Fellowshipping & Praise the Lord with Doc329 (23)

[doc329]

If there was any time when you need to trust anyone for anything, it is on the coming Day of Judgment when the Lord Himself will judge the works and motives of all people who have ever lived.

We need a fair and righteous Judge who will impartially and perfectly administer righteousness to everyone, and that is just what will happen. God's holiness requires perfection and those who have sinned against Him will be judged. You can trust God to do that and to do it correctly. And that is the problem for us. because I can trust the Lord to do what is right, I must stand before Him and be judged, as will you.

But, for those of us who have trusted in Christ, we are the only ones who will escape the righteous judgment of God upon the sinners. Only those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus, God in flesh, risen Lord, Savior, will be able to rest and not fear on that Day. Why?

Because we can trust God at His word that when He says we will be saved from condemnation if we trust in Jesus, that it is true. You see, our trust, our faith, is only as good as who you put it in.

 

[doc329]

Each believer needs to answer a searching question.
Are my eyes fixed on the single purpose of glorifying God? If so, the fires of self-ambition will be distinguished when a believer desires to glorify God above all else, be willing to do anything and to be anything so that the purpose of God can be accomplished.
It is good for a believer to ask himself if he is as concerned about seeing God's working through others, as he is about God's working through himself. The sin nature causes a person to want to be center stage.

We are all like this, so we must come to grips with this tendency. We become competitive in the Christian life and find it difficult to pray for Christians who are not part of our church, or our work.
In the body of Christ there should be no competing with each other. We are members of the same body [1 Corinthians12:12-13], and when one member suffers, we should all suffer with him. When one member is honored, we should all rejoice.

We need to spend some time in the Word and be alone with God until we are more concerned about His honor than our own. We do not need to worry about competition from other believers, our concern is only to glorify the Lord in all that we do.
When a Christian is more concerned about God's honor than about his own, God will take care of his worries about competition from fellow believers. It is much easier to say this than to really live it, but we must come to grips with this problem if we are going to have victory in our Christian lives. We must be aware of the indwelling Christ and rely on Him to give us victory in these areas.

 

[doc329]

A Problem
That is, sin doesn't make sense.

Why do some people delight in murdering others?
Why do so many take such pleasure in revenge?
Why do people take drugs? Drink their life away?
Smoke knowing the cancer risk?
Participate in promiscuous sex knowing the disease risk; molest and abuse children...
Does any of this make sense?
Can it be explained?
Or will understanding it and being able to explain it make it disappear or easier to handle?
Will understanding heal the memory or make it easier to forgive?
We think it does.
But it doesn't. It can't.

God directs us to lean not on our own understanding!
What we need is not understanding, but biblical truth and wisdom.
Biblical truth and wisdom are not always reasonable according to human thought. "God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts not our thoughts."
Human reason must adjust itself to God's being and not the reverse."
Do not be mistaken! Reason has its place and should not be surrendered.
Reason is a God given gift.
Christianity is a thinking religion! God instructs us, "Come and reason together." But true reason knows its limitations.

The directive here is not, "do not understand (reason)". It is "lean not on." "Let reason do all it can; Employ it as far as it will go.
But, at the same time, acknowledge it is utterly incapable of giving either faith, or hope, or love; and consequently, of producing either real virtue, or substantial happiness.

 

[doc329]

"Let Go and Follow"

Read about a way trappers catch monkeys in the wild.
The trapper hollows out a gourd with a long narrow neck. Then he places fruit in the bottom of the gourd and stakes it to the ground. When a monkey comes and finds the fruit, he reaches down into the gourd and grasps the fruit. The monkey is unable to pull his hand out of the gourd with the fist clenched around fruit . The trapper casually walks out of his hiding place and catches the monkey, who could have easily run away if he had been willing to open his hand to slide it out.

A young man of great wealth once came to Jesus asking what must do to have eternal life. Jesus told Him, "Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me." The account goes on to tell us that "when the man heard this, he became sad, for he was a man of great wealth." (Luke 18:22b-23)

The wealth did not have a hold on him. It was he who placed the great value upon his wealth.
It was he who was unwilling to open his hand so that he could follow Jesus. He walk away sorrowful, for he knew the temporal wealth of this world could not really satisfy, but he wouldn't take the risk to go God's way.
He tightened his fist around his great wealth and walk away poor and lost.

We often speak about the hold that things have upon us, when in reality it is we who have hold of things. It is not that things have such great value. It is that we place great value on them. Like the owner of the first print "Superman" comic book; when ask what made his book worth three million dollars he simply replied, "The fact that someone will pay me that much for it."

Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:21)
Our heart follows our value system, and we follow our heart. That is why we cannot serve two masters.
Once we place high value on something, it becomes our master. Jesus is the only one deserving of our allegiance, of our love. He alone is worthy of Lordship. Yet things can so easily become the object of our love.
We hold on clenched fisted trying desperately to serve both God and mammon, but it doesn't work. As long as we have our fist tightly clenched around the things we value, we are not free to follow Jesus.

