As Night Follows Day

“The earth was also corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” The old adage, “As night follows day,” simply means you can depend on it. That is, you can count on it, expect it, yes! Look for it with assurance. One will follow upon the heels of the other; it will always be close by.

And so it is with corruption,whenever you find it, you can be certain violence will soon come on the scene. Whether it be an individual, city, state, nation, or the entire earth, when corruption enters, violence will be the result.

Today, as in that of Noah (history repeats itself), corruption is universal. Extreme violence has already begun happening in many parts of the world. And don’t be deceived, we are not exempt. You can hang your hat on the fact that intense violence, such as we have never seen in our beloved nation, is at the door.

No sane, sensible person, would deny our entire country is steeped in corruption. From politics to religion, every facet of society has been severely tainted. The only answer is a Revival or His Return. Personally, I pray for the second. But if the second is on hold, then I'm for the first.

Until one of these two happens, as Noah of old, we can walk victoriously with our God in the midst of all the filth.     

One of the Crowd

“Then shall I be...as another man.” Once Samson decided to disobey God he became just like one of the guys. He was no longer one of a kind, but rather, one of the crowd. As long as he followed the Lord, he was of a rare breed; when he went back, he became a regular toy soldier, in step with everyone else. Someone wrote, “Be like a diamond; precious and rare, not like a stone that is found everywhere.” 

Only in doing the Will of God will you find individual distinctiveness. Everything and everyone outside His plan is run-of-the-mill. All look and taste like vanilla, life becomes monotonous. The adventure and excitement resulting from serving the Lord leaves one, and nothing is left but daily boredom. Without God as the center of our lives, all our created enthusiastic endeavours fizzle out like a sparkler.

Only the life wholly given up to God is the one full of constant surprises. When we are willing to be different from the mass, it is then He distributes His individual gifts. To the rest, like those working in an office during holidays, all receive the same thing.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter; and those who matter don’t mind.” Dr, Seuss

I Forgive You

I personally do not know of three sweeter words an offending saint will ever hear from those whom they have offended than, “I forgive you.” I guess it is because I have so often had to ask God and loved ones to grant me this request, as well as those unrelated.

The Bible makes plain it is wicked to not forgive (Matt.18:32-33). We need not ever expect peace of mind as long as we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts. And this is just as true when applied to oneself. If God so willingly forgives us, should we not then follow His example? 

A woman gave testimony at our church that she had had great difficulty forgiving herself for killing (aborting) her unborn son some years previous. I whispered to my wife, “Why? she murdered God’s Son, and He freely forgave her.”

I think something I saw and heard on the old western T.V. series, Gunsmoke, holds the answer for those of us who have miserably let ourselves down. The statement was made by the town drunk to Marshal Dillon, “All my life people have given me another chance; the problem is, I have not been willing to give myself one.

Don’t you think it’s about time you forgive yourself? God has, and so have others, way back when you first asked them.    

Renovating the Old

A young man sold his recently deceased parents’ farmhouse and land to a developer. Having received an unusually good price for his inheritance, he wanted to do something special in return for the generous buyer. And so he made some needed repairs and put a fresh coat of paint on the old place. Upon seeing the new look, the now owner said, “Son, I wish you had not taken the time or effort. You see, my intention is to tear the old down and start all over again.”  

I have spent a large part of my Christian life trying to patch-up what God condemned, trying to whitewash the dry-rot in my old Adamic nature. In spite of the fact that I am told over and again in scripture, God by-passes the old nature, condemning it, for the new. Every time I have put new wine into old bottles, they burst; and each time I patch an old garment with a new, I look ridiculous!

We need to cease striving to change the “old man.” It can’t be done, anymore than an Ethiopian can his skin or a leopard his spots. Change comes, not by trying, but in applying. It is not in attempting by works to change the old, but in appropriating by faith what we already have in the new. You might say, “It’s a done deal.” Our appropriation makes a fact a reality.  

To put a garment on or off is a physical act. To put the “old man” off and the “new man” on is a spiritual act of faith.

