March 3
Read: Deuteronomy 31:14-30
A church we once attended had a special prayer group that prayed during the morning service. There were typically three persons assigned at a time. They went into a basement room during the service and prayed for God’s blessings and power on the preaching, the singing, the praying and the entire service. One morning when my wife and I had a turn in the closet, we were accompanied by a businessman who was a member of the church. The conversation wandered onto investments and savings, and the businessman was lamenting a significant loss in recent months. After he spoke of it, he looked at us and said, as if he were just thinking of it, “Oh, but you guys live by faith.”
I understood what he meant. He was simply saying that as supported missionaries, we probably didn’t or couldn’t rely on a monthly dividend check to get us through. And he was right. We were accustomed to going to God for our needs and seeing his blessings upon our lives. Certainly he had enough money in the bank that he never had such concerns.
But the Bible says a number of times, “The just shall live by faith.” That doesn’t mean we should all take a vow of poverty, but it does mean we should be looking to God as the supplier of our needs and not our bank accounts or our employer or especially the state. The danger in having too much is that we cease to see God as the source of everything and start to rely on ourselves or on someone else.
Moses, in Deuteronomy 31:20, predicted what would happen to the Israelites when they got into a land of plenty. “For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant.” He essentially says when they achieve affluence, they will forget me. What was true of the Israelites has been true of every civilization God has chosen to bless. Western Europe, blessed of God and affluent, has reached a point where they rely on themselves. Respect and love for God is nearly dead in those countries, and evangelizing in them, according to one well--known preacher, is like planting okra on concrete. Unfortunately we seem to have forgotten the penalty for apostasy is judgment (see Judges, entire book; and consider the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities).
Trying to keep your balance when everyone else is losing his can be quite a challenge. I suggest we consider carefully the words of the wise man in Proverbs, who wrote in chapter 30:8-9, “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Showing posts with label rewards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rewards. Show all posts
Angel of Light
February 28
Read: 2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Not all that glitters is gold. Similarly, not everyone that claims to be a follower of Christ is what he claims to be. We are frequently warned in Scripture to beware of the counterfeit, the false and the apostate. Jesus mentioned the deceivers in Matthew 24:4-5. Peter covers the same ground in 2 Peter 2:1 and John in 1 John 4:1 says “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 warns of deceitful workers who transform themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for the devil himself is transformed into an angel of light. It follows that his servants would present themselves as ministers of righteousness. We must be constantly on guard to ensure we are not deceived by the powers of darkness posing as preachers and teachers of righteousness.
Whenever I am reminded of that I think of the Old Testament prophet in 1 Kings 13. The prophet was sent by God with a message for Jereboam the king. Delivering the message, God authenticated it with special signs. Jereboam invited the prophet to go home with him, but the prophet informed him that God had instructed him neither to eat nor drink while on his mission and to return home via a different route.
The Bible continues to tell of an old prophet in Bethel whose son told him of the man of God who visited Jeremiah. The prophet of Bethel followed after him and invited him to come aside and sup. The man repeated God’s instructions, that he must neither eat nor drink until he had returned home, but the prophet from Bethel told him, in 1 Kings 13:18, “...I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.” The first prophet believed him and went with him, not discerning that the message was not from God, but from his enemies. Because of his disobedience, the prophet was killed by a lion on the way home.
The old prophet from Bethel was a lion in sheep’s clothing, or a devil cast as an angel of light. He had the right look, he said the right things, but he was a liar. Through deceit, he diverted the prophet of God from his appointed path to a road that ultimately destroyed him.
In spiritual warfare, there is an enemy and there are casualties. Day after day, lives are destroyed, ministries ruined and souls condemned to a Christless eternity through the efforts of the master of deceit. Today, brethren, let’s be alert to the enemy and his devices. Keep your life pure. Let your spiritual senses be honed sharp by the Word of God and amplified by the work of the Spirit in your life. As is so succinctly written, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Read: 2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Not all that glitters is gold. Similarly, not everyone that claims to be a follower of Christ is what he claims to be. We are frequently warned in Scripture to beware of the counterfeit, the false and the apostate. Jesus mentioned the deceivers in Matthew 24:4-5. Peter covers the same ground in 2 Peter 2:1 and John in 1 John 4:1 says “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 warns of deceitful workers who transform themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for the devil himself is transformed into an angel of light. It follows that his servants would present themselves as ministers of righteousness. We must be constantly on guard to ensure we are not deceived by the powers of darkness posing as preachers and teachers of righteousness.
