Contentment

11/27/12 Contentment! What a precious thing to have. Yet few seem content. Our God has given His all and since He gave His Son then surely there isn’t any blessing that He will withhold from us. Rom.8:32. This being true then why aren’t more people content? I believe it is a poor theology. We do not think about God as we ought. While I don’t have the space to give a theology lesson I want to give you something that I ran across a few years ago. It is a list of some sound theological principles from Martin L. Jones on how to be content. Read them and be content. They are based on Phil.4:11, “I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.” “1. Conditions are always changing; therefore I must obviously not be dependent upon conditions. 2. What matters supremely is my soul and my relationship to God. 3. God is concerned about me as my Father, and nothing happens to me apart from God. Even the very hairs of my head are numbered. I must never forget that. 4. God's will and God's ways are a great mystery, but I know that whatever He wills or permits is of necessity for my good. 5. Every situation in life is the unfolding of some manifestation of God's love and goodness. Therefore my business is to look for this peculiar manifestation of God's goodness and kindness and to be prepared for surprises and blessings because His ways are not my ways, neither His thoughts my thoughts. 6. I must regard circumstances and conditions, not in and of themselves therefore but as a part of God's dealings with me in the work of perfecting my soul and bringing me to final perfection. 7. Whatever my circumstances may be at this present moment they are only temporary, they are only passing, and they can never rob me of the joy and the glory that ultimately await me with Christ.”

Thankful

11/21/12 Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Even in the hardest times we can still be thankful. We know our Lord is working all things for our good and conforming us to the image of His Son. Giving thanks is one way of saying to the world that we trust in God and have confidence that He knows best even if we don’t understand. Our Lord was always thankful, even when people rejected His message, thus rejecting Him. He went through the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum preaching and doing mighty works. But they rejected His message and He told them that it would be more tolerable for Tyre, Sidon, and even Sodom on the day of judgment than for them. But then Jesus turns to His father and gave thanks. Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. (This passage got to me. I complain if people don’t respond; Jesus gave thanks! Father forgive me!) Even when Lazarus died Jesus gave thanks. John 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. Let me give you a few of the many reasons to be thankful. 1. His name Psalm 30:4 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. 2. His goodness and mercy. Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. 3. Rom.8:28. Our Lord works all things for our good. 4. 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 5. 1 Timothy 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 6. Victory over sin Romans 6:14 (HCSB) For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace. 7. His grace that is always sufficient! 1Cor.12:9

Faith 2

11/20/12 Faith alone in Christ alone is what saves us. But some think that they can believe in Jesus Christ and then do as they please. They think that even though they don’t live right but because they ‘believe’ they will go to heaven when they die. In fact there are many who claim to have faith or belief in Christ but show no evidence of it – they do as they please. But this is not the kind of faith that saves. They have the kind of faith that merely accepts the facts about Jesus. This is how demons believe according to James 2:19. The demons believe there is one God and they tremble but they do not follow the Lord and therefore they are not saved. When someone genuinely believes even though they are saved by faith alone, the faith that saves them is not alone. Saving faith is accompanied by the Holy Spirit. Just as the heat from the sun warms us, that heat has all the backing from its source the sun. So it is with the faith that save us; it has all the backing of the Son. When one is saved they are still ungodly but they do not remain that way. Romans 4:5 (HCSB) says, “But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness.” Notice that the ungodly is saved when they believe and are declared to be righteous. When you believe in Jesus you will want to obey Him because He is God and the Savior of your soul and the Lord of your life. You will not desire to remain ungodly. True faith opens your eyes to see reality and things that are otherwise not seen. (Heb.11:1, 2Cor.4:18). When you believe from the heart the Lord Jesus becomes real and your desire is to be as close to Him as you can be and to be as much like Him as a sinner can be. You begin to love what He loves and hate what He hates. Do you have this kind of faith? Galatians 5:6 (HCSB) says, … “what matters is faith working through love.” Father, thank you for sending Your Son to die in my place. I believe that Jesus is who He says that he is. I want to demonstrate what I believe. Amen.

Faith and Assurance

11/19/12 Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Faith is absolutely essential. Without it you cannot please God. Without faith you cannot hear what God says. Where there is no faith there is no joy, no peace, and no hope. In fact, without faith there is nothing left for you but to live your life apart from God and then die a death that you will regret forever. Faith in Christ quenches the fiery darts (Eph.6:16) of Satan - doubt, fears, unbelief, worries, anxieties, attacks from others, and etc. The tarts are anything and everything that has the potential to lead you into sin and away from God. Satan seeks to strike you with powerful weapons such as discouragement, depression, and despair. Moses and Elijah, perhaps the two of the greatest figures in the OT, both were so discouraged that they wanted God to kill them. David faced these same schemes and fiery darts from the same enemy that we face. David wrote in Psa.43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. What we must do is exercise our faith in the Lord until assurance comes. Assurance of salvation and of our future deliverance is a great protection against Satanic attacks like despair and discouragement. And without assurance it becomes easy to despair and become discouraged and give up the fight. How do I know that I have assurance? Assurance will produce a: 1.Sacrifical love – You willingly and joyfully sacrifice because of the God’s glory and for the good of others. 2. Sound praise –Even when you suffer there is joy that is expressed in praise. 3.Satisfied heart – You are content even with little because of the riches in Christ that awaits you. 4.Strong hands - Even laborious work will seem much easier and more enjoyable because of Who you are serving. 5.Saturated mind – When we fill our minds with thoughts of Christ and His glory we gain assurance of the ultimate victory in the One who died for us in order to bring us to God. Prayer: Father, I believe, help my unbelief! Fill me with your Spirit and word. Forgive me for ever doubting you. In Jesus name amen.