God's Family and Ours

Taken in the right context, one might say,”God is a family man.” One of His first acts in creation was the establishing of the family. And Jesus’ first social function was attending a wedding, the beginning of a family.

God has a Kingdom and Satan has a kingdom. God has a family, referred to in scripture as, “The Family of God.” But Satan does not have a family! He was once, so to speak, a member of God’s loving family, but choose to leave it so he could have his own way.

Satan hates God’s family, and because he cannot attack the Father directly, he assails the objects of His love, His children. He is out to divide a house against itself, knowing how devastating this is to a parent. He creates a “great gulf” between them so that,"they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." 

In the Christian family, only Christ can bridge this great chasm. He is the link that makes two one again. All the secular and religious means in the world cannot, if you permit me, "put Humpty-Dumpty back together again." Until Christ is put first in all our lives, there will be no partying "at the Father's House." 

"And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."

In Spite Of Or Because Of

I used to believe the generally accepted term, “God uses them in spite of...”; but am now convinced from the scriptures, experiences in my own life, as well as observing scores of others throughout these long years, the right phrase is, “God uses them because of...” We spend a lifetime trying to rid ourselves of an asset.    

It pleases God to choose those with irritating quirks, strange idiosyncrasies, revolting defects, and a host of other observable deficiencies and weaknesses. It was because of these inadequacies, He picked us out to join the ranks of His laughable army. The reason? “That no flesh should glory in His presence.”

Uncle Buddy Robinson stuttered so badly that he could hardly tell his name. F.B.Meyer was given to deep depression. Alexander Cruden was in and out of mental institutions most of his adult life. C.I. Scofield was divorced and remarried after his conversion. And D.L.Moody
had a 6^th grade education, calling “Daniel,” “Dan’l.” These all, along with a great host of other men and women successful in the service of the Lord, cannot be explained apart from God.

In other words, our flaws can lead back to a flawless God!

Richard. D. Sandlin

The Meaning of Holiness

As I have said so often in my writings, “God’s Word (A.V. 1611 K.J.V.) is its own interpreter,” not the Church of Rome, or Greek scholars! Peter says, “Knowing this first, that no ...scripture is of any private interpretation.” That ought to settle it for a Roman Catholic. And a Protestant should know better. Ask Joseph who the Great Interpreter is (Gen.40:8,b)

Because of the fact that many saints have a misconception of what the word Holy means, much damage has been done to their spiritual lives.

Allowing scripture to explain itself, we find the following.

Lk.2:23, “As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)...Ex.13:2, Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel... it is mine...V12, thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix... [they] shall be the LORD'S...”

Notice, to be “Holy” simply means to be, “Sanctified,” or “Set Apart” for the Lord.  It is not speaking of moral value. Clothes, ground, days, and utensils know nothing of morality. Nor is holiness sinlessness; inanimate things can’t sin. Neither does our word mean perfection; Paul speaks of, “Perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Holiness then, can be perfected.

It is not emphasizing what one is separated from, but what a person is separated to, that count with God. The more we experience the latter, the more it will be true of the former. The Pharisees were separated from the world, but not unto God. They missed out on what true holiness really is, separated unto God!

Richard. D. Sandlin

I Am an Adopted Child

“Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

I understand some adopted children have a problem with not knowing their real parents, and this I understand. But personally, as an adopted child, I have no such difficulty; I know my Original Parents and want nothing whatsoever to do with them. They sold me into the house of bondage, and were responsible for the shameful deformity I’ll carry with me throughout this life.

But I am glad to say I am now happy, content, and I think fairly well-adjusted, considering my first state. O, how well I remember being lined up with the other urchins, all cleaned-up and in their nice clothes, standing tall and straight, hoping to impress. And there I was, at the end of the line in my wheelchair, crippled, and in my filthy rags.

All my peers were waiting with bated breath, anticipating the kind looking man stopping by them with a smile of approval. But I had no such expectation. I was very conscious of the fact there was nothing about me, an untainted MAN such as I beheld, would desire to call His son. But miracles of miracles! as He stood over me, looking down with eyes full of tears and compassion, He uttered three words that will remain with me throughout eternity, “I choose him.”