Whenever I am reminded of that I think of the Old Testament prophet in 1 Kings 13. The prophet was sent by God with a message for Jereboam the king. Delivering the message, God authenticated it with special signs. Jereboam invited the prophet to go home with him, but the prophet informed him that God had instructed him neither to eat nor drink while on his mission and to return home via a different route.
The Bible continues to tell of an old prophet in Bethel whose son told him of the man of God who visited Jeremiah. The prophet of Bethel followed after him and invited him to come aside and sup. The man repeated God’s instructions, that he must neither eat nor drink until he had returned home, but the prophet from Bethel told him, in 1 Kings 13:18, “...I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.” The first prophet believed him and went with him, not discerning that the message was not from God, but from his enemies. Because of his disobedience, the prophet was killed by a lion on the way home.
The old prophet from Bethel was a lion in sheep’s clothing, or a devil cast as an angel of light. He had the right look, he said the right things, but he was a liar. Through deceit, he diverted the prophet of God from his appointed path to a road that ultimately destroyed him.
In spiritual warfare, there is an enemy and there are casualties. Day after day, lives are destroyed, ministries ruined and souls condemned to a Christless eternity through the efforts of the master of deceit. Today, brethren, let’s be alert to the enemy and his devices. Keep your life pure. Let your spiritual senses be honed sharp by the Word of God and amplified by the work of the Spirit in your life. As is so succinctly written, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
No Other Foundation
February 20
Read: 1 Corinthians 3
Paul, expressing his irritation with the carnality of the Corinthian believers, uses a number of analogies to push his point home. He begins by describing them as babes, dependent on milk and unprepared for solid food (vs. 1-2). He progresses to the idea of husbandmen or farmers, telling them that we are all just God’s helpers. He is the one responsible for any increase (vs. 6-8). Finally, he uses a construction analogy, telling them in vs. 9-11:
“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Paul stresses first that the only foundation is Christ. Jesus is not the best foundation, He is the only foundation. When Paul preached the gospel at Corinth, he was giving them the only possible basis for a relationship with God. Jesus taught the same thing, saying in John 14:6 that He was “the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the father except by me (Jesus).”
The exclusivity of Christ is affirmed again and again in the New Testament by such passages as Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” And in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
For those of us who are Christians, who have the proper foundation, Paul goes on to warn us concerning how we build on that foundation. Every work will be tested. Those of the right sort will stand and all others will be burned away. If the foundation is solid, though, even though the works are lost, the soul is secure. The foundation is the key. The only foundation is Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 7, at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses those whose religion was on the wrong foundation. He said there would come a day when they would cry out to Him, “Lord, Lord!”. His response? I never knew you.
You can have a lot of religion. But if the foundation is wrong, nothing else will matter.
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Read: 1 Corinthians 3
Paul, expressing his irritation with the carnality of the Corinthian believers, uses a number of analogies to push his point home. He begins by describing them as babes, dependent on milk and unprepared for solid food (vs. 1-2). He progresses to the idea of husbandmen or farmers, telling them that we are all just God’s helpers. He is the one responsible for any increase (vs. 6-8). Finally, he uses a construction analogy, telling them in vs. 9-11:
“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Paul stresses first that the only foundation is Christ. Jesus is not the best foundation, He is the only foundation. When Paul preached the gospel at Corinth, he was giving them the only possible basis for a relationship with God. Jesus taught the same thing, saying in John 14:6 that He was “the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the father except by me (Jesus).”
