Just sharing.

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Only One! For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Timothy 2:5,6 NKJV ________________ Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. However not all men have this knowledge; 1 Corinthians 8:6-7a NASB ________________ Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Hebrews 7:23-36 ________________ 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.

 

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“Who of God is made unto us wisdom.”

1 Corinthians 1:30

Man's intellect seeks after rest, and by nature seeks it apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Men of education are apt, even when converted, to look upon the simplicities of the cross of Christ with an eye too little reverent and loving. They are snared in the old net in which the Grecians were taken, and have a hankering to mix philosophy with revelation. The temptation with a man of refined thought and high education is to depart from the simple truth of Christ crucified, and to invent, as the term is, a more intellectual doctrine.

This led the early Christian churches into Gnosticism, and bewitched them with all sorts of heresies. This is the root of Neology, and the other fine things which in days gone by were so fashionable in Germany, and are now so ensnaring to certain classes of divines. Whoever you are, good reader, and whatever your education may be, if you be the Lord's, be assured you will find no rest in philosophizing divinity. You may receive this dogma of one great thinker, or that dream of another profound reasoner, but what the chaff is to the wheat, that will these be to the pure word of God.

All that reason, when best guided, can find out is but the A B C of truth, and even that lacks certainty, while in Christ Jesus there is treasured up all the fulness of wisdom and knowledge. All attempts on the part of Christians to be content with systems such as Unitarian and Broad-church thinkers would approve of, must fail; true heirs of heaven must come back to the grandly simple reality which makes the ploughboy's eye flash with joy, and gladens the pious pauper's heart — “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.” Jesus satisfies the most elevated intellect when he is believingly received, but apart from him the mind of the regenerate discovers no rest. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” “A good understanding have all they that do his commandments.”

 

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What The Bible Says About Wealth Or Money



God gives us the ability to have wealth, so the question is, “What will we do with it?” Here is what the Bible says about wealth in order to make us think about what we should do with what God has given us.
True Treasures
With those who have trusted in Christ, they look at life from a different perspective…an eternal perspective. Christ followers shouldn’t live with their eyes focused on this world, but on the world to come. With this same foresight, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21). Besides, “what can a man give in return for his soul” (Mark 8:37). All the wealth is the world will be worthless on the Day of Judgment if one is found outside of Christ.

Contrary to the way the Jews associated wealth with righteousness, the Bible teaches that “godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content” (1 Tim 6:7-8). This is why were admonished, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5). For many of us, contentment in life is based upon money, rather than on the Lord our God Who has promised to never leave us or forsake us. The late Dr. Adrian Rogers once said, “Money talks…to me it mostly says, “Goodbye,” but the Lord is with us forever.


Helping the Helpless
Our church has an outreach to the homeless. We work through the local Salvation Army, and they distribute blankets, coats, toiletries, and other basic necessities for those who have become homeless, for one reason or another. A few people I know have remarked, “They’ve made their own bed, so let them sleep in it,” but homelessness is not always the person’s fault. We give special attention to the homeless mothers who sometimes have to get out of a home because there’s been domestic or sexual violence. Of course there are more people there than we can help, but just because we can’t help everyone doesn’t mean we can’t help someone.

We know that “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him” (Prov 14:31), and many of these single mothers have been oppressed by their husband or live-in boyfriend. In speaking of the great need to help those who can’t help themselves, Jesus, in speaking in hyperbole, said, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33), so His word is to “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

Who’s Your Master?
In speaking of how money can control our hearts, Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt 6:24), so how can you tell who has your heart? For one thing, look at your checkbook ledger or credit card statements. The Apostle Paul reminds us that, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

The danger of riches or wealth is that instead of owning them, they can end up owning you…or at least, your heart. What might happen is instead of having great possessions, possessions will have us! Truly, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity” (Eccl 5:10). Instead of trusting in God, we can trust in money, but “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf” (Prov 11:28). That’s why we must “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 23:15).