And what do I call the parent who adopted me? I refer to Him as, “MY HEAVENLY FATHER!”       

Richard. D. Sandlin

Bold Preaching

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”

If you were to ask me the greatest change I have seen in churches in my fifty-five year ministry, my answer would be one word: “preaching.” We today, as Paul foretold us, have gone from preaching to teaching. It is important to realize, men are called to preach, then gifted as teachers, pastors, evangelists, etc. No man can hide behind his gift as an excuse for neglecting bold preaching!

A pastor friend in Canada, who is also a veterinarian, told me they now have a procedure where they cut a dog’s vocal cord to keep them from barking and bothering neighbors. The Old prophet spoke of this kind of preacher. He described them as, “dumb dogs [that] cannot bark.” Dumb, not as in intellectually, but as in audibly. Years ago, a preacher said to my home pastor, “I wish I could preach to my people the way you do to yours.” He could, it’s just that he wouldn’t.

We no longer hear fiery messages on Bible topics such as: judgment, sin, wrath, sodomy, death, sowing and reaping, etc. When we stopped preaching on hell from the pulpits they started living like it in the pews. I think, to hear some preachers preach, they believe the word apologetics (concerned with the defense or proof of Christianity), means to apologize for their preaching.

The norm today is that love is all that counts. No! Truth is what counts. Paul tells us love rejoices in truth. Dr. Bob Jones used to have a message to preachers who trimmed their messages in the pretense of love. The text he used was, “Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love?” God help those preachers who, so to speak, tiptoe through the tulips.

Some preachers, before preaching ask, “Who is out there?” Then load or unload their gun. Others go to the pulpit and shoot, and then ask, “Who’d I hit?”

Richard. D. Sandlin

50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY PICS

Dear Readers,

My wife and I celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary two years ago this October 14th. My daughter, Leah, who is a photographer, planned to visit during that time and take pictures, but was unable to do so. 

 

She visited with us recently and was able to make good her and our desire. Here are a few of the photos she took of Salle and me at Carmel by the Sea, CA during her stay. Since I am not on Facebook I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the 'old man' (80 in Oct.) and his young looking wife.

 

 

 

*The Saints Saucer

“My Cup Runneth Over”

I can remember, as a boy, seeing my Kentucky bred Grampaw drinking his coffee out of his saucer, while eating a breakfast of bacon and eggs, along with his biscuits and gravy. He was like the trucker I heard of, who when asked by the waitress if he wanted his cup filled, answered “Yep, and my saucer too!”

I notice today in homes and restaurants old fashioned saucers are not much in use, if at all. I can only surmise from this that people no longer desire full cups. This doesn’t trouble me, but Christians not craving the “fullness of God,” does. David drank from an overflowing cup; his saucer, if you please.

O, that each of us will seek God’s fulness until, like the wine skins, we are about to burst. Every spiritual need in the Christian’s life is found in the Spirit’s nine-fold fruit. When we unreservedly yield to Him, then our lives will yield His fruit.

“Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God.”

Richard. D. Sandlin

My Favorite O.T. Bible Story

“[There was] a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise [men are] heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom [is] better than weapons of war...”

I recently read something about Alexander the Great that illustrates this passage. “When Alexander the Great was about to destroy the city Lampsacus, his old master Anaximenes came out to meet him. Alexander, suspecting his design, that he would intercede for the city, being determined to destroy it, swore that he would not grant him anything he should ask. Then said Anaximenes, ‘I desire that you destroy this city.’ Alexander respected his oath, and the city was spared.”

To be sure, Alexander was a great man, but, as Job tells us, “Great men are not always wise.”

There are seven pearls, so to speak, in this shell of truth.

1. Wisdom can be found among obscure places and people. “Little city...few men.”

2. Wisdom is not limited to position. “A great king...a poor wise man.”

3. Wisdom is to be used for others, to help deliver them from dire circumstances. “By his wisdom delivered the city.”

4. “Wisdom is better than strength.” It’s not brawn but the brain of the wise that wins out.

5. Wisdom many times gives birth to jealousy in those who do not possess it. “The poor man’s wisdom is despised and not heard.”

