Excuses, Excuses

 

Matthew 5:37 “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

When did giving a straight answer become a option? And when did it become acceptable a flat tell a bald-face lie (A blatantly obvious or impudent untruth, one in which the liar does not attempt to disguise their mendacity) with no consequences? Social engineering and social-emotional training of children has replaced raising up children with a biblical worldview, admonition of God, respect for their elders and the associated manners, morals and ethics that accompany the virtues. Proverbs 22:6 instructs us, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” We are reaping the social chaos that naturally follows the abandoning of godly lives and standard of living today. 

The secular humanistic, anti-God existential naturalism deceives the people into pride and egocentric materialism. Without the Light and authority of Truth found only in Father, Son and Holy Spirit, people walk in the darkness of a “fallen in sin” world. It takes a conscious effort to walk the “straight and narrow” path, but it leads to righteousness and joy in the Spirit (the Counselor) through this life; not to mention, the only way to eternal life in Heaven and Jesus Christ is the gate in. The godless or god made in our image way is the wide road to destruction, disgrace and disharmony; not to mention eternity in the “Lake of Fire” of Hell as the wages of sin. It is a life of deception and lies. Yet, the latter choice is easy way to go. 

We see people on both sides of an issue. One stating: “yes I did” or “yes it is”, while the other states: no,I did not” or “no it isn’t”. Clearly, one of the two is lying. Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines the word “lie” as: To utter falsehood with an intention to deceive, or with an immoral design. Thou hast not lied to men, but to God. Acts 5. To exhibit a false representation; to say or do that which deceives another, when he has a right to know the truth, or when morality requires a just representation. Honesty is the best policy and the truth must be told. 

Exodus 29:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

No excuses, no half-truths, no deceptions, let your yes be yes and your no be no. The truth be know, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In God We Trust.

In Christ, Brian

Joy to the World, The Lord Is Come - Part 2

 

Michael continues: Jesus Christ came with the dawn of redeeming grace. For although we were deserving of death, He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf.  He bore the penalty of our sin. For in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly. His birth was the dawn of redeeming grace. He came to a world dead in trespasses and sin ... a world deserving of death and condemnation. However, though we were unworthy, He made us worthy and now by His grace, His mercy has made us his own.

Because Jesus Christ was born as the Redeemer of the world, we can have joy. This is the theme of the carol “Joy to the World”: Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let heaven and nature sing ... The glories of his righteousness and wonders of His love. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove. The glory of His righteousness and wonder of His love. The birth of Christ confirmed the angels proclamation to certain shepherds on a Judean hillside: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Even though the enemy’s ploys to enslave men and women has not changed, Jesus Christ was born to set the prisoners free. The essay, “One Solitary Life” from a sermon attributed to James Allen Francis says, “He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant. He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then, for three years, he was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn't go to college. He never lived in a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself.”

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned--put together--have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one, solitary life.*

Jesus Christ is the central theme of the history of mankind. He came to bring the light of the gospel of peace to a world of darkness. The Christmas message is that we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. The greatest Christmas present is the presence of God in Christ in us the hope of glory. Rejoice! Rejoice, Christ the Savior is born that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

Joy to the World, The Lord Is Come - Part 1

 

As we head into the Christmas season, Michael writes: Jesus came to a world of darkness. It had been four hundred years since the last prophet Malachi. That world was similar to ours. He came to bring the light of the Gospel of the Good News of redemption ... he came to set the prisoner free and to open the eyes of those born spiritually blind. He came not to condemn the world but that the world through 
Him might be saved.

There are great Christmas hymns of the faith that we learned when we were children. In times past, we were taught Christmas carols in our schools and churches. However, today in the United States, we no longer sing Christmas carols in school since it’s not considered “politically correct” in secular society and against the manufactured “establishment clause” for separation of church and state. 

The song “Oh Holy Night” was inspired by a choir director in France to dedicate the new organ in his sanctuary ... O Night Devine, When Christ was born! Surely He taught us to love one another. In His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of Joy in grateful chorus raise we... Christ is the Lord, Let all forever praise thee ... Noel, Noel.... O Night Devine.!