Suffering

11/08/12 Suffering is a gift! I know this sounds unusual, perhaps even strange, but it’s true. Listen to Phil.1:29 – “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” God has granted or given you the gifts not only of faith (believe) but also to suffer. Suffering is a gift that no one wants but one we all need. And when we suffer we are to suffer for His glory (His sake). Suffering comes from either our sin or someone else’s sin but all of us experience it. But make no mistake about it – all suffering is filtered through the hands of the God who loved you enough to send His Son to suffer and die for you. So when suffering comes how should you respond so that God is glorified and you get the blessing of this unwanted gift? A glance at how Paul responded is helpful. Paul’s sufferings were to numerous for me to list in this article but they were more than we will ever experience. Yet listen to what he said the believers in Corinth. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (2 Cor.4:17) Paul referred to his suffering (affliction) as ‘light’ and ‘momentary’ because he compared it to eternity. And he knew that what God was ‘working’ through his suffering was an eternal weight of glory. Again hear the apostle when he says that God has adopted them as His children “ and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Rom.8:17-18) God has assured Paul and us that whatever suffering we endure will not be wasted. And no amount of suffering can be compared with what awaits us when we meant Christ face to face. We will experience pain and sorrow in this world until we are in the presence of Christ. But knowing that all of the suffering we may be required to endure is seen and will be rewarded by the One who suffered once and for all helps us suffer in a manner that is pleasing to our Savior. In fact if we will keep our focus on eternity whatever amount of suffering comes our way cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. When God gives you this gift receive it with joy because God is preparing you for glory! Prayer: Father, help me to guard my heart and keep my focus on You. Grant me the grace to live for Your glory even if I must suffer. In Jesus name, amen.

God is Sovereign

11/07/12 I believe in the sovereignty of God. God has always been and will always be in absolute control. Our Lord referred to the birds of the air when He spoke with His disciples and declared that not one of them would fall to the ground apart from His heavenly Father’s will. The Lord Jesus’ next statement was that even the hairs on our heads are numbered by God. We have no reason to fear because our Lord allows nothing to take place, not even a sparrow to fall to the ground, without His divine approval. (Matt.10:29-31). Yesterday our nation elected a president. Some are happy and some are sad. But the Lord Jesus is still sovereign and He is still at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. He has not changed. He is not wondering what to do next nor is He caught by surprise. Therefore I will not fear nor will I be ashamed of my Lord. Today if the Lord gives me opportunity, I will confess His name before those I meet with. Empowered by His Spirit and grace I will worship Him. I will pray for those in authority over me (including the president) that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:2-4) Today I will bow my knees before my Lord and ask Him to guide me and lead me for His name sake because “all the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” (Psalm 25:10) I hope you will do the same. Today I read my Bible in order to know my God. Nations and leaders come and go but our Lord does not change and He is still sovereign. Prayer: Father, I pray for our nation. You sit in heaven full of glory and majesty and do as you please. Today I will bow in humble reverence and worship You through the blood of Jesus. In His name, amen.

Salt

11/06/12 Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. When our Lord spoke these words salt was not only common but necessary. Salt was useful to help purify, especially as it pertained to sacrifices that were required before Christ died as the once and for all sacrifice. The purer the salt the better it was. (Christ was without sin, He was absolute purity.) Salt was also used in food just as we do today and it made food much more pleasing to the taste. We as the followers of Christ should make life here on this planet a little more tasteful. Salt could well symbolize passion because salt makes one thirsty. When God’s people share His word some will want more. Salt was also penetrating. And we as believers should penetrate all of society. But I think what our Lord had in mind when he said that we are “the salt of the earth” was that we, as His people, should influence those around us in such a way that we preserve society. Salt will not prevent corruption but it will slow it down. When we speak truth and live for the Lord we are being that salt that our Lord referred too. For too long many have been silent and sadly the ‘salt’ is losing the ability to preserve our society. And what we are now seeing is a country that is decaying like meat that has no salt. And because the church is losing her ‘saltiness’ prayer is no longer allowed in schools, babies are killed as a means of birth control, and the Ten Commandments aren’t even allowed to be put on display. Same sex marriage is not only allowed but even encouraged. And if someone is offended by a cross then it must be taken down. And while all of this has been happening before our eyes where is the salt that is so needed? Have we lost our flavor? And if our flavor is lost then the church is no longer useful and there is nothing left but to throw her out and trampled on her! God forbid! Let’s go before the Lord and repent and turn from our wicked ways of apathy and silence and be what God says that we are. One more thing about salt: in order for salt to useful it had be broken into grains and spread out. Let’s go before the Lord in brokenness and then spread out and be the salt of the earth. “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Col.4:6 Prayer: Lord, You are our only hope. Grant us repentance and be merciful to us. Restore us to the rightful place and grant us whatever is necessary to be the salt of the earth. In Jesus name, amen.