THE PREREQUISITE TO THANKFULNESS

“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content...And having food and raiment let us be therewith content...be content with such things as ye have...Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

( Phil. 4:11;1 Tim. 6:8; Heb. 13:5;Eph. 5:20)

I personally do not believe it possible to be thankful and discontented at the same time. Contentment is a prerequisite to thankfulness! If contentment does not come before thankfulness, you can be sure thankfulness will not follow after. Complaining is a sure sign of the absence of contentment; thus, it cancels out a thankful spirit.

Discontent will keep one from being thankful for what they do have. As the Puritan Thomas Watson said, “A drop or two of vinegar will sour a whole glass of sweet wine.” He went on to say, “The devil blows on the coals of discontent, and then warms himself at the fire.” Jacob said, “All these things are against me”; but just the opposite was true, as in our case.

“The ‘Thank Offering’ of the Old Testament was not mandatory, it was voluntary.”

(rds)

THE WORTH OF YOUR WORD

Years ago, a crooked contractor took the church I was pastor of for some twelve-thousand dollars. When I showed an attorney the contract and the man’s signed name to it, his reply was: “Preacher, that name is of no more value than the paper it’s written on.”

There was a day when a man was as good as his word. But I’m afraid those times are far in the past. But I guess that is to be expected. When an individual can break God’s Commandments without any conscience of wrong doing, he or she will break their word to another human, without blinking of an eye.

A Christian should keep his or her word to God, as well as to other believers. Paul’s principle for Believer’s was, if you promise it, perform it. The wise man tells us God does not take lightly those who break their word to him. And your brother or sister in Christ has little use for one who does not follow through with their pledge.

Let’s get back to being honorable men and women. If we promise something, let us perform the doing of it.

GOOD ADVICE

But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him...Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice...blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou.

(1 Kgs. 12:8;Prov. 20:18;1 Sam. 25:33)

THOUGHT

If you want to know what is down the road ask one who has traveled it.

LIVING WHAT WE PREACH

“And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall.”

(Acts 23:2-3)

“And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other.”

(Acts 15:39)

The old term, “Living what you preach” is good in theory but doesn’t always work in practice, no matter how badly we may want it to. In the first text, mentioned above, Paul didn’t turn the other cheek, Matt. 5:39. And as to the second, there was no second-mile religion involved in either man’s case, Matt. 5:41. The truth is, in both cases cited, the incidences were contrary to what Paul preached to others.

I like what Oswald Sanders penned in his book, Paul the Leader. “In Christ we find inspiration from a real man who never failed, while in Paul we gain encouragement from a man who fell and rose again. A perfect man reveals what the ideal is: a man defeated and finally victorious discloses what, by the grace of God, we may become. We need Jesus on one side of us and Paul on the other if we are to walk in triumph.”

And what is the lesson we can all learn from this? Simple: we need to give one another elbow room. Paul asks the believers at Rome, “Preachest a man should not ... dost thou?” Then he went on to say that they do the same things. Not necessarily the same in kind, but the same by analogy. We who like to call attention to the smug on our brother and sister’s face need to look in the mirror: it can be embarrassing!

A WILDERNESS WONDER

I don't think any would argue John the Baptist was a unique character. But is it not so with all whom God uses; are they not all unusual in some respect? Is there not a strong spirit of individualism among each of them? The only mark of being "same alikes" (my daughter Charity's term when a child), was and is in their Christ-likeness in spirit. 

Consider these five things about individualism.

1. The world and religion attempts to pressure each of us into a mold of uniformity to their standards. It has been this way from the caveman to contemporary man. As Emerson said, "Conformity is the virtue most in demand in society." Every effort is made to intimidate individuality; repression of expression, as one has so quaintly put it.  

2. If you cherish your God given distinctiveness, then as Oswald Chambers says, "Allow God to be as original with others as He is with you." Think, if everyone was like you, then you'd lose your own identifying traits. You'd be just a carbon-copy Christian.

3. When Paul admonishes, "Follow me," he refers to principle. Speaking of Titus, he says, "walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps? Elisha had the same spirit as Elijah, but physically and temperamentally, they were worlds apart.

4. Christianity is unquestionably a religion of individualism. For example, we do not all pray alike. Some kneel, others sit, still others lie prostrate. Then there are those who stand, while many walk to and fro. We do not all kneel on a prayer rug praying toward Mecca five times a day.

