In step

[RiverOL]

God's Greatest Gift

"On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:20)

A son born into the family of a king becomes at once the heir of great riches and the possessor of rare privileges. Even though it will be some time before he will be able to comprehend the extent of his riches or exercise his privileges, yet they are his at birth. Why? Because he was born into the family of a king.

Likewise, the person who is truly converted to Christ becomes at once the possessor of priceless gifts and privileges because he has been born into the family of God.

Christ is Life Eternal.
One of God's greatest gifts which we first enjoy is the forgiveness of our sins. When the police find they have nothing against a man, they say that he has no record.

So it is with the child of God. He now has no record, for his sins have been blotted out by the precious blood of Christ. The Bible says, "…the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7) And God not only forgives, He forgets.

God also gives His children the priceless gift of eternal life. This is not something which the child of God will get when he dies but something which he has now. The Bible says,

"God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:11-12)

When we receive Christ, we receive eternal life because eternal life is in Him.

Christ is God's Greatest Gift.

But as great and wonderful as forgiveness and eternal life are, they are not the greatest gift which God gives to His children. God's greatest gift is Christ. Becoming a Christian is not a matter of joining a church or behaving like a Christian—it is receiving Christ. The Christian is not merely a forgiven sinner, he is one in whom Christ lives. It is the life of God Himself entering into a person that makes him a Christian. The Bible says that we "participate in the divine nature…" (2 Peter 1:4)

Christ lives within.

For three and a half wonderful years, Jesus Christ, the Lord from Heaven, walked and talked with His disciples. As He neared the end of His earthly ministry, He told them of His approaching death and resurrection and return to Heaven. They were grieved at the thought of His leaving them, but He said, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:18)

He went on to explain that this new relationship will not be an external one, for He would dwell in them by His Spirit. Looking forward to that time, He said, "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:20)

To help them understand what this new relationship would be like, Jesus used the grape vine as an illustration, saying,

"I am the vine, you are the branches…" (John 15:5)

The truth pictured by this parable is inescapable. The vine and the branch are one. They are joined together in living union; they share one life. What is true of the vine and the branches is also true of Christ and the believers. We are joined to the Lord Jesus in living union. This is a great mystery, but nevertheless it is true. Let us consider the parable further.

The Lord Jesus is the Vine. We are the branches. Just as the branches are in the vine, so we are in Christ.

How did we get into Christ? We did not put ourselves into Christ. Indeed, there was no way we could do this. We could not make ourselves branches, and we could not join ourselves to the Lord Jesus. No man could do this for us.

What we could not do for ourselves, God did for us when we trusted Christ as our Savior. The Bible says, "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus…"(1 Corinthians 1:30)

We are IN CHRIST! Say to yourself again and again,"I am in Christ." This is not something we are to hope for, it is something which God has already done for us. Regardless of how we feel, the fact is that God has put us in Christ, and we must let our faith rest on God's facts.

Perhaps you have wondered how a sinner can hope to be accepted and welcomed by a holy, righteous God. The answer is—IN CHRIST. God sees us in Christ, and He accepts us completely because we are in His beloved Son. The Bible says we "belong to his dearly loved Son." (Ephesians 1:6 The Living Bible) We are in Christ and the Bible says that "in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21) As our representative He stands before the Father, and we are accepted in Him.

In the parable of the Vine and the Branches, not only is the branch in the vine, but the vine is in the branch. The same life-giving sap that flows through the roots and the vine flows also through the branches. Without this flow of life, the branches would soon wither and die. This illustrates another wonderful truth: not only are we in Christ, but Christ is in us!

There are two aspects of our union with Christ which can be expressed in two simple statements. First, I am in Christ. Second, Christ is in me. Because I am in Christ, I am accepted by God in Heaven. Because Christ is in me, I have power to live the Christian life here on earth. Christ is all my righteousness before God in Heaven, and He is all my power to live a godly life here on earth.

Have you discovered how hard it is to live the Christian life? If you haven't, you will. As Christians, we know that there are many things that we should do; but even though we want to do them, we find we lack the power to carry them out. The Lord Jesus said that as Christians we are to love our enemies, to do good to them that hate us, to pray for those who mistreat us, and to rejoice when someone bad mouths us. These things are not easy to do.

Christ is Power.
What is wrong? The trouble is that either we have not discovered the inner power of the Christian life or we are not making use of it. How foolish it would be to buy a car with a powerful engine, then spend the rest of your days pushing it!

But this is exactly what many Christians are doing. Do you realize that when God redeemed you through the precious blood of His Son, He placed under the hood, so to speak, a powerful engine—the resurrection life of His Son? To realize that Christ lives in you is to discover the "motor." To begin trusting Him instead of trying to do it yourself is to stop pushing and to start making use of His power.

The inner power of the Christian life is Christ. Say to yourself again and again, "Christ lives in me! Christ lives in me!" We live the Christian life not by trying to do the best that we can do but by trusting Christ to live His life in us.

Stop a moment and think about it. What kind of life did Christ live here on earth? He lived a marvelous life of power—a life that was totally pleasing to God the Father. Jesus said, "I always do what pleases him." (John 8:29) The Lord Jesus has not changed. He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will live His life in you now if you will trust Him to do it.

Christ is everything.
We pray for power, or for purity, or for patience, but God doesn't send us little packages of these items. He has done far more. God has given us Christ, and everything we need is in Him. The Bible says, "For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ…" (Colossians 2:9-10 The Living Bible) It is not what we are that counts, it is what He is! The Bible says, "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30) He is all we need. When we need patience, He is our Patience. When we need purity, He is our Purity. And when we need power, He is our Power. He is to us whatever we need.

Christ is the answer.

How does this work out in everyday life? Let us say that there is a certain person with whom you have always had difficulties. You know that you should be kind and loving toward him, but try as you will, your dislike for him always manages to show through. You grit your teeth and promise that you are going to control your feelings, but it does no good. What is the solution? The solution is to remember that Jesus Christ lives in you. Do you think that He would be kind and loving to this person? Of course! Then, trust Him to do it. Just say to Him, "Lord Jesus, I don't love this person as I should, but you live in me and you love him. I am trusting you to love him through me." Then relax and trust Him to do it.

Perhaps there is some sin in your life which you are unable to control. Again, remember that Christ lives in you. Do you believe that He has all power in Heaven and earth as He said He had? Since He has all power in Heaven and earth, do you believe that He has power to set you free from that sin? Then, trust Him to do it. You trusted the crucified Savior for the forgiveness of your sins. Now trust the risen Lord Jesus Christ who lives in you to break the power of this sin.

You may say, "But I don't feel strong." You aren't supposed to! Christ is the One who is strong—not you. God never promised to make us strong. He has given us Christ—He is our strength. As long as you are resting in what He is, nothing can touch you, not even the Devil himself! The Devil is powerful—much too powerful for us—but he is no match for Jesus Christ. The Bible says,

"the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

This is the great secret of the Christian life: Christ lives within us. Before you get out of bed in the morning, say to yourself, "Christ lives in me." Throughout the day, remind yourself, "Christ lives in me." Learn to count on His life in you. When you come up against something that you can't handle say, "Lord I can't, but you can."

Remember that the Lord Jesus is the Vine. We are the branches. He says to us, "All that the vine is to the branches, I will be to you." All a branch has to do is abide in the vine, and as it does so, it receives life each moment from the vine.

This is the Christian life—Christ living His life in us. This is God's way. This is what the world needs to see.

 

[RiverOL]

Facts, Faith, Feelings

FACTS! FAITH! FEELINGS! These three things are vital in our lives. It is important that we know something about each of them, but it is even more important that we get them in the right order and keep them there. Most people try to put feelings first, but that's like trying to build the roof of a house before laying the foundation. It just won't work that way! The right order is facts, faith and then feelings. Facts form the foundation; faith rests upon facts; and feelings come last.

Facts are true any time, anywhere.

Let's look at these, one at a time. First, facts. What is a fact? A fact is something that is true. For example, two plus two equals four. This is a simple mathematical fact. It is true in the United States, in Russia, or anywhere else in the world. It was true thousands of years ago, and it will still be true thousands of years from now. Your believing it does not make it true. It is true even if no one in the world believes it. A fact is true in and out of itself, regardless of faith or feelings. If it is not true, it is not a fact!

Faith's value depends upon it's object.

Now let's think about faith. Faith is so important that the Bible says, "...without faith it is impossible to please God…" (Hebrews 11:6) But what is faith? Faith is belief in something. Notice that faith must have an object. In one respect, faith is like eyesight—it must have an object. The way you know you have eyesight is that you see something. True value depends upon its object, not upon itself. It is not the amount of faith that is important but the worthiness of the object.

Let me illustrate. Suppose you are walking through the woods, and you come to a stream. A single plank spans the stream. As you look at the plank, you must decide if you will risk walking across it. You notice that apparently others have crossed safely, so you decide to trust it. The moment you step out on the plank, you are exercising faith. This is fine, but whether you get across safely or not now depends upon the plank. You may have a lot of faith, but if the plank is rotten, you will land in the water! On the other hand, your faith may not be so great, but if you have a good plank under you, you will get across safely. From this, we see that the real value of faith depends upon its object. This is why faith must rest on facts.

Feelings are changeable.

What about feelings? Where do they come into the picture? Feelings are emotions inside us. Unlike facts, feelings can be very changeable. We may feel good one day and be downcast the next. But regardless of how fickle our feelings are, they do not change facts.

For example, suppose you receive a letter from a reputable law firm informing you that your uncle Joe has died and left you two hundred thousand dollars. You might say, "But I don't feel like I have all that money." Perhaps you don't, but, nevertheless, you do have it. It is a fact that the money was left to you, and it is yours regardless of how you feel.

Perhaps you go a doctor for an examination, and he tells you that you have cancer. You may say, "But I don't feel like I have cancer."

Nevertheless, you do have it. Facts are facts, regardless of how you feel.

Now, let's see how facts, faith, and feelings relate to the Christian life. In the spiritual realm, God has revealed certain facts about Himself, man, sin, and salvation. These are the most important facts in all the world for us because they affect our eternal destiny.

These facts are so important that God did not depend upon chance to get them to us. He has caused them to be written down in a book which we call the Bible.

The Bible tells us that God created man and gave him a free will. He could choose to obey God and enjoy fellowship with Him, or he could choose to disobey God and thus lose fellowship with his Creator. We all know the sad story of how the first man disobeyed God. We, too, have turned away from God. The Bible says,

"Therefore… sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…" (Romans 5:12)

The penalty for sin is death—that is eternal separation from God. Because God is holy and just, He could not overlook or treat lightly our sin and rebellion. Because He is love, God has provided a way of salvation for us. The Bible says,

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice [payment] for our sins." (I John 4:10)

Christ's death and resurrection are historical facts.
Jesus died on a Roman cross outside of Jerusalem. This is a great fact of history.

Some say that He died as a martyr for His high ideals. Others view His death as an unfortunate tragedy. But God Himself tells us in His Word why He died. The Bible says, "...Christ died for our sins…" (1 Corinthians 15:3)

Not only is His death a fact, but His resurrection is likewise a fact. He appeared on this earth for forty days after His resurrection, and He was seen by over five hundred people. The Apostle Peter was one of those who saw Christ after His resurrection, and he declared emphatically,

"We did not follow cleverly invented stories… but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Peter 1:16)

The purpose of Christ's death and resurrection is that we might be able to stand before God, not in our sinfulness, but in the perfect righteousness of Christ. The Bible says,

"For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us!" (2 Corinthians 5:21 The Living Bible)

"...IT IS FINISHED..."
The cross of Christ is a fact; the empty tomb is a fact; His resurrection is a fact. His work is a finished work. On the basis of His death and resurrection, God freely offers forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all people.

Here is where faith comes in. God has provided a perfect salvation, but it won't do you one bit of good if you don't believe it and accept it. God has done everything in Christ, and now He asks for faith on our part. What is faith? Faith is simply our acceptance of God's facts. When a sinner believes and is saved, he or she simply rests on God's facts.

Salvation is accepting the fact of Christ's finished work.

When we speak of having been saved by faith, we mean that we were saved by resting on the finished work of Christ. We began the Christian life by depending on what Christ did, not on what we have done. We did not save ourselves. We simply came to Jesus and laid on Him the burden of our sins. We have nothing to boast about. The Bible says,

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

It might be well to mention here that saving faith in the heart produces obedience in the life. Faith and obedience go together. In 1 John 2:3-4 we read,

"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

But what about feelings? Have they no place in the Christian life? Yes, of course they do. Feelings have a very definite place in our lives, and they are fine in their place; but they can get out of place. If you try to rest your faith on your feelings, the result will be confusion. Many people are looking for peace with God, but they are looking for it in the direction of their feelings rather than in the direction of God's facts.

We are not saved by a wonderful feeling or some thrilling experience. We are justified by faith, not by feelings. The Bible says,

"So now, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us." (Romans 5:1 The Living Bible)

This does not mean that we should ignore our feelings. The Bible says that we have "joy and peace in believing," and this is certainly true. Many Christians do have a wonderful feeling when they are saved. If you were one of these who did, that's great! But remember to rest your faith on God's facts which are eternal and unchangeable, not on your feelings which may change overnight.



"Feelings come and feelings go, But feelings are deceiving.
My faith rests on the Word of God,
Naught [nothing] else is worth believing."
(Martin Luther)
Whose move is it?

This matter of coming to know God is like a game of checkers in this one respect—the players move alternately. First, the black moves. Then it is red's move, and black cannot move again until red has moved. In the matter of our salvation, God has already moved. He has done everything in Christ.

Now, it is our move to accept this by faith, and God cannot move again until we do. You may stay up all night pleading with God to do something to save you, while all the time God is saying, "I have done something. I gave My Son to die for your sins. Now it is your turn to believe this and trust Him as your Savior." The moment you do this, it is God's move again, and He will give you the peace that you have longed for. The Bible says, "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart." (1 John 5:10) Note the order—first you believe, then you have the testimony or witness in your heart.

How can you know God's facts? Read His Word! Then, rest your faith on His facts, and you will have that joy and peace which He gives to those who believe. You don't have to go through life with a "think-so" or a "hope-so" salvation. You can be saved now and know it now. The Bible says,

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (I John 5:13)

 

[RiverOL]

My Parents are Bugging Me

"My parents are bugging me. They just don't seem to understand me or how I feel."

"I hate my parents. I know I shouldn't, but I do."

"I am a very hot tempered person, and I have some family problems. I get mad at the least little thing, and that bothers me. I yell like it's going out of style."

The three young people who wrote those statements are really having a rough time. Is it like this with you, too? If so, I can tell you some other problems you are probably having.

You are not only having trouble at home, but you are also having trouble with some of your teachers. You can't stand some of your friends and when you pray it seems that God doesn't hear.

Maybe you go to church but you don't get anything out of it. It seems that you have one problem after another.

Why? Why do you have these problems? It's easy to blame other people, but the real trouble is deep down inside. The real problem is Self. Self is on the throne of your heart. To be honest about it, we all have the problem of Self.