At the birth of Jesus, the world had long been in error pining, ‘til he appeared and the soul felt his worth. He came not because we were worthy of salvation, not because we were deserving, but because of his grace and mercy. He came not because we deserved love, but because of His divine love wherewith he loved us. We’re living in a world of darkness still. Jesus Christ is the light that God sent to illuminate the darkness. According to Matthew 4:16, the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

We’re all sinners in need of forgiveness. We could not approach a holy God until He reached down, and bent down and bowed down to our level. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother. According to 2 Timothy 2:26, the devil takes men and women captive at his will. There is no freedom without choice. We were born in trespasses and sins. We had no choice but to sin because our nature was to miss the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

John Sullivan Dwight wrote the English version of “Oh Holy Night”. He wrote that Jesus Christ came to erase the stain of original sin against Almighty God. Therefore bow your heads before your Redeemer. Jesus, the Christ, the son of the living God has broken every bond to reconcile God’s people that we who were dead in trespasses and sin through his sacrifice on our behalf may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Another beloved Christmas hymn is “Silent Night”. This song originated in a German town on the banks of the Rhine river by priests who took up the challenge to write a song that didn’t need accompaniment since their church organ had broken. Today, this song is one of our most cherished and popular Christmas carols: Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, All is bright, Round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

Let's continue Michael message in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Family

This weekend has been about gratitude, God and family for many, including myself. I drove five hours to pick up my 95 year old dad, and drove home the next day. He visited my oldest brother’s family for a couple days and stay with us in our gust room. Thursday we enjoyed a thanksgiving turkey dinner with our son’s family, then drove five hours the next day to visits my brother’s family in Arizona. The first night there, we drove from Kingman to Bullhead City to visit my niece and her family. Tomorrow, we make the five hour drive home, and after I fix a clogged sink drain pipe, I’ll be making the five hour drive to take my father home. Then, drive home the next day. Why this 2000 miles adventure? That is what family is and supposed to do. Blood is thicker than water and families stick together. A lot of work, but totally worth the time, effort and expense.

1 Timothy 5:8-9 “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Thanksgiving has been in the gunsights and under fire in recent times by those who who wish to rewrite and reset the standards and values of this nation to control, humanism, retail and society focus. The raising of  children is the responsibility of their parents, not government. Society engineering, cultural ideology, and social/emotional is based upon “one nation under God, In God We Trust, God Bless America and the biblical morality and standards that founded and maintained this nation, not socialistic, atheistic, humanistic ideology that is contradictory, hostile and destructive to the family, God and country. The enemy is alive and actively at work to steal, kill and destroy. 

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

 Have you noticed that the godhead of the Trinity is made up of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? Do you see “family” there? John 1:11-13 says “He [Jesus] came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” As born-again believers, we are children of God, and brothers or sisters with Jesus Christ in the family of God. Let us not forget family! Family was invented by God and the basis of all civilization. Let us honor, respect, love and defend family, faith and country with all that we have within us, because that is what family is and supposed to do.

In Christ, Brian

Steadfast – Part 2

 

Michael writes: 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of this worldly flesh) but spiritual to the pulling down of (spiritual) strongholds. Because of this, the next verse says, Casting down (vain) imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God… bringing every thought captive in obedience to Christ.

To remain in fellowship with Our Lord Jesus Christ is to remember our priorities. One of these priorities is to avoid “lazy river Christianity.” For Christians drifting in lazy river Christianity, influenced by the secular world’s currents of current events, 1 Corinthians 3:3 says, you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere (unsaved) men? To turn away from our selfish sin nature that strives against others, is to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will unite our hearts together with God’s heart in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Jesus Christ himself is the One who reconciles. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. In reconciliation, reconnecting to God vertically through the finished work of His Son on our behalf, we can be reconnected horizontally; united with other Christ-followers through Jesus Christ in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

According to 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, inasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Our Labor according to the biblical usage of this word means to toil, to prick, to inflict pain… for where there is no pain in exerting energy, there is no gain. The strengthening is in the exercising of the muscles … in stretching toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The job of the Holy Spirit is to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted. To him that knows to do good but doeth it not, to him it is sin. This is one reason that we have been called to the body of Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says, Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Before we can comfort others, Philippians 3 says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (with respect, awe, and reverence toward God.). Then the next verse says, For it is God who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. God has given us His Holy Spirit. Then when we work out the Spirit of Christ in us by aligning our heart with His heart and our will with His will ... when we delight ourselves in the Lord and not in the desires of the flesh, God will work in us and through us to will and to do of our good pleasure aligned with His good pleasure. In the spiritual battle, there are two offensive weapons according to Ephesians 6. One is the Word of God. The other is prayer. Our responsibility in the spiritual battle is our response to God’s ability. The spiritual battle is fought on our knees. We pray for God’s will to be done. Prayer is the work. As we bow our hearts in submission to His will, God will empower us. He will work in us and through us when through prayer, we make His delight our delight .. as we align our hearts with his heart. 

Jesus Christ is trustworthy … He is the one who is steadfast and unmovable. Through Him we live and move and have our being. Jesus said in John 6:37, all those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. God is faithful to His word. Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. He is our sure foundation and the chief cornerstone of the church… the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit— fruit that will last— and so that whatever you ask in my name shall be given you.”

