Great News

Dear Readers,

My little book, "Spilt Milk" is now on Kindle. The link is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N3WF62N. The cost is $3.00. It was my first book and is on encouragement; it is for those among us who paint ourselves into a corner, from time to time. As my wife used to say, "No one can get themselves into a mess like people can." It is a book you will want to refer to on many of life's difficult occasions as well as using its contents to help struggling friends.

Very soon my second book, "Breakfast With the King,” will follow in the same format. It is 365  brief devotional thoughts for the entire year. My wife Salle's two books will also be available as e-books soon. I'll keep you informed on these three.

I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to my oldest son, Andrew, an old-fashioned godly preacher, writer, and scholar. He is responsible for all of this coming about. He is very busy, yet takes time to help his father. He is founder and president of Center for Cultural Leadership(C.C.L.). His ministry is dedicated to the attempt of turning our culture around— that is, by getting God's elect to acknowledge and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and then entering every legitimate walk of life influencing it to submit to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! His blog site is 

https://docsandlin.com

 if you are interested. 

An Old Disciple,

Brother Sandlin

OUTSIDE IN

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

(Rev. 3:20)

We all have heard or used the term “Inside out” at one time or the other. But from our text we might coin a new idiom: “Outside In.” The context of the above scripture is about Jesus standing outside a church of lukewarm saints seeking entrance. It has also been applied practically, and rightly I think, to His standing at one’s heart's door, desiring entry.

One thing we can all agree on in principle about our story is that our blessed Lord longs and waits to be invited into tepid lives. He is the only One who can ignite our hearts that it might once again burn within us. Ask the two disciples who traveled the Emmaus road. All other means we may use to accomplish this are only imitation fireplaces: “Strange Fire.”

Did you ever notice in the classic picture of Christ standing at the door, there is no door latch (knob). He cannot enter unless the door is opened from within! Jesus wants us to respond in allowing Him to enter into our lives. We have power to open to Him, says He; if not, we’d not be responsible! He would have no joy in breaking down the door. OH, DON'T DENY HIM ENTRANCE!

“[I]t is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.”

(Sng. 5:2)

THE AFTERWARDS OF PRAYER

“Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.”

(Mk. 4:15)

Our text is from Jesus’ classic story of the “Seed and the Sower." It is found in three of the Gospels. Matthew and Luke’s account says, “Then cometh the wicked one”; “Then cometh the devil.” That is, after the Word is sown “then” (“immediately"), Satan removes the divine seed from their hearts, after it was received. There is an afterward in Satan’s ministry, and there should be in ours. His is to prevent, ours is to pray!

Many years ago after delivering God’s truth to an assembly, it came to my mind concerning the Word that I prayed before the fact, during the fact, but little or not at all after the fact, that is, concerning the seed sown. It was then I began praying for that which I had previously sown. I now pray regularly for any and all I have ministered the Word to, these sixty-plus years —whether it be preaching, witnessing, counseling, writings, etc.

One of the rewards of this type of praying is the testimonies that come one's way from time to time. For example, I had a saint tell me some time back, “I heard you preach over fifty-years ago; to this day I remember the message. I got right with the Lord and have endeavored to live for Him since.” I am sure those who add the above truth to their prayers will find in Heaven many awaiting them to give thanks, not only for ministering the seed to them, but watering it regularly through the years with their prayers.

TO EACH HIS OWN

“For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work.”

(Mk. 13:34)

The title of this article doesn’t refer to the popular cliche, but rather to the Holy Scripture cited; paraphrased we’d say, “To each his own work.” Not only is it important to be content with who you are, where you are, but also what you’re doing. Have we forgotten, “All ground is holy ground, when God is in it?” There are a good number of God’s servants dissatisfied with the vocation their Lord has called them to. Displeasure with what He has called one to do is questioning God’s wisdom.