What is Self like? Self is a born rebel. It hates to take orders! It wants no one, not even God Himself, to rule over it. Where does that kind of spirit come from? It comes straight from Satan!

Self is full of pride. Self always wants to be Number 1, to be looked up to, and to be praised.

Self is always selfish. It doesn't care what happens to others, as long as it has its own way.

Self is easily offended and "hurt." Self always feels like it is the one who is getting the "raw deal." Whenever it is criticized, Self rushes to its own defense. Self will never admit that it is wrong—it always blames somebody else.

There are hundreds of ways Self expresses itself, but they all add up to one thing—Self is the spirit of Satan. When Self is on the throne of your heart, you are controlled by Satan.

"But I thought things would be different when I became a Christian. Why doesn't the Lord help me? Why doesn't He answer my prayers?"

Because Self is on the throne of your heart! When you became a Christian, your sins were forgiven and Christ came into your heart. This is wonderful, but there is still a problem—Self didn't move out. Self is still in your heart, and it hasn't changed one tiny bit. Self still wants to run the show.

This explains why Christians can be so changeable. One minute Christ can be running things in your life and the next minute you can decide that you will run things yourself. So, Self takes over.

You get mad and rebel.

When Self is on the throne, your prayers are filled with "I" and "Me". They all have to do with what you want. It's no wonder that God doesn't answer your prayers. God is not going to help you be more selfish. He is not going to cooperate with your plans to exalt yourself. Never! Not in a million years.

Perhaps you think everybody else is wrong and you are the only one that is right. If so, you may have to go through a lot of trouble before you are ready to face up to the real problem—Self! Mark it down, as long as Self is running the show in your life, you will continue to be eaten up with hatred, resentment, jealousy, pride, envy, temper and a thousand other sins.

"But I don't want to let Self run my life. What can I do?"

Jesus gave us the solution. He said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) What did the Lord say? He said that we must deny Self. To deny Self means to say "No" to it, to refuse to give in to it.

Jesus also said, "...take up your cross..." What does this mean? It means choosing God's will instead of your own will. It means to accept the circumstances God puts you in. It means to submit to those He places over you. The Lord Jesus is our perfect example. Though He was God, He gave up His rights and His glory and became a man. He took the place of a servant—He washed the feet of His disciples. He did not please Himself but He chose to do God's will in all things. He was obedient, even to death on the cross.

The Bible says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…" (Philippians 2:5) Are you willing to give up your "rights" for Jesus' sake? Are you willing to be treated as our Lord was? Are you willing to submit cheerfully to those God has placed in authority over you?

"But, man, if I do that, that will be the end of me."

That's right. The Lord knows that the source of all your trouble is Self, and He means for Self to die. Because He desires the best for you, He will arrange for some "crosses" to come your way every day.

What will you do? You must choose between Christ and Self. Either Christ will be on the throne of your heart, ruling your life… or Self will be on the throne causing nothing but trouble.

"What will it be like when Christ is ruling in my heart?"
You will know a deep joy and peace. Things won't upset you so easily. You will realize that Christ loves you and that He knows all about your situation. Whatever He wants will be all right with you. The Bible says,

"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble." (Psalm 119:165)

If Christ is ruling in your life, you will respect authority. You will have a spirit of obedience.

That's the way Christ lived when He was here on earth. He obeyed His parents. He taught men to submit to civil authority. He paid taxes—He said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matt 22:21) Our Lord never took part in rebellion; He respected authority.

For another thing, you will have a new purpose in life. Christ will be your new "center" instead of Self. Instead of wanting to see yourself exalted and honored, you will want above all things to please Christ. You will be more interested in what He thinks of you than in what others think of you.

"But you don't understand how it is in my home. I'm the only Christian there and it is like living in a hell-hole."
Perhaps so, but this is where God has put you for now, and this is where He means for you to live for Him and to honor Him. The tougher the situation, the greater will be your reward for being victorious in it.

God has His Hall of Fame. He tells us about His heroes in Hebrews 11. They were not some kind of super people—they were people just like you and me. But they trusted God and lived for Him in the most difficult circumstances, and God saw it and He honored them.

Now you know what the problem is and you know what the solution is. The question is: What are you going to do about it? Are you going to continue to let Self rule your life? Or will you choose to crucify Self and make Christ King in your life? The victorious Apostle Paul said,

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)

Have you decided to make Christ the Lord of your life? Then back it up with your actions.

Have a spirit of obedience to those in authority over you. Set aside time each day to pray and read God's Word. Pray especially for those you have the most trouble with. Don't tell God what is wrong with them—pray for them, pray that God will bless them.

When things go wrong and you blow it, confess it to the Lord. Tell Him that you will always fail unless He takes over in your life. Then apologize to those you have offended. This isn't easy, but it's the way of victory.

I Dare You!!

• I dare you to have your own convictions instead of accepting those of others.
• I dare you to stand true to them when others are going along with the crowd.
• I dare you to do your best when others are satisfied to just get by.
• I dare you to be honest when others are cheating and taking short cuts.
• I dare you to mean "This is my work" when you sign your name to a paper even if you make the lowest grade in the class.
• I dare you to admit it openly and honestly when you make a mistake; to say "I am wrong" and not try to blame somebody else.
• I dare you to apologize to those you've hurt even if it kills your pride to do it.
• I dare you to be forgiving to those who have wronged you.
• I dare you to keep your body pure when others are selling themselves cheap.
• I dare you to say "No!" to sinful pleasures that destroy body and soul.
• I dare you to keep your word when it costs you to do it.
• I dare you to discipline your mind instead of filling it with garbage.
• I dare you to refuse to tell or listen to a dirty joke.
• I dare you to reject prejudice: to see every person as one for whom Christ died and therefore of infinite value in God's sight.
• I dare you to live for something bigger than yourself; better yet, to live for SOMEONE—the One who loved you enough to die for you.

I DARE YOU!!

Keeping life in balance
It is important that we accept ourselves as God has made us. This doesn't mean that we should not do what we can to develop our abilities. The Lord Jesus was a teenager at one time. The Bible says of Him, "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:52) The Lord Jesus developed mentally (wisdom), physically (stature), spiritually (favor with God), and socially (favor with man). You should be doing the same during your teen years.

Here are some suggestions that may be of help to you:

PHYSICALLY
If God has blessed you with a healthy body, take care of it. Good health is priceless. Good health comes from following sound health principles—eating the right food, exercising daily, and getting enough sleep.

SOCIALLY

Are you neat in your appearance? Are you careful to be well-groomed? Do you use soap, deodorant, toothbrush and comb daily?

What about your contacts with others? Wearing a smile, showing interest in others, being courteous…are some of the traits to cultivate as you mature socially.

MENTALLY

If you want to be a well-balanced person, you won't overlook this area. It is not very glorifying to the Lord when you do poor work in school. Your attitude is all-important. Are you teachable?

Do you want to learn? Do you realize that there are literally millions of teenagers in the world who would give almost anything to have the chance you have to get a good education?

SPIRITUALLY

This is the most important area of all. Do you have the peace of God inside? Can others see Christ in you? Can they tell that you walk with God daily? Here are some suggestions in developing this area of your life:

1. Study the Bible.

It is the source of all true wisdom. Fill your heart and mind with God's Word. God promises success to those who do. The Bible says,

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8)

2. Establish a daily Quiet Time.

This is time spent alone with God each day in prayer and Bible study. This is essential to a life of victory. We can't stress this too much. A daily Quiet Time makes the difference between a careless, defeated Christian life and one that demonstrates God's power and victory.

3. Share Christ with others.

The main thing in witnessing for Christ is to enjoy such a satisfying relationship with Him that others will be drawn to Him through you. This is why the daily Quiet Time is so important.

Let God fill your life and overflow it with His love and then you will be able to help others.

 

[RiverOL]

Personal Enemy #1

During the civil war in Spain a rebel general was outlining his plan for the conquest of Madrid. He explained, "I have four columns approaching the city—one from the north, one from the south, one from the east, and another from the west."

"Which one of these columns," asked a friend, "are you counting on to take the city?"

"None of these," replied the general. "The column I am depending on is my fifth column."

"And where is your fifth column?" asked the friend.

"My fifth column," replied the general, "is in the city. I have men inside the city who are loyal to me. I am counting on them to deliver the city into my hands."

There is a lesson for Christians in this story. Every Christian can be likened to a city under attack. Our enemy, Satan, has many forces at his disposal, but the one that he counts on to bring about our defeat is his "fifth column"—SELF. Our self-centeredness provides opportunities for Satan to gain victories in our lives.

How did man become self-centered? To find the answer to this question, we must go back to the first man, Adam. As Adam came from the hand of God, he was God-centered. Adam's concern was to please God and to do God's will. God was the center of his life; therefore, Adam had peace with himself and with God.

Then came that awful tragedy which theologians call "the fall of man." Adam rebelled against his Creator, and in so doing, he brought sin and death into the world. But something else happened. A fundamental change took place within Adam. He dethroned God in his heart and put self on the throne. This was Adam's great sin—rejecting God as the center of his life and substituting self. Adam became self-centered instead of God-centered.

In time Adam died, but he passed his sinful nature on to his descendants and to the whole human race. The Bible says, "by one man's disobedience many were made sinners…" (Romans 5:19) Adam produced a race of self-centered people. One of our chief characteristics as members of Adam's fallen race is independence—we want our own way. Isaiah described the situation like this, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…" (Isaiah 53:6) This wanting our own way instead of wanting God's way is the very essence of sin.

Instead of being God-centered as God intended man to be, man became self-centered. Instead of living to glorify his Creator, man lived to please himself. Instead of being ruled by God, man was ruled by self. Because man is ruled by self, he commits many sins. It is not at all difficult for us to see the sins of self in others, but it is very hard to see them in ourselves. Right now, let's take a good look at self and see if we do not recognize ourselves.

Self-Pride
To almost anyone, the most important person in the world is himself. No name is as sweet to our ears as our own name. Our conversation is lavishly sprinkled with the words "me," "my," and "I." Even our friends would enjoy talking with us more if the "I's" did not come so close together. What others think and say about us is very important to us. How different we are from the Lord Jesus of whom it is recorded that He "made himself of no reputation…" (Philippians 2:7 New King James Version)

Self-Love

Closely related to self-pride is self-love. What we love more than anything in the universe is ourselves. Our ears are always eager to hear words of praise from others. Even plain, unadulterated flattery is welcomed! And how distressing it is to us when others fail to appreciate us.

F.J. Huegel tells of a student who came in to talk to the school president saying he could no longer continue his studies. Life was unbearable because the students were forever razzing him. They gave him no peace. The president asked the young man to hang his hat on the wall. The young man said he could find nothing on which to hang his hat. He was told to hang it anyway. Of course it fell to the floor.

The president again ordered the young man to hang his hat on the wall. When it fell to the floor again, the young man said, "Sir, what do you mean by this?" The president replied, "If the students did not find so much self-love in you, they would leave you alone because there would be nothing for them to hang their razzing on." The young man saw the point and left the room a changed person. The students no longer bothered him.

Life would be much happier for us if we, too, learned that lesson. Instead of getting our feelings hurt or reacting angrily when someone says something bad about us, why don't we say, "That's nothing! If you knew the truth about me, you would say a lot worse!" At least, we would be telling the truth.

Self-Will

Self is a born rebel. How it hates to take orders! It wants no one, not even God Himself, to rule over it. Self wants its own way and will do almost anything to get it. Oh, self can be religious and even pretend to honor God, but it is a rebel at heart and, sooner or later, it will show its true colors. The Bible says,

"the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." (Romans 8:7)

Self-Righteousness
Self readily sees the sins and shortcomings of others but is blind to its own. Its language is that of the Pharisee who prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men…" (Luke 18:11)

Self-Vindication
Self will never take the blame for anything. No matter what happens, the fault belongs to someone else. When it is criticized, it rushes to defend itself. It always has an "out." It will never say, "I am wrong."

Self-Pity
Another form of self is the martyr complex. Self always feels that it is the one who gets the "raw deal." Self wears its feelings on its sleeve and is easily "hurt."

Self-Seeking
Self is never satisfied. No matter what it has, it wants something more. In self's opinion, the big "I" always rates first place.

Self-Exaltation

Self is guilty of committing many sins, but undoubtedly the most serious one is that of stealing —stealing God's throne. Self has taken over God's throne in the heart and from this stolen throne, it exalts itself and seeks to be worshipped. It cares not that it has broken God's first commandment given from Mount Sinai, "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)

Self is God's enemy and our enemy. Though we have by no means considered all the forms of self in our lives, yet even from this limited description, we can see why the self life is so hateful to God. It is no wonder that the Bible states unequivocally, "Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." (Romans 8:8)

Self is not only God's enemy but it is our enemy as well. The one sure way to ruin your life and that of others around you is to let self rule your life. Mr. Huegel is right when he says, "Until Christ works out in you an inner crucifixion which will cut you off from self-infatuation and unite you to God in a deep union of love, a thousand heavens could not give you peace."

When God opens our eyes to see the hatefulness of self, our thoughts naturally turn to the question, "How can I be delivered from self?" A better understanding of our salvation will help to answer this question. To save us completely, God had to deal with two things. He had to deal with our sins—what we have done, and He had to deal with us—what we are.

How did God deal with our sins? He dealt with our sins by sending His Son to die for us.

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

How can God forgive sins? He can forgive them because of the blood of His Son which was shed for them.

Now we come to the second problem. How did God deal with us—with our sinful selves? He dealt with us by putting us into Christ and dealing with us in Christ.

It might help us to understand this if we take a slip of paper and write the word "self" on it.

Now, take a book and let it represent Christ. Put the slip into the book. Now if you throw the book into the river, what happens to the slip? It goes into the river because it is in the book. Or if you burn the book, what happens to the slip? It is burned also. Again, suppose you wrap the book and mail it to Chicago. It goes to Chicago.

In each case you have no difficulty saying what happens to the slip. What happens to the book also happens to the slip because it is in the book. Now here is good news! When God saves us, He puts us in Christ. The Bible says,

"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus…" (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Putting us in Christ was God's work. Why did God put us in Christ? He put us in Christ so that He could deal with that old, sinful self that is the cause of so much of our troubles. God put us in Christ on the cross so that we were crucified with Him. In going to the cross, the Lord Jesus not only took our sins, but He also took us. The Bible says, "our old self was crucified with him" (Romans 6:6).

Because of the extreme hatefulness of self, God had to use some extreme measures. He brought our old self-life to an end on the cross.

But something else happened. Not only were we in Christ when He was crucified, but we were with Him when He arose. The Bible says God, "made us alive with Christ…and…raised us up with Christ…" (Ephesians 2:5-6) God gave us a new life in Christ!

The Lord Jesus Christ did not die just to save us from hell. He died to save us from ourselves as well. He died that we might have a new center—Christ.