John 6:65 says, “no one can come unto me unless the father gives them to me.” God sent His Son to deliver us from sin and death, the consequence of sin. The grave is the end of man, unless he is born-again of God’s incorruptible seed of the Spirit of God in Christ. For flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Our eternal life is hidden with Christ in God when we are born-again of His Spirit. The wages of sin is death; however, God did not send His Son to condemn the world to death, but that the world through Him might be saved, that according to God’s steadfast love, we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

 

Steadfast – Part 1

Michael asks: What endures? What will last? What transcends time, place and space? What remains after this life has come and gone? The bible says, that which is seen through earthly eyes is temporal and time-bound, but that which is unseen is eternal. The things of the Spirit of life in Christ last into eternity; for the world will come and go but the Word of God lives and abides forever.1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my  beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” God has called us as His stewards to oversee that which He has committed to our keeping. As we work according to His divine design and for His purpose to His glory, then the fruit of our labor will abound. It will not be in vain. It will accomplish the purpose for which God intended. That the work would be to the praise of the glory of His grace. 

The word “labor” is the Greek word “kopos” which means toil, to cause one trouble, as in the beating of one’s breast. Even though there may be pain in the exercising, there is healing wholeness as we work out our own salvation with fear, respect, awe, and reverence for the Lord. Then when we empty ourselves of ourselves and align our hearts with His heart, He will energize His strength within us, for then it is God who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. The context of 1 Corinthians 15:58 begins in verse 55-57: “O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The sting of death is sin. Sin is missing the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Sin separates our hearts from God’s heart. Non-Christian’s do not know God. They do not know or understand the truth of the Spirit of God. They are not aware of the transgression of God’s holy word.

When Saul was on the road to Damascus, he had a supernatural encounter with Jesus. As Saul was traveling to arrest followers of Christ and commit them to prison, he was knocked to the ground and blinded. He heard a voice from heaven saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul answered, Who are you Lord? The voice said, “I’m am Jesus whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the pricks.” Saul thought he was a good Jewish Pharisee. He thought he was doing God a favor by persecuting Christians. He thought he was obeying the Old Testament Law by eradicating the cult of the Christ-followers. However, Paul did not know the truth, for Jesus Christ himself is the way, the truth and the life. Like Saul, we who have been convicted by God’s Spirit and have been born-again of God’s incorruptible seed, have had a spiritual encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has saved us from sin and from death, the penalty for sin. For Jesus Christ came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.

God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ’s supreme sacrifice … his payment for sin on our behalf. He paid for our own guilty blood with the payment of his own innocent blood. He suffered the death we deserved to pay the price for our debt of sin. For He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. Through Jesus Christ’s redeeming sacrifice in our stead, we have received atonement… at-one-ment with God, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

In John 15:16 Jesus said, “you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed so that you might go and bear fruit. Fruit that will last, and so that whatsoever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” Even though we have been born-again of God’s Spirit through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for sin on our behalf, we are called to work our out own salvation … our own healing wholeness through the power of God’s Spirit, the spirit of Christ in us the hope of glory. Therefore, be not conformed to this world … don’t be squeezed into the world’s mold, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

In Jesus’ High Priestly prayer to God on our behalf in John 17:9-11 Jesus said, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. All glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” What is our purpose? Why did he call us? What lasts into eternity? Our eternal purpose is that we might be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. That we may be one in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He has called us, saved us, redeemed us, and foreordained the path before us. That our lives may be the sacrifice of praise to his honor and glory, a sweet-smelling savor, the fragrant aroma of the life of God in Christ in us. That our lives may be a prayer collected in God’s golden bowls; the prayers of the saints that last into eternity that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of our Father’s grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

Thanksgiving 2022

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I included the original three proclamations by Bradford, Washington & Lincoln to remember the original intent of this holiday that we set aside in America. We live today in a very egocentric and materialistic world, society and culture (and maybe it has always been that way in varying degrees due to human nature). Americans have freedoms and blessings in abundance that most other nations and peoples never know. Today, we give thanks to God for our liberty and those many freedoms and blessings. 

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings." --William Bradford, Ye Governor of Ye Plymouth Colony, November 29, 1623

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WHEREAS, It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;

WHEREAS, Both the houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted' for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. -- President George Washington - October 3, 1789

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The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience. --- President Abraham Lincoln - Oct. 3, 1863

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Psalm 100 – "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

I love President Lincoln’s assessment “To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come. Do we take our lives for granted and neglect the freedoms and liberty that we enjoy, our families and loved ones, the bounties of our possessions, and the source of them all (Almighty God)? We need an “attitude of gratitude” towards God, not only for the things that happen in our lives but also for the things that did not happen by His providence. We need to give thanks in the “good” times and the “bad” times, in all places and in all things despite our current circumstances because of who He is, what He does, how He loves us, what He did for us in Jesus Christ, our adoption into the family of God and our eternal home in Heaven to come.