 

[doc329]

When you hear those words you will know that something must happen in you before you can come.

The Holy Spirit will show you what you have to do, anything at all that will put the axe at the root of the thing which is preventing you from getting through.
You will never get further until you are willing to do that one thing. The Holy Spirit will locate the one impregnable thing in you but He cannot budge it unless you are willing to let Him.

How often have you come to God with your requests and gone away with the feeling - Oh, well, I have done it this time!
And yet you go away with nothing, while all the time God has stood with outstretched hands not only to take you, but for you to take Him.

Think of the invincible, unconquerable, unwearying patience of Jesus - "Come unto Me."

 

[doc329]

If we wish to know how our life should be regulated, let us examine the contents of the Word of God; for we cannot be sanctified by outward show and pomp, although they are so highly esteemed among men. We must call upon God in sincerity, and put our whole trust in Him;
we must give up pride and presumption, and resort to Him with true lowliness of mind that we be not given to fleshly affections. We must endeavor to hold ourselves in awe, under subjection to God, and flee from gluttony, whoredom, excess, robbery, blasphemy, and other evils.
This we see what God would have us do, in order to have our life well regulated.

When men would justify themselves by outward works, it is like covering a heap of filth with a clean linen cloth. Therefore, let us put away the filthiness that is hidden in our hearts;
I say, let us drive the evil from us, and then the Lord will accept of our life: then we may see wherein consists the true knowledge of God!

When we understand this, it will lead us to live in obedience to His will. Men have not become so beastly, as to have no understanding that there is a God who created them.
But this knowledge, if they do not submit to His requirements, serves as a condemnation to them: because their eyes are blindfolded by Satan; insomuch, that although the gospel may be preached to them, they do not understand it; in this situation we see many at the present day.
How many there are in the world that have been taught by the doctrine of the gospel, and yet continue in brutish ignorance!

This happens because Satan has so prepossessed the minds of men with wicked affections that although the light may shine ever so bright, they still remain blind, and see nothing at all.
Let us learn, then, that the true knowledge of God is of such a nature that it shows itself, and yields fruit through our whole life.

Therefore to know God, as St. Paul said to the Corinthians, we must be transformed into His image. For if we pretend to know Him, and in the meantime our life be loose and wicked, it needs no witness to prove us liars; our own life bears sufficient record that we are mockers and falsifiers, and that we abuse the name of God.

 

[doc329]

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Every generation is concerned with self-identity, not just adolescents. Life must have significance and value for us all. The one thing we cannot live with is meaninglessness.

Youth do experience identity crises. They have to work out their own egos, apart from those of their parents. They also have to develop their body-images, their qualities and limitations. And youth must decide what they are going to do in life.

Adults also have varying identity crises. these may come with major changes in their work or in their health. They may occur at the loss of a parent, child, or mate.

A lot is written about the middle-age crises. During middle age we have to deal with with our aging - turning forty or fifty. We may suddenly be forced to come to grips with our own morality. Or we may feel the weight of crushing responsibilities, which makes it hard to cope.

" Who am I?" - Is a valid question at many stages of life.

We are made in God's image - To say we are made in in the likeness means we bear God's stamp. We bear the mark of our Maker; " Made in the image of God."
To say this means we have been created with the freedom of moral choice. That is a high compliment. God trusts us. He will not force us to do what is right. We are free to make the wrong choices as well as the correct ones.

The fact that we are made in God's image means that mankind is responsible. We cannot blame our meanness on the stars or our ancestors, on the devil or our system.
This doctrine also means we are capable of creative work. Work is not a curse. In fact, to be without meaningful work would be a curse

To be made in image of God also speaks to our stewardship of life and creation. We must answer to God.
We are accountable.

Don't forget who you are - and whose you are. You belong to God. You are made in His image.
He has prior claim on you, even if you have not yet acknowledge His lordship.
Can you say that from your heart?

 

[doc329]

We will never be free of the curse to see God until we have a new body which is no longer prone to sin.
Even with the present and abiding Holy Spirit we still in ourselves are not as pure as we must be to see God.
The promised reward of seeing God assumes God’s intervention and work in completing our salvation.
Until that time, while we remain in this body, we will in fact waver in our devotion; we are not and will not be steadfast.
We will not see God now as we will then.
Paul cried out, Who will rescue me from this body of death.”
The answer
“Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ my Lord!”

 

[doc329]

Do you have a longing for a richer, more abundant life?
Then let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Shall we have great spiritual awakenings!
Then let us realize in our lives Christ's promise that out of our inmost selves shall flow rivers of living water.