The Bible says, "For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord…" (Romans 14:9) Get that straight—"that He might be the Lord." In plain, simple language that means "the Boss of your life"—the One who makes the decisions and gives the orders. The Bible says of those who are raised up to new life in Christ, "that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (2 Corinthians 5:15)

When the Lord Jesus takes His rightful place as Lord of our lives, things will be different. Instead of the ugly manifestations of the self-life, our lives will show forth the wonderful fruit of the Spirit—"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Now we come to the crucial question: How do we cross over from the self-life to the Christ-life? Here are four simple steps that are essential.

KNOW that God has dealt with us in Christ.

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him" (Romans 6:6).

COUNT on the fact that we died with Christ and rose again.

"…count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11)

God asks us to put our signature to the statement, "I have been crucified with Christ." This makes it real in our experience.

REALIZE that you belong to God.

"You are not your own, you were bought at a price." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

GIVE God His property.

"…offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." (Romans 6:13)

We don't give ourselves to God in order to become His. We give ourselves to Him because we are His.

L.E. Maxwell expressed it like this, "If you are a child of God, if you have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, don't talk about giving God your time, your talents, your money, or your life—it all belongs to Him. Just quit stealing!"

Giving yourself to God is not a matter of holding up your hand or of going down front in a church. It is a matter of selling out completely to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is giving to Him that which belongs to Him—the throne of your heart. It is making Him Lord of everything in your life.

But before Jesus can be put on the throne of your life, self must be dethroned. The center of your life must no longer be self but Christ. The big "I" must be crossed out. The Lord Jesus put His finger on the crux of the matter when he said,

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

That's it—deny himself: not things, but himself.

The Apostle Paul laid down the principle for victorious Christian living in one short sentence.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)

If you are sick of the self-life and ready to give God that which belongs to Him, here is a prayer you may want to pray:

"Lord Jesus I belong to You. Everything that I have and everything that I am is Yours, and I want You to have Your property. Help Yourself to my life. May Your will be done in my life and not mine."
I've Got My Rights!
A senior high girl we'll call Susan came to see her youth leader, Bill. Wow! Was she mad! She explained her problem:

"My sister is in the eighth grade and she's always borrowing my clothes. She's larger than I am and when she wears them, she stretches them. Instead of hanging them up, she crumples them into a ball and hides them under the bed. This gets me so mad that we're always fighting.
"To make things worse, my mother always sides with her. One time she wore a new pair of slacks I had bought. When I went to put them on, I found she had fallen and one whole knee was ripped out."
It's easy to see why Susan was mad. Didn't she have the right to her own clothes? And didn't she have the right to be treated fairly by her mother? Sure she did. You couldn't really blame her for being angry.

In the conversation that followed, Bill explained to her that "rights" go with ownership. If you own something you have the right to say how it is used. If somebody else owns it, they have that right.

Bill suggested that if she transferred the ownership of her clothes to God, then God would have the right to them and how they were used. He would also have the responsibility for them.

Here is part of the conversation:

Bill: "This may sound strange to you, but have you ever thought about giving your clothes to God?"
Susan: "Giving my clothes to God? What does God want with my clothes?"
Bill: "Well, if you give your clothes to God, then they will belong to Him. He will have the right to control their use. And, if they belong to Him, He will be responsible to take care of them. If they are God's clothes, you won't have anything to get mad about if your sister uses them."
Susan: "That sure sounds strange. What if I give my clothes to God and my sister still borrows them and ruins them?"
Bill: "When you dedicate your clothes to God and your sister takes them, she will be taking God's clothes. When this happens, you can share your problem with the Lord and you will see how powerful He really is. He can take care of His property."
Susan: "That sure sounds strange, but I'm willing to try it."

Before they prayed, Bill related the story of how Abraham offered his son on the altar to God in obedience to God's command. Susan was encouraged to imagine herself kneeling before an imaginary altar and placing her clothes on the altar and dedicating them to God. The following prayer was suggested: "Lord, right now I dedicate all my clothes to You. From this moment on they don't belong to me anymore but to you. You have the right as to how they are used. I'm responsible under you to take care of them."

Susan sincerely prayed this prayer. Then Bill told her she must purpose to thank God whatever the outcome. This would prove that she was sincere when she gave her clothes to God.

Bill explained to her that God has a right to test her sincerity and that He might test her sincerity by allowing her sister to wear the clothes and even to misuse them. He pointed out that the only change she could really count on was a change in herself.

Four days later, Susan returned with this enthusiastic report—"It works!"

"What works?" asked Bill.

"Giving my clothes to God! I can hardly believe what happened. I didn't tell my sister anything about our talk, but since that time we haven't had one fight. She borrowed my clothes only once, and for the first time, she actually hung them up. She even ironed the blouse. I can't get over it!"*

Things worked out beautifully in this story. Susan's angry disposition was changed. And her sister changed too.

It doesn't always work out like this. Sometimes the other person does not change.

What happens then? If you are really sincere when you give your "rights" to God, YOU WILL CHANGE. If you've given your "rights" to God, you don't have anything to get mad about.

 

[RiverOL]

What do you Think about Yourself?

Do you feel sorry for yourself? Do you feel that you just don't have the chance in life that others have? Do you hate the way you look or where you live? Do you feel that somehow you've been cheated?

This kind of thinking is deadly. Whether you realize it or not, it affects your relationship with God and your ability to make friends. It's hard to love God and trust Him when you think He didn't give you a fair shake in life. And it's hard to get along with other people when you always have a chip on your shoulder.

You say, "Yeah, that describes my problem perfectly. But what I want to know is this—How can I get out of this trap?"

You get out of this trap by changing the way you think about yourself. You need to develop self-esteem. We are not talking about being proud or conceited or putting yourself up on a pedestal and expecting everybody else to bow down to you. We are talking about having the proper respect for yourself, realizing that you are worth something and that God has a wonderful plan for your life. Let's see what the Bible says about our relationship with God.

God created every person

The Bible tells us that God is the Creator of all men. Did you know that God knew all about you, even before you were born? David said,

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born…" (Psalm 139:14-16 The Living Bible)

There are some things over which we have no control. No person chooses his parents, his race, his social background, or his physical make-up. God is the One who determines these things. Since this is true, we have nothing to be ashamed of regarding these matters, and we have nothing to be proud of either. The Bible says, "What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn't given you?" (1 Corinthians 4:7 The Living Bible)

God esteems every person

Next, we need to see that God esteems every person highly. God wants us to have respect for everyone, including ourselves. If you make fun of someone because of their physical characteristics or their social background you are reproaching God because He made them. The Bible says, "He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker…" (Proverbs 17:5) To look down on or despise another person is a great sin in God's sight. Since this is true, it is also wrong to despise yourself.

God loves every person
We need to see one more thing: God loves every person. God doesn't look upon the human race as one great mass of humanity. He sees us as individuals. He loves us as individuals. To put it plainly: You are important to God. You need to realize this. You need to realize that God loves you. The Apostle John said, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us." (1 John 4:16)

With this in mind, let's see the steps we can take to develop a sense of self-esteem and purpose in life.

Get to know God.
It is through faith and love that we get to know God. But how do you get faith and love? By choosing to have faith and love.

Faith is not something that somehow falls out of the sky and hits us. We can CHOOSE to trust God or we can CHOOSE not to trust Him.

It is the same way with love. Love is not some warm, gooey feeling inside that you either have or you don't have. We can CHOOSE to love God or we can CHOOSE not to love Him. And our love for God is not determined by how many blessings He has given us. The people who have the most in life are often the most unthankful. On the other hand, we have all seen people who had very little in life, yet they were happy and always praising God for His goodness to them.

What are we getting at? Just this—You may not understand your situation, but you can CHOOSE to trust God and love Him. When you do, you will open the way for God to do wonderful things for you. In PSALM 91, God tells us what wonderful things He will do for the person who sets his love on Him. He says,

"'Because he loves me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.'" (Psalm 91:14-16)

Believe that God has a plan for your life.

God is a God of purpose. He has a plan and a purpose for everything, and you can be sure that He has a plan and a purpose for your life. Since this is true, doesn't it make sense to believe that God created you in a particular way so you could fulfill this plan?

Will you take another step of faith now and say, "God, I don't understand a lot of things about myself, but I do believe that You have a purpose for my life. And I believe that You made me in the way You did so that I could fulfill Your plan in my life. I thank You for making me exactly the way I am."

If you can pray that prayer from the heart and really mean it, you have taken a giant step toward developing the right attitude toward yourself.

Realize that God is not through with you yet.

The Bible says,

"And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns." (Philippians 1:6 The Living Bible)

When you are saved, God begins working on you. He will continue to work on you as long as you live.

The Bible says, "we are God's workmanship…" (Ephesians 2:10) The word "workmanship" has been translated "masterpiece." God is working on us to make us one of His masterpieces—a unique, original masterpiece! Not just a copy of somebody else. Doesn't it thrill your heart to realize this?

Begin to cooperate with God.
If God is to make you one of His masterpieces, He must have your cooperation. You see, God will do nothing for us without our free and wholehearted consent. If we want God to change us, we must put ourselves into His hands each day, telling Him that we want Him to change us.

Suppose that a great artist was working on a picture when suddenly the picture jumped off the easel and said, "I don't like the way I look. I'm leaving." The artist would surely say, "Wait! I'm not finished with you yet."

A picture can't do that. But we can! We can become dissatisfied with God's ways and say, "I don't like the way I look. I'm out of here!" When we do this, God's heart is saddened because we are not giving Him a chance to finish His work on us.

Use the abilities God has given you to fulfill His will for your life.
The Bible makes it clear that some people do have more abilities and advantages than others. It also makes it clear that God expects more of them. The Bible says, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48) Because of this, we should not envy others.

It boils down to this: You are going to be judged by what you do with the abilities and opportunities God has given you. I am going to be judged by the abilities and opportunities God has given me. Therefore, we should accept the place in life that God has given us and determine to glorify Him there.

I will never forget the first time I saw the mountains of north Georgia in the fall when the leaves were turning. I was traveling between Chatsworth and Ellijay. I reached the top of the mountain and rounded a bend. There, stretching out for miles and miles, was the most beautiful view I had ever seen. There were big trees and little trees. Some had red leaves, some had brown leaves, some yellow leaves, some green leaves. There were shrubs of all sizes and varieties. They all combined to form a panorama of exquisite beauty. My heart was filled with praise and adoration for the One who created such an unforgettable scene.

What made that scene so beautiful? Simply this—every tree and shrub was fulfilling God's purpose. God planned that scene. Each tree and bush was different; yet all fitted into God's master plan.

Let's apply this to our situation. We are all different. God doesn't make any two people exactly alike. But He has a purpose and a plan for each one of us, and He has a master plan that we all fit into.

When we fit into the plan that God has for us, we not only bring glory to Him, but we find fulfillment, happiness, and joy.

Begin now loving God and trusting Him. Thank Him for making you the way that He did. Determine that you will do your best to glorify Him, right where you are. Let Him fulfill His plan for your life.

That's what life is all about.

PASS IT ON...
Do you have a loved one who is suffering from the aches and pains of old age? Share this little article with them. It was written by Dr. Robertson McQuilken, former President of Columbia Bible College.

She was very old and very crippled with arthritis. She lived alone and I was taking her to town on an errand.
"Robertson, why does God let us get old and weak? Why must I hurt so?" She was not really asking. Just suffering aloud.
"I'm not sure. I have a theory, though. Maybe someday I'll tell you."
"Not someday. Right now. I want you to tell me right now."
We turned toward home. "Okay," I said, "I'll tell you my theory. I think God has planned the strength and beauty of youth to be physical. But the strength and beauty of age is spiritual. We gradually lose the strength and beauty that is temporary so we'll be sure to concentrate on the strength and beauty which is forever. And so we'll be eager to leave the temporary deteriorating part of us and be truly homesick for our eternal Home. If we stayed strong and beautiful we might never want to leave! It's sad to see people struggling so frantically to preserve the physical, never developing the strength and beauty of spirit. In the end they are left with neither—weak and impoverished in body and spirit."

My friend liked my theory! I know because she passed it on.
Of course, it's more than a theory. The life of the Christian is not a candle that glimmers lower and lower to extinction.
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." (Proverbs 4:18)
God keep us growing strong and beautiful.

 

[RiverOL]

The Cure for Loneliness

Elvis Presley was one of the original rock and roll stars. He made millions in show business. While being interviewed on the air, he was asked, "Mr. Presley, how do you account for the happy, joyous expression you always seem to have on your face?"

Elvis answered, "Because I have to in order to make a living. Inside I'm as lonely as hell."

He's not the only one. You can go around all day wearing a plastic smile, surrounded by hundreds of people, and yet inside be as lonely as Elvis was.

Do you think "beautiful people" are always happy?
Well, they aren't. Dr. Martin Grotjohn, professor of psychiatry at University of Southern California Medical School, made an exhaustive study of beautiful people—how they behave, how they relate to others, and how they feel about themselves. He says, "It has been a source of startling surprise to me to see the amount of depression, loneliness, and deep unhappiness among beautiful people."

What about you? Are you satisfied with your life the way it is?

Jesus Christ promised us something better than emptiness, loneliness and despair. He said,

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

A manufacturer puts this note in with the product he sells: "When everything else fails, try reading the directions." God has given us a book of directions and it gives us the answers to the really important questions in life. The Bible not only tells us who God is and what He is like, but it also tells us who we are and what we are like.

We are not machines and we are not mere animals. The Bible says we were created "in the image of God." (Genesis 1:27) Even more important, we were created to be filled with God.

A sweater is a piece of clothing made in the image of a person. It has two sleeves and a place for your head to come through. It is not only made in the image of a person, but it is designed to be filled with a living person. We, too, were designed to be filled with a living person—God Himself!

Why aren't we filled with God?

Because we don't choose to be. When God made man, He gave him the ability to choose to love and obey Him or to say "No" to Him. The first man, Adam, chose to disobey God, and every one of us has done the same thing. The Bible says, "each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6).

Instead of being filled with God's life, we are filled with Self. We want to have our own way and to be independent of God. The trouble is that we are not able to cope with our problems. We are lonely and frustrated and insecure. And we are loaded down with a ton of guilt because of our sins. It's no wonder we are not happy. We're always looking for something that will satisfy us—some new thrill or experience.

But satisfaction is not in a "thing" or an experience of another person like us—it's in Jesus Christ. He said,

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink… whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst." (John 7:37, 4:14)

Jesus is still inviting people to come to Him and be satisfied.

To put it plainly, we were made by God and we need His life in us to satisfy us. If we miss this, life will be as empty and meaningless as if we were an empty Coke bottle alongside an abandoned highway.

God's answer to every human need is His Son. Jesus Christ was and is and always will be God, but He became a man that He might make things right between God and us.

Because Christ paid the penalty for our sins, God can forgive us of our sins. God does not overlook our sins, but He forgives them because He sees the blood of His Son which was shed for them.

Jesus Christ not only died for our sins, but He also rose again. He ascended back into Heaven where He was given the place of all authority and power. Then on the Day of Pentecost, He came back to live in the hearts of His disciples. He can live in your heart too!

