fine as they fall in with the third rank, following the first two ranks of fact and faith.

Faith is your spiritual optic. Puritan

Fatherly Advice

David is giving his solemn farewell to both his subjects and his son. To the latter, who was to be their leader he says, “My son, know thou the God of thy father...” (1 Chron. 28:9). There are other admonitions surrounding this godly father’s advice, such as, keeping God’s way, serving Him, etc. But the crux—the core—the center—the very heart of the whole matter is “know the Lord.” We’re told Solomon was “yet young and tender.” His father knew this was the best teaching time.

Over a period of years, Israel had lost sight of their Commander-in-chief, by allowing a copy of the commandments to blind them. The divine order is always the Lord, then His laws. In Paul’s day, the Jews were only left with a set of rules with rigidity. A relationship with reality, they knew nothing of.

Our day has become much like those described in Judges, “And their arose another generation...which knew not the Lord.” They knew the external letter of the law—a list of do’s and don’ts but the Spirit of Life was a stranger to them.

I have lived to see the above happen in many groups and churches across our land. A generation of young people was raised on preaching that emphasized external taboos—“touch not, taste not, handle not.” But they never heard that they were to “know the Lord.” I need not tell the spiritual observer the results. What is so tragic is that the same thing is being repeated to this generation of youngsters. When will we ever learn, you can’t legislate righteousness. The law is fulfilled “in us,” not by us.

At the top of God’s list of commands and statutes in Deuteronomy is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” He goes on to say that they were to teach this truth to their children. I wonder how many are doing this today in our homes, churches, and Christian institutions.

“Make not laws upon the saints where Christ hath made not any.” Puritan

Do You Really Want Revival?

Years ago, I heard a preacher say, “Many who are praying for revival would be scared to death if they met one face to face.” Most Christians praying for revival do not really want one. I believe I can prove this.

Anyone who is the least familiar with the history of revival realizes it crosses all boundaries. Sectarianism goes out the door; the walls of inclusiveness fall down flat; dogmatism is put on a short chain; and “I only am left” gives way to “I have yet seven thousand.” Are you sure you want revival?

In an authentic, Biblical revival, there will be a resurrection from the dust, where the gifts of the Spirit have lain dormant. Love for all God’s people will be preeminent; miraculous things will occur apart from man-made machinery. And each believer will look past the weak, sinful, earthen vessel of his brother, to the treasure that lies within. Are you sure you want revival?

Revival is not denominational; but it is demonstrable.

Christian Mannequin

“Having a form…but denying the power…” What a tragedy to see one who has the form of a lifeguard, only to find he cannot swim. But, how much more tragic it is to behold Christians who pass themselves off as being Spirit-filled, yet who are powerless to help anyone. True, they may have form, but their deeds deny the fact that they have the power of God.

Ezekiel’s dry bones came together and had all the external characteristics we require to pass muster, but they needed the breath of God upon them, before they could really get on their feet and be greatly used.

I’m afraid many of us have lost our “axe-heads.” But rather than stop and find it again, we continue to go through the tiring motions of chopping, in spite of the revealing fact that chips are no longer flying nor trees falling.

A Christian without the breath of God is like a mannequin; they look good,
but that’s as far as it goes.

Addition or Antidote

“...lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.” Gifted people are just that—gifted. A gift is an addition to, not an antidote for. A gift may be placed in a Christmas stocking over the fireplace, but it remains a stocking, nonetheless. Because of this, Paul did not want people to think of him more highly because of his gift. For this old, seasoned saint knew what dwelled in his flesh, even if others didn’t.

How many of us find sweet satisfaction in those around us thinking that nobodies such we, are “somebodies” because of our particular gift? We sometimes cherish coming across as being more important than we actually are. One may appear, and be measured as, a spiritual giant, externally; even though, many times, a spiritual pygmy lives within.

Remember; though Saul was a giant, and gifted outwardly, his stature within was stunted.

A Penny For Your Thoughts

“…whatsoever things are true…honest…just…pure…lovely…of good report…think on these things.” Paul did not intend this to be a complete catalog for our thought lives, so he adds anything that is virtuous or praiseworthy. It seems, Norman Vincent Peale was a day late and a dollar short with his book The Power of Positive Thinking.

The old-timers used to say such things as, “An idle mind is the devil’s playground,” and “Still waters gather filth.” Our minds are not to be in the gutter, but on God. Therefore, we need to keep the currents moving. Don’t let the mind stagnate. We are to cultivate high moral ideas. Such thinking will result in nobility of character.

To accomplish this, we must have controlled thinking. We need not be subservient to our thoughts (2 Cor.10:5). Remember, thoughts determine acts, careers, and destinies. As the wise man said, “ For as he thinketh… so is he.” Replacing a carnal thought with a spiritual one will lead to a full life and peace of mind (Rom.8:6). A penny for your thoughts” would leave some shortchanged.