Do we thank God for our faith, for the gift of Heaven and eternal life? Is it not Jesus Christ who loves us, seeks us, guides us and protects us as the “good shepherd? Despite our faults and failures, God still loves us, still accepts us; we are still his child, and still His desire. We can come to Him with our dreams and our problems without fear because of our relationship, our standing and our position with God. Our decision to salvation through Jesus Christ brings hope, forgiveness, prayer, peace, blessings, holiness, and an eternal prospective of the world to come in Heaven.

Are our lives in conformity with His will? Do we desire and strive to live a life pleasing to Almighty God? Do we claim to be a “Child of God”, and give no thanks to God? The selfish sin of ingratitude displeases our Holy Father in Heaven. Where our heart is at, this is where our treasure is. Where is our treasure? Where are our hearts? We need to begin each day with thankful gratitude, end each day with gratitude and fill in the middle with thanksgiving. We are not lucky, but blessed and need to thankfully rejoice as Christians! What do we have that we didn’t receive from God? May the gracious name of God have all the praise! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, but every day should be Thanksliving Day!

Psalm 136:1-3, 26 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever."

I wish you and your families a blessed and happy Thanksgiving Day. 

Thanks be to God.

In Christ, Brian

God’s Refining - Part 2

Michael continues: A daily devotional “Come Away with Me” said, I deepen you in the furnace of affliction and prove you in the refining fire of trial and tribulation. Lean hard upon me and I will deliver you through what this present moment seems like a wind of destruction. My restoration will follow. I have you in my own intensive care. Therefore draw upon the resources of my grace. Then you will go through the trial with a singing spirit. Peace in the midst of the trial is in The comfort of the Holy Spirit.  

The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “refine” as: To purify, as the mind or moral principles; to give or implant in the mind a nice perception of truth, justice and propriety in commerce and social intercourse. This nice perception of what is right constitutes rectitude of principle, or moral refinement of mind; and a correspondent practice of social duties, constitutes rectitude of conduct or purity of morals. Hence, we speak of a refined mind, refined morals, refined principles. To refine the heart or soul, to cleanse it from all carnal or evil affections and desires and implant in it holy or heavenly affections.

 

Through the trial and tribulation, tribulation works patience and patience reveals the proven Character of God, and this experience produces hope … that the sufferings of this present time are not to be compared with the glory that shall follow. And the Hope of heaven makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

The world looks at trials and tribulations as problems. However from God’s perspective these trials are opportunities to know the meaning of hope and the love of God. Life’s greatest lessons are learned through the furnace of God’s refining fire. Then the dross and slag of the contamination of this world will be burned away. What endures is the character of God himself, the fruit of the Spirit of life in Christ ... Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.

Through God’s refining fire, we can sing to the praise of the glory of His grace! For thy strength is made perfect in my weakness, thy grace is sufficient for me! A refining fire from God, that we may rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! Therefore, rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures forever. May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael 

God’s Refining - Part 1

This week Michael writes: Jesus led by His example. He walked the talk and talked the walk. In Matthew 6 Jesus continued His Sermon on the Mount. After teaching the multitude about treasuring treasures in heaven instead of treasures upon earth. He continued, You cannot serve two masters, either you will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve God and mammon, meaning the material things of this world. Therefore, take no thought … don’t worry about the things of this life. Is not life more than food and clothing? Consider the birds of the air and the Lilies of the field. They toil not, neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all his glory, in his regal regalia, was not clothed like either of these. Are you not much greater than they the sparrow and the lily? Will God not take care of your needs? Therefore, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.  

Seek God’s righteousness and not the righteousness that the secular world considers righteous. Righteousness is only in the things of God … the things of his Holy Spirit. For He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. In Philippians 4:6-8, Paul said by revelation: be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanks giving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace that passes understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The context of this verse is about joy and the love of God. To rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. To let your moderation, your yieldingness with in love in things that are insignificant, be known unto all men.  

The word supplication in Greek means “request for needs.” Webster’s dictionary defines the word as:  Entreaty; humble and earnest prayer in worship. What is it that we really need? God is the God of Providence. He is the Jehovah Jireh, the All-sufficient One. He alone is our sufficiency. He is our all sufficiency for all things according to His will. Ultimately all I need is thee Lord. According to the hymn Be Thou My Vision, Thou art my best portion by day or by night. .. Naught be all else to me, save that thou art.  