5. Last and most importantly, meditate on Christ and His disciples. As strong a personality and as influential as our Lord was, He made sure each of His followers remained his or her own man or woman. They didn't become someone else, but for the first time in their lives, became who they really were, both in their own eyes as well as in their Maker's. 

George H. Morrison said, "There are hands which can wield no sword, but which can carry a cup of water beautifully. There is something thou canst do in thine own way. Do that, and do it with all thine heart, and perchance thou shalt do more than thou hast dreamed." 

IS THERE ANY WORD FROM THE LORD?

Wanted to share a quick blessing with you, my readers. Just finished my devotional reading of Ezekiel. Found the answer to the political and moral dilemma concerning alien children born here of non-citizen parents; are they automatically a citizen? 

Ezk. 47:22, "And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel."

LAUGHTER IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

(Psa. 126:2-3)

THOUGHT

He who laughs lasts.

HITTING A BRICK WALL

Walled, and very great

(Num. 13:28)

THOUGHT

If you can’t walk through your wall, God may have you come at it another way. Ezekiel digged through his wall, with his hands (Ezk. 12:7); David leaped over his, by God’s help (Psa. 18:29); and Israel walked around theirs (Josh. 6).

PEOPLE LIKE US

“I see men as trees, walking. After that He [Jesus] put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.”

(Mk. 8:24-25)

If the story of the blind man’s healing found in the above text teaches us anything practical it most certainly teaches Jesus would have us see men as they actually are, not with a distorted magnification. It is essential we see the saints in scriptures as people like us. If we do not, the consequence will be an impotent Christian life. Their spiritual achievements will be unattainable to our way of thinking: their prayers, endurance, deeds, etc.

Search the scriptures: you will never find saints allowing others to think more highly of them than reality warranted. Paul and Barnabas said to those who would make gods of them, “We also are men of like passions with you” (Acts 14:15). James echoes the same when speaking of the feats of Elijah, “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are” (Ja. 5:17). It’s possible to learn more from a life than a doctrine. Their lives were doctrine in shoe leather.

True, some characters of the Bible were men and women of stature, but they would have frowned upon anyone making a statue of them. Even those who excelled over their brethren had holes in their armor; and they would be the first to admit to this fact! Their recorded, condensed lives should be an encouragement to each of us. As the Greek saying went, “An ocean of meaning in a drop of speech.” The short account of their lives can take us a long way.

“No man is without a divinely-appointed task, and a divinely-bestowed strength adequate for its fulfillment.”

(Ruskin)

STOP YOUR COMPLAINING

Wherefore doth a living man complain...And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled... I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed...Rid me, and deliver me from...complaining.

(Lam. 3:9;Num. 11:1;Psa. 77:3;144:11,14)

THOUGHT

A man with one leg said he thought himself bad off-until he saw a man with no legs.

ONE OF LIFE'S GREAT SECRETS

 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again...Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand...Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise.

(Prov. 24:16;Psa. 37:24;Mic. 7:8)

THOUGHT

The disgrace is not so much in the fall, but in failing to get up again, when Jesus is offering you His hand.

POWER TO BECOME

“...to them gave He power to become...”

(Jn. 1:12)

I have been spending some time now in the book of John in my devotions. I’ve been impressed with three words in the above text, “....power to become.” The writer John could certainly attest to this fact. Jesus took a hothead (Mk. 3:17) and a hardhearted young man (Lk. 9:54-55), and made him into a sweet and loving old man (1 Jn. 4:7). In later years he was not what he was in earlier years. He could say, “What I was is not who I am.” Can we honestly say this of ourselves?

This is not only true of John, but also of other of the Lord’s followers. To Simon he said, “Thou art...thou shalt be,” (Jn. 1:42). The Jewish evangelist, Hyman Appleman once told his wife he wanted a little girl, three years old, like one child whom he was taken up with in one of his meetings. Her reply was, “Hyman, children don’t come that way.” As another has said, “We are what we’ve  been becoming.” A good illustration is the caterpillar becoming a beautiful butterfly.

“Dead things don’t grow, only living things.”

(rds)

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMB

“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.”

(Acts 8:32)

“And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.”

(Matt.27:14)

If ever a person lived that had a right to speak in such a situation as He was, it was Jesus. Lies, lies, and more lies against the only TRUE ONE that ever graced this earth. The wisest Man of time and eternity, who had the wise man of Ecclesiastes pen, “… a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” followed His own teaching. He knew He would ultimately have the last word (Psa. 2:5). God has a way of vindicating His “Silent Lambs” in His time.