6. Wisdom is heard best in quiet. “Heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.”

7. Wisdom is the best of all weapons. “Wisdom [is] better than weapons of war

True, such wisdom is soon forgotten by the ones who have been helped by it. But the wise man is wise enough to know, his “All wise God” hasn’t!”

Richard. D. Sandlin

The Big Picture

“For God so loved the world...”

We need to learn to emulate God when it comes to where to start in any and all situations. He starts with the big picture, and then works toward the more detailed. This is seen in such things as Creation, and the building of Noah’s ark.

The little quip, “The devil is in the details,” most certainly is not true in every case, but is in some. It is the latter of the two that needs guarded against. A bird’s-eye view will always help us see more clearly. Don't lose sight of the whole in people or problems.

Many times majoring on the detailed is what causes disagreement and division among us. For example, all Bible Believer’s believe in the second coming of Christ. The difficulty comes when the subject become exhaustive. This is also true of rightly dividing the Word; you can slice it so thin, there’s not enough left to feed on or to go around.

Let us all back off awhile; some of us “can’t see the forest for the trees.”

Richard. D. Sandlin

Sick Saints

“And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.”

Doctor Luke, “the beloved physician,” penned these words from the mouth of the Great Physician. Many times Jesus takes physical truths to illustrate spiritual ones. It is easy to miss the former because of the importance of the latter. Nevertheless, the physical has its place.

As hard as it may be for some of the “spiritually elite,” to accept this fact, Jesus did say if you are sick, go to a doctor. Yes, like the woman with the issue of blood found, there are quacks among the medical profession, like any other, but that doesn’t change what our Lord said. The Bible way in sickness seems to be first, seek the Lord; then, if no clear cut direction, use the means God has provided.

Beware of applying historical truths from the Gospels, primarily to the Jews, and rejecting Paul’s teachings for us Gentiles today. And even in the Epistles one needs to be cautious. For example, early in the apostle’s writings he expected of Lord’s immediate return; toward the end he taught His imminent return. So it was with healing. In his latter letters he left a friend sick at Miletum. Timothy was to take a little wine for his stomach and “oft infirmities.” And one companion was so sick he was nigh unto death.

Sickness is part of a fallen humanity, saved or lost. If one is healed, ultimately we wind up in the cemetery with the rest of mankind. Isaac had poor eye sight as he got older, Elisha died from a sickness, David complains of some kind of bone disease, and Paul was sick all his ministry.

Whether we are healed directly or indirectly (by the use of means), God is to get the glory. And because one is cured through the latter does not mean he or she is any less spiritual than those healed by the former.          

Richard. D. Sandlin

Permanent and Temporary Necessities

“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things”

It is fitting that the first Church council be held at Antioch. The disciples were first called Christian in this city, and the first New Testament missionaries were called from the church there. In this conference three men spoke, Peter, Paul, and James, each giving his own opinion to the solution to the problem that had arisen among two factions in the churches.  

You will remember in the beginning, the primitive church consisted mostly of all Jewish believers, but later on, the door was opened to the Gentiles, and a great host of them were flooding into the assembles. Naturally, difficulties occurred between the traditional Jews and non-religious Gentiles. The problem was wisely handled by presenting to both sides the “necessary things,” required.

Some of these necessary things (fornication) were for all time, while others were only for that time (strangled things, etc.). We need to be careful not to make a present necessity a perpetual rule. Time, geography, and culture, on occasions, dictate that we abstain or do something out of necessity for the glory of God and the help of others. But this is transitory; it is never meant to be an enduring standard. Paul wished all men were like him (single), because of the “present distress.” But, that passed and is not a rule for men today (other than an exception).

Richard. D. Sandlin

The Truth about Our Kin

“To Titus, [mine] own son after the common faith...” “Titus...[is] a Greek”...“One of themselves (Greeks), [even] a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians (Greeks) [are] alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies...” “This witness is true.”

I read that when you're referring to the Greek people, you would say "Greeks," but if you're referring to Greek culture and art, you could optionally say, "Grecian." One way or the other, Greeks are Grecians, and visa-versa.  