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul thought that his need was for God to remove his thorn in the flesh. He thought that he would be a better Apostle for Christ without the pain. He prayed three times for God to remove this thorn. The first two times God did not answer. The third time, God answered Paul’s prayer, but it was not the answer that Paul expected. However, this is one of the great lessons of life, learned only through suffering, pain and tribulation. God’s answer was, My strength is made perfect in thy weakness. My grace is sufficient for thee. God is the God of grace … He alone is our sufficiency. God will deliver us in the fire, through the fire or by the fire. For Tribulation, the pressures and trials of this world work patience when we endure the trial. Then patience produces experience. It reveals tried and tested Character. It proves God’s character within us. As the Psalmist said, the crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but God tests and refines the heart of man. That which is left after the refining is the true character of the Spirit … the character and the qualities of God in Christ in us.

Let's continue Michael's message on God's refine in the next post. In Christ, Brian

Get Off Your Pews & Go

 

Matthew 5:37 “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

 

I remember moving back to my hometown of Anaheim, California after moving to Fresno, California for ten years. During that decade in Central California, many life-changing things occurred (new job, children being born, our first house, snow skiing, volleyball, and experiencing  an epiphany of God that woke me to the reality of the kingdom and the Lord’s involvement in the affairs of mankind. These experiences continued when I returned to Anaheim and joined a local church. I met my great Christian Mentor Bill Stiles, who taught and inspired me to dig deeper into the Holy Scriptures and not be satisfied with surface-level luke-warmness in me faith. But, even more, that the Great Commission of Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”, was not the Great Suggestion; it is a Commandment. 

 

John 4:35-37 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’”

 

Bill would always say: "you cannot know what you are saved to, until first you know what you have been saved from". Simply put, a person who doesn’t know what sin is nor their sin's consequences, will not accept a Savior. Most people believe that just about everybody is going to Heaven, either by good works out-weighting bad works, making honest mistakes, momentary miscues and innocent ignorance, or by not hearing or understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Bill’s computer-terms: “Because of our sin, the default is Hell.” That is why he could  say: “ everywhere I go, and everywhere I look, I see the need for ministry.” So many people have a false-assurance of Heaven on a pseudo-faith in a counterfeit Savior that is not Lord of their life. Do you see it? 

 

The Apostle Paul explains in Romans 10:13-14, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” That first church in Anaheim and many other local churches did not “Go and make disciples”, but expected people to find their own way there and start coming to their church. But, in Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” It is a part of being a sanctified, believing follower of Jesus Christ and a citizen of Heaven to be salt and light in a lost and dying world while we are here. 

 

The moment that you first believed, you were not transported directly to the Kingdom of God in Heaven, because there is evangelism ministry needed here and now. Disciples make disciples that make disciples, so get up and go. Lead someone to Jesus with the Good News of salvation at the foot of the Cross. To not do so is to disobey the Lord and leaves the people in darkness, and that is neither compassion or care about their eternal souls. So, get off your pews and go make disciples, telling them the Gospel truth and Good News. Decrease the population of Hell in the process.

 

In Christ, Brian

Treasuring Treasure - Part 2

Michael continues: Mankind’s attempts to justify the lusts of their flesh, and the desires of their evil hearts are futile vain attempts to rationalize sin. Sin separates our hearts from God’s heart. Those who lust after sin run away from God. According to John 3:19, For every one that does evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. However the next verse says that those who love God and treasure treasures in heaven, run toward God: But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Those convicted of the lies of the devil attempt to cancel those who speak the truth of the Word of God. How do you respond to those who attempt to enforce the cancel culture? Paul said to Timothy, refuse foolish speculations. Don’t get discouraged by the lies propagated by those who are controlled by “the god of this world” (the devil) whose eyes he has blinded lest the glorious gospel of truth should shine unto them. For the Lord’s bond servant must not strive … he must not be quarrelsome. The battle is not against flesh and blood … it’s not against the people whom the devil uses as his mouthpiece. The battle is against the devil and his lies, deception, and accusations. Therefore, do not retaliate and recompense evil for evil. Instead counter the evil with gentleness, kindness, mercy, love and grace. As Paul said in Romans 12, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Jesus Christ is the light of the world. The light is that which illuminates, makes things clear, and reveals the truth. The light of Christ illuminates the truth of the Word of God and dispels the darkness of the devil’s lies. The job of the Holy Spirit is to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted. Before a person can repent, he or she must be convicted of the sin, the missing of the mark of truth. We are called as light-bearers … let your light (of Christ) shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. For those whom God has chosen, the light will defeat the darkness of the devil’s focus on sin, guilt, shame, and having missed the mark of Christ. Then when a person comes to Christ with a heart of repentance, turning from sin and unto the Lord Jesus Christ, a broken and a contrite heart, God will not forsake.