Many wonderful things happen when you receive Christ as your Savior:

• God forgives you of all your sins. That ton of guilt is gone—forever! God not only forgives you, but He also counts Christ's righteousness to you. God sees you "in Christ" and you are as pure and clean in His sight as Jesus Christ Himself.
• 
• Christ actually comes to live in your heart. This is what a Christian is—one in whom Christ lives. The Apostle Paul said, "Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)
• God the Father becomes your Heavenly Father. You become his responsibility. Just as any child who has a good father looks to his father for his needs, so you can look to your Heavenly Father for your needs. God wants you to do this.
• You become a member of the biggest family in all the world! Every Christian is your brother or sister in Christ. And God gives you the Holy Spirit to dwell in you so you will love them.
• You have a new destination—Heaven! And you can be absolutely sure that you are going there because God says so and He cannot lie.

You say, "Hey, that sounds great! How do I get in on it?"
1. First, admit that you are wrong and ask God to take over your life.

The reason we commit so many sins is because we will not let God rule our life. We want to have our own way.

God wants to forgive us of our sins, but He can't unless we admit that we're wrong. You can't forgive somebody if they won't even admit that they have done something wrong, and neither can God. Jesus said, "unless you repent, you will…perish." (Luke 13:5)

What is repentance? It's a change of mind about yourself, about sin, and about God. It's coming to God and saying, "God please forgive me for the way I've treated you. I want you to take over my life and run it from now on."

It's not easy to admit that you're wrong, but it results in wonderful joy. Why? Because it brings you into a right relationship with God.

2. Second, believe what God says.

So many people think that a person can earn salvation or make up for his sins by doing good things. We are not saved by what we do, but by what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. You could do good things all your life and you would never earn salvation. Over and over again in the Bible we are told that eternal life is a gift. The Bible says,

"Because of his kindness [grace], you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it." (Ephesians 2:8-9, The Living Bible)

3. Third, receive Christ as your Savior.
In order for a gift to be yours, you must receive it. God's Gift to us is His Son. Everything we need is in Him. But we must receive Him.

The Bible says, "to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…" (John 1:12) Do you have a broken heart? Do you wonder if anybody understands you? Jesus does! Because He lived here as a man, Jesus Christ knows what it is like to be poor, to be lonely, to be misunderstood, to be rejected, to suffer, and to be tempted. Because He is God, He is wonderfully able to help us when we call on Him. And He is just as available as the air you breathe!

How do you receive Him? You receive Him by calling on His name—"O Lord Jesus! O Lord Jesus!" Pour out your heart to Him. Tell Him everything bad you can think about yourself. Ask Him to forgive and cleanse you in His precious blood. Invite Him to take His rightful place on the throne of your heart. He will!

What's the cure for loneliness? It's Jesus Christ—His presence in your heart! When He takes His rightful place on the throne of your heart, He fills your life. You will never be without a friend again. He said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Here is some additional material on this subject, from the Hollywood Free Paper.

"Three of my friends tried to commit suicide…"
Within the last year, three of my friends tried to commit suicide. Life was too much for them. They couldn't hack it. This world ate them up until their only thought of escape was death.
Loneliness is universal.

It eats inside your system. It brings a vacuum of emptiness, a fear of death, a gnawing hunger of wanting to be understood and loved. Loneliness is a sickness. It hurts. For some it hurts so much that they would do anything to run away from it. But their life amounts to a big cop-out and the problem isn't gone.
Why? You can have a million close friends and still be lonely. You can be the best looking, most popular, most successful person on earth and still be lonely. No matter what you do, where you go, or what you try to be, loneliness still eats your heart.
Lonely people need love—warm, flowing love. Love is power, power to conquer disease, sickness and even death. Love has more power to unite the world than the nuclear bomb does to destroy it. Love can kill loneliness.
God is love.

Jesus showed us God's love. Jesus has the power to conquer disease, sickness and death. He spread God's love to all who wanted to receive it. But when Jesus died He died knowing the lonely emptiness and fear all the people have who are without God. He left all the glories of Heaven to humble Himself in the fashion of a man—as God walking among man to show them His love. He was obedient all the way to the cross, but on the third day love burst the bonds of death with resurrection power.

God wants to get man back in step with Him. God created man in His image, for love and fellowship with Him. Although man messed up, Jesus took our sins and paid the price for our separation from God. Believe He did that. Now that the chasm is bridged, we can get back to God's original plan of love and fellowship. Ask Jesus to come in right now and fill you with Himself, bringing love and mercy. He'll show you how to get on track with Him. He will take away your loneliness. He will clean you of this deadly disease that eats in the hearts of people everywhere.
Jesus gives you Himself. He is love. He is your answer, and He is your guidance. It's awesome to think that God created you, me and all Heaven and earth; and that the personal fullness of all creative power wants to come right inside you right now! Loneliness can end for you today.
Love,
Molly

 

[RiverOL]

How to Overcome Feelings of Inferiority

Wally is good natured, and he doesn't seem to mind it when he's kidded about being fat, but it hurts inside. He's heard "Fatty, fatty, two by four," until he believes he's just a joke and there's nothing he can do about it.

Sonya's problem is her height. She's 1.75 meters tall, and she hates every centimeter of the last 10.

Karen figures she must have been sitting on the back row when the looks were passed out. She's never had a date and doubts that she ever will.

Ron is good looking, 1.80 meters tall, and an outstanding athlete. Everybody thinks that he's got it all together, but Ron has deep feelings of inferiority because he was born "on the wrong side of the tracks."

Each of these young people has a different problem, but they have one thing in common—they have a poor self-image.

What do we mean by "self-image" and why is this so important?

Self-image is the way we see ourselves. It's what we think about ourselves. It's important because a person's attitude toward himself greatly influences his attitude toward God, toward his family, and toward other people.

People who have a bad self-image are not happy with themselves. They find it hard to trust God, they tend to resent authority, and they find it hard to make real friends.

A poor self-image is developed by accepting wrong values other people put on you, your appearance, and your abilities.

Somehow we manage to remember all the "put downs." If somebody chewed you out and said, "You never do anything right," that went into your self-image computer.

When you started school, you became more conscious of your appearance and your abilities. As you grew older, you began to look yourself over for every possible "defect."

And just in case you missed anything, your classmates pointed it out to you. Like if you had large ears, they called you "elephant ears." Or maybe you were a girl who was a little oversize, and they nicknamed you "Moose." It doesn't take much of this to make you feel unattractive and worthless.

Most everybody has experienced such feelings at one time or another, but "the uglies" hit hardest during the teen years. Few teens really like and accept themselves as they are. Just ask any number of teens if there is anything about themselves they would like to change. Almost all would name at least one thing. Some would have a whole list!

Rejecting yourself and feeling that you got a raw deal in life results in a kind of "floating bitterness." You are bitter toward God, toward your parents, and toward most anybody else that happens to come along.

This need not be. You can overcome feelings of inferiority and get rid of bitterness.

The development of a right self-image comes from accepting the values God puts on you, your appearance, and your abilities.

The Bible says there is a "self" you are to deny and a "self" you are to accept. The "self" you are to deny is the "Big I"—that sinful self that is so proud and selfish and self-centered. But there is a "self" that you are to accept. That "self" is the special, unique person God created you to be.

Steps to achieve acceptance of self.

Realize that you are SOMEBODY.

The most fantastic thing in this world is not some space station or some new electronic invention—it's a human being.

The movies' fantasies of bionic men or women have nothing on you! You may have heard that the human body is worth only a few dollars, but it is actually worth $6 million, according to Yale university biophysicist Harold J. Morowitz. And that price covers only the raw materials—hormones, proteins, enzymes, etc. The intricate work of fashioning the material into human cells might cost six thousand trillion dollars. And assembling these cells into a functioning human being would drain all the world's treasuries. "Each human being is priceless," says Dr. Morowitz [from "Have a Good Day"]. But that's not what makes us so valuable.

The real reason we're so special is that God loves us. And His love doesn't depend on what we look like or what we do. God says, "Regardless of what you look like, regardless of whether you are a success or failure, regardless of what anyone else thinks about you, I LOVE YOU."

There's another reason why we are worth so much—the price God paid to redeem us. What did God pay for us? $5,000? or $50,000? or $500,000? No. He gave His Son to redeem us. Since God gave His Son for us, He must consider us very valuable.

Realize that God designed you before you were born.

God is the Creator of all things, and He likes variety. He doesn't make any two snowflakes alike, and He doesn't make any two people alike. Each person is a special creation of God. David expressed it like this:

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother's womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about.

Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it.

You were there when I was being formed in utter seclusion!

You saw me before I was born and scheduled every day of my life before I began to breathe.

Every day was recorded in your Book.

How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about me constantly!

I can't even count how many times a day Your thoughts turn toward me!

And when I waken in the morning, You are still thinking of me!"
(Psalm 139:13-18 The Living Bible)

God created me the way I am, and He created you the way you are. We are God's workmanship, and He created us to glorify Him. There is a bumper sticker which says, "God don't make no junk!" That's true. God is not in the business of making "junk." Each person is a unique, special creation of God. You aren't junk—you are somebody!

Realize that feelings of inferiority are caused by comparing yourself with others.

Little children are happy because they don't compare themselves with one another. They are happy just being themselves and having what they have.

As we get older, we start looking around and comparing ourselves with others. It's then that we decide we got a raw deal in life because we are not as good looking as so-and-so, because we don't have brains like so-and-so, or because we don't have money like so-and-so.

God tells us not to compare ourselves with others (2 Corinthians 10:12) nor to be envious of them (1 Peter 2:1). Your satisfaction comes from being what God intended you to be, not from trying to be somebody else. Eugene Peterson's translation of Galatians 5:26 puts it clearly:

"That means that we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original." (The Message)

Realize that beauty doesn't make you happy.

Do you still think "beautiful people" are the happiest people in life? Well they aren't. Marilyn Monroe was one of the most beautiful women in the world. She not only had beauty, but she also had wealth and success. But she was not happy and she took her own life.

God says that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty, and that inner peace is more important than outward success. The Bible says,

"Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on jewelry, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement. Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God." (1 Peter 3:3-4 The Living Bible)

Accept yourself as God made you.

There's a young man in Japan who was born with a terribly deformed body and face. Few people have ever seen Kandura-san because his parents have always kept him in seclusion. With a deformed face and a deformed body, unable to walk or talk, what chance did he have in life?

But his radio brought him the message that God loved him and had sent His Son to be his Savior. When a Japanese Christian visited him, Kandura readily put his faith in Jesus Christ. Later he scrawled this message:

"Day by day as I walk this road of blessing, I receive the fruits of faith in my hands. These blessings come from my Lord, who is my strength and my hope. Praise the Lord, for He gives me this wonderful salvation."
[from "Live Happily With Yourself", OSP Publications, Inc.]
Though terribly handicapped, Kandura is glorifying God. His story has been published in Christian magazines and has blessed thousands of people.

What about you? After reading this can you continue to feel sorry for yourself? Can you continue being bitter toward God because of something you don't like about yourself?

A change in your attitude can change your whole life. Why not confess your bitterness to God, ask Him to forgive you for your attitude, and thank Him for making you just the way He did.

Begin a new relationship with your Creator.

This is the most important step of all. Jesus called it being "born-again." It sounds mysterious but it is really simple.

John 3:16 tells us that God gave His Son to us to be our Savior.

John 1:12 tells us that when we receive Him, we are born into God's family. We receive Him by believing on Him.

If you don't understand it, read John chapter 3 several times before going to bed tonight. Ask God to make it clear to you.

Realize God is not through with you.
The Bible says, "we are His workmanship." (Ephesians 2:10) God is working on us and He isn't through with us yet. Be patient and allow Him to complete His perfect plan in you.

Be grateful.

Your happiness in life doesn't depend on how you look or what you have. It depends on your attitude.

You can go through life bitter and resentful about yourself, or you can accept yourself and be thankful. You can always find something to be grateful for. A man once famously said, "I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet."

Gratitude is happy thankfulness toward God. Gratitude gets you out of yourself and into God. God becomes the source of your happiness. Then you can get on with the real purpose of life—being what God wants you to be.

 

[RiverOL]

Beware the Hook

The devil made me do it!

No, he didn't! You did it, and you are responsible for it. The devil may have tempted you, but YOU made the choice.

There's nothing good about sin, but the devil deceives people into thinking it's good. In every temptation, there is this element of deception. That's the way the devil goes about his work of destroying people—he deceives them. It's the same thing a fisherman does to catch a fish.

Think of your favorite fishing lake. In it is a great big fish. For years, the fishermen have wanted to catch this big fish, but they haven't been able to do it. Why? Because that fish has a place of safety under a big stump. Nobody can get him there.

How does the fisherman go about trying to catch that fish? Does he go out there, build a nice fire, put a frying pan in it, dangle a hook in front of that fish and say, "Come on, fish, bite that hook, so I can catch you and eat you?" Of course not!

What does the fisherman do? He slips up quietly behind that stump so the fish can't see him. He puts something on that hook that he thinks will appeal to that fish—a nice juicy worm—he dangles that in front of the fish.

The battle is on! The fish is hungry—he hasn't eaten for days, and that worm sure looks good. But something warns him of danger. He's been tangled up with a hook before. Finally, his desire gets the best of him. He convinces himself that he can run out there, grab that worm, and run back under the stump.

He grabs it! He's got the worm. Yes, but he's got something else—the hook!

That's the way the devil deceives us. He dangles something in front of us that appeals to us. He knows us, and he knows exactly what 'bait' to use for each of us. The devil tempts me at my weak point; he tempts you at your weak point. The Bible says,

"each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." (James 1:14)

Now, it's no sin to be tempted. Even the Lord Jesus was tempted. The Bible says that He "has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet [he] was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) Just because you are tempted doesn't mean that you have to sin. When does sin come in? Sin comes when we give in to the temptation. We sin when we say, "Yes" to it.

Each time you are tempted you must choose between two things: God's will and your own lust. Certain definite results follow each choice. If you choose God's will, the result will be righteousness and life. If you choose your own lust, the result will be sin. The Bible says, "the wages of sin is death…" (Romans 6:23) The Bible also says, "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (James 1:15)

Remember, in every temptation, there is a hook. There is nothing good about sin. It may look good, but since it comes from Satan, it is not good.

The Bible says,

"Don't be deceived…Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…" (James 1:16-17)

Get that—Every good gift and every perfect gift is from God. And it comes in God's way and in God's time. If it doesn't come in God's time and in God's way, it's not from God, and it's not good.

Actually, it is the PURSUIT of sin that is so appealing to us. As soon as sin is committed, it is no longer attractive. Satan has you hooked, and he no longer cares to hide its ugliness.

For example, 2 Samuel 13 tells the story of Amnon, one of King David's sons. Amnon was infatuated with his beautiful half-sister, Tamar. He lusted after her. Finally he conceived a plan to get her. He pretended to be sick and asked Tamar to come and cook for him. When they were alone, he forced his attentions on her and raped her.

