ONE OF LIFE'S ESSENTIALS

“But godliness with contentment is great gain...for 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 your wages... be content with such things as ye have.”

(1 Tim. 6:6; Phil. 4:1;  1Tim. 6:8; Lk. 3:14; Heb. 13:5)

In one respect life is a fairly simple thing. There are not many imperatives connected to it but one indispensable ingredient that must be poured into the mix: contentment; that is, if we expect to be delivered from the cares of this world. Contentment is against our nature, and therefore it must be learned. It’s in the school of Christ that we best learn this subject. 

Discontent and misery are Siamese twins; where one is you’ll find the other. To allow discontent to enter our earthly tabernacle is to sin against our own souls. The Puritan Thomas Watson writes, “A Christian doth but sin to vex and torture himself upon the rack of his own discontent.” Or as another has said, “An ounce of contentment is worth a pound of sadness.”  

At the root of all discontentment is dissatisfaction with God! It shows a saint is not satisfied with God’s providential and predestined dealings in their lives. A child of God in the will of God has no cause for discontent. He is in control of every aspect of his or her life. Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the secret to a contented life; sitting in a king’s palace or a dungeon, it matters little.

A little bird I am,

Shut from the fields of air;

And in my cage I sit and sing

To Him who placed me there;

Well pleased a prisoner to be

Because, my God, it pleases Thee.

Naught have I else to do;

I sing the whole day long;

And He whom most I love to please,

Doth listen to my song:

He caught and he bound my wandering wing,

But still He bends to hear me sing.

My cage confines me round;

Abroad I cannot fly;

But though my wing is closely bound,

My heart’s at liberty;

My prison walls cannot control

The flight, the freedom of the soul.

Oh! It is good to soar

These bolts and bars above,

To Him whose purpose I adore,

Whose providence I love;

And in His mighty will to find

The joy, the freedom, of the mind.

A poem written by Mme. Guyon; a French noblewoman who was thrown into prison on trumped up charges by jealous church officials. She stayed in that dungeon for ten years.

An Old Disciple

David and God's Timetable

"...for there is a time...for every purpose and for every work."

(Eccl. 3:17)

I can understand Hosea saying to God's children, "It is time to seek the Lord; but for David to say to God, "It is time for thee, LORD, to work...," that can be frightening. One would of necessity have to have heavenly approval for such seeming brashness. Without such authority it would be presumption at its very worst. 

But, thank God, we need not fear and tremble in approaching His throne with such boldness. Our great God has condescended to His human creation making such statements as: "Command ye me"; "Ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish..."; "Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou..." These, and many other like scriptures, give divine credence to such seemingly nervy praying. 

David's prayer was not one of impatience, he knew how to wait on the Lord, but rather one of imminence. In his current circumstances, the situation had become out of hand. Truly, it was literally out of his control. Therefore, it was obvious it was time for divine intervention. Thus, "It is time for thee, Lord, to work." Whenever the natural has exhausted all its means, it is then the supernatural is to be called upon. God invites us, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord." God okays us to sit down and reason with Him. As Job said, "Order [your] cause before him, and fill [your] mouth with arguments." 

    

IT'S ALL ABOUT "THE WORD"

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

(John 1:1-2,14)

The Word was in the beginning; therefore; it stands to reason the Word was before the beginning. But it seems John is not referring to the eternal past but the beginning as recorded in Genesis chapter one. In verses 1 and 3 of this chapter and book we read, “In the beginning God...said.…” It all started with a word, GOD’S WORD!

We sometimes say, “I didn’t think about what I was saying,” meaning thought was behind the words, and that is correct: a word originates from thought. Thus if we want to know what God thinks about anything, we must see what He has to say about it. If we are to know the mind of God it is necessary to know the Word of God.

In one of my old Bibles I made this note: “The Spoken Word (us) makes known the Written Word (Bible); the Written Word makes known the Living Word (Christ); and the Living Word makes known the Eternal Word (God).” The one makes known the Bible, it makes known Christ, and He makes known God. Thoses who make little of the Word knows little of God!