It’s easy to focus on sin, on guilt and condemnation. How do you turn from sin? Sin is missing the mark. The Greek word for sin is “hamartano.” It’s made up of two words, “missing” and the “mark.” The emphasis of this word is not on the missing but on the mark. The devil focuses on missing. How do you not miss the mark? You aim at the mark instead of the missing. Therefore, set your affection on things of God. Treasure treasures not on the things of this world but instead treasure treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. As Paul said, “I press toward the mark of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.” In treasuring heavenly treasures we also press toward the mark of Christ so that we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

Treasuring Treasure - Part 1

 

Michael writes: King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun. The devil is up to his same old tricks. He has propagated the same lies ever since the Garden of Eden. However, the one true God is the God of new beginnings, When we are born-again of His Spirit, old things are passed away, He makes all things new.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus set up a new attitude; the beatitudes are God’s attitudes. According to Matthew 7:15-23 Jesus continued His sermon on the mount and warned the people about false prophets who did not speak for the true God. JEsus sID, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

God created Adam and Eve as three-part beings of body, soul, and spirit. When Adam and Eve doubted and disobeyed God, their spirit died that day. The mind is a part of the soul of man. This is where the will of man affects the reasoning and the decisions of life. Men and women usually base their decisions on feelings. However, feelings will deceive us. Feelings are part of the wisdom of this fallen world. This type of wisdom is earthly, sensual, and devilish. If you’re in the darkness but think you are in the light, how great is that darkness. In Matthew 7 Jesus said, not everyone who calls out Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. Even though you cast out devils and healed people in my name, I’ll say, depart from me, I never knew you.

Jesus had taught the multitude in Matthew 6 that the material things of this world are only temporary. Therefore, do not store up treasures on earth. Instead treasure treasures in Heaven, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. What is it that you treasure? What in this life do you hold dear? What do you value most? The devil will distract you to value your feelings; the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the flesh. He appeals to the over-desires of this world … the things we lust for over our love of Go;  the things that blind us to the truth of the Word of God. Through the eyes of the flesh, men and women of this world think that the devil’s lies are true. The devil has convinced them that wrong is right and the righteousness of God is wrong. The devil’s purpose is to steal, to kill and to destroy.  

The battlefield is for the minds and hearts of men and women. In this spiritual battle Ephesians 6 says: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high.” According to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, they are not of the flesh. Instead they are spiritual (empowered by the Spirit of God in Christ in us) for the pulling down of the devil’s spiritual strongholds. How do we fight back against the spiritual powers of the darkness of this world? We do this by casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Jesus Christ is the truth of the word of God made manifest. He alone is our standard for truth.

 

Let's continue Michael's message on treasuring treasure in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Dangerous Prayers - Part 3

 

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

 

Pastor Herk continues: In praying this prayer of King David (above), God will help us better understand our hearts and, in the process, draw us closer to Him. But, we have to be willing to seek God and ask the Lord to examine our heart, then listen to what He has to say. This is a prayer to expose flaws in character and sinful flesh desires (i.e. immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, addictions, hatred, hostility, jealousy, outbursts of anger, laziness, selfish ambition, pride, dissension, division, envy, prejudice, materialism, or hedonism) and order to repent and correct. God wants to hear, feel our pain in our heart, commune with us, forgive us and heal us unto righteousness. So, if you are serious on being right with God, improve your godly character and draw closer to the Lord, then this is a good prayer for you to pray. Be vulnerable and ask God to search your heart, then He will faithfully reveal everything to you and where your trust is, so you can better understand your fears, and recognize your sin.     

 

Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

 

In the things in life that we are not trusting God, we need to change and draw closer. We are asking God to come closer to us and search us, so that we can ultimately draw closer to Him with clean and pure hearts. Are you serving the Lord? Are you attending and serving Christ’s church? Are you cheerfully giving from your first fruits? Do justly. Pray: See if there is any offensive way in me. We should be desiring to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, doing that which is “right” in the eyes of the Lord. The word “right” is in terms of in morals and religion, just; equitable; accordant to the standard of truth and justice or the will of God. That alone is right in the sight of God, which is consonant to his will or law; this being the only perfect standard of truth and justice. The righteous person is defined as being “Just”; accordant to the divine law. It denotes one who is holy in heart, and observant of the divine commands in practice; as a righteous man or woman. Therefore, righteousness is purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion in relationship.

 

It is a powerful, intense and God-honoring prayer and takes a lot of courage and trust. But, do we really what to change what God reveals to us as offensive? Do we trust that God really loves us, cares, communicates, provides and protects? Do we fear letting our heavenly Father down by not living up to His perfect Word, will and Way? Do we fear punishment for the “wrongs” that we have done? By asking God to sincerely show us anything that in our life that offends and displeasing Him, we are humbly demonstrating our awe, honor and respect to our heavenly Father in requesting help to change for the better, and that is the attitude and action that the Lord desires from us. Sometimes, it is difficult to see sin as sin and the most common lies are the ones that we tell ourselves. Jesus tells us in John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. The Vinedresser is God and He is in the abundant good fruit business. He prunes off that which is unproductive. Pray: Trim me and make me fruitful in this vineyard in which you planted me.    