The exclusivity of Christ is affirmed again and again in the New Testament by such passages as Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” And in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
For those of us who are Christians, who have the proper foundation, Paul goes on to warn us concerning how we build on that foundation. Every work will be tested. Those of the right sort will stand and all others will be burned away. If the foundation is solid, though, even though the works are lost, the soul is secure. The foundation is the key. The only foundation is Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 7, at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses those whose religion was on the wrong foundation. He said there would come a day when they would cry out to Him, “Lord, Lord!”. His response? I never knew you.
You can have a lot of religion. But if the foundation is wrong, nothing else will matter.
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Casual Interest
February 15
Read: Acts 24:1-27
After the attack on Paul and his subsequent arrest in Jerusalem, a number of the Jews entered into a conspiracy to murder him. News of the plot came to a nephew, who warned Paul and then the chief captain of the Romans, Claudius Lysias. Not wanting such to happen to a prisoner under his care, the captain prepared a military escort and sent Paul to Felix, the Roman Governor at Caesarea.
After the transfer, the Jews from Jerusalem went before Felix to accuse Paul of rebellion and sedition for his work among the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Felix listened to both parties, then elected to withhold judgement until Lysias could come down from Jerusalem and give his side of the tale.
Having Paul in prison, Felix decided to entertain himself and his wife by asking Paul to come and preach to them concerning his faith in Christ. Paul’s preaching had an effect, for, in verse 25 we read, “And as he (Paul) reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgement to come, Felix trembled...”. Felix was clearly convicted, but just as clearly there was no conversion. In verse 26 we read that he kept Paul in prison, hoping someone would pay a bribe for his release. After two years, Felix was replaced by another governor, Festus. And the Bible says that Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul imprisoned.
People come to church for a variety of reasons. Some are faithful servants of God, who are there to worship and serve Him. Some are dealing with a personal crisis of some kind and looking for possible answers. A third group is simply curious, somehow having gotten the idea that going to church was just good for them and looking for a way to fill up a Sunday morning. And there is final group there strictly for personal motives. Their attendance has nothing to do with God, but with their own personal agenda.
Felix was clearly in that last group. His work had brought him into contact with a Christian, and he was curious. As Paul was at his disposal, he chose to spend a little time researching this strange sect of the Nazarene. He was not, however, prepared for the power of the Gospel. Trembling, he was forced to decide, and he decided against. From that point Paul was simply a hostage to be held or a pawn to be used in his political dealings with the Jews.
There are regular church members who think no more of the gospel and the Savior than Felix. They come for reasons of networking, for political expediency, for social gain. They are occasionally ambushed by the Word of God, but by and large they are immune, having determined to keep their personal autonomy, even at the price of their eternity. They are wrong, but they are unpersuaded. Their destiny is that of the rich man who disdained Lazarus, or the wealthy one who, having accumulated more than he could use, set out to build himself bigger barns. To that one, and all like him, God posed this question: “What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Read: Acts 24:1-27
After the attack on Paul and his subsequent arrest in Jerusalem, a number of the Jews entered into a conspiracy to murder him. News of the plot came to a nephew, who warned Paul and then the chief captain of the Romans, Claudius Lysias. Not wanting such to happen to a prisoner under his care, the captain prepared a military escort and sent Paul to Felix, the Roman Governor at Caesarea.
After the transfer, the Jews from Jerusalem went before Felix to accuse Paul of rebellion and sedition for his work among the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Felix listened to both parties, then elected to withhold judgement until Lysias could come down from Jerusalem and give his side of the tale.
Having Paul in prison, Felix decided to entertain himself and his wife by asking Paul to come and preach to them concerning his faith in Christ. Paul’s preaching had an effect, for, in verse 25 we read, “And as he (Paul) reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgement to come, Felix trembled...”. Felix was clearly convicted, but just as clearly there was no conversion. In verse 26 we read that he kept Paul in prison, hoping someone would pay a bribe for his release. After two years, Felix was replaced by another governor, Festus. And the Bible says that Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul imprisoned.