I have found that if some had their way, they’d like to exchange their work for another’s, a work they covet. I like a statement I read recently by John Newton: “If two angels came down from heaven to execute a divine command, and one was appointed to conduct an empire, and the other to sweep a street in it, they would feel no inclination to exchange employments.” He went on to say, “If God called you to be a shoe-cleaner, you should be the best in the parish.”

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord.”

(Col. 3:23)

NOT LATER-NOW!

“And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go... assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us....”

(Acts 16:10)

Paul is only one case of a great host of men and women, along with many youth, that immediately put shoe leather to God’s commands. Once this stalwart saint was confident something was God’s will, he was on the move. The old warrior practiced what he preached; he walked in the steps of his spiritual father Abraham who, “By faith...when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Heb. 11:8). “Seeing is believing” is not true. Blind faith is always rewarded by clear sight.

My two great failings in my walk with God these many years have been: either I get ahead of Him; or else, I lag behind. When we’re confident something is His desire, we need to respond immediately, not procrastinate. Generally speaking, I find if one waits, he won’t respond! But beware of impulsive feelings that are the enemy of immediate obedience. The former has no sure support, the latter a firm foundation. Searching the scriptures, providential events, good council, thinking and praying it through, will bring a peace of mind and heart.  

The Lord usually tests our prompt obedience in small matters. If we have proven ourselves to be faithful in these, then we move up the latter, so to speak. The subject we are discussing is of no small matter. Adam and Eve didn’t take it seriously. They, like many of God’s elect today, didn’t put a high priority on obedience. The Holy Writ tells us explicitly, “TO OBEY IS BETTER!” As the saying goes, “It doesn’t get better than this.” Obedience is even better than sacrifice. You can do the latter without the former, but if you perform the former, the latter follows.

“Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.”

(Jer. 7:23)

UNDERDOGS CAN BE OVERCOMERS

“Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.”

(Gen.49:19)

Gad was a warlike tribe, 1 Chron. 12:8; Moses likens them to lions, Deut. 33:20; they were reckoned among the valiant men in scripture, 1 Chron. 5:18. But because of their geographical location on the east side of Jordan, they were the first to be subjected to the enemy’s assaults, which almost always came from that direction. You might say, “They were in the front lines.”

Jacob warns them of many skirmishes that they would face but not to be discouraged, for at the last they would be victorious. They would ultimately spoil their spoilers! No conquest of the elect, says he, would be final in the life of God’s people. It may seem futile at times and not worth the fight, but losing a battle doesn’t mean the war is lost; it's only a setback.

The Bible is filled with underdogs who became overcomers. Examples include: Job, Joseph, Peter, the two witnesses in Revelation, and especially our own dear Lord. Because Christ overcame (Jn. 16:33), He bequeathed to His followers the same spirit, (1Jn. 5:5). Thus we can say with Micah, “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise.” (7:8)

“It can truly be said of every sold-out servant of God, ‘You can’t keep a good man down.’”

(rds)

OVERWEANED

“And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her...and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.”

(1 Sam. 1:24)

The word “overweaned”struck me as I was recently reading Oswald Chambers devotional, “My Utmost for His Highest.” Immediately my mind went to the story of Hannah weaning Samuel. Years ago I heard a female Bible teacher friend, Beka Horton, say in jest,  “Samuel was the longest weaned child in the Bible.” (He was most likely around five years old).

I think the above statement could be made of many of God’s children, without joke. Isaiah puts it better than I could, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.” (Isa. 28:9) As one pastor put it, “I have to dumb down most of what I teach my people.”

Paul shamed the Hebrew Christians who were still on milk and not the meat of the Word, (Heb. 5:12-14). The apostle did the same with the childish Corinthian saints, (1 Cor. 3:1-2). Pablum (a brand of soft, bland cereal for infants) is fine for babes in Christ, but mature Christians want and need a good steak. You can tell a lot about a person by his or her appetite.

SAVED, SANCTIFIED, AND SATISFIED

“My soul shall be satisfied...and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.”