Afterward, how did he feel about Tamar? His 'love' turned to hate. But the story doesn't end there. Later on, Amnon was murdered by Tamar's brother in an act of revenge.

We can learn a valuable lesson here—there is always a hook in sin. Sex is a wonderful gift of God; and, in God's way and in God's time, it is a great blessing. But, if you reach out and take it outside of His will, it becomes a curse. If a boy really loves a girl, he won't try to take advantage of her; and if a girl really loves a boy, she won't lower her moral standards for him. It's a foolish girl who gives in to a boy 'to keep from losing him.'

But you ask, "How can I overcome temptation?" First, accept the fact that you will be tempted—we all are. Next, realize that there is a hook in every temptation—there always is. Remember, if it doesn't come from God, it isn't good, no matter how good it may look.

God will provide you a way out of every temptation if you choose not to sin. He promises to do this in His Word. You should memorize this verse, It will help you when you are tempted.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Are you tempted? Tell the Lord about it. Tell Him that you choose not to sin. Ask Him to keep you from sinning. Trust Him to make a way of escape for you. Then, take that way of escape.

ESCAPE!
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out [an escape] so that you can stand up under it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)
God has a tremendous message for us in this verse and every teenager should get it. Let's look at the verse carefully and see what God is saying to us.

You will be tempted.
The Christian life is not a life free from temptation. When you become a Christian, the devil doesn't decide to take a long vacation. I wish he would. I would pay his expenses! As long as we are in this world we will be tempted. But remember this—temptation in itself is not sin. The Bible says of the sinless Savior, He "has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet [he] was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) Sin comes when we say, "Yes" to temptation.

Everyone is tempted.
Remember when you are tempted that such temptation is "common to man." Christians are not a new order of angelic beings. They are made of the same stuff as other people and are subject to the same temptations and trials. Often, when we as Christians are tempted with unclean thoughts, we are prone to think that we must be the most wicked or weakest of all people. The devil likes for us to think that way. He likes for us to think that our case is hopeless. But this is not true. Others are tempted in the same way. Many of them have come through with flying colors, and you can too if you really want to do so.

God will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear.

Here is a fact that we can count on. [God] "will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." God keeps His word. If we go down in defeat it will be our own fault. There are three steps down into sin, and the last two steps are ours.

Someone has said, "Temptation is like an egg—easily broken, but also easily hatched if we give it a warm reception."

There is a way of escape.
"But when you are tempted, he [God] will also provide a way out [an escape] so that you can stand up under it."

When an old black preacher was explaining this verse to his congregation, he said, "What the Lord says here is that He will never let the devil hem you up in a corner without leaving some little knot-hole that you can squeeze through." This is true.

• Sometimes the way of escape is to avoid a situation that you know will be dangerous.
• Sometimes, the way of escape is to break some friendship or association that is leading you the wrong way.
• Keep busy. Find something constructive to do. Idleness is the devil's workshop, and if you don't want to do business with him, stay out of his shop.
• Be careful about what you feed your mind. You cannot keep a pure mind if you feed it on all the filth that is printed and shown today.
• Don't neglect your Bible. A note in D. L. Moody's Bible reads, "This Book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this Book."

God is faithful.

Our verse says, "GOD IS FAITHFUL." When God says He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear, He means just that. When He says He will make a way of escape, He means just that. We may fail Him, but He never fails us.

But, suppose you do fail. Ocean liners carry life boats for use in emergencies. God has made such a provision for us. 1 John 1:9 says,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

When you do sin, come to God at once and confess your sin openly and frankly.

But you must not be expecting to fail all the time. If you expect to fail, you will fail. Determine in your heart that you will succeed in the Christian life.

Jonathan Edwards made two wonderful resolutions:

"Resolved first, that every man should live to the glory of God.
Resolved second, that whether others do this or not, I WILL!"
The young person who determines in his heart to glorify God in his life, no matter what others do or think, is more precious to God than all the starry universe.

 

[RiverOL]

What in the World is Worldliness?

He had a very determined look on his face, and since he was big enough to block the door I decided to listen to what he had to say. The badge on his blazer told me his name was Wally and that he was one of several hundred teens from Michigan attending a youth seminar where I was one of the speakers.

"Look preacher I've got a problem and you'd better solve it for me."

I took a second look at his football physique and immediately agreed to help him, if I could.

"Everybody tells me I have three enemies to fight—the world, the flesh, and the devil. Now I get this business about the flesh, because I live with it every day. And I'm beginning to understand the way the devil works. But what in the world is WORLDLINESS?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, I replied, "It's not as complicated as we preachers make it seem. Come on over to the ohp." He followed me, Bible in hand, and when we left the room together, fifteen minutes later, he confessed, "That's the first time I've ever understood what worldliness is all about."

Why don't you look over my shoulder (you'd never be able to look over Wally's) and get in on the lesson yourself.

I gave Wally a marker and asked him to draw a circle on the overhead, with some stick figures walking on it. This is what he drew:

"Now, Wally, the Bible uses the word world in three different ways. It can refer to the earth God created, such as in Acts 17:24. Wally found the verse and read, "The God who made the world and everything in it…"

"The second use of world is in John 3:16, where it refers to people." "God so loved the world…" He nodded his head, showing he understood.

"Now its the third use of world that has you confused, the way it's used in 1 John 2:15-17."

He found the passage and read it out loud:

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17 New King James Version)

Then he looked up with a blank expression on his face.

I added another circle to the overhead and wrote the three meanings of world.

"This third meaning of world simply has the idea of a system or order of things that surround us.

"Look—you've heard radio and TV announcers say, 'And now the news from the world of sports.' What does 'the world of sports' mean? Is it some faraway planet where dead baseball players go?"

He laughed, "I guess 'the world of sports' means everything that makes up athletics—people, ideas, programs, places, and all that."

"Okay. And the 'world of politics' would be everything that makes up the activities and thoughts and goals of people in government, right?" He nodded his agreement.

"You can't pin down 'the world of sports' to any one place or person, can you? It's all around you, visible and invisible, right?"

"I'm starting to see what you're aiming at," Wally commented. "In other words, when the Bible talks about the world it means a system of things—people, ideas, programs and so on—just like with sports or politics. You can't see it but it's there and it influences you all the time."

I had a thinking teenager on my hands!

"Add one more thing to your definition, Wally, and you'll be all set. This system of things that surrounds us is controlled by the devil and has as its goal the ruin of your life and the work of the Lord on earth."

He looked at the diagram a long time then asked the question I was waiting for: "But how does this invisible system affect me personally?"

I took off the earlier diagrams and put up a triangle. "Wally, when you came into this world, you brought with you only three things: a body, a mind, and a will. And when you were saved, the Spirit of God moved into your life—like this."

"Now, let's add the world to our picture: and while I'm doing this, find 1 John 2:16 and find out what three ways the world has of working in your life."

Wally read, "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life."

"Let's take them one by one. The lust—or appetite—of the flesh refers to the pressure of the world against your body, so let's add an arrow and this label to our diagram.

"The lust of the eyes means the pressure of the world against your mind, because what goes through your eyes affects your mind.

"And the pride of life refers to the pressure against your will, because pride is a sin of the will."

The picture now looked like this:

Wally shook his head. "I get what you're talking about, but I still don't see what this means to me personally."

"It means this, Wally. All day long this invisible system around you is putting pressure on your body, mind, and will, trying to get you to conform to the world. The devil wants to use your body the way the unsaved crowd does, or take it some place where a Christian's body should never be found."

I could see the light dawning.

"I get it! There's pressure against my mind, trying to make me think the way the world thinks and there's pressure against my will, trying to get me to do what I want, not what God wants. Hey, that makes sense!"

"The Bible always makes sense," I said, "especially when you take time to understand it. But you know, Wally, you and I have discovered what the world is and how it works, but we've not even defined worldliness!"

He blinked twice and smiled. "I guess you're right. But wouldn't worldliness be giving into these pressures and doing things like doing drugs or going to wild parties or stuff like that?"

"Well, lots of Christians don't use drugs or go to wild parties, but they're still worldly. You see, Wally, those verses you read from 1 John 2 tell us that worldliness involves our love for the Father and our obedience to His will."

He looked at his Bible and read,

"If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him… The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15 & 17)

"Here's a definition of worldliness, Wally, that might help you:

"How's that?"

He repeated it slowly: "Anything that keeps me from enjoying God's love and wanting to do God's will is worldly. But that means that every Christian has to decide for himself what is worldly and what's not worldly."

"Right on! Of course, there are some things that experience tells us are dangerous in a Christian's life, and we'd better avoid them. But when it comes to pinpointing this habit or that place, we'd better be careful. Worldliness isn't just things like X-rated movies or martinis. A fellow could sleep in every morning, pamper his body and never have time for Bible reading and prayer.

"Or a girl could be so proud of her looks or her clothes that nobody could get along with her."

Wally looked at the diagram on the overhead again. "I get it! The world puts pressure on my body, mind and will, trying to get me to conform to the world's way of living. And I know when the world is at work because I start losing my enjoyment of God's love and desire to do His will. Hey, that makes sense!"

I enjoyed his enthusiasm for a minute, then punctured the balloon. "But what do you do when the world moves in? It isn't enough just to know how worldliness operates or how to detect it. You have to be able to fight it."

He sobered up a bit. "Yeah, I see what you mean. It's easier to conform to the world than to fight it. Well, what am I supposed to do?"

I pointed to the diagram. "Wally, there are two kinds of Christians in the world—conformers and transformers. A conformer is a person whose life is controlled by pressure from without. He gives in to the world.

"But a transformer is a Christian whose life is controlled by power from within, the power of the Holy Spirit."

I pointed to the circle inside the triangle. "Wally, there's enough power there to transform your life—body, mind and will—and, through you, to transform your high school campus, or the whole world."

That puzzled look came back. "Our pastor always talks about the power of the Holy Spirit, but I just don't understand it. What do I have to do for the Holy Spirit to work in my life?"

"The secret of victory during the day lies with what you do at the beginning of the day. Take your Bible and read Romans 12:1-2 to me. I know, you've heard those verses a hundred times, but try them once more."

He read,

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

He looked at the page again. "Hey, there are those words conform and transform!"

"Right! And these verses explain how you can be a transformer. It's simply by giving God your body, mind and will every single day."

He read aloud, "I urge you... offer your bodies... renewing of your mind... God's…perfect will.' Why it's just like the diagram—body, mind and will!"

"You've discovered the secret, Wally. Start the day by giving God your body, mind and will, and then the Spirit can work in your life and be the Power on the inside to counteract the world's pressures on the outside.

"This means getting out of bed in the morning instead of pampering your body. It means reading the Word to renew your mind and it means spending time in prayer; surrendering your will to His will and seeking His guidance. That's what dedication really is—not walking an aisle once in a meeting, but giving your body, mind and will to God every single day. The Spirit works through the Bible and prayer, you know."

He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I've been neglecting my devotional life. In fact, now that I understand what this is all about, I have to admit that I've been worldly. I've been sleeping in every morning and ignoring God. And I've given more time to TV and dates than I really should. You know, I don't do some of the things other kids do——smoking and stuff like that—but I guess I'm worldly just the same!"

"Don't forget the definition, Wally. Anything—even a good thing—that keeps us from enjoying God's love, or wanting to do His will, is worldly, and we have to get rid of it."

I looked at my watch. "It's almost time for the next session, so let me wrap this up in a package for you to take home and practice." Here's what I wrote in his seminar notebook:

WORLDLINESS

Definition: Anything that keeps me from enjoying God's love and wanting to do His will.

Description: Pressure against my body (lust of the flesh), mind (lust of the eyes) and will (pride of life).

Design: Satan wants me to be a conformer, not a transformer.

Defeat: I must surrender body, mind and will to God daily and allow the indwelling Spirit to counteract the pressures from the outside by His power from within. The Spirit works when I take time for the Bible and prayer.

 

[RiverOL]

Love Not the World

We've said it before. We say it again. The Christian life is no bed of roses. On the contrary, it is a warfare! This implies enemies, and the Christian has three terrible ones—the world, the flesh, and the devil. Let's think for a few minutes about this enemy called the world.

The Bible uses the word world in three different ways, as we saw in Lesson 10. First, it can refer to the earth which God created. "The God who made the world and everything in it…" (Acts 17:24)

Next, it can refer to people as in John 3:16—"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…"

A third use is found in 1 John 2:15 where the child of God is warned, "Do not love the world or anything in the world." Here the word refers to the world-system, which is a deadly enemy of the Christian. This is the sense in which we will be using the world.

The World-System

How did the world-system come into being? Who is its ruler? What is its purpose? How does it affect the unsaved person and how does it affect the Christian? These are good questions. Let's see if we can come up with some answers.

To understand how the world-system came into being, we must go back to the beginning of things. The first Adam was created by God. He was created in the image of God and given the rulership of this world. But Adam rebelled against God. When he did this, he actually took sides with Satan and thus came under the rule of Satan.

So we see that originally God gave the rulership of the world to Adam, but Adam handed it over to Satan. Thus, Satan gained control of the world and became the ruler of this world. This is why the Bible calls him "the god of this world"(2 Corinthians 4:4).

Satan's problem
Because Adam was the head of the human race, he brought the whole human race into the kingdom of darkness and under the rule of Satan. But even though Satan had the whole human race as his kingdom, he still had a problem.

His problem was how to keep them there! There was a way for them to escape. God has always made a way for man to come back to Him. When someone turned to God in repentance and faith, they escaped from Satan's rule. Of course, Satan didn't like this, so he came up with a plan.

Satan's plan
What did Satan do? He organized humanity into a world-system based on pride, ambition, selfishness, greed, and sinful pleasures. It includes world kingdoms, world organizations, false religions, commerce, entertainment, politics, and many other things. What is the world? It is human society with God left out.

Through his world-system, Satan can offer people riches, power, possessions, worldly honors, intellectual achievement, social prestige, as well as all kinds of sinful pleasures. He can give people just about anything they could want. Thus, Satan is able to make them satisfied to remain under his rule and to leave God out of their lives.

Who then is the ruler of the world-system? We see that it is Satan himself. I know this will shock a lot of people, but the Bible makes it clear that "the ways of this world…" (Ephesians 2:2) are governed by Satan. The sooner we face this fact, the better. Satan allows men to be in charge of things, but he himself is the real ruler behind the scenes. The Bible says, "the whole world is under the control of the evil one." (1 John 5:19)

In saying this, however, let us keep in mind that God is always sovereign ruler of the universe. It is only through God's permissive will that Satan is allowed to rule the world-system. This explains why, in spite of man's great achievements, the world is steadily getting worse instead of better.

Purpose of the World-System
What is the purpose of Satan's world-system? Its purpose is to draw men's hearts away from God and from doing His will. Satan has something attractive and appealing to offer each person. He deceives people into thinking that the things of this life are all that matter. He wants them to spend their lives seeking after these things so they will never have time to think about God or about life after death. His philosophy is well expressed in the beer commercial which says, "You only go through life once, so you've got to grab for all the gusto you can."