KISSING THE ROD

“He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”

(Prov. 13:24

“As many as I love, I...chasten..”

(Rev. 3:19)

When a pastor, many years ago, I preached one Sunday Evening on the above text in Proverbs. I was told later by one of my deacon’s wife this story. When her family arrived home and settled in, their only daughter jumped on her father’s lap crying uncontrollably. She repeated over and over, “O daddy, please start chastening me that I might know you love me.”

It is difficult for carnality to envision love with a rod in hand; but this is the picture painted for us in Revelation by the great artist, the Holy Ghost of God! Samuel Rutherford said, “O what I owe to the file, to the hammer, to the furnace of my Lord Jesus.” And may I add, “O what I owe to God’s chastening rod in my life.” It has saved me from innumerable pitfalls. 

An evangelist friend, with several children, had to take one of his boys in hand because of his unruly behaviour. After correcting him he explained that he did it because of his deep love for him, showing him the scripture. He said the little fella then went to where the switch was lying on the bed, looked down at it for a moment, then picked it up and kissed it. 

Have you ever kissed the rod? O, precious rod of God, how I love thee! 

PUTTING YOUR FOOT DOWN

“Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to...”

(Lk. 21:14)

Jesus gave His followers a principle. He told them explicitly if there’s things they’re “not to” do, then it is a heart matter and to be settled there. And notice it is something they can do. It is a waste of time waiting around for God to do something He says you can do. Most certainly He will always help, but only when you put your foot down, so to speak. 

After I had preached on the above text in a local church, the pastor of the church followed me with a profound statement. “I have found every unsettled thing in my life the devil fights me on.” Think about it! You never have a problem with those things you’ve settled deep down in your heart. 

Many years ago I was visiting my (departed) sister. Her daughter, Becky (also with the Lord), and I were in the front room talking. My sister, in the kitchen, called for her several times to come help with setting the table which she did not heed immediately. So my sister finally threatened to spank her if she didn’t respond. I said, “Beck, you better go.” To which my niece replied, “She doesn’t mean it yet; I know when she means business.”

And so it is with your flesh (the old man). It knows when you really mean it without any reservations. Like when you say, “NO! and that’s final; it stops here, today.” O my friend can you say at this very moment to your carnal man, and mean it: “Not another year; not another month; not another week; not another day; not another hour; not another minute; not another second! It all ends NOW!”

When you put your foot down you’ll come to a screeching halt. Smelling burning rubber is not always a bad thing.

THE MIGHTY POWER OF GOD

“And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.”

(Lk. 9:43)

Not only did Christ have the power of God, He was the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:24) One of the distinguishing marks between Him and the pseudo spiritual crowd of His day was the mighty power of God. It was manifest everywhere He went, in everything He did, and in everyone He came in contact with. Even those who were void of spiritual discernment knew there was something in this Man’s life that set Him apart from his peers, and it made them uneasy! As it still does.

Our Lord put great emphasis on the power of God; it was a top priority. He knew nothing else could come to fruition without it. After His resurrection, before the ascension, the disciples asked Jesus of the Kingdom of God, when it would appear. But Jesus turned the conversation to the power of God. (Acts 1:8) To Him this was the greatest need. When He got a man back on his feet again it was said of Him, “But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.” (Matt. 9:8) 

It is written,“[They] limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Psa. 78:41) Let us not be guilty of limiting a limitless God! If an individual ever wanted to help people, it would be first those of his or her hometown: loved ones and friends they were brought up with. It is said of Christ, “[He] came into his own country...And He could there do no mighty work...And he marvelled because of their unbelief.” (Mk. 6:1,5-6) Notice in the one Scripture above, they marveled at the mighty power of God. In this one He marveled at their unbelief!

It is said the night before His crucifixion that the unbelieving soldiers bound Jesus. He is still bound, to some extent; but now it is by unbelieving believers! 