Deceitfulness of Riches
Those with clinched fists cannot receive back from God because they don’t have open hands. It is as Solomon wrote, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Prov 11:24-25), so there is a danger for “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim 6:9-10). Small wonder that Jesus said, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:23), so the best biblical advice I can give you to prevent that from happening is to “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (Prov 3:9-10).

Conclusion
I believe a lot of our financial anxieties would be solved if we would earnestly “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness [because then] all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33). Even John the Baptist had enough wisdom to tell the Roman soldiers what they must do, and that is to “not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14). That is still sterling advice today. Those who treasure tomorrow will be laying up treasures in heaven, however, they look forward not to their treasures in heaven, but look forward to seeing the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the God-Man from heaven. That is their greatest treasure.

 

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Now you are light! Now you are light! For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Ephesians 5:8-14 NIV ______________ The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Romans 13:12-14 NKJV ______________ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Howl, fir tree, for the cedar is fallen.”

Zechariah 11:2

When in the forest there is heard the crash of a falling oak, it is a sign that the woodman is abroad, and every tree in the whole company may tremble lest to-morrow the sharp edge of the axe should find it out. We are all like trees marked for the axe, and the fall of one should remind us that for every one, whether great as the cedar, or humble as the fir, the appointed hour is stealing on apace. I trust we do not, by often hearing of death, become callous to it.

May we never be like the birds in the steeple, which build their nests when the bells are tolling, and sleep quietly when the solemn funeral peals are startling the air. May we regard death as the most weighty of all events, and be sobered by its approach. It ill behoves us to sport while our eternal destiny hangs on a thread. The sword is out of its scabbard—let us not trifle; it is furbished, and the edge is sharp — let us not play with it. He who does not prepare for death is more than an ordinary fool, he is a madman. When the voice of God is heard among the trees of the garden, let fig tree and sycamore, and elm and cedar, alike hear the sound thereof.

Be ready, servant of Christ, for thy Master comes on a sudden, when an ungodly world least expects him. See to it that thou be faithful in his work, for the grave shall soon be digged for thee. Be ready, parents, see that your children are brought up in the fear of God, for they must soon be orphans; be ready, men of business, take care that your affairs are correct, and that you serve God with all your hearts, for the days of your terrestrial service will soon be ended, and you will be called to give account for the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or whether they be evil. May we all prepare for the tribunal of the great King with a care which shall be rewarded with the gracious commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant”

 

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Do You Need Rest or A Kick in The Pants?!



Have you ever spent a day just doing “nothing”. You know, the days where you sleep in, never leave the house, maybe watch a lot of Netflix or read a hundred pages of a book. They are nice days, some of the time. But the weird thing about those days is how tired you feel after them. Those lazy days are exhausting.


There is a weird (and very thin) line between rest and complacency. Sleeping twelve hours puts us in a funk. It seems paradoxical. Shouldn’t we be extra rested? Shouldn’t we be bursting with energy?
But it doesn’t quite work like that. Exercise (the use of energy) wakes us up. Being tired makes us tired. Being active gives us energy.
Until it doesn’t. The other side of this coin is that we do need rest. We do need to slow down.
So where is the balance? How do we go slow enough not to tire ourselves out but also stay active enough to not tire ourselves out? How do we be productive without burning out? There seems to be a sweet spot somewhere in the middle. But it is very hard to find.

Lethargic or Overwhelmed?
The symptoms are the same. We feel fatigued. Like we need a nap. But on one hand, it is because we have done too much and on the other we have done too little.
We tend not to rest when we need to. We get excited, we get going, we see dominoes falling in front of us. We are on a roll and we don’t want to stop.


And we tend to “rest” when we don’t need to. We call apathy rest. We call laziness a “break”.
Context makes a big difference in telling the two apart. If you are resting for the third day in a row, you are probably on the lethargic side of the spectrum. If you haven’t rested in three weeks, you are probably overworked.
Pursuing truth is the key for telling the two apart. What is our motivation? Mission or ME? If we follow what we “feel” like doing, we often slide down one slope or the other. If we are truly assessing the best way to participate in our mission, we are more likely to do it right.