It's certainly true that you go through life only once, but it's also true that death is not the end of everything. It's the end of this life, but it's just the beginning of eternity, an eternity that will be spent in one of two places—Heaven or hell. The person who ignores this fact is a fool.

Jesus told us of such a person. He wasn't dumb or crazy; in fact, the world would call him very successful. His farms produced so much goods he didn't have a place to store it. What did he do? He tore down his barns and built new, larger ones. Soon, he had everything just like he wanted it; and he boasted to himself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." (Luke 12:19)

But he never got to enjoy those goods. That very night he had to leave this life. God said to him,

"You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" (Luke 12:20)

The moral of this story is simple: the person who ignores God and spends his life for the things of this world is a fool. Jesus said,

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36 )

Can Christians be deceived?
We have seen how Satan uses the world to deceive the unsaved, but what about Christians? Can Satan deceive us? Yes, he can.

If we are truly born-again, Satan cannot keep us from going to Heaven. He knows this, and he doesn't waste his time trying to do something he knows he can't do. But he is constantly striving to turn our hearts away from God and from doing His will.

You see, whether we realize it or not, we are engaged in a terrible warfare with Satan. Why? Because we have a message that can bring God's life to men and set them free from Satan's power. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…" (Romans 1:16)

The Gospel has been entrusted to us; therefore, we represent a potential threat to Satan's kingdom. It is no wonder that Satan hates us so and tries to destroy us.

What is Satan's strategy?

Satan's strategy against the Christian is simple—he wants to neutralize us, to take the fight out of us. Satan wants to make us of no effect in the battle against him, and he uses the world to do this.

Satan tries to make us conform to the world. He wants us to think as the unsaved people of the world think, to seek after the same and to do the same thing as they do. Young people are especially vulnerable to these pleasures because they want to belong and to be accepted by their peers.

What happens when you conform to the world?

First, you lose the joy of being a Christian. You find that you don't enjoy reading your Bible, or praying, or witnessing. Soon you are in an awful mess. You have enough of the world in you so that you don't enjoy being with the people of God, and you have enough of God in you so that you can't enjoy being with the unsaved.

No Christian ought to live like this. A.W. Tozer said,

"To accept Christ is to know the meaning of the words, 'As He is, so are we in this world.' This means that we accept His friends as our friends, His enemies as our enemies, His ways as our ways, His rejection as our rejection, His cross as our cross, His life as our life, and His future as our future."

Something else happens to the Christian who conforms to the world: he loses God's blessing on his life. A great man of God once said, "You can go where the people of this world go, and you can do the things they do, but you won't have any power with God." This is true.

How can we keep from being deceived by Satan and his world-system?

We must know the truth. We must have our minds renewed so that we can see things as God sees them. The Bible says,

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

What are some of the things God wants us to see?
First, He wants us to see that the world-system is controlled by Satan. It is, therefore, the enemy of God. Mark it down. You can't be a friend of this world and, at the same time, be God's friend. The Bible says,

"…don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." (James 4:4)

There is something else God wants us to see. He wants us to see that the world-system with all its glitter and tinsel has no future. It has been condemned by God. It is true that we are in a warfare, but there is no question about its outcome. Jesus Christ has already overcome Satan and his world-system. The Lord Jesus said,

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory if He would only fall down and worship him, but Jesus refused. Instead, He went to the cross where He died for our sins. God raised Him up the third day and gave Him all power in Heaven and in earth.

As Christians, we are united to Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We have been delivered from Satan's world-system. We are in the world but not of it. We don't have to go along with Satan and his world-system. The Bible says that God "has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves…"(Colossians 1:13)

Have you been a compromising, conformed-to-the-world Christian? Do you want to come back to God and have His blessing upon your life? Obedience is the way of blessing. Confess your sins to God. Ask Him to forgive you and to make you clean through the precious blood of His Son.

Turn your back on the world and the things of the world. Cut out those things that hinder your fellowship with God. Wilbur Chapman said, "Anything that dims my vision of Christ or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, IS WRONG FOR ME, AND I MUST, AS A CHRISTIAN TURN AWAY FROM IT."

If we are Christians, our home is in Heaven, and we ought to set our affections on things there. The Bible says,

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2)

What will you do with the truth?
Now you know the truth, so the question is, What will you do with it? Satan is a defeated foe. His world-system is condemned. It has no future.

You wouldn't keep putting your money in a bank if you knew that it was going to fail, so don't invest your life in the things of this world. The Bible says,

"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17)

 

[RiverOL]

Keep Yourself Pure

Some young people put this question to a well known pastor: "Why is it that you are so silent about one of the greatest problems in our lives? You cover practically the whole gamut of truth with sermons, but you leave out the thing most of us are up against day and night." The problem concerning these young people was the problem of sex, and it is perhaps the greatest problem facing young people today.

As a young person grows into maturity, it is normal to develop an interest in sex. This is natural. God made our bodies the way they are, and we do not have to be ashamed of anything God has made.

The problem is how to control this new, powerful force of sex. As you grow into adulthood, the body develops quickly into maturity, whereas the judgment needed to control it lags behind. The result—you have a full-grown body with its desires and appetites, but you lack the mental and emotional maturity needed to control it. It is like putting a twelve-year old boy behind the wheel of a powerful racing car.

Teenagers are pulled by powerful biological urges, on the one hand, and on the other hand, by fear of what might happen. To add to the problem, we live in a sex-crazy world. Movies, music videos, and advertising in all kinds of media flood our global village with sexual images. No wonder young people have a problem with sex.

And Christian teenagers are not exempt from this problem by any means. It is wonderful to know that you are saved—but you still have your body! And you must learn to control it. Either you will control your body or it will control you.

What does the Bible say about sex?

God, in His wisdom, planned that all life should reproduce itself. Without the process of reproduction, all life would soon come to an end. Therefore, it is God's plan that human life be reproduced by the union of male and female. But the Word of God never separates sex from marriage. God has put His approval on sex within the marriage relationship, but never apart from it. The Bible says,

"Marriage is honorable among all, and the [marriage] bed undefiled…" (Hebrews 13:4 New King James Version)

The Lord Jesus put His stamp of approval on marriage. He performed His first miracle at a wedding feast. Sex within the marriage relationship is pure, and holy, and right. Outside of marriage it is wrong. The same verse that speaks of marriage as honorable and undefiled speaks of sex outside of marriage in these terms:

"for God will surely punish all those who are immoral or commit adultery." (Hebrews 13:4b The Living Bible)

What will happen if I don't control sex?

"Sow a thought, reap a word; sow a word, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny." How true these words are!

The law of sowing and reaping is a fixed law of this universe. It applies in the physical realm, and it applies in the spiritual realm. The Bible says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7) Put very plainly, this simply means: you can't fool the Almighty.

An evil thought dwelt upon soon becomes a habit, and habits form character. In time your character will be written upon your face. You can look at many young people today and see the devil's price tag: "SLIGHTLY SOILED—GREATLY REDUCED IN PRICE."

Then, there is the matter of reaping. Reaping follows sowing, but there is an interval of time between. Because God doesn't strike us down the minute we commit sin, it is easy to think we are getting away with it. The Bible says, "Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people feel it is safe to do wrong." (Ecclesiastes 8:11 The Living Bible) But reaping follows sowing as surely as night follows day.

Some years ago, a young lawyer sowed his 'wild oats.' In the process, he contracted a venereal disease. In due time, he settled down and became established in business, and married a lovely young woman. This couple had a little son born to them—born blind, due to this disease of his father. In a few weeks, the young wife died from the same cause. Then one dark night, this grief-stricken young man took his little blind baby in his arms and drove to the graveyard. He stood over the grave of his wife and there killed his baby and then killed himself.

The Devil doesn't want you to see this side of sin. And what is even worse, death does not end this story or any other story, for that matter. One day, this young man will be raised from the grave to face a holy God, and he will have to give an account of his sinful life—the way he lived and the way he treated his family. Jesus said,

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." (John 5:28-29)

How can I solve this problem of sex?

You must first realize that sex is not a toy or a plaything. Accept it as one of the most precious gifts that God has presented to man, and handle it with care. Any good gift can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on how it is handled. A powerful automobile can be a blessing when it is handled right. That same car can be two tons of death and destruction when it is not handled right.

Set your standards by the Word of God and not by what others are doing. Times may have changed, but God hasn't changed. By now young people should have learned that there is nothing smart about wrongdoing and nothing stupid about clean living. The Bible says, "…the way of transgressors is hard." (Proverbs 13:15 King James Version), and you can't change that law no matter what you do. Right is right even if you are the only one doing it, and wrong is wrong no matter how many are doing it.

Form your own convictions about what is right and what is wrong in your relations with the opposite sex and stick by them. All the advice in the world won't do you any good unless you determine in your own heart what you will or will not allow in your life.

Keep a clean mind and a clear conscience. Both are priceless. A guilt-laden conscience is a terrible burden in life. One girl who had been guilty of sexual looseness expressed it this way, "Don't tell me there is no hell—I've been there."

If you are a Christian, your body belongs to the Lord. You can't play around with it. The Bible says,

"The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord..." (I Corinthians 6:13)

A Christian is one who has been bought with a price—the precious blood of Christ. God is jealous about His property. The Bible says,

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Look to the future. If it is God's plan for you to be married, then He has that mate in mind who is perfect for you. When that time comes and you meet the 'one and only' you will be glad that you have kept yourself pure for that one. Don't risk losing the possibility of a happy Christian home blessed with children for a few moments of guilty pleasure.

Remember, it is never God's will for a Christian to marry an unsaved person. Look to God to direct in this area of your life. An unsaved person has to trust his own wits and wisdom—that's all he can do; but a Christian has the privilege of trusting the Lord in this. Note the word "privilege." You can run your own life and make your own mistakes. But the greatest wisdom is to let God plan your life. He never makes a mistake.

Commit yourself unreservedly to Christ. Teen years can be treacherous years. One mistake can ruin your life. Ask Jesus Christ to be the pilot of your little ship. He will bring it safely into harbor.

Make this your motto: "Christ completely in command; Christ constantly in control." But remember, he can't command your life unless you make Him your commander. And He can't control your life unless it has been committed to Him. The Bible says, "…I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (2 Timothy 1:12) Our part is to give our lives to Him. His part is to keep us.

Always be perfectly honest with the Lord Jesus—He wants you to be honest with Him. You need never hesitate to speak to Him about anything that troubles you. Tell the Lord Jesus frankly and honestly about the storms that sweep over your inner being. Remember, He is the one who spoke to the raging wind and sea and quieted them with a word.

The sowing and reaping principle in life works for the young person who lets God direct his life. The Scripture says, "the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:8) Many and great are the blessings that come to the young person who lives a godly life.

"The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair…there is great reward for those who obey them." (Psalm 19:9,11 TLB)

"If Something Happens We Can Get Married"
The kids who figure "if something happens we can always get married" had better understand what this means. Too often it can mean broken-hearted parents, a sudden end to education, and being saddled with the responsibilities of manhood and womanhood at a time when you should be enjoying teenage fun. And you can wind up hating your wife or husband.

Here is a letter which describes the situation:

"I am 17 and already my life is messed up. Ted and I went steady for six months and we began to do things we had no right to do. I became pregnant.
"We both quit school and got married right away. My folks thought it would be best if we moved out of town, so we did. I hate my life and what I have done to Ted. The baby cries all the time and gets on Ted's nerves. He drinks too much and I can't blame him. We live in a dump and there is no money for sitters or movies or decent clothes. Ted never says anything, but I know he must hate me because I got him into this. I'm afraid he hates the baby too. He never holds her or pays attention to her.

"There are times when I think this is all a bad dream and I'll wake up at home in my own bed, and get dressed and go to school with the kids I liked so much. But I know too well that those days are over for me and I am stuck.
"I'm not writing for advice. It's too late for that. I'm just writing in the hope you will print this letter for the benefit of other teenagers who think they know it all—like I did."
(signed) Wrecked at 17

 

[RiverOL]

How Can I Live the Christian Life?

Christian teens have one of the toughest jobs in the world—living up to their convictions.

They love the Lord Jesus and want to live for Him. But trying to live the Christian life is a battle and much of the time they find themselves on the losing side. They can sing and smile in church but they are slaves of a thousand things of which they are ashamed.

They don't want to be hypocrites but they just cannot live up to what they believe. In short, to them the Christian life is a beautiful thing but they can't make it work. They get plenty of advice on what they ought to do but nobody gets around to telling them how to do it.

Is there an answer to this problem? Yes, there is! God doesn't just save us and then leave us here to be battered by the devil until we die and pass on to the next world. To be sure, the Christian life is warfare, but we are on the winning side, not on the losing side.

The first step toward a life of victory is to know that you are in Christ. You can't win the battle against sin or the devil until you know your new relationship with Jesus Christ. The Book of Romans explains what happened when we were saved.

In the Book of Romans we learn that God has given the human race two heads—Adam and Christ. God looks at all people as being in one or the other of these two races. God sees you in Adam or in Christ. God sees me in Adam or in Christ. By natural birth we are all in Adam. By spiritual birth we come to be in Christ. Let's think about these two men, Adam and Christ, and see why we are in one or the other.

Adam, the first man, was created by God

What was God's purpose in creating Adam? We find the answer in the Book of Genesis where God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule… over all the earth…" (Genesis 1:26) God wanted a man. He wanted this man to be in His image. He wanted this man to express His life and to exercise His authority. This is what God wanted and this is what God made. The Bible says, "So God created man in his own image…" (Genesis 1:27)

What kind of man was Adam? Adam was a perfect man. As he came forth from the hand of Almighty God, Adam was perfect in body, soul, and spirit. He was a God-centered man. God was enthroned as king in his life. Adam loved God and found pleasure in doing God's will. Although Adam was created sinless, it was not impossible for him to sin. Adam was no puppet. He was created in the image of God and he was given a free will. He could choose to obey God or he could choose to disobey God. So long as he chose to obey God, he would enjoy fellowship with God. If he chose to disobey God, the result would be death.

Adam's choice
We know what happened when Adam was tested. He made the wrong choice. He chose to disobey God. He really chose to be independent of God.

Adam's wrong choice caused sin to enter into the human race. The Bible says,

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…" (Romans 5:12)

Adam's wrong choice caused his nature to be changed. God was dethroned in his heart, and Self mounted the throne of his heart. Instead of being God-centered, Adam became self-centered. Instead of loving God and wanting to please Him, Adam now loved himself and wanted to please himself. God withdrew His Spirit and Adam became spiritually dead—separated from the life of God. This was a great tragedy, not only for Adam but also for the whole human race, for man was never intended to live his life apart from his Creator.

When Adam had children, he passed his sinful nature on to them. The Bible says that Adam was the father of a son "in his own likeness," and not in the likeness of God. Adam's son, Cain, revealed his sinful nature by murdering his own brother.