An Old Disciple

A GENERATIONAL GOD

“One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh...But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever...unto all generations.”

(Eccl. 1:4; Psa. 102:12)

Generations come and go but our eternal God remains. When a past generation is no longer more than a chapter in a history book, if even that, God still abides. Like the song:

Change and decay in all around I see—

O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I’ve come up with a term I rather like, in respect to our subject. It describes our Sovereign: He is a “Generational God.” 

We must choose: He is either each generation's God, if not, then that particular generation will configure a god from their own depraved imagination, a god of their own making like Aaron produced. He is either the God of our fathers or a god of our own making! 

The reason the pagan/heathen have a multiplicity of gods is because they have so many sins; they need a god who will approve their wicked lifestyle. Sad to say many a Christian today has followed their ungodly example.

My friend, God is as relevant to our present generation as He was in any past generation. He is always a step ahead of every generation. For example: two millenniums before television was thought of, He told us of the two end-time martyred witnesses in Revelation, “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street...And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half…” 

My godly grandson, Joseph Habedank, wrote a popular gospel song entitled, “God’s Already There.” As each new generation arrives on the scene they find God has been waiting for them to show up; in this case He doesn’t follow after but goes before!

An Old Disciple

IT WOUlD SEEM SO

“...that which he seemeth to have.”

(Lk. 8:18)

In the context of our story Jesus speaks to His followers about a person who seems to possess something, but in reality doesn’t. As my dear mother said often about such shams, “All that glitters ain’t gold.” The Scripture speaks of some who seemeth to be right, but they're not; others we’re told, seemeth to be just, but they're not; and not a few pseudo philosophical saints seemeth to be wise, but they're not.

Paul wasn’t impressed with the likes of this sort. He told the fickle Galatians who got giddy over such, “But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me.” (Gal. 2:6) It was said of Jesus, “Master, we know that thou...carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men.” (Mk. 12:14)

These copycats can turn their rods into snakes like Aaron, but Aaron’s swallows theirs up. These impostors are great imitators. Jesus commended some of His churches in Revelation for not falling for this bunch of seemeth-alikes. They're not hard to spot; they have two main characteristics. The first is their speech. They major on something rather than someone. And the second is by their scent. They have the smell of leeks, onions, and garlic upon them, the smell of Egypt, the world, if you please.  

“Satan is a religious creature. He likes to sit in church and religious gatherings. But don’t worry, Jesus knows where his seat is.”

(Rev. 2:13)

rds

An Old Disciple

HEAVEN'S HERO

“When ye pray, say, Our Father...Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”

(Lk. 11:2)

I say this without any fear of being corrected: if Jesus Christ is not your hero here on earth, I’m sure you’re not suited for heaven. He is the center of attention there; He is Heaven’s Hero. You might say, and rightly so, He is the talk of the town. Moses, Paul, Peter, John, Luther, Calvin,  Spurgeon, and Augustine all dwarf in the light of His presence. There is only one big shot in heaven; the rest of us are little squirts. 

In that place of endless day we spend our time in worshiping, serving, singing, adoring, and loving God’s only Son, His Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be a full-time job of which we will enjoy every eternal moment of that long day. In the Lord’s Prayer (actually it is the Family Prayer) we are to pray God’s children will do on earth as they do in heaven. Earth is preparatory for heaven. Our heavenly home will someday be on this earth. 

We who are hopelessly and helplessly in love with the Lover of our souls, should be in a habitual state of homesickness. The worldling would be miserable in heaven for they, like us, would continually suffer homesickness also, but for a different place, the place they left, the world. The gospel singer Squire Parsons sings a song, “Some call it heaven, but I call it home.” O my friend, it will be good to be home. Will it not?

Evangelist D.L. Moody said of heaven: "If I'm dreaming, don't wake me, let me dream on."

GETTING SERIOUS IN OUR PRAYER LIFE

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." 