People come to church for a variety of reasons. Some are faithful servants of God, who are there to worship and serve Him. Some are dealing with a personal crisis of some kind and looking for possible answers. A third group is simply curious, somehow having gotten the idea that going to church was just good for them and looking for a way to fill up a Sunday morning. And there is final group there strictly for personal motives. Their attendance has nothing to do with God, but with their own personal agenda.
Felix was clearly in that last group. His work had brought him into contact with a Christian, and he was curious. As Paul was at his disposal, he chose to spend a little time researching this strange sect of the Nazarene. He was not, however, prepared for the power of the Gospel. Trembling, he was forced to decide, and he decided against. From that point Paul was simply a hostage to be held or a pawn to be used in his political dealings with the Jews.
There are regular church members who think no more of the gospel and the Savior than Felix. They come for reasons of networking, for political expediency, for social gain. They are occasionally ambushed by the Word of God, but by and large they are immune, having determined to keep their personal autonomy, even at the price of their eternity. They are wrong, but they are unpersuaded. Their destiny is that of the rich man who disdained Lazarus, or the wealthy one who, having accumulated more than he could use, set out to build himself bigger barns. To that one, and all like him, God posed this question: “What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Wow and Double Wow!
February 5
Read: John 17:1-26
It is always instructive to read the prayers of Jesus. The when, what and how of Jesus’ personal communications with the Father provide wonderful insights into the purpose and mechanics of prayer. Jesus’ prayer in John 17, though, should be special to every believer, as it is the one identifiable point in Scripture where Jesus prayed for each of us personally.
In John 17:20, Jesus says, “Neither pray I for these (the disciples) alone, but for them which shall believe on me through their word:” When Jesus said, “them which shall believe on me through their word” He meant me and you! We are each and every one of us begotten of the Word of God passed through the disciples. They told someone, who told someone, who told someone, who, two thousand years and only God knows how many generations later, told me. When Jesus prayed that prayer, He prayed for me! So, realizing that this is the Son of God doing the praying, and that it’s highly unlikely that His prayer will not be answered, what did He ask for?
First, He prayed that we might be one with Him and the Father. He prayed that we might enjoy the same relationship that He enjoyed with His Father. Imagine having the same understanding and empathy with God the Father that Jesus had. And Jesus prayed for it!
Second, He prayed that we would ultimately be with Him, and that we might see His glory. Jesus asked the Father that we be permitted to be with Him where He was, and that we might behold Him in the glory He had before the universe was created.
Now, seriously, do you think those prayers are not going to be answered? What an incredible eternity we have in front of us. We will one day be with Him, beholding His glory, and sharing the same relationship with the heavenly Father that Jesus himself has. Wow and double wow! Or as Paul says, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
Read: John 17:1-26
It is always instructive to read the prayers of Jesus. The when, what and how of Jesus’ personal communications with the Father provide wonderful insights into the purpose and mechanics of prayer. Jesus’ prayer in John 17, though, should be special to every believer, as it is the one identifiable point in Scripture where Jesus prayed for each of us personally.
In John 17:20, Jesus says, “Neither pray I for these (the disciples) alone, but for them which shall believe on me through their word:” When Jesus said, “them which shall believe on me through their word” He meant me and you! We are each and every one of us begotten of the Word of God passed through the disciples. They told someone, who told someone, who told someone, who, two thousand years and only God knows how many generations later, told me. When Jesus prayed that prayer, He prayed for me! So, realizing that this is the Son of God doing the praying, and that it’s highly unlikely that His prayer will not be answered, what did He ask for?
First, He prayed that we might be one with Him and the Father. He prayed that we might enjoy the same relationship that He enjoyed with His Father. Imagine having the same understanding and empathy with God the Father that Jesus had. And Jesus prayed for it!
Second, He prayed that we would ultimately be with Him, and that we might see His glory. Jesus asked the Father that we be permitted to be with Him where He was, and that we might behold Him in the glory He had before the universe was created.
Now, seriously, do you think those prayers are not going to be answered? What an incredible eternity we have in front of us. We will one day be with Him, beholding His glory, and sharing the same relationship with the heavenly Father that Jesus himself has. Wow and double wow! Or as Paul says, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
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