A ruined human race

But the effect of Adam's sin went much farther than his own family. Adam was not merely the head of one family; he was the head of the whole human race. He was the source of all human life. What happens to the source of a stream affects the entire stream, and what happened to Adam affected the entire stream of human life. The Bible expresses this truth like this,

"through the disobedience of one man many were made sinners…" (Romans 5:19)

The "many" really means all, for every member of Adam's race inherited his sinful nature. So, Adam brought forth a race of sinful, self-centered people, and this is where we were before we were saved. We were "in Adam"—in Adam's sinful, self-centered race.

Jesus Christ

In spite of man's sin and rebellion, God still loved him and took steps to bring him back into His fellowship. Since ruin came to the human race by one man, God provided redemption for the human race through one man. The Bible says,

"One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right." (Romans 5:19 The Message)

To provide salvation for the human race, God Himself came to this planet as a Man. How marvelous are the words,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." (John 1:1, 14)

Why Jesus came

In Jesus Christ, God's second man, we see what God intended man to be. The life that He lived was perfect. Though Jesus had many temptations, He never sinned. The Bible says that "he had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way to them and sinned." (Hebrews 4:15 The Living Bible) His teachings were incomparable. Even His enemies had to admit, "No one ever spoke the way this man does." (John 7:46) But Jesus Christ did not come just to set us a perfect example or give us some marvelous new teachings. He came to make a way for man to get out of Adam's sinful race and to get into the family of God.

Christ became "the son of man" that we might become the "sons of God." He took upon Himself the nature of man that we "may participate in the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4)

"God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God." (2 Corinthians 5:21 The Message)

The Last Adam

Jesus Christ is called "the last Adam" in the Bible because He represented all men when He died on the cross. Just as the first Adam represented all men when he sinned, so Jesus Christ, as the last Adam, represented all men when He paid the penalty of sin. The Bible says,

"God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one of us!" (Isaiah 53:6 The Living Bible)

For six long hours, the Lord Jesus suffered upon the cross. Then He cried, "It is finished." The work of salvation was finished. The way was opened for sinful man to come back into fellowship with God through the blood of God's own Son.

The third day after His death, the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the grave with a mighty triumph over His foes. He arose to become head of a new creation—the children of God.

In Christ—what this means

What happened when you were saved? God took you out of Adam's sinful race and put you into His family. He took you out of Adam and put you into Christ. The Bible says,

"It is because of him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus…" (1 Corinthians 1:30)

What does it mean to be in Christ? It means to be joined to Him—to be one with Him. We have become one with Christ. Our union with Him is a living union. The Lord Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches." (John 15:5) The branch is in the vine, and the life of the vine flows through the branch constantly.

To be in Christ is to share all that He has. The Christian life is not only a changed life—it is an exchanged life. "All that Christ has," said Martin Luther, "now becomes the property of the believing soul; and all that the soul has, becomes the property of Christ. Christ possesses every blessing and eternal salvation; they are henceforth the property of the soul. The soul possesses every vice and sin; they are henceforth the property of Christ."

To be in Christ is to share His victory over sin, the world, and Satan. The Bible says,

"he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit." (1 Corinthians 6:17)

We cannot fight the devil in our own strength. He is much too strong for us. But he is not too strong for the One to whom we are joined. When He walked on this earth, Jesus didn't fear the devil or any of his agents. They feared Him. They recognized who He was, and when He spoke, they obeyed Him.

Christ in you

The first step toward a life of victory is to know that you are in Christ and that Christ is in you. Every believer is in Christ. Every believer has Christ living in him, but not every believer knows this.

Why is it that some Christians live victoriously while others are in constant defeat? The reason is that some recognize that Christ lives in them while others do not. Some have yielded their lives to Him and are trusting Him while others are trying to do the best they can in their own strength.

Perhaps you have been praying for God to make you strong. But God has not answered this prayer. He is not going to either! He has something much better for you. Instead of making you stronger, He wants you to realize that He has joined you to His Son—the One who said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthew 28:18)

We are not told to be strong in ourselves. We are told, "be strong in the Lord, and in his mighty power." (Ephesians 6:10) We are to be strong in what He is. The Christian life is an odd paradox. When we are strong in ourselves and full of self-confidence, we are really weak. But when we are weak in ourselves but trusting in the Lord, we are strong. This is the testimony of those who have accomplished great things for the Lord. King David never lost a battle. What did he say? "I will go in the strength of the Lord…" (Psalm 71:16 New King James) Again he wrote, "Blessed be the LORD my strength…" (Psalm 144:1 King James) The Apostle Paul was the greatest missionary who ever lived. What did he say? "I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

The great missionary leader, Hudson Taylor, said, "All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned [counted] on God's being with them."

How do you live the Christian life? You live it by trusting and obeying the Lord Jesus who lives in you! A good motto for us Christians is:

A word of warning.Your new life in Christ is a life. Life must be cared for. You need food for your soul each day as well as for your body. Take time to read some verses from the Bible each day. The Bible says, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation…" (1 Peter 2:2) Remember: God's Word will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from God's Word.

What do you do when you sin? Confess it to God and get going again for God. Your position in Christ hasn't changed. You are still in Christ, and He is still in you. However, sin does break your fellowship with God. The way back is plain. The Bible says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9) But the more we learn to trust and obey the One who lives in us, the more we will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ…" (2 Corinthians 2:14)

 

[RiverOL]

The Meaning of the Resurrection

For hundreds of years, the prophets in Israel had foretold the coming of a Savior. Then, in the fulness of time—about 2000 years ago—God sent forth His Son, Jesus of Nazareth. At the age of thirty, Jesus began His public ministry. He was a worker of mighty miracles, but he was more than this. He was God; and because He claimed to be God, He was crucified.

Jesus Himself had said that He would suffer many things and be crucified but that He would rise again on the third day. When His enemies asked for a sign that He was the Son of God, Jesus said that He would give them one sign—the sign of Jonah the prophet. He explained,

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40)

In effect, Jesus said, "I will be crucified, but I will rise again on the third day. My resurrection will prove that I am what I claim to be."

The Risen Christ appeared to His disciples

He was crucified, and He did rise again on the third day. After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus was on the earth forty days. During this time, He was seen by many of His followers, on one occasion by a group of 500. The first to have the joy of seeing Him was Mary Magdalene. Later He appeared to ten of the apostles with Thomas absent. When the disciples told Thomas that Jesus had risen, he did not believe them. Jesus appeared to the apostles again, and this time Thomas was present. When he saw the Lord Jesus, Thomas worshipped Him saying, "…my Lord and my God." (John 20:28)

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest facts of all history. Each year Christians the world over celebrate His resurrection from the dead. But what does this great event really mean?

The Resurrection proved Christ's claims

First, it means that Jesus Christ is what He claimed to be. Some speak of Him as a great man, and some think of Him as a teacher of sublime truth. Others consider Him a good man who founded a new religion. But Jesus declared that He was God.

Jesus said, "I and My Father are one." (John 10:30) And "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)

If Jesus Christ were not what He claimed to be, He would be an imposter and a deceiver and could not even be called a good man. But His resurrection proves that He is exactly what He claimed to be.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ is "declared to be the Son of God with power…by the resurrection from the dead." (Romans 1:4)

This is the meaning of the resurrection—that Jesus Christ is God, and everything He said is true. Our Christian faith rests upon His resurrection, and our faith is not in vain.

The Resurrected Lord paid our sin debt

The second thing that the resurrection of Jesus Christ means is that God has fully accepted His death on the Cross as the payment for our sins. Jesus said, "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28) He did give His life in payment for our sins, and the resurrection shows us that God has fully accepted that payment, and that our sins are forgiven.

In ancient days, when a man owed a debt and could not pay it, he was cast into a debtor's prison. He remained there until the debt was paid. If he was seen out of prison later, it meant one thing—the debt had been paid.

We owed a great debt of sin—"the wages of sin is death…" (Romans 6:23) We could not pay it, but the Lord Jesus went into the debtor's prison of death for us. He remained there three days and three nights, and then He came forth alive forever more. He is a living Savior, and His resurrection proves that our debt of sin has been fully paid. And the wonderful thing is that God not only forgives our sins for Jesus' sake, but He forgets them! God says, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." (Hebrews 10:17)

The Resurrection opened the gateway to life

In the third place, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the guarantee that our bodies will be raised one day. Jesus said, "Because I live, you will live also." (John 14:19) Because of the resurrection, death need hold no fear for Christians. Those who have received Christ have everlasting life, and no power in the universe can take that life from them. For Christians, death is not the end of life but rather the gateway into real life.

Because of their faith in the resurrection, Christians of all ages have been able to face death without fear. Dr. J.G. Fleming tells how that the rebels during the Boxer Rebellion in China, captured a mission school, blocked all gates but one, and placed a cross on the ground before it. Word was sent in that anyone who trampled on that cross could go free but that anyone who would not trample on it would be killed. The first seven of the young people trampled on the cross and were allowed to go free. The eighth, a girl, knelt before the cross and was shot instantly. All the rest in a line of a hundred students followed her example.

These young people believed in the resurrection, and they were willing to lay down their lives for their faith. They are alive today in heaven, and they will always be honored in a special way as those who laid down their lives for their Savior.

Both saved and unsaved will be raised from the dead

To you who are unsaved, the resurrection of Jesus Christ means something also. It means that your body will be raised one day to stand before the Savior whom you have refused. Jesus Christ said, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth…" (John 5:28-29) He said that the saved will come forth unto "the resurrection of life" but the unsaved will come forth unto "the resurrection of condemnation."

No one can avoid being resurrected from the grave. Our bodies will be raised one day, and we will live forever in one of two places. If we have accepted Christ, the resurrection will be the glorious beginning of a new life that will never end. If we have refused Him, we will wish that we had never been born.

We do not have to wonder where we will be in eternity. The Bible tells us that we can know where we will be. But the wonderful thing is this: not only can we know, but also we can choose where we will spend eternity.

The Resurrection proclaimed the Good News

The Gospel is good news, and the good news is that God's Son died for our sins and rose again the third day to be our living Savior. If you will open your heart to Him, He will gladly come in. He will be your friend during this pilgrim journey on earth: and then one day, He will take you to live with Him forever in Heaven.

Because of the resurrection, the Apostle Paul actually looked forward to death. He said,

"For me to live is Christ [His life in me], and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

Death can be the greatest gain or be the greatest loss. It all depends on what you do with Jesus.

 

[RiverOL]

Will the Real Christian Please Stand Up?

If you are looking for an excuse for not getting involved, you can find one. What you need to do is ask yourself this question: Do I really believe what the Bible says—that those who die without Christ will spend eternity in hell? If you believe this, you will do something about it.

I cannot forget the murder of Kitty. It's not too unusual for murder to take place at night on the streets of a big city, but this one was different as it lasted thirty-five minutes! The killer attacked this girl on a street corner, stabbing her many times as she screamed and dragged herself along the street.

Didn't anyone see what was happening or hear the screams of this girl? Yes, plenty of people did. Later the police found out that at least thirty-seven neighbors were roused out of bed by the screams of this poor girl. They actually saw the murder taking place.

How many came to help? Not one! In all that thirty-five minutes, not one person tried to help Kitty, or even picked up a phone to call the police! When the man who finally called the police was asked why he had not called sooner, he said,

"I didn't want to get involved."
And so it was with the other thirty-six neighbors.They let this girl die because they, too, just, "didn't want to get involved."

You say, "That's terrible!" and it is. But it's no worse than Christians who live for themselves and do nothing about sharing the greatest good news this world has ever heard.

Christ's last command to His followers was,

"Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15 )

The word 'gospel' means 'good news', and 'to preach the gospel' simply means to share the 'Good News' with others.

What is the 'Good News'? The Good News is that God loves sinful people like you and me and that He gave His Son to die for our sins. Those who receive Christ as their Savior are forgiven of their sins and they receive everlasting life.

Many Christian teenagers really want to share their faith with the unsaved, but for one reason or another, they haven't managed to get going. Nine out of ten Christians have never led even one person to Christ. Let's look at some of the problems and their solutions.

"I'm not really sure that I am a Christian."

A story is told about a teenage boy who often had doubts about his salvation. One day he became so concerned that he decided to end his doubts once and for all. He knelt down to pray. He said, "Lord, if I've never received You as my Savior before, I'm doing it right now. Come into my heart, cleanse me from all my sin, and make me Your child from this day forward. Amen."

He finished his prayer and then went to find a wooden stake. After driving it in the ground where he had prayed, he wrote the date on it.

This teenager reported that about two weeks later, he again had strong doubts as to whether he really was a Christian. This time he had a quick reply, "All right, Satan, come with me." He walked out, pointed to the stake and said, "See, Satan, here's the date and the place I received Christ as my Savior. The Bible promises that if I call upon His name, I will be saved." (Romans 10:13)

"I am a Christian but I haven't been living for the Lord."
God has told Christians what to do about their sins. We are to confess our sins to Him. Every Christian should memorize this verse:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

Do you want to clear the slate with God? Then do this. Write a letter to God—

"Dear God, I am ashamed of the way I have been living as a Christian, and I want to confess the following sins ....I have been cheating at school, I have lied, I have been cursing, I've been disrespectful and disobedient to my parents, I ....."

When you have confessed every sin you can think of, say, "There it is God. I am confessing these sins to You and I am asking You to forgive me and to cleanse me as You said You would."

Then take your letter, burn it, and forget it. When God forgives your sins, He forgets them.

"I can't witness to some people because I have wronged them."
You can witness to them in a way that will cause them to respect you and to know that you are for real. How do you do this? You do it by going to them, apologizing for the wrong you have done to them, and making things right.

As the leader of a rock band Jack was responsible handling the finances. He had a drummer named Mitzi. On one occasion, he said to him, "Mitzi, we got so much for this job and here's your share." But he shortchanged him five dollars.

Jack got saved and gave up his rock band. But one day, four or five months later, as Jack was praying, the Lord reminded him of that five dollars he had stolen from Mitzi.

"But Lord," Jack said, "that was before I got saved."

"I know," said the Lord, "but you stole that money from him. Give him back that five dollars."

Jack argued, "But Lord, I've testified to that guy. What will he think of me if I go and tell him I stole five dollars from him? Anyway, he doesn't know I stole it."

Jack kept arguing with the Lord, but the Lord kept saying, "You go and pay Mitzi that five dollars you stole from him."

Finally Jack said, "All right, Lord, if that's the way You want it, but I'm going to make an awful fool out of myself."

When he saw Mitzi, Jack said to him, "Hey, Mitzi, do you remember such and such a gig?"

"Yeah," said Mitzi, "what about it?"

"Well I told you that your share was so much? Well, we got more than that, and here's the five dollars I owe you."

Mitzi looked at Jack earnestly. Then he said, "You told me about getting converted. I knew about that five dollars you had stolen from me. I figured that if you were for real, one day, you would give that five bucks back to me."

When you make things right with the people you have wronged they will respect you. What's more, when you are right with God and your fellow man, you will have a clear conscience and this is priceless.