The “Lord of our lips” (Psa. 12:4) will teach us when and when not to speak, if allowed to. There is such a thing as getting the last word by silence. One of my wife’s favorite scriptures was the last line in Titus 2:9, “Not answering again, which she was an expert in doing. She, as David of old, had asked her Lord to, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips," (Psa. 141:3). I think it wise for us to follow such a Godly example.

“If you can’t take words back, then don’t give them away.”
(rds)

STAYING CLOSE TO GOD'S MERCY SEAT

He [the High Priest] shall take of the blood of the [sacrifice] and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat...And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat...Moses... heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat...Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh...Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

(Lv. 16:14;Ex. 25:17,22;Num. 7:89;Heb. 10:19-20;4:6)

THOUGHT

“Take notice of not only the mercies of God, but of God in the mercies. Mercies are never so savoury as when they savour of our Saviour."

(Ralph Venning, Puritan)  

IT'S RELEVANT

“And if a kingdom (Nation) be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”

(Mk. 3:24)

I, like A.W. Tozer, have a distaste for some of the popular sayings used in our modern-day vernacular. Just to cite one case, speaking of a person or thing, is the word awesome. Personally I reserve this word only for God! David stood in awe of God and His Word.

In this article, I want to discuss another of these worn out words, I refer to the word irrelevant. Meaning: something that is not connected or unrelated with something. The Bible, especially the teachings of Christ, are presently believed to be so with many.

The words of Jesus Christ are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago, when first spoken. He tells us the philosophy of the enemy of Eden is, “Divide and conquer.” Whether it be a divided house, or nation, such says He, “...cannot stand.”

A casual observer is conscious that our beloved nation is in such a quandary at this time in history; and if continued in, is set for a fall. But good news—the One Who brought divided Israel back together again, as one nation, can do it again! (Ezk. 37:16-19,22)

“One of the first acts of God in creation was making two become one.”

(rds)

RESTING IN THE LORD

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him...ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls...And it shall come to pass ...that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve...Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls....Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee...For we which have believed do enter into rest. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his...the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest

(Psa. 37:7;Jer. 6:16;Isa. 14:3;Matt. 11:28-29;Psa. 116:7;Heb. 4:3-10;Isa. 63:14)

THOUGHT

“We enter into His rest not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.”

(Hudson Taylor)

Jacob's Well v. Jesus' Well

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water... The woman saith unto him...Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

(Jn. 4:10-14)

Thirsty at the well? Mark it down, you will always be thirsty at the world's well; it only gives temporary satisfaction. Only Jesus’ eternal artesian well can give everlasting gratification. Jacob’s well may help you physically for a brief time, but only at Jesus’ well will you find permanent spiritual fulfillment.

Show me what a man or woman constantly thirsts for and I’ll tell you, with almost certainty, in which direction they’re eternally headed. The man after God’s own heart said, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God...my soul thirsteth after thee.” Time doesn’t change this!

My pail I’m often dropping

Deep down into this well,

It never touched the bottom,

However deep it fell;

And though I keep on dipping

By study, faith and prayer,

I have no power to measure

The living water there.”

WHAT PAUL SAID ABOUT JESUS' TEACHING

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing…”

(1Tim. 6:3-4)

There are those who tell us we are to go strictly by Paul’s writings to the exclusion of Jesus’ teachings. Paul would not agree! To do this is to build a structure without a foundation. The Gospels are foundational and the apostles’ Epistles the framework. Paul originate nothing but unfolds everything. We need both, like a bird does her two wings.

I have found more than a few of these misguided folk generally tend to carry themselves like they are a notch above us commoners. They like to come off as spiritual intellects. But Paul says of such “they are proud,” that is, puffed up; or as my kin in Kentucky would say, “They’re full of hot air.” They know nothing, but think they know everything.

The doctrine of Christ produces piety, godliness if you please. Today's carnal Christians seem to be interested in biblical statistics more than our blessed Savior; diddies more than Deity; and being happy more than holy. Paul admonishes the saints of his day to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” I’d strongly advise my readers to do the same.

Someone has said, “Jesus’ words were the words of a gentleman.” NO! Jesus’s words are the Word of God!

(rds)

Waiting to Hit Bottom

The world’s little clichés and philosophies often sound good at first, and even reasonable, until they’re scrutinized by the scriptures. One such erroneous saying, held by many, is that there is some kind of charm about hitting bottom. That one automatically starts up again after this sudden, jarring stop in their lives. You know, "Once you've hit bottom the only place to go is up."