Titus had that rare spirit wherein he could hear derogatory truths about his own kindred without taking offence. He was not a John Mark who ran home to Mama when he felt his uncle Barnabas got a raw deal.

Paul was straightforward in calling Titus’ people, “liars, evil, and slow bellies,” (referring no doubt to gluttony and sloth). Until one first faces and admits to themselves disparaging truths about loved ones, they will always be in a defensive mode. This does not help them, their loved ones, or their relationship to those who know the truth about their kin.

“The tie that binds,” must be broken when it conflicts with truth! If not, then you will spend your life justifying loved ones who are wrong, and by your actions, tell others such a life is acceptable in your eyes.

I find behind all family prejudice is pride. Which thing God hates.

     Richard. D. Sandlin

Always-"My God"

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

This is one of the many texts in the Bible that has both an immediate and far off meaning. The Old Testament is filled with scriptures that have present and prophetic truths connected with them. In this article I will not discuss the doctrinal aspect of our text, but rather its practical application.

Whether David or Jesus on the Cross (as representative man), we are all capable of the same intense cry. If one has not yet gone through his or her Calvary experience, the feeling of complete abandonment, you will, if you follow on to know the Lord. If Hebrews 13:5 be an argument against what I say, I remind you that Jesus, prior to His desolate cry told His disciples, “I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” We may feel forsaken, but we’re not forgotten.

The Lord brought to my attention recently that in spite of a sense of being forsaken, they, Darling David and His Beloved Son, still owned Him as, “My God.” In fact, over and again they repeated it, “My God, my God.”

When dire circumstances strongly argue for spiritual desertion, we must still call Him, “My God.” We must trust Him, no matter the situation. We must hold to the horns of the altar, so to speak, and as Job of old cry out in our agony, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”

D.L. Moody said, “Wait for His promise. He always returns by way of His promise.”

Richard. D. Sandlin

When Prayer Becomes Distasteful

I realize the title of this article will be objectionable to the “Spiritually Elite.” Those who make a “pretense” in prayer, whose long prayers come from “feigned” lips. Who desire to be seen always on top of the spiritual heap, so to speak. But the common Christian knows better. We ordinary folks recognize prayer is not always a bed of roses; at times, because of the thorns in our way, it can be very difficult. Listen to Job when things got grim, “If I had called, and he had answered me; [yet] would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.”

Nevertheless, during those tough times we need to heed the words of the gospel song, “When you don’t feel like praying, pray.” When we do not want to pray we need to pray all the more. Spurgeon said, “When you can pray, and long to pray, why then you will pray; but when you cannot pray, and do not wish to pray, why then you must pray, or evil will come of it.” He goes on to say, “He is on the brink of ruin who forgets the mercy-seat.”

Prayer is the breath of the child of God’s spiritual life. When it ceases, we die, and are left only with an outward dry and crusty shell, the inside empty of any life. You can be assured, lifeless Christians are prayerless Christians! A great misnomer is, “Prayer Changes Things.” This little cliché is not always true, but it is a fact that prayer changes us. How many times has one entered their prayer closet a dead man or woman and came out a living, vibrant, fire-brand?

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken ...and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost... And ... great power... and great grace was upon them all.”

Richard D. Sandlin

How "The Man Christ Jesus" Lived the Christian Life

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost...was led by the Spirit...And Jesus...[said]...man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

Since Jesus Christ was the founder of Christianity, it behooves all Christians to follow the original pattern laid down by Him in living for God on this earth. Following man-made methods can sometimes be disastrous. It caused Bible teacher, Harry A. Ironside to have a nervous breakdown, and J.I. Packer came close to one, according to his testimony. They both found, to their chagrin, the men who espoused such teachings did not come up to them their own selves.    

I discovered years ago in studying and adhering to the “Deeper Life” teachings that it led to a constant scraping of my spiritual insides. I dissected each and every thing in my life; it all went under a microscope.  There was never a moment of inner peace, only turmoil. I oft questioned my spiritual sanity. I thought of David’s words on many occasions, that these things were, “Too high for me...I cannot [attain] unto [them].”