(Psa. 63:5)

The above cliche is used frequently among some saints, especially those of the camp-meeting movement. I have no doubt as to the first two words being credible in most of their lives, but I question the factuality of the third. It is apparent to a Spirit-filled believer, after only a brief conversation with such folks, that a satisfied soul is noticeably absent.

During the recent holidays I had, for a brief time, an old-fashioned pity party. Alone and on my knees in prayer I found myself saying, “Lord, you’re all I have.” Then, as the tears fell freely, I seemed to hear “a still small voice” saying, “I know, but am I all you want?” As the poem says, “Am I not enough mine own, enough mine own for thee?”

Paul wrote those discontented, ever-seeking Corinthian believers, Christ Jesus...is made unto us_______________”  I think it both scriptural and appropriate for us to fill in the blank. For all the legitimate needs in life that arise,  He can fill them!

F.B. Meyer writes about an incident that illustrates and confirms our point. While teaching an unruly class of Sunday School children, just when he thought he had come to the end of himself he said, “Be my patience, Lord.” At that instance, says he, an indescribable peace and calm came over him. Thereafter he records, whenever difficult situations arose he would quietly whisper: “Be my strength Lord”; or, “Be my purity Lord”; or, “Be my encouragement Lord”; etc.

Hudson Taylor referred to this as the, “Exchanged Life.” I like that, don’t you?

AWE-INSPIRING WORDS

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

(1 Tim. 6:3-4)

As I have written on previous occasions, at times the commands and admonitions of the Bible become overwhelming to me, especially the words of our Lord. To consent to these wholesome words is one thing; to perform them is quite another. One can consent that they should and desire to conform their life to a particular truth, but because of some circumstance are unable to fulfill it to the letter.

Paul, who penned our main text, is a good example. When he had a heated discussion with his good friend Barnabas, there was no going the second mile; and when struck across the face there was no turning the cheek, but a little sarcasm, I think, in his answerable tone. Also, this giant man of faith admitted that he did not have the faith Jesus spoke of in removing mountains. He came up short on all the above.

Some, because of the above fact, feel like throwing in the towel saying, “What’s the use?” But I remind such that just because you don’t hit the bulls-eye is no reason to cease from shooting at your target. You will certainly get closer than if you didn’t shoot at all. As the old country preacher said, “He that shoots at nothing always hits what he’s shooting at.” But that’s an achievement no one ever sees!

“Confessing to God and asking others’ forgiveness when we fail to live up to our Christian responsibilities, is a good way to find inner peace.”
(rds)

A Double Difficulty

“But we will give ourselves...to prayer, and to the...word.”

(Acts 6:4)

A HARD THING TO ADMIT

I understand that the spiritually elite will never agree with the following essay; it would be too painful, wounding their pride. But those honest and humble saints among us will be the first to give testimony to its embarrassing truth, as self-debasing as it might be.

A TWO-FOLD DILEMMA

There are many difficulties that confront a saint in their daily life. I list here two such troublesome problems. The first being the difficulty in picking up the Bible once you put it down; and even more difficult to put it down once picked up. Along with this is the habit of prayer. When on your knees before God, you never want to leave; on the other hand, once you rise it’s hard to put oneself in that fetal position again.

FROM WHENCE COMETH THIS PREDICAMENT?

This problematic double puzzle comes from the fact of the two natures we possess as believers - the old Adamic nature that wants to feed the flesh, and the new Divine nature that desires to feed upon the spiritual. This creates a constant internal war. Victory comes, I believe, by one simply saying a definite “NO!” to the old and an emphatic “YES!" to the new.

THE OUTSTANDING THEOLOGIAN J.I. PACKER HAS IT RIGHT

In his excellent introduction to John Owen’s book, Sin and Temptation, the now ninety-three year old saint makes a profound comment. The old saint writes: “I now days think that the best way to deal with temptation is to at once say no, and with that to ask the Lord for strength to keep saying no...to squelch the sinful urge.”