Honesty
There are no easy answers. We need truth and self-awareness. We need the ability to measure our life against the mission we are called to pursue rather than the circumstances that make up each day.

It can help to have a community. Since getting married, I have noticed that it is harder to be lethargic. It is also more difficult to overwork. There is someone else constantly aware (relatively) of what I am doing. Someone who I trust and has the ability to speak into my life. It is immense. We share truth by giving each other feedback, sharing what we see.

Of course, this is imperfect because all of us are imperfect. The community we are in relationship with are not arbiters of truth anymore than we are. They are pursuers of truth. They can help us discern what we are doing and why.
Yet, at the end of the day, the choice falls to me. The responsibility of awareness is mine to own. And the ability to properly steward my life cannot be passed on to someone else.
Vision and truth, rather than circumstance and mood, ought to drive my rest and my routines. Only then can I more accurately discern if I need to take a step back or press a step further.

 

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Trust in the Lord! Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8 NKJV ______________ Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer. Save me from my enemies, LORD; I run to you to hide me. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. Psalm 143:8-10 NLT ______________ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14,15 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.

 

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“My Beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.”

Song of Solomon 5:4

Knocking was not enough, for my heart was too full of sleep, too cold and ungrateful to arise and open the door, but the touch of his effectual grace has made my soul bestir itself. Oh, the longsuffering of my Beloved, to tarry when he found himself shut out, and me asleep upon the bed of sloth! Oh, the greatness of his patience, to knock and knock again, and to add his voice to his knockings, beseeching me to open to him! How could I have refused him! Base heart, blush and be confounded! But what greatest kindness of all is this, that he becomes his own porter and unbars the door himself.

Thrice blessed is the hand which condescends to lift the latch and turn the key. Now I see that nothing but my Lord's own power can save such a naughty mass of wickedness as I am; ordinances fail, even the gospel has no effect upon me, till his hand is stretched out. Now, also, I perceive that his hand is good where all else is unsuccessful, he can open when nothing else will. Blessed be his name, I feel his gracious presence even now. Well may my bowels move for him, when I think of all that he has suffered for me, and of my ungenerous return.

I have allowed my affections to wander. I have set up rivals. I have grieved him. Sweetest and dearest of all beloveds, I have treated thee as an unfaithful wife treats her husband. Oh, my cruel sins, my cruel self. What can I do? Tears are a poor show of my repentance, my whole heart boils with indignation at myself. Wretch that I am, to treat my Lord, my All in All, my exceeding great joy, as though he were a stranger. Jesus, thou forgivest freely, but this is not enough, prevent my unfaithfulness in the future. Kiss away these tears, and then purge my heart and bind it with sevenfold cords to thyself, never to wander more.

 

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Biblical Warnings About False Prophets



The number of false prophets has exploded in the last few years, so to prepare you for their deception, here are some powerful Bible verses about false prophets.
Warnings
In Matthew 7:15 Jesus warned us to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves,” and Jesus prophesied that prior to His second coming, that “many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matt 24:11), and we know that these wolves love “Sheep in a Can” because they can shear the sheep and fleece the flock without their even knowing it. Their goals include these three things (at least):

#1 Money
#2 Absolute Power/Authority
#3 Unquestioned Teachings
Jesus knew their hearts and warned us to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt 7:15-20).

Question: What about 1 Samuel 16:7 which says that humans look at the outward appearance but only God can know the heart?
Answer: The truth is, bad fruit is easy to spot because it’s fleshly fruit, and includes things like, “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:19-21). Paul’s advice for all of us is to “watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve” (Rom 16:17-18).

A Rise in False Teachers
In addressing what the Bible says about false prophets and teachers, the Apostle Peter wrote that “false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Pet 2:1). Jesus Christ also prophesied that “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matt 24:14). The Apostle Paul writes about the true source of these teachers, some even claiming to be apostles of Christ, that: “such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Cor 11:13-15). In a striking parallel, Jeremiah wrote of Judah’s false prophets what could be written today, saying, “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes” (Jer 5:30-31)? The truth is that “such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve” (Rom 16:19), so we had better recognize that “the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Tim 4:3). Indeed, it appears that time has come.