(Ja. 5:16)

In George Washington's prayer journal, he confessed to God that his greatest sin was to be found in his praying. He went on to explain that it was his coldness and apathetic attitude that caused it. David tells us an individual's prayer can become sin. Let us be careful we do not fall into this category.

To find the definition of fervent, we need go no further than the Bible, for it is its own dictionary. Peter tells us it means "a fiery heat that melts." Everywhere I go it seems that saints are concerned with the coldness and callousness in the hearts of God's people today. I wonder if the problem does not lie in our own bosom, where we hide a heart of stone. If some of us got on fire, could it be those around us would begin to melt in the presence of such fervent heat?

An imitation fireplace may look good, but it does not warm anyone.

(rds)

An Old Disciple

THE ART OF BECOMING

“And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become…”

(Mk. 1:17)

Jesus promised His followers if they would put Him up front, in first place, coming after Him, then He would make them to become something they had never been; something they never would have imagined. That being mainly a help and an exceptional blessing to others. But it would not happen overnight but over time. Pentecost seems to have been the starting point. Prior to this, the mold was being cast so to speak. 

His followers were not “self-made men,” but rather, “God-made men.” Paul emphatically declared this when he said, “By the grace of God I am what I am .” (1 Cor. 15:10) As I often say, “We are what we have been becoming.” We didn’t just happen. Whatever each of us, man or woman, is today we have been becoming. John was a young, hard-hearted hot-head, but God made him to become a loving old man. He became what he wasn’t!

God gave Jeremiah an object lesson on the subject of us becoming. (Jer. 18) He showed him that at times during the process of the person that is becoming, they’re marred and becomes useless; but they are not thrown on the rubbish heap. Rather, God begins again with them becoming another vessel. All God’s creation is becoming: a child becomes an adult; a caterpillar becomes a butterfly; a bud becomes a flower; etc. I wonder, what are you and I becoming?

“Aaron’s engraving tool fashioned something that was a substitute for God. So does Satan’s.”

(rds)

An Old Disciple

CHEERFUL IN CHEERLESS TIMES

“And now I exhort you to be of good cheer...Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer...Then were they all of good cheer…”

(Acts 27:22,25,36)

In my (almost) eighty-six years of life I have never met a more cheerful individual than my late wife, Salle Jo. No matter how dire the circumstances may have been, she was the eternal optimist, this stemming from the fact of the cheerful spirit she possessed. 

The setting of the text quoted above was a storm in which Paul exhorted all on board the ship to be cheerful. A storm so bad that the long time professional mariners believed there was no hope for survival. The doctor/historian Luke wrote, “...all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.” (Acts 27:20) But Paul had been alone with God and was filled with cheer in spite of how bleak things looked.

The secret of cheerfulness during those turbulent times in life is a consciousness of the presence of Jesus and believing His Word. In the midst of a violent storm He told His disciples, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” (Matt. 14:27) He told them on another occasion that no matter what they may suffer in this world to be of good cheer; for, said He, “I have overcome the world.” And that brings peace along with the cheerfulness!

“Who can cheer the heart like Jesus, 

By His presence all divine?   

True and tender, pure and precious, 

O how blest to call Him mine!”  

An Old Disciple 

WHAT I WAS IS NOT WHO I AM

"[O]ne thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”

(John 9:25) 

Pious inquisitors had interrogated this poor ex-blind beggar at great length. Such an answer as he gave always baffles those with religious breeding who are void of a spiritual birth. His statement is so plain, yet so profound.

No matter how devout or intellectual, if you do not know what our blind man knows, you know nothing at all! Unlike the blind man, many Christians only remember what they were in the past, not realizing who they are now in Christ. You cannot live a victorious life inhaling the polluted air of your past. The overcomer’s spiritual lungs are filled with celestial air.

I’ve noticed that believers cemented in their past never rise to heavenly heights.

DREADING DELIGHT

"And Esau ran to meet him, and he embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept."

(Gen. 33:4)

What a sight this must have been, especially when you consider the great gulf that existed between these two. For years, the one had carried a grudge, while the other was loaded down with guilt.