 

When you give God permission to point out any sin that is dwelling, suppressed, or deny within your heart and hold it right in front of your face, the conviction and guilt drives us to repentance and our blessed Savior for forgiveness and reconciliation. The Lord will reveal character issues on our lives that need to be worked on in our sanctification walk. Have the courage to make the changes that the Lord is asking you to make. The best way to start is by confession (acknowledgment of sin or character failure with an open declaration of guilt). Repent of it, then ask for His help in overcoming it. It is important to be a part of the body of Christ in the local church. When we go through our struggles, we have the community of Believers around us to encourage us, pray for us and help us through the hard times with their love and wisdom. The Christian church is a place where imperfect people are being transformed by a perfect God. Almighty God and the church hold us up.   

 

We are reminded of how much we need and depend upon Jesus Christ, with the life-giving grace and mercy that He offers us. God’s grace means that we receive what we do not deserve. God’s mercy means that we do not receive what we truly deserve. Humble yourself in that fact, yet embrace God’s power because “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:14-17).” We need His truth to renew our minds and transform our hearts. Fall so much in Christ that you dare to send up dangerous prayers. Heaven is our home.

Lead me in the way everlasting.

In Christ, Brian

Dangerous Prayers - Part 2

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

 

Pastor Herk continues: Because of our fallen flesh nature, Christians stumble from temptations, distractions and sinful desires that harbor moral evil. Moral evil is any deviation of a moral agent from the rules of conduct prescribed to them by God; or it is any violation of the plain principles of justice and rectitude. All wickedness, all crimes, all violations of law and “right” (that which is right in the eyes of God) are moral evils. And when we are in the midst of sin, we tell ourselves that it isn’t so bad or that other people do far worse than what we do. We tend to be prideful, arrogant, deceitful, greedy, lustful, materialistic and egocentric. We may think that nobody knows about the wrongs that we do, but God knows. 

 

When we pray: “Search me, God, and know my hear”, it is a dangerous prayer. God looks at our hearts and knows that we are not pure at heart. But, through this prayer, God can show us some corrective things about ourselves which can bring us into a more intimate relationship with Him. What the Lord reveals to you and I, are things that we need to change, to become closer to Him and grow into the likeness of Christ; a change for the better. Maybe it may be uncomfortable to hear what He has to say, but wholeheartedly meaning this prayer and really listening gives us the hope that the Holy Spirit will transform us in progressive sanctification (the act of making us holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God. The act of consecrating or of setting apart from the fallen world for a godly and sacred purpose). 

  

But King David goes on and says: “test me and know my anxious thoughts”, asking the Lord to examine him, try him, and know his disquieting secret doubts. How many of us are willing to ask God to do that open examination of our heart and reveal what is in there? What is it that truly makes you anxious and afraid? It seems that the things that we fear the most are the things that we trust God with the least. Problems and issues that we doubt if God can or will handle or provide for. Feeling over-whelmed and helpless, we trust that we can fix them, but do not trust God to fix them. In God we do not trust with everything yet, in Philippians 4:4-7 the Apostle Paul instructs us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

 

Proverbs 3:5-8 says, “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.”

Dangerous prayer are startling, but what is needed, because God helps us through dark times in life and brings us peace in the storms. We may not hear what we want to hear from the Lord. God answers prayer with either “yes”, “later” or “I have something better in mind”. Trusting the sovereign Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of all, produces the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds because through believing in Jesus Christ, we have been reconciled to our heavenly Father with a regenerated spirit and have direct access in restored personal relationship as a child of God. He meets us where we are, but He doesn’t leave us where we are. He pours Himself into us through His great love. What have we don’t to deserve the kind of love that He gives us? The Apostle Paul explains to us in Ephesians 2:1-5, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Agape love.

 

Let’s continue Pastor Herk’s message on the life lessons of love from our Heaven Father in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Dangerous Prayers - Part 1

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

 

Pastor Herk took a break from his Ephesians sermon series, and gave a Sunday message based on a survey of church member’s life verses from the Bible. This was the first from this new “Life Verse” series. Most people say good prayers, but “safe” prayers. Prayers that allow us to keep our distance. Prayers that keep God off where He belongs and we stay where we belong and feel safe. But in Psalm 138:23-24, we are asking God to come close and do somethings which are out of our “comfort zone”. An intimate prayer that opens us and draws us much closer to God.  