Guard Yourselves
Jude wrote, “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:3-4). The Apostle John writes, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). God warned Judah through Jeremiah to “not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord” (Jer 23:16), and “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds” (Jer 14:14).

Conclusion
Perhaps the greatest test of self-anointed and self-proclaimed prophets is that they are not allowed to be wrong…even once! Deuteronomy 18:20-22 states that “the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.” It’s not like baseball where you’re allowed three strikes and you’re out. You can’t be wrong and be called a prophet of God. For false prophets, it’s one and done!

 

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God Will Send a Saviour Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13 KJV ______________ And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. Isaiah 19:20 KJV ______________ Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Isaiah 45:21 RSV ______________ I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. Isaiah 43:11 NASB ______________ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Go again seven times.”

1 Kings 18:43

Success is certain when the Lord has promised it. Although you may have pleaded month after month without evidence of answer, it is not possible that the Lord should be deaf when his people are earnest in a matter which concerns his glory. The prophet on the top of Carmel continued to wrestle with God, and never for a moment gave way to a fear that he should be non-suited in Jehovah's courts. Six times the servant returned, but on each occasion no word was spoken but “Go again.” We must not dream of unbelief, but hold to our faith even to seventy times seven.

Faith sends expectant hope to look from Carmel's brow, and if nothing is beheld, she sends again and again. So far from being crushed by repeated disappointment, faith is animated to plead more fervently with her God. She is humbled, but not abashed: her groans are deeper, and her sighings more vehement, but she never relaxes her hold or stays her hand. It would be more agreeable to flesh and blood to have a speedy answer, but believing souls have learned to be submissive, and to find it good to wait for as well as upon the Lord. Delayed answers often set the heart searching itself, and so lead to contrition and spiritual reformation: deadly blows are thus struck at our corruption, and the chambers of imagery are cleansed.

The great danger is lest men should faint, and miss the blessing. Reader, do not fall into that sin, but continue in prayer and watching. At last the little cloud was seen, the sure forerunner of torrents of rain, and even so with you, the token for good shall surely be given, and you shall rise as a prevailing prince to enjoy the mercy you have sought. Elijah was a man of like passions with us: his power with God did not lie in his own merits. If his believing prayer availed so much, why not yours? Plead the precious blood with unceasing importunity, and it shall be with you according to your desire.

 

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This is a Common Enemy of Your Marriage




Do you ever fight over silly things?

We had a huge argument was over a can of tuna once.
After a long day at work, I was exhausted. I just wanted to plop down in front of the TV and eat the last of the tuna salad.
But my husband beat me to it. When I walked in the door, he was finishing it off.
Ordinarily not a big deal. But I was tired, so it was a big deal. I didn’t know if I should scream or cry. I think I did a bit of both.
The problem was not the tuna (or lack thereof). The problem was exhaustion.
If you’re like most couples, you argue occasionally.
Our fights range in issue from big things like finances to insignificant things like who ate the last of the tuna.
What causes fights in marriage?

Most disagreements are either started or intensified because of fatigue
Whether we’re arguing about something substantial or something silly, I’ve noticed a common theme in almost all of our disagreements: Fatigue.
Fatigue is an enemy to your marriage.
Fatigue changes your perspective and can change the way you see your husband in that moment.

You think he’s mad when he’s really tired. You think he’s cool and aloof when he’s really preoccupied with something that happened at work.
Your perspective changes the way you respond to him.
When you’re tired, you’re less likely to be patient and more likely to be annoyed.
You’re less likely to be caring and more likely to be controlling.
You’re less likely to be doting and more likely to be disrespectful.