Jesus’ life was a simple one when it came to living for God. He yielded Himself to the indwelling Spirit and soaked His life with the scriptures. He was saturated with both! He lived by a set of principles laid down in the Word by the Holy Spirit. As a result, He was able to obey His God on a moment by moment basis. There was no frustration as to what was on down the road in the distant future; only “now” and “next” concerned Him.

“Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet (now), and a light unto my path (next).”      

The Character of God

“Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person...”

Our English word character finds its roots in the Latin, Greek, and French. Taking them jointly, we come up with the meaning: to engrave, imprint, stamp, mark, or inscribe. The artists and craftsmen of Greece used this word to describe the etching on the face of a seal and the engraving of a face on a stamp.

As Caesar’s exact image was inscribed in a coin, so also is the image of God engraved in the face of Jesus Christ. That is, the character of God is seen only in Christ Jesus. As one author wrote, “The Father’s whole “character” is fully and for ever stamped and sealed upon His Son.”  

Therefore, the spiritual and moral character of God, and that of us, His children, should be our chief interest. His character, and then our own, these two things ought to most concern you and me in the whole world.

Death will one day strip us bare of all that we now pursue and possess. Only one thing shall endure for ever, the image and likeness of our characters to that of Christ. And like Him, we also shall carry to the same place the same things that He carried. And by the way, they’re the only things we possess here that are worth carrying there!

Richard. D. Sandlin

Band-Aid Solutions

"And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple."

There is a great lesson to be learned from this lame man. How many of us, like him, labor under the wrong assumption? We spend most, if not all, of our lives thinking the lesser is the answer to the greater. This pitiful paralytic thought he needed certain things, but, in reality, what he needed was just one thing— to get on his feet.

There is an imaginary need and a real need in all of our lives. The former, at best, is only temporary. The latter is permanent. Isn't it interesting, when we finally get what we feel will fix our condition, shortly after, we're again looking for new solutions. When will we ever learn, the answer is in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

When you're totally dependent on Christ, you'll find the independence you long for.

Locking Both Doors

In one of my old revival sermons, I have an illustration of a Royal Stag. This magnificent creature would drink each evening from a pond in a meadow. Because he was blind in one eye, he always drank with his good eye toward the meadow. After observing the animal for some time, a wise hunter circled around and came at him in a canoe from the pond side. It took only one shot to fell him. He was what they call, blindsided. 

I fear far too many of us lock the front door, while leaving the backdoor opened for the enemy to enter. Samson could boast he kept that part of his Nazarite vow by not getting drunk, while committing whoredoms surpassed by few in the scriptures. Satan always comes at a time and in a way he is least expected. He knows our temperament and shoots his fiery darts at our most vulnerable area. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

“And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.”

Richard. D. Sandlin

 

The Cost of Putting Christ First

If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Three conditions must be realized and met before one can truly say Christ is preeminent in their life. The first requirement is a parental one; the second, personal; and the third, relates to the material. Before deciding that Jesus is going to have first place in your life, these three musts, must be considered. In the middle of our context, Christ tells His followers, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?

In that outstanding cop movie, The Untouchables, there is a great statement. Kevin Costner plays Elliott Ness, who is attempting to get Al Capone, but with no results. Sean Connery’s character is an old-fashioned Irish beat cop, Jim Malone. Ness asks Malone how he can get Capone. The old Irish cop answers his question with a question, “What are you prepared to do?”

This is the question each child of God must ask themselves from time to time when confronted with going deeper with Christ. You must consider what it will cost you, and if you’re willing to pay that price. To go all out for Christ one must offer up to Him their very life. Not in theory, but in reality! This is not a game.

Since I am an avid movie buff, allow me one last illustration. In the film, The Wind and the Lion, Sean Connery plays the part of a rugged desert chieftain with great principles. In one scene, he asks his compatriot “Is there not one thing in your life that is worth losing everything for?”

In closing this article let me ask you, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, “Is there not one thing in your life that is worth losing everything for?”

Richard. D. Sandlin

 

 

Life Goes On

"...the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before." Life goes on. God never intended us to live in the miracle but in the minute. We are to be doing in the present moment not doting in past miracles.