"My situation at home is terrible! I'm the only Christian in my family."

Then you are the one Christ is counting on to faithfully represent Him in your home. Hang in there. If you can be an overcomer in that situation, God will be able to use you to help other kids with the same problem. When they tell you all their troubles, you can say, "Yes, I know what you are talking about," and you will be able to help them as no one else can.

"How can I win my unsaved parents to Christ?"
You can win them by being respectful and obedient, by living a happy, victorious Christian life at home, and by showing them real love.

Don't wait for mom to hassle you about the dishes. Offer to do them, and do them cheerfully. And those jobs your dad has been wanting you to do, don't talk about doing them—DO THEM! And when you blow it, be honest enough to admit it and humble enough to apologize.

Before long, your folks will be asking, "What happened to you?" Then you can tell them about the Lord. Love them, forgive them when they make mistakes, and pray for them.

"I don't know how to tell others about Christ."

Learn how. You don't learn how to play basketball by sitting in the stands saying, "I wish I could play basketball." You learn from someone who knows the game and you learn by playing the game. If you are really concerned, you will learn how to tell others about Christ.

"I'm scared."
This is normal, but you will find that when you start to obey God, He will give you strength and boldness.

If you are for real, you will get going for God. There are those around you who need to hear that God loves them and that Jesus died for their sins.

 

[RiverOL]

Jesus is Coming Soon

THIS EARTH IS GOING TO HAVE A GOLDEN AGE—a time when there will be no war, no hatred, no hunger, and no poverty.

Hard to believe? Yes, but it's true! This golden age will not be brought about by some action of the United Nations or by some new social program out of Washington. It will be brought about by the personal return of Jesus Christ.

Men have always dreamed of a perfect society, but they have never been able to produce it. Why? Because men are sinful and self-centered, and rebellious against God; therefore their plans have always failed and always will.

But God has a plan for this world, and His plan will not fail. His Son, Jesus Christ, is coming back to this earth to rule and to reign. He will bring in earth's golden age.

Jesus is coming again! He said so. He told His disciples,

"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again…" (John 14:2-3)

This message was repeated at the time of His ascension. As His disciples stood watching Him ascend into the clouds, two angels stood by them and said,

"Men of Galilee …why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11 NIV)

That is plain enough. "This same Jesus will come back in the same way you have seen him go." Jesus is coming again!

What will happen when Jesus comes?

The Bible tells us that the second coming of Jesus will be in two parts: First, He will come for His believers; then, later on, He will return with His believers to set up His kingdom here on earth.

The second coming of the Lord Jesus will be a sudden and unexpected event. The Bible says,

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

All believers, both those who have died and those who are living when Jesus comes, will be caught up together to meet Him in the air. Just think of it—not one Christian will be left on the face of the earth. The telephones will be jammed as those who are left try to find out what happened to their Christian relatives. Teenagers will be running through the halls looking for their Christian friends, but they will be gone.

What will the world be like then? It will be a world without restraint or decency. Wickedness will abound—men will be free to do whatever they want to do. Of course, those who love wickedness will be glad that the Christians are out of the way.

The Antichrist appears
About the time the Christians are taken up to be with the Lord, an extraordinary man will appear on the earth. He will possess great leadership ability and marvelous powers. He will even be able to call down fire from heaven, but his power will not come from God—it will come from Satan. The Bible says,

"And then the lawless one will be revealed… [whose coming] will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 NIV)

The Bible calls this man "the Antichrist." The word 'anti' means 'against.' He is against God and against Christ. What will the Antichrist do? He will deceive the world! He will deceive people into worshipping and serving him. You would think that those who had heard of Christ's second coming and had seen it take place would repent and turn to God, but this will not be so. God will allow the Antichrist to deceive them. The Bible says,

"because they refused to love the truth and so be saved… God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 NIV)

What does this mean? It means simply this: If you will not believe the truth and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will believe a lie and follow the Antichrist as your master.

The Antichrist will rule the world

Through his deceit and his miraculous powers, the Antichrist will gain control of the whole world. He will set up a great image and require everyone to worship him and his image. He will require every person to receive a mark in his right hand or in his forehead. No one will be able to buy or sell without this mark. Those who refuse to receive the mark of the Antichrist will be in danger of being killed. For those who do receive it, the future is even worse. The Bible says,

"If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand he himself shall also drink of… the wrath of God…" (Revelation 14:9-10)

The Great Tribulation

The first part of the Antichrist's reign will be a time of great prosperity, but the last three and one half years will be a time of unprecedented distress. There will be wars, pestilences, earthquakes and famines as God pours out His wrath upon a wicked, Christ-rejecting world.

The Bible says that there will be disturbances in the heavens. The sun will turn black. The moon will be blood-red. The stars will fall. Mountains and islands will be shaken out of place. One third of the inhabitants of the earth will be killed during this time. The Lord Jesus said,

"For then there will be great distress [tribulation], unequaled from the beginning of the world until now —and never to be equaled again." (Matthew 24:21 NIV)

The visible return of Jesus Christ

Following these terrible events, the Lord Jesus will return to this earth with His believers. This time, He is not coming as a meek and lowly Galilean. Instead, He is coming in great power and glory.

Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is coming to put down all rebellion against God and to execute judgment against the wicked. The Bible says,

"Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude 14-15)

Christ's glorious reign

After He has triumphed over His enemies, the Lord will set up His kingdom here on earth. Psalm 72 describes His glorious reign:

"In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more… kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him… blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory." (Psalm 72:7,11,19)

The Great White Throne

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ will reign here on earth for one thousand years. After this will come the judgment of the Great White Throne. What is this? This is the judgment of the wicked dead, the unbelievers. The Apostle John described it like this:

"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God…" (Rev 20:11-12a)

If you continue to love sin and reject Christ, you will have to stand at the judgment of the Great White Throne and face your past. God has a record of everything you have said and done. You will be judged from this record. The Bible says,

"and books were opened... And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books."(Revelation 20:12)

Another book will be there—the Lamb's Book of Life. There is a place in this book for your name; but, if you do not receive Christ, your name will not be in this book. You will have no Savior.

Then comes God's judgment: "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15) This will be your place throughout the countless ages of eternity.

Joy or Judgment
There you have it. The age-long battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan is rapidly coming to a climax. You are on one side or the other. There is no middle ground. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me." (Matthew 12:30)

If you belong to Christ, you can look forward to His coming with great joy. If not, you have nothing to look forward to except the sure judgments of God. You can try and laugh it off, but your heart tells you that it is true.

Will you be ready?

There is only one way you can be ready to stand before God. You must come as a sinner to the Lord Jesus and receive Him as your Savior. Why not do this right now? You've followed the crowd long enough. Come to Jesus and say, "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. Please forgive my sins and come into my heart. I do take You as my Savior right now." Jesus will hear your prayer and He will receive you. He said, "whoever comes to me I will never drive away." (John 6:37 NIV)

WARNING: Don't put it off. You don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. The Bible says,

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1)

Jesus is coming! No man knows the day nor the hour, but He is coming soon.

WILL YOU BE READY?

 

[beensetfree]

Calming your mind in an age of Covid19

This is the challenge to all of us when so many think we are self appointed social Media experts who know more than the scientists and politicians. It may be hard to trust in our leaders as they don’t understand whats going on. But we can trust God!
Psalm 131 teaches us to still our minds. It tells us how to be still and know that He is God.

“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭131:1-2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

 

[beensetfree]

God Gives Us Wisdom For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless. Proverbs 2:6,7 NIV _______________ Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Psalm 51:6 NIV _______________ If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 NIV _______________ God Loves You! "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18 NIV _______________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light.”

John 1:7

As he is in the light! Can we ever attain to this? Shall we ever be able to walk as clearly in the light as he is whom we call “Our Father,” of whom it is written, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all?” Certainly, this is the model which it set before us, for the Saviour himself said, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect;” and although we may feel that we can never rival the perfection of God, yet we are to seek after it, and never to be satisfied until we attain to it.

The youthful artist, as he grasps his early pencil, can hardly hope to equal Raphael or Michael Angelo, but still, if he did not have a noble beau ideal before his mind, he would only attain to something very mean and ordinary. But what is meant by the expression that the Christian is to walk in light as God is in the light? We conceive it to import likeness, but not degree. We are as truly in the light, we are as heartily in the light, we are as sincerely in the light, as honestly in the light, though we cannot be there in the same measure.

I cannot dwell in the sun, it is too bright a place for my residence, but I can walk in the light of the sun; and so, though I cannot attain to that perfection of purity and truth which belongs to the Lord of hosts by nature as the infinitely good, yet I can set the Lord always before me, and strive, by the help of the indwelling Spirit, after conformity to his image. That famous old commentator, John Trapp, says, “We may be in the light as God is in the light for quality, but not for equality.” We are to have the same light, and are as truly to have it and walk in it as God does, though, as for equality with God in his holiness and purity, that must be left until we cross the Jordan and enter into the perfection of the Most High. Mark that the blessings of sacred fellowship and perfect cleansing are bound up with walking in the light.

 

[RiverOL]

Finding the Mirror

One Friday night when we went to the cabin we found that Mr. Campbell had a mirror on the kitchen table. It wasn't very fancy and only ten inches by twelve inches with a small white wooden frame around it. He said that he noticed that some of us had discovered the mirror. I immediately thought of my oldest brother who was a teenager by now. He didn't use to worry too much about what his hair looked like (we left that to our mom), but suddenly he seemed to be spending quite a bit of time looking in the mirror and fussing over his looks. Mr. & Mrs. Campbell knew that that could mean that we were becoming teenagers and that probably we were beginning to think about girls.

If you are a teenager or been one you probably know about becoming self conscious. You look at the size of your nose, ears, height, if you are fat or skinny, and a hundred other things and begin to feel good or bad about yourself. Until I became a teenager I didn't spend much time on this subject. Con, my twin, told me one day that a person came to him and said that one of us was good looking. Which one of us would it be? Then he said, "I guess both of us can feel good because we look alike."

Twins can see themselves in the mirror every day. Ha! How would you like that? If you didn't like the mirror you could spend your time trying to look different or not worry about it by wearing the same hat etc.

Our mother must have liked what she saw because she was always trying to get us to dress alike. When we became teenagers we decided that we wanted to be different. I wonder why.

Hugh Campbell had been spending a lot of time getting us to learn about God and who He was and reminded us that "man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart", according to 1 Samuel 16:7. Looking on the outward appearance is natural, he said, but the heart was the most important. The heart God is referring to is that very important part of man that causes him to love, hate, choose, and desire. God wants us to love the things He loves, hate the things that He hates, choose the things that He would choose, and desire the things that He would desire. I was soon to find out that this lesson would become a very important lesson for me as a teenager.

If you have been following my story you will know that we went to the cabin for many Friday nights to be with the Campbells and to learn about God. Someone asked me recently how many times we went to the cabin on Friday nights. I could have said about as many times as they have come to this "cabin." Since you get 100 points for each lesson completed you could quickly give me the answer, but then I would be teasing because all of you have not come here an equal number of times. Actually my twin Con and my two older brothers and several others went to the cabin for about four years. Wow! Have you got 20,000 points? We didn't get points but we did get to know many things about God.

One Friday night after hearing the story of Saul on the Damascus road and how he became a Christian, Mr. Campbell asked us if we could see ourselves in the Bible stories.

I thought I could because I knew exactly where I became a Christian. It was at a Bible camp and at a camp fire. We were told that God loved us, but also that we had sinned, and I certainly knew that I had. We heard that Jesus died for our sins and that we needed to receive Him if we wanted to go to heaven when it was our turn. We were to stand to our feet if we wanted to do this, and it was one of the hardest things I ever did. Satan was telling me not to do it because someone might see me. I should wait until tomorrow. But I knew that God was telling me to do something good. It was such an important decision and one that changed my life, and I'm still telling others about it.

If you receive Christ you will remember it the rest of your life and God will remember it for all eternity. Mr. Campbell gave us John 3:16 to memorize:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Then he told us if Satan ever tried to tell us we were not saved by accepting Christ, we should quote him the Bible verses we were memorizing.

Have you become a teenager yet? If you have I hope you will be choosing to live for God during these years. Don't get overly anxious about the outward appearance, but keep concerned about the heart. Probably many of you didn't go to the cabin—a place to learn about God—when you were young and therefore you need to come often to this site, our cyberspace cabin, to catch up on God. If you are not putting God first as a teenager you could make some wrong decisions and regret them the rest of your life.

I had some challenges as a teenager that I want to tell you about. It was only by knowing God and the grace of God that He kept me from some bad decisions.

 

[RiverOL]

Getting Wheels

You will be surprised that we didn't get a bike until we passed into Grade 9. That was our parents' gift to us for making this milestone. Having a two-wheeler was like getting the keys to the car, which we didn't get until we passed Grade 11. Getting a bike made our world open up even in the country. Now we could ride up into the mountain and investigate some of the mountain streams.

Another thing happened and that was that our school in the country only went to grade eight so now we had to go six miles to town to high school. Times were changing fast when I became a teenager, what with discovering the mirror myself and now changing schools and meeting all kinds of kids who didn't know anything about the cabin and what I had learned there.

I remember a hired man who worked for my dad once saying to us, "Do you know what your Dad told me? He said that if he ever caught me swearing around you boys, I would be fired on the spot." I could believe it because he was strict about this and so was Mr. Campbell.

Going to high school in town was a new experience, hearing my fellow students swearing and using bad language. It wasn't wrong just because my Dad and Mr. Campbell said so, but I knew that the Bible said so as well. I had memorized the ten commandments in Exodus chapter 20, and the fourth commandment made it clear that we are not to take the Lord's name in vain, because the Lord will not hold us guiltless if we do.

What was I to do: forget what I had learned in the cabin or walk away from people that did such things? If I walked away I probably wouldn't have those kind of people as friends. I decided that I didn't need them that bad. Life was not as easy now as it had been in the country school house. Each time I did what was right I had the ongoing peace of the Holy Spirit. And any time I didn't, I needed to confess what I had done wrong and God would forgive me and the peace would come back.

I'm so glad that we learned a good number of Bible verses when we were young. You should too. One I remember is Psalm 84:11—

"The Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will HE WITHHOLD from those who walk uprightly."

Another is found in II Chronicles 16:9—

"The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those who have a perfect heart towards Him."

Yet another two were found in Psalm 119 verses 9 and 11:

"How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word… Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

As we became enthused about our ability to travel Mr. Campbell reminded us of the Word of God to Daniel in Daniel 12:4, "Seal up these words until the time of the end, when many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase." We didn't know it then but it is easy to see how much running to and fro has happened since I got my bike, with cars, planes, jets, and even space ships. "Knowledge increased"? Wow! What with computers etc. they say we are living in the information age, and it is true. "The time of the end"? Yes, when Jesus comes back again and judgment falls on the unsaved.

The information that Mr. Campbell gave us about the signs of time running out was big news for us and made us realize it could happen any time. He also told us about Daniel 12:3. Look it up in your Bible and see what it says.