When you’re tired, you’ll say and do stuff you wouldn’t normally say and do. And the one you love can seem like your enemy.
Most of our disagreements are either started or intensified because of fatigue.
Things that normally wouldn’t bother you become extremely irritating when you’re tired.
Extreme fatigue impairs your cognitive ability and can cause you to respond worse than someone who’s blood-alcohol level is over the legal limit.
Sleep deprivation is a huge factor in fatigue. It impairs your ability to accurately read human,( i.e. your husband) emotions.
A study published in SLEEP found that sleep deprivation makes it harder to read the facial expressions of others, specifically to determine whether they’re happy or sad.

Fatigue impairs your ability to interpret emotions
Misinterpretation of emotions? A major fight starter.
When you’re tired, your inhibitions are lower but your temper is higher.
If you or your husband has had a long day, it’s probably not a good time to discuss important issues. It’s probably a good time to extend extra grace.
Unfortunately, tired is a way of life for most of us. In addition to clouding your mind and causing harm to your marriage, fatigue can also wreak havoc on your health.
When I’m tired, I’m not kind or excellent or patient or loving. And I’m more likely to be disagreeable and less loving and patient.
So if fatigue begins to plague your marriage, take a step back and get some rest. You may gain a whole new perspective after a nap.

 

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I will see the goodness of the LORD I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13,14 NIV __________________ For the LORD will not cast off for ever: But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. Lamentations 3:31-33 KJV __________________ But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him. Psalm 37:39,40 NASB __________________ 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.

 

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“I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go.”

Song of Solomon 3:4

Does Christ receive us when we come to him, notwithstanding all our past sinfulness? Does he never chide us for having tried all other refuges first? And is there none on earth like him? Is he the best of all the good, the fairest of all the fair? Oh, then let us praise him! Daughters of Jerusalem, extol him with timbrel and harp! Down with your idols, up with the Lord Jesus. Now let the standards of pomp and pride be trampled under foot, but let the cross of Jesus, which the world frowns and scoffs at, be lifted on high.

O for a throne of ivory for our King Solomon! Let him be set on high for ever, and let my soul sit at his footstool, and kiss his feet, and wash them with my tears. Oh, how precious is Christ! How can it be that I have thought so little of him? How is it I can go abroad for joy or comfort when he is so full, so rich, so satisfying. Fellow believer, make a covenant with thine heart that thou wilt never depart from him, and ask thy Lord to ratify it. Bid him set thee as a signet upon his finger, and as a bracelet upon his arm. Ask him to bind thee about him, as the bride decketh herself with ornaments, and as the bridegroom putteth on his jewels.

I would live in Christ's heart; in the clefts of that rock my soul would eternally abide. The sparrow hath made a house, and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God; and so too would I make my nest, my home, in thee, and never from thee may the soul of thy turtle dove go forth again, but may I nestle close to thee, O Jesus, my true and only rest.

“When my precious Lord I find,
All my ardent passions glow;
Him with cords of love I bind,
Hold and will not let him go.”

 

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5 Purposes God Created You For



We were created for a very specific purpose, and here are four specific purposes for which God created you.
To Glorify God
Everything was created for a purpose…including us. The Bible is clear about one of our purposes, and that is that we are to glorify God. For example, if we get into trouble, we are told to “call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15). The psalmist knew that it was “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1). Answered prayer gives God glory, so the Lord our God is to be praised and we should seek to glorify His name.

We certainly have nothing to boast or brag about. The Lord says, “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isaiah 42:8). If you look at the creation, you can see for yourself that “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1), so rightfully we should say, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1). The first purpose for which we were created was to give God glory and make His glory known to others, which brings us to our second purpose…we were created to make disciples for Christ.

To Make Disciples
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, which in essence is an imperative command, He didn’t give them a second option or Plan B. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18b), and since God has given Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth, He is passing this authority on to them, which is why He can say, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). That doesn’t mean everyone that they share Christ with will become disciples of Christ. They are only told to go and make disciples, but it is generally understood that God will use them as a means to make disciples (Acts 2:47), and He did. He sent them into different parts of the world to bring the gospel since they had God’s authority, but the Commission is not quite finished yet. Jesus tells them that they are to be “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20).