Special and spectacular events are just that— events. They are but short parentheses in our lives. We should remember them but not attempt to relive them. They are part of the past, but the Christian life is to be lived in the now. No matter how great mountaintop experiences are, there is a normal life to be lived at its foot.

Normal Christianity is living a normal life in the Spirit.

The Limitations of God

“With God all things are possible”

Upon reading my title for this article I can already hear someone cry out, “Blasphemy!” They would argue the very scripture I use proves their charge. But since we’re told the Holy Ghost teaches by comparison, let us do just that. The writer of Hebrews tells us it is “impossible for God to lie.”

Isn’t it wonderful our God is limited in this area? That there is something in the life of God even He cannot do. Magnificent I say, because it is impossible for God to break His Word! Moses puts it this way, “God [is] not a man, that he should lie...hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

But David tells us of a second limitation of God. His hands are tied by our lack of faith. Speaking of God’s people, he writes, “They...limited the Holy One of Israel.”  It seems unbelief binds God that He cannot work on His peoples’ behalf, as He would. We are told when Jesus came to His hometown, “He could there do no mighty work...because of their unbelief.”

Therefore, a limited faith can limit a limitless God! “Lord, increase our faith.”

Richard. D. Sandlin

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

The axiom I entitled this article has been in use since at least the mid-16th century. Its meaning is clear; those of similar taste congregate in groups. In our universe, we have what is called, “The law of gravitation.” But there is also another similar to it, “The law of moral gravitation.”

In the book of Acts we’re told the early Christians, as soon as they were released from prison, “...went to their own company.” The first opportunity they had to choose—they chose to go to their own kind. The real test of who and what we are is seen when we are free to choose. To whom and to what are we drawn? Rules and laws can’t change human nature.

All of us have a moral attraction. That is, we’re attracted to our own kind. We are comfortable with them. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells when, as a young medical doctor, he attended a stage-play with a worldly couple. Afterward, as they left the theater, he noticed a Salvation Army band playing hymns on the street corner. At that moment, he said to himself, “These are the people I belong to.”

I seriously question anyone who says they’re going to heaven that is not drawn to a spiritual atmosphere on earth.

Richard D. Sandlin

 

*Childhood Agonies

“How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.” “And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him.” Some of us also have experienced satanic attacks in particular areas of our lives from our youth up. We are made to believe, because of the longevity of its nature, we need not hope for deliverance. But time, distance, and condition are no problem to the timeless, eternal Miracle Worker.

Today’s psychological jargon, under the disguise of being spiritual, tells us we cannot expect change, but, rather, we are to accept these things. But whenever we determine a thing originates with Satan, and that he is the source, we are never to accept it as the norm. Those of us who have experienced child abuse, rejection, and a score of other childhood tortures, can still be freed from the agonizing memories of those dark ordeals, if we will simply come to Jesus and allow Him to deal with the devil. “But,” you say, “I do not have enough faith.” In such cases, just say, “I believe, help thou mine unbelief.” It worked two-thousand years ago and I guarantee it still does. For, you see, it worked for me.

You cannot carry the unpleasant memories of childhood into adulthood and expect to be mature.

Richard D. Sandlin

Rise up O Men and Women of God

If the devil can keep a saint of God cowering in a corner, then he or she will never break out of their prison; a prison of despair, if you please. This jail without bars will keep them bound indefinitely. Fear will so paralyze the prisoner that they will never venture beyond their 6 by 6 cell. It will be a life sentence of confinement.

The scriptures tell us when Peter lay in prison, chained between two guards, God sent His angel to deliver him. When Simon awoke to the fact and arose to follow his emancipator, it says, “and his chains fell off.” Not while Peter was passively lying there was he freed, but after he actively arose in obedient faith.

I read that in India they bind their young elephants to a stake with a straw chain. As the animal grows older and larger, it does not attempt to pull away, believing it cannot. O, beloved child of God, why not give that chain that has held you for so long a good yank by faith, remembering, Jesus came to set captives free.

 Arise, my soul, arise,
shake off your guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice,
in my behalf appears.

Richard D. Sandlin