Two things come to mind when I hear such a statement. First, numerous souls die before hitting bottom. David says some men do not “live out half their days.” And secondly, many at the bottom do not ascend, but rather descend further down. As Amos tells us, they “dig deeper into hell.” During the Second World War, the enemy made our boys dig their own graves, but the people I refer to are not coerced to do so.

Scores of parents, loved ones, and friends feel responsible for these self-appointed “destructees.” Don’t be; they are natural born grave-diggers. With all our short-comings, most of us did our best in raising children and being a friend! Pray tell me, what more could you have done than you have done? Or as God says to His wayward people, “What could have been done more…that I have not done...?”

We are what we have been becoming!

BAREFOOT AT THE BUSH

“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

(Ex. 3:5)

Some Experiences You Never forget

Eighty years after these happenings in Exodus chapter three, while blessing the twelve tribes before his death, Moses mentions his experience at the bush, Deut. 33:16. It was possibly the highlight of his life.

A Burning Bush For A Burnt Out Man

Forty years prior to this unforgettable event Moses had burnt himself out, so to speak. He took things in his own hands and, as always with those of us who do, made a mess of everything. Now, for those past many years his life was nothing but ashes: an ash heap. But he was to soon find out that God was going “to give unto [him] beauty for ashes.” What an exchange!

Soiled Shoes Or Sanctified Feet

If he was going to approach God the first thing he must do is discard that which was man-made and soiled by the world. He must come naturally, not in another's garb, as David found out in wearing Saul’s armour. He too had to “put off,”  before being used of God. A natural man can only become a spiritual man when he is willing to confess to his naturalness.

Why So Few Bush Experiences Today In The Life of God’s Elect

God doesn’t speak to those who admire Him from a distance. He speaks to those who turn aside, having a holy curiosity. To those who draw near to God He promises, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you,” Ja. 4:8. Once we do this He, like in Moses’ case, will call us by name.

Come To God As You Are At This Very Moment

Moses didn’t approach God  with his royal upbringing in Pharaoh’s house, his Egyptian scholarship, nor his manliness, or any other attributes. But he came as a colossal failure in life. He came just as he was, as the song says.

“At the end of self you’ll find God!”

(rds)

A Day I'll Not Forget

Beloved,

I want to take this time to praise and bless my precious Lord for the mercy He has shown to me. Five years ago, on this date, I had my heart attack. It was three days after my 80th birthday. The result was open-heart surgery with five bypasses. It was rough going all the way, with a few discouraging setbacks involved. But it was one of those "needs be" the scriptures speak of.

I want to personally tell each of you who prayed for me during this great trial in my life how very much I appreciate you. And of course that girl who was, and is, the love of my life, Salle Jo. She was by my side caring for me every step of the way. It absolutely took all her strength, which she never fully recovered. As most of you know it was only, I think, about three years or so after that that doctors found she had pancreatic cancer. The doctor told her the traumatic pressure of looking after me no doubt hurried her condition prematurely. "Greater love hath no man," says The Man Christ Jesus!

I don't know about tomorrow but I know He'll be there, for all my tomorrows. Bless His Name.

Brethren, Pray For Me,

An Old Disciple

THE SAINTS PARADOXICAL LIFE

1. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

   (2 Pet. 3:18)

   “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

   (Jn. 3:30)

   
   

   One of the definitions of the word “paradox” is: a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. The Bible is a paradoxical book; therefore, those who follow its precepts will seem to be the same. A good example of this is Paul in 2 Cor. 6:8-10. Peter speaks of those who wrest Paul’s writings, 2 Pet. 3:15-16. The natural and carnal man still do. They call it contradictory.

   
   

   From our two main scripture references we see this paradoxical truth played out. Generally, growth carries the thought of getting larger, but growth in the saint’s life means just the opposite. He or she grows smaller if they are growing in the Lord.  A Bible illustration of what I’m attempting to get across is found in the Psalms 58:8. There David speaks of how “A snail...melteth.” As it goes forward, it gets smaller.

   • • 1. Oh, the bitter pain and sorrow
          That a time could ever be,
          When I proudly said to Jesus,
          “All of self, and none of Thee.”
       2. Yet He found me; I beheld Him
          Bleeding on th’ accursed tree,
          And my wistful heart said faintly,
          “Some of self, and some of Thee.”
       3. Day by day His tender mercy,
          Healing, helping, full and free,
          Brought me lower while I whispered,
          “Less of self, and more of Thee.”
       4. Higher than the highest heaven,
          Deeper than the deepest sea,
          Lord, Thy love at last has conquered:
          “None of self, and all of Thee.”