"The two major means in Christ's life were: The Word of God and His prayers to God; both brought Him in contact with God!"

(rds)

The Necessity For The Needful

“...far better: Nevertheless...more needful.”

(Phil. 1:23-24)

GIVING UP THE ONE FOR THE OTHER

There will be times in your life when you will be torn between choosing what is “far better,” and what is “more needful.” The former pertains to your life, the latter to the life of others. What is better for you may not be best for others. In such situations you will find what is better is not always best at that particular time, but rather what is needful.

JESUS SET THE EXAMPLE

In John chapter four we’re told Jesus was wearied in His journey, as well as being left hungry and thirsty, yet He went some twenty to twenty-five miles out of His way because, we are told, it was a “must needs” case. In the life of this gentle-giant of a Man, it was never a question of what was best for Him, but what was needful in the lives of others!

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Those stalwart saints who have sacrificed the “far better” in their lives for what is “more needful” in the lives of others will find that the “far better” awaits them up the road apiece. A man or woman with old-fashioned integrity pays his or her bills on time; you can be sure God pays His when due. Or as the Holy Scripture puts it, “In due time.”

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

(Heb. 6:10)

YOUR LIFE’S PHILOSOPHY

“And he brought him to Jesus.”

(Jn. 1:42)

Most all believers in Christ have a philosophy that governs their lives. One can be conscious or unconscious of this philosophy. It may not be written with paper and ink, but it is etched in the deep recesses of one’s heart and mind. It is a principle that one lives by and reacts to, in crises especially. As I have mentioned in previous articles, my deep-seated belief is, “If I can get an individual to Jesus, everything will be all right!” Andrew found this to be true in his brother Peter’s life; so will we.

Most certainly God uses means, but not until we have come to the Master (2 Chron. 16:12).  A perturbed women once said to me, “You think Jesus is the answer to everything.” I readily and happily confessed I was guilty as charged. Jesus Christ is the “Fix-it-Man,” in all areas of life! He is a “hands on” individual. That means you must take your hands off. But a warning to my readers. Once you put yourself into His hands, things may not come out the way you imagined. But be assured, it will be for God’s glory!

"No one ever came to Jesus empty-handed and went away that way"

(rds)

FLAUNTING YOUR FAITH

“Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.”

(Rom. 14:22)

A CONSTANT REMINDER

I’ve made it a habit through these many years to read certain chapters or portions of the Bible, on a regular basis. For example: 1 Cor. 13, on what true biblical love is; Deut. 8, lest I forget what He brought me from and to; also 1 Thess. 4, keeping my eyes on the sky; Psa. 23, my Shepherd's care of me, etc.

ROMANS CHAPTER FOURTEEN

This chapter (and the first few verses in the following chapter) deals with questionable things in the saint’s life— those shady areas, if you please. It deals with diets (verse 2), days (verse 5), and drink (verse 21). Within this chapter you can apply its principle teachings to other doubtful areas in your Christian life.

A FAITH UNSEEN

James challenges believers of his day to shew him their faith, but in our main text there is to be an unseen faith that only God sees. Taking the context, it shows this is not a contradiction of terms but rather shows if we have faith to do certain things other brethren cannot, we are not to flaunt it. We are to keep it to ourselves lest we offend and hinder our weak brother or sister.

A TWO-SIDED SAYING

There is a little tract entitled, “Others May, You Cannot” but the flip side of this is, “You May, Others Cannot.” This hidden faith to do certain things others cannot, because of their weak conscience , is not hypocritical but scriptural. Temperament, upbringing, early erroneous Christian teaching, along with other things, hinder many from enjoying the glorious liberty they have in Christ. We must not cause them to stumble over our freedom.