From Here to There

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer…how art thou cut down to the ground…” What a contrast, “the son of the morning” started at the top and ended up at the bottom. On the other hand, the Son of God started at the bottom, and worked His way up, as it were, to the top.

Our generation of young people, it seems to me, has fallen for the pitch that originated from the pit. There seems to be a belief that because one desires a certain thing, they can obtain it with no time lapse, preparation, or growth involved.

What I mean is, we are made to think that it is possible to go from noon to midnight, crude to the finished, and from infancy to maturity without the necessary parenthesis. Young people, please heed my words: To go from one point to another involves process, and that, in turn, requires patience.

The Straighten-Outer

Years ago I had the wonderful privilege of sitting under the ministry of, and briefly fellowshipping with, the great Jewish evangelist, Hyman Appelman. He relates in one of his sermons how he spent many years frustrated because of the fact that he could not get people to straighten-up. Then one night in prayer he said the Lord impressed heavily upon his heart that it was not his responsibility, but God’s, to do so. It was then said he, all the aggravation left him.

It is God who promised to, “Make…crooked things straight.” The woman, who was bowed over for eighteen years and could in no wise lift herself up, can attest to this truth. After Jesus touched her we are told, “…immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” Only our omnipotent God can straighten out warped, twisted lives. Anyone who has ever tried to straighten out something knows there is a great danger that you will either make it worse than it is or break it in the attempt.

Only God’s Strong Man can straighten those lives Satan has bent out of shape. Therefore, let us put them into the Lord’s hands.

Subduing Self

“He is able even to subdue all things to himself.” Did Paul mean all without exception, or all with one exception? We talk as if whatever else could be subdued to him, our sinful selves could never be. Did the Apostle forget self among the “all things”? I think not. Just as God gave man the power and dominion over every kind of animal, He has given the Christian the power to subdue the beast within himself, through the power of God’s indwelling Spirit.

Romans chapter six says “sin shall not have dominion over you.” Why? Micah tells us: “He will subdue our iniquities.” If God forgave the sin that has been committed by us, He will certainly subdue the sin that dwells in us.

I cannot live without sin, but I can live above it.

Robots or Robust

“I can do all things through Christ…” Not as we hear from some circles, that Christ works through us, but rather, just the opposite. One will be hard pressed to find God doing anything through a believer. We are told we have “…peace with God through our Lord Jesus,” and that we are to mortify the flesh “…through the Spirit.” Also that “…we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” The list goes on and on.

When Israel “…passed through the sea,” it should be plain to all that the word “through” meant, they went by way of. The major difference between the Christian and non-Christian is that the former goes by the way of God when facing the problems of life, whereby the latter faces them head on in his own strength.


To teach Christians to be passive, and to let God do it through them, produces a robotical being, rather than a responsible one. It is we who put on the armor; it is we who do the wrestling; it is we who wield the sword; it is we who stand our ground. And as we do these things, all the time, we are looking to God to help us. Therefore, let us rise up and be doing!

A Pastor's Priorities

“But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” The little quip says, “Jack of all trades; master of one.” But, in reality, I have found those who try to do everything end up being “masters of none.” The average pastor today dabbles in everything from being a PR man, janitor, administrator, construction consultant, and a host of other secondary things. But to leave the Word of God and prayer for the temporal needs of the church is to leave your people Spiritually deficient.

“Canned” sermons and delightful ditties cannot satisfy the hungry soul. The Bible knows nothing of sermons, as such. God’s men in the Holy Scriptures had a message they received from their Lord. When a pastor is a one-man show, being in every scene, and trying to play everyone else’s part, he is apt to forget the part he is to play on the stage of life. Don’t forget, there are other actors in the drama of life. They are called elders, deacons, and the elect of God. Don’t be guilty of trying to up-stage them.

Hireling ministers are not worth their hire.

Hoarded Grace

Grace originates from God’s fathomless, infinite, eternal sea of kindness. God does not receive grace; God gives grace, for He is grace. On the other hand, we as believers are all the recipients, and (should be) the distributors of His grace. But I’m afraid many of us who are good at taking it in, do poorly when giving it out. We squirrel it away, as they say.

Paul tells us we should be, “…followers of God, as dear children.” Are not most of us poor examples when it comes to dispensing grace to an undeserving brother or sister in the family of God? We are so fearful someone may think we agree with the recipient’s life-style, or that we are letting up on our own convictions. What insecurity lies in our bosoms!

How we need to emulate David, who when speaking to wretched Mephibosheth said, “Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness…” Jesus said, “…freely ye have received, freely give." When Jesus took the loaves and gave them to His disciples, we’re told they distributed them to others who were also hungry.

If we’re lacking in grace in our own lives today, we might remember God’s way is, “…grace for grace.” If we gave more, we might just receive more (“Give, and it shall be given unto you…”). Far too many of us are like the Dead Sea; we take it in, but hold the riches for ourselves.