 

In this prayer, we are asking God to reveal some things that we might not want to hear. King David of Israel write this psalm after his enemies were on the attack. Instead of defending himself, David turned to God and prayed. See if there is any grievous, offensive, evil or wicked way in me. So, what makes this an unsafe prayer? Once we know, we should have more off a desire to come before God and ask Him to look into our innermost thought of our heart. The first thing is: Search me, God, and know my heart. God already knows our hearts, our thoughts and everything about us. But. without the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the redemptive remission of our sins, and going forward as the Lord of our heart, mind, soul in every part of our life, then we don’t really have a “good” heart. Because of the Fall of Man to original sin, our heart are not naturally good (of good constitution or nature, upright, honorable). Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? 

 

Galatians 5:16-19 instructs us, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident.” This means that we are basically evil and our fallen flesh tends to desire sin, prideful sovereignty and self-indulgence, so it takes work to deal with the incurable wickedness by walking in the Spirit, aligned with the Lord’s perfect Word, Will and Way. Even with transformational hearts in Christ and regeneration of the spirit, the lusts of the fallen flesh causes us to struggle on this side of Heaven. We constantly have to listen to what the Lord and the Spirit reveals to uncover and discover more about ourselves. That’s not safe, but constructive for life improvement.  

Sometimes we deceive others, and more often deceive ourselves. We tend to think that we are good enough. The Ten Commandments of God’s Moral Law state that we shall not have other gods before Him, we shall not make, bow down to or serve things that we make into gods, we shall not use the Lord’s name vainly or as a cuss word, we shall keep the Lord’s Sabbath holy and observe the day of the Lord faithfully, we will honor our father and mother who gave us life, loved and raised us, we shall not hate or murder in thought word or action, we shall not lust after someone sexually or commit adultery, we shall not steal, we shall not lie, and we shall not covet (to desire inordinately; to desire that which it is unlawful to obtain or possess). How do we measure up to God’s standard? We don’t. But, the Apostle Paul explains in Romans 3:21-25, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith.” None of us are innocent, and that is why we need Christ. 

 

Let’s continue Pastor Herk’s message on the life lessons from our Heaven Father in the next post. In Christ, Brian

Exalting God - Part 2

Michael continues: The impact of walking in the narrow way will last into eternity. Salvation is a past, present and future truth … For God is faithful to His Word yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, Oswald Chambers said, I have to manifest the power of Christ in me by following Him step by step in the little things of life. 1 Corinthians 3:16says, Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? God has cleansed and made us acceptable as His dwelling place. He made us holy according to His in-dwelling Spirit. Therefore Philippians 2:1 says: “I must work out my own salvation (deliverance and wholeness) with fear and trembling…. with awe, respect, and reverence for my loving Heavenly Father.” Our Father will set us free from the bondage of sin and death when we turn our hearts to the Lord and in obedience serve Him from Christ’s spirit within us with a heart of love.

Isaiah 40 says, He tends His flock like a shepherd. Who has known the mind of the Lord and instructed Him in the right way? What image will you compare Him to? Who is my equal says the holy one? Who created the heavens and brings out the starry host and calls each of them by name? Philippians 2:9-11 says about Jesus Christ, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In Luke 4, Jesus announced His mission. He stood up in the tabernacle in Nazareth and read from the scroll of Isaiah: I have come to heal the broken hearted, to open the eyes of those born blind. I have come to preach deliverance, to set free those who have been held captive by sin and the consequences of sin. Now is the acceptable year of the Lord … now is the day of salvation. Then he closed the scroll, gave it to the minister, and said, “Today is this prophecy fulfilled in your ears.” Everyone in the synagogue in Jesus’ home town was amazed at Jesus’ words. They were surprised at His gracious words because they had grown up with him and knew his family. They were not ready to receive him as God’s Messiah; the Savior foretold by Isaiah. Jesus said to His disciples, a man is not without honor except in his own country. 

Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. Today is still the acceptable year of the Lord. When we accept God’s offer of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, then it is God who will work with us and within us to will and to do of His good pleasure. Therefore treasure treasures in heaven where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal. Heavenly treasures will last into eternity. For the things of this life will soon be past …. only that which is done in Christ will last. Everything done for our own vain glory will amount to nothing. As King Solomon in Ecclesiastes says, vanity of vanities, everything is nothing but dust in the wind if done for the selfishness of our own vain glory. Things done for our own vain motives will come to naught.  

What endures? Everything we do to exalt God from a heart of prayer and praise is a picture of the golden bowls in Revelation 4:8. These bowls are filled with the prayers of the saints which are a sweet-smelling fragrance, holy acceptable unto God that last into eternity. According to Romans 12, I beseech ye therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable act of worship. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God, that we may exalt Him alone to the praise of the glory of His grace, mercy, and love. Psalm 18:46 “The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.”

Your brother in Christ, Michael