A QUOTABLE QUOTE

My son Andrew has a saying, “Only God has the right to define sin.” I find it simultaneously both amazing and disgusting to hear preachers and Christians calling things sin that God has not so labeled as such. Bible teachers tell us the Jews added 613 laws to the Ten Commandments. For those who like to add their long list of sins to God’s short one, I would give serious thought to the wise man’s advice, “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Prov. 30:6

“Found among miserable Christians is a group who cannot tolerate anyone who does not meet their criteria of man-made rules.”

(rds)

PERSEVERANCE

OUR INSURANCE POLICY

We hear much, in some circles, about the “Preservation of the Saint.” But I find the same crowd is offended when one speaks of the saint persevering. Most certainly, the latter is not conditional for God keeping us, but it is a mark that we are His. You could say a Christian’s endurance is their insurance.

A WORD STUDY

An interesting word study in the New Testament would be, “Continue,” as it relates to the Believer. For example, we are told of the early Church in Acts, “They continued steadfastly…” And Paul exhorted those living in the hard times of the last days to “Continue thou…” Jesus told His followers to "continue" in His Word and in His love.

SNAIL SAINTS

I read something interesting about William Carey, “Father of Modern Missions.” He told a loved one before his death that if anyone wrote of him after his decease to tell them to simply attribute any success he might have had (humanly speaking), to the fact, “I can plod…I can persevere in any definite pursuit…to this I owe everything.” Then he added, “Anything beyond this credit will be too much.”

“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”  

(C.H. Spurgeon)

THE SAINTS FOE

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

(Eph. 6:12)

The Christian’s real foe is not physical but spiritual. The spiritual can and does use the physical; but at the root it is always to be found in the spiritual, as in the case of Peter (Matt. 16:230.) Therefore, because of this fact, Paul tells us our weapons in this ongoing warfare are to be spiritual, not carnal or flesh (2 Cor, 10:4). You cannot fight spiritual battles with carnal means; it’s a no-winner! Jesus overcame Satan by the use of spiritual means (Matt. 4:1-11). Notice also what John says in 1 Jn. 2:14b.

Generally speaking, Israel's physical foes in the Old Testament become our spiritual foes in the New. For example, the book of Joshua applied this way brings great enlightenment and encouragement to a child of God in his or her daily spiritual battles. This is why it is so important, I believe, to be familiar with the the Old. The writers of the New Testament used the Old Testament in this way. The book of Hebrews is a good example. We need, what I like to term it, an encyclopedic knowledge of the Word.

“God’s two-edged sword slices both ways; both to wound and to heal”

(rds)

CAN IT REALLY BE?

THE CREATOR AND HIS CREATURE

In the book of Joshua we find these words recorded, “...the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man.” What a startling statement! It would not be of any surprise to read, “A man hearkened unto the voice of the Lord,” but for the Creator to respond to the wishes of His creation is almost more than one can conceive. Can it be that clay can have such a relationship with the Potter?

A PRAYER HEARING AND A PRAYER ANSWERING GOD

Though it is mind baffling, the answer is, “Yes!” Our Great God hears the prayers of His “poor and needy” creatures. David knew this wonderful truth, he recorded, “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.” But it gets even better. He not only hears our prayers, He has promised to answer them. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

IT'S A TWO-WAY STREET

But God is no bell-hop; He only responds to requests when accomplishing His Will is uppermost in our lives. When God heard and answered Joshua’s prayer, he was doing the Will of God in accordance to the Word of God. When the warrior had used all the natural means at his disposal, it was then God answered by doing the supernatural. You do your part and you can be sure God will do His. Are you praying for a miracle? Make sure you have used up all the means at your disposal. When you have, it is then God will perform a miracle.

“Miracles follow the plow.”

(A.W. Tozer)

THANK YOU LORD!

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

(Lk. 17:12-18)

THOUGHT

At Lazarus tomb; when the seventy returned; in breaking the loves; when eating with His disciples; our ELDER BROTHER thanked His Father! The lone leper was truly Christlike, from the first.