Teaching of His Glory
You don’t have to go very far to find out what Jesus taught His disciples (Gospels), and what He taught them to observe (i.e. John 13:34-35), but it’s more than just making disciples. It’s teaching them to observe the same things we learned in the New Testament. So how does making disciples glorify God? The more there are to worship and praise God in the kingdom, the more glory He will receive. In a prophetic Scripture, the psalmist writes, “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name” (Psalm86:9). In the kingdom, “they [will] sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev 15:3a), asking, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Rev 15:4). That is one of our purposes. It is to bring as many to Christ as the Lord our God will save, knowing that He alone saves (Acts 4:12), but He is still pleased to use us as a means to save some.

Works for His Glory
We know that we were created to glorify God, and part of that is done through disciple-making. God grants eternal life by His Spirit, and by means of someone sharing His Word. After that, they are taught the same things that Jesus taught His own disciples, and we find those teachings in the Bible. After they become His disciples, they do what He commands them to do (i.e. Matt 25:35-36). In fact, God has prepared works for them to do after they have been saved. The only question is, Will they walk in them (Eph 2:10)? Jesus told His disciples, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:7-8).

Fruit never glorifies us but it always glorifies God, because we can do nothing without Christ (John 15:5). We must remain in Him or abide or dwell in the Vine (Christ) or we will only bear wax fruit, and not genuine fruits of the Spirit, but we will also begin to bear good works as a by-product of our salvation, but even this is from the Spirit of God, therefore, all works we do give God glory. There is no good we can do in our own human strength (Isaiah 64:6).

Transformed for His Glory
You’ve probably heard Romans 8:28 multiples times, where Paul writes, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” It doesn’t say that all things are good, or that only the good things work out for our best. It says all things, and I believe that means good and bad things, will work out for our very best. It’s just a matter of time. At the time, it may not look or feel best, but only later will we see clearly that it was for our best…the good, the bad, and the ugly. Despite what it looks like today, we focus on the coming kingdom, because “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory” (Eph 2:11-12).

It never says we will always completely understand that purpose, but I believe we can trust His purpose, even if we don’t fully understand at the moment. After a person is brought to repentance and faith (Rom 2:4; 2 Tim 2:24-26), they become a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), but the struggle is not over. We are told, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2), and this transformation runs deep. It makes us desire to live a life that is pleasing to please God, and not to please self all the time.

Conclusion
Paul says, that “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31). That about covers everything, doesn’t it? God seeks glory for His name and that’s the reason He created us. “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7), should bring Him glory. There are more than just 4 purposes that we were created for, but there are no less than these four. If you can think of another one, please leave a comment so we can share it with the readers. For example, we know that the day is coming when “The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give” (Isaiah 62:2)…and all of this will give God glory, and that’s just what He deserves.

 

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Looking for that blessed hope Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13 KJV _______________ Declare what is to be, present it-- let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Isaiah 45:21 NIV _______________ Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Psalms 68:19 KJV _______________ By dread deeds thou dost answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of the farthest seas; Psalms 65:5 RSV _______________ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:10-12 NASB _______________ God, Whose grace is all sufficient, be glorified! 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.

 

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“A living dog is better than a dead lion.”

Ecclesiastes 9:4

Life is a precious thing, and in its humblest form it is superior to death. This truth is eminently certain in spiritual things. It is better to be the least in the kingdom of heaven than the greatest out of it. The lowest degree of grace is superior to the noblest development of unregenerate nature. Where the Holy Ghost implants divine life in the soul, there is a precious deposit which none of the refinements of education can equal.

The thief on the cross excels Caesar on his throne; Lazarus among the dogs is better than Cicero among the senators; and the most unlettered Christian is in the sight of God superior to Plato. Life is the badge of nobility in the realm of spiritual things, and men without it are only coarser or finer specimens of the same lifeless material, needing to be quickened, for they are dead in trespasses and sins.