But the God who makes both ends to meet in the middle can also make the two extremes compatible and compassionate when they meet face to face. Time is a great healer. The wise man tells us there's "…a time to embrace."

Let's allow in others what we desire for ourselves—time to grow and mature. It's amazing the change a few years can bring. God turned Jacob's long dreading into delight, and so can he do with us.

"Compatibility is always a possibility with God."

(rds)

LIFE LIVED IN THE SPIRIT

“ Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”

(Zech. 4:6)

Anything good, godly, lasting, true, or constructive done in this world has, is, and will be done by the Spirit of the living God! All else will come to naught. There are only two things on this earth that are truly Holy; the first being the Holy Word of God, and the second, equally true, the Lord’s Holy Spirit. Of the latter it can rightly be said that whoever or whatever He touches is Holy, whether it be a person or piece of ground.

The Bible speaks of a life lived in the Spirit: we are to be clothed with the Spirit; filled with the Spirit; led by the Spirit; baptized with the Spirit; anointed with the Spirit; we are to walk in the Spirit; live in the Spirit; manifest the fruit of the Spirit; have the power of the Spirit;  we’re to be sealed with the Spirit. We are also taught by the Spirit, comforted by the Spirit; sanctified by the Spirit. To mention just a few of His ministries to us.

He is the most sensitive of the Godhead. One may speak against the Father or Son, yet forgiveness is possible. But not so with the third Person of the Trinity. (Mk. 3:29) He can be grieved, lied to, resisted, and quenched, among other things that cause Him deep hurt. This blessed Holy Person is forced to live in some horrid conditions in the houses He has taken up residency in. But he is a good house cleaner. He can make things spick and span, if we only ask Him!

“Paul speaks of the ‘Love of the Spirit.’ I Wonder, do we have a love for the Spirit?”

(rds)

GOD’S PROMISES AND HIS TIMING

“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. Now it was not written for his sake alone...But for us also...”

(Rom. 4:19-24)

I have noticed in reading through God’s Word that his promises can come at what we’d consider the most inopportune of times. That is, they are not made during the brightness of the day but rather the darkness of the night and, I might add, as the scripture records, “[a] darkness which may be felt.” It seems our God prefers impossible situations to the possible. The latter falls under one of our attributes. He waits till the time it is humanly impossible, then makes the promise that He will do the impossible!

As in Abraham and Sarah’s case in the Old Testament so it was in the New Testament with Zacharias and Elisabeth — they were well past the years of parenting when God promised the birth of John the Baptist. And what of that great promise to Jeremiah in chapter thirty-three, verse three, of his book? It was made while the prophet was in prison. Again, in Acts, God waited until all hope was taken away that Paul and others would be saved in the storm, that God made promise of deliverance. The list goes on. 

God’s promise is His Holy pledge! It involves His character. As the old Christian saint said when asked her answer if God broke His Word to her, in promising to save her, “Well, I’d lose my soul, but God would lose His character.” As another has said, “God’s promise and His performance are inseparably linked.” You can depend on God standing true to His promises. As the old missionary said, “His promises are the promises of a gentleman; and a gentleman always keeps his promise.”

THE ANSWER IS NOT ASCETICISM

"Let your moderation be known to all men.”

(Phil. 4:5)

If there is not a moderation of legitimate things in our lives, then there will be a condemnation. When this happens, we believe the answer is abstinence from these God-given enjoyments. And, because we are not disciplined by grace, we impose our restrictions upon others, begrudging them of finding joy in doing those same lawful things which we refuse to be moderate in.

This is why I say the “temperance” movement of old was a misnomer. In actuality, it was the “abstinence” movement. Giving up things you enjoy is not the answer; the answer is found in the inspired word “moderation.” God has given us richly all things to enjoy, but we are not to misuse or abuse these privileges by going to the extreme.

" Eating a bar of chocolate is moderation; consuming a box of chocolates is excess. And so it is with all good things in life."

(rds)