A living, loving, gospel sermon, however unlearned in matter and uncouth in style, is better than the finest discourse devoid of unction and power. A living dog keeps better watch than a dead lion, and is of more service to his master; and so the poorest spiritual preacher is infinitely to be preferred to the exquisite orator who has no wisdom but that of words, no energy but that of sound. The like holds good of our prayers and other religious exercises; if we are quickened in them by the Holy Spirit, they are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, though we may think them to be worthless things; while our grand performances in which our hearts were absent, like dead lions, are mere carrion in the sight of the living God.

O for living groans, living sighs, living despondencies, rather than lifeless songs and dead calms. Better anything than death. The snarlings of the dog of hell will at least keep us awake, but dead faith and dead profession, what greater curses can a man have? Quicken us, quicken us, O Lord!

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Morning by Morning Devotional for Tomorrow, October 1
Charles H. Spurgeon

“Pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.”

Song of Solomon 7:13

The spouse desires to give to Jesus all that she produces. Our heart has “all manner of pleasant fruits,” both “old and new,” and they are laid up for our Beloved. At this rich autumnal season of fruit, let us survey our stores. We have new fruits. We desire to feel new life, new joy, new gratitude; we wish to make new resolves and carry them out by new labours; our heart blossoms with new prayers, and our soul is pledging herself to new efforts.

But we have some old fruits too. There is our first love: a choice fruit that! and Jesus delights in it. There is our first faith: that simple faith by which, having nothing, we became possessors of all things. There is our joy when first we knew the Lord: let us revive it. We have our old remembrances of the promises. How faithful has God been! In sickness, how softly did he make our bed! In deep waters, how placidly did he buoy us up! In the flaming furnace, how graciously did he deliver us. Old fruits, indeed! We have many of them, for his mercies have been more than the hairs of our head. Old sins we must regret, but then we have had repentances which he has given us, by which we have wept our way to the cross, and learned the merit of his blood. We have fruits, this morning, both new and old; but here is the point — they are all laid up for Jesus.

Truly, those are the best and most acceptable services in which Jesus is the solitary aim of the soul, and his glory, without any admixture whatever, the end of all our efforts. Let our many fruits be laid up only for our Beloved; let us display them when he is with us, and not hold them up before the gaze of men. Jesus, we will turn the key in our garden door, and none shall enter to rob thee of one good fruit from the soil which thou hast watered with thy bloody sweat. Our all shall be thine, thine only, O Jesus, our Beloved!

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Jesus our Shepherd-King


In my recent blogs, I’ve argued that our relationship with Jesus is defined by his kingship. Today, I’d like to examine a reoccurring motif that the Bible uses to illustrate the role of the king. In the Bible, the king is a shepherd.

Shepherd-Kings

In the OT, the image of shepherd is frequently used to describe God’s kingship over Israel (Psalm 23, Ezek. 34, et al). This is not unique to Israel’s scriptures. Other nations also viewed their kings as shepherds.
In the ancient story, The Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character is Gilgamesh, the king of the ancient city Uruk. When the story opens, Gilgamesh is oppressing his people. In response, the people grumble against Gilgamesh. Why are the people so frustrated? As the men of Uruk say, “the king should be a shepherd to his people.”
It’s easy to see how people in the ancient world looked to their kings as shepherds. They wanted to be protected and provided for. Great kings were judged by how well they performed this function. A king’s subjects trusted that the king knew what he was doing. Supposedly, he had the knowledge, wisdom, and foresight to guide them to safety and security.

Consequently, the path to safety and security was obedience. On the one hand, obedience demonstrated trust in the king’s leadership. On the other hand, obedience was a demonstration of love and gratitude to the king for his past accomplishments on behalf of the people. Thus, allegiance to the king demonstrated trust in and gratitude for his leadership.
Israel’s Shepherd-King

Ideally, Israel was supposed to be different than the rest of the nations. They knew that only the creator possessed the knowledge and wisdom to shepherd them. By contrast, their neighbors trusted human shepherd-kings whose defective, sin-tainted knowledge and wisdom resulted in violence and injustice. They created and perpetrated systems in which only an elite few experience prosperity at the expense of the masses.
Israel’s function was to demonstrate to the superiority of God’s shepherd-kingship to the nations. Only the creator could teach people the right ways to live, in which all people will flourish and experience justice.
Of course, we know Israel’s story. They exchanged God as their shepherd-king for a human one like the nations around them. The end result was idolatry, injustice, and oppression. Israel asked for a human shepherd-king like the nations around them. What they got was a nation just like those around them.

Worse yet, because Israel’s reason for existence was to be an example of something radically different, God couldn’t let them degenerate without comment. For Israel, becoming like the nations meant being defeated by them and scattered throughout the very nations they sought to emulate.
Jesus the Shepherd-King

However, God did not abandon them. He kept his promises to restore Israel and the kingship. He brought them a new shepherd-king: Jesus. Jesus fulfills the promise to David and to Israel that one of David’s line will sit on the throne of Israel. Simultaneously, as the Son of God, he restores the monarchy to God’s original design.
If we love Jesus, we will obey him because we trust his leadership. We will also obey him because we are grateful to him for his shepherding. Disobedience is ingratitude. If we experience all of his goodness but don’t respond with gratitude expressed in obedience, do we really have a relationship with Jesus? Obedience shows that we know Jesus and he knows us (John 14:21). Disobedience means we don’t know him, despite his love for us (John 14:24).

Sheep follow the shepherd because the trust him. God, our shepherd-king, knows how things are supposed to work because he created everything. He sent his son to teach us how to live in line with his design. If we believe this is true, we will seek out Jesus, listen to his teaching, listen to his explanations, and then live it to the best of our abilities. This shows our trust, our faith in him.
Jesus Our Shepherd-King

In Ezek. 34:15, God promised that he would shepherd his sheep. He fulfilled this promise by sending Jesus. He is the good shepherd, our shepherd-king. I encourage you to read Psalm 23, Ezek. 34, and John 10:1-18. Learn about Jesus, our shepherd-king. Learn to love and trust him. Follow his voice and obey him. Only he can give us the provision and security we so desperately desire. Don’t fall into the trap of the people around us who look to human kings or prime ministers or presidents. Jesus and Jesus alone is worthy of our allegiance. He alone is our shepherd-king.

 

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Looking for that blessed hope Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13 KJV _______________ O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night? Jeremiah 14:8 NIV _______________ Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Psalms 85:4 KJV _______________ Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him." Isaiah 62:11 RSV _______________ That you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 2 Peter 3:2 NASB _______________ God, Whose grace is all sufficient, be glorified! 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.

 

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“He will give grace and glory.”

Psalm 84:11

Bounteous is Jehovah in his nature; to give is his delight. His gifts are beyond measure precious, and are as freely given as the light of the sun. He gives grace to his elect because he wills it, to his redeemed because of his covenant, to the called because of his promise, to believers because they seek it, to sinners because they need it. He gives grace abundantly, seasonably, constantly, readily, sovereignly; doubly enhancing the value of the boon by the manner of its bestowal.

Grace in all its forms he freely renders to his people: comforting, preserving, sanctifying, directing, instructing, assisting grace, he generously pours into their souls without ceasing, and he always will do so, whatever may occur. Sickness may befall, but the Lord will give grace; poverty may happen to us, but grace will surely be afforded; death must come but grace will light a candle at the darkest hour. Reader, how blessed it is as years roll round, and the leaves begin again to fall, to enjoy such an unfading promise as this, “The Lord will give grace.”

The little conjunction “and” in this verse is a diamond rivet binding the present with the future: grace and glory always go together. God has married them, and none can divorce them. The Lord will never deny a soul glory to whom he has freely given to live upon his grace; indeed, glory is nothing more than grace in its Sabbath dress, grace in full bloom, grace like autumn fruit, mellow and perfected.

How soon we may have glory none can tell! It may be before this month of October has run out we shall see the Holy City; but be the interval longer or shorter, we shall be glorified ere long. Glory, the glory of heaven, the glory of eternity, the glory of Jesus, the glory of the Father, the Lord will surely give to his chosen. Oh, rare promise of a faithful God!

Two golden links of one celestial chain:
Who owneth grace shall surely glory gain.