 

[doc329]

Meditation centered upon divine realities is the very essence and soul of prayer.
It is the silent reaching of the soul toward the Eternal.
Mere petitionary prayer without meditation is a body without a soul, and is powerless to lift the mind and heart above sin and affliction.
If you are daily praying for wisdom, for peace, for loftier purity and a fuller realization of Truth, and that for which you pray is still far from you, it means that you are praying for one thing while living out in thought and act another.

If you will cease from such waywardness, taking your mind off those things the selfish clinging to which debars you from the possession of the stainless realities for which you pray: if you will no longer ask God to grant you that which you do not deserve, or to bestow upon you that love and compassion which you refuse to bestow upon others, but will commence to think and act in the spirit of Truth, you will day by day be growing into those realities, so that you will become one with them.

 

[doc329]

The word trust is the heart word of faith. It is the Old Testament word, the word given to the early stage of faith. The word faith expresses more the act of the will, the word belief the act of the mind or intellect, but trust is the language of the heart.
The other has reference more to a truth believed or a thing expected.

Trust implies more than this, it sees and feels, and leans upon a person, a great, true, living heart of love.
So let us "trust also in him," through all the delays, in spite of all the difficulties, in the face of all the denials, notwithstanding all the seemings, even when we cannot understand the way, and know not the issue; still "trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass."
The way will open, the right issue will come, the end will be peace, the cloud will be lifted, and the light of an eternal noonday shall shine at last.

 

[barb754]

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
-- Psalm 19:14


God does so much for us. He is the Strength and Promise that
under girds our lives. He is the One who has saved us from sin and
death. Our worship comes from our gratitude for what he has done,
recognition of who he is, and anticipation of what he is going to
do. But worship can never be compartmentalized to just fit into
church places or quiet times. Worship involves every aspect of
life. That is why it is so important for us to tune the words of
our mouths and the motives of our hearts to God's will and work.
Then private worship, whether alone in quiet or in a group with
Christians, becomes the tuning time for our hearts and lives so
that our public worship, our lives lived out in the world, will
play the song of God to a world who has not yet heard his tune.



O Holy and Almighty God, I want this day to be a day of worship
and honor to you. May my life praise you: not just in thought, not
just in words, but also in action. In the name of Jesus I pray.
Amen.

 

[doc329]

1 John 5:1

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:
and every one that loveth him that begat loveth
him also that is begotten of him.

​

He advances in the same argument, showing how both those loves come to us, from that love with which God loves us, that is, by Jesus our mediator laid hold on by faith, in whom we are made the children of God, and do love the Father from whom we are begotten, and also our brothers who are begotten with us.

 

[doc329]

We know that we love the children of God
when we love God, and keep his commandments.

The love of our neighbor depends on the love with which we love God, that this last must go before the first: of which it follows, that that is not to be called love, when men agree together to do evil, neither that, when as in loving our neighbors, we do not respect God's commandments.
There is no love where there is no true doctrine.

 

[doc329]

We find in John 1:1-2 that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." And then we see in John 1:14 that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

That's a mouthful right there, but it's imperitive that we grasp the importance of these verses in order to understand why it is so important for us to read the Word and hold it dear to our hearts.
What these verses show us is that the Word (logos) has always existed and is something that is living and breathing. How is that so?

In the above passages, the Greek word used for "the Word" is "logos" and it is used to refer to the pre-existant Jesus Christ (before coming to earth in human form); but this same word "logos" is used to refer to the written book that we have which we call the Bible. Therefore, we can conclude that the two are one in the same.

Let's take things a bit further by taking a look at John 5:39. This verse reads, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."
This is Jesus here, talking to the Jews after healing a man on the Sabbath. They were questioning why Jesus would do such a thing on the Sabbath, and His response pointed them right to the Scriptures. He pointed out how they read the Scriptures because they thought they would find eternal life by doing so.

They were right in thinking that way, but they failed to see that the Scripture was pointing to Jesus Christ, the giver of eternal life!
What does this have to do with us and our desire for reading the Word? I've said that to say this: the Word is the testimony of Jesus Christ.

If we are going to know anything about Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we are going to have to have a passion for studying the Word.
That in and of itself should be enough motivation for us to want to get into the Word on a daily basis! Just by reading the Bible, you're having several things happen:
1) you're reading the testimony of the Lord and His chosen people,
2) you're gaining a greater understanding of who God is and why He does things the way He does,
and 3) God is speaking to you through the words that are contained within the pages of your Bible.

 

[doc329]

We ought to be concerned about our Father's business.
The Lord Jesus in His humanity as a boy said "I must be about my Father's business."
Well, I have become a son of God - not like the Lord Jesus, but I become a son of God through faith in Christ.
John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Now that I am a son of God I am interested in my Father's business.
By the way, are you interested in your Father's business?
And the main business is getting out the Word of God.
But we need to recognize that we need the grace of God to do the business of God, as well as in every facet of our lives as His children.

Perhaps as you are reading this, you are thinking you are disappointed in yourself. If you are, that means you must have believed in your self.
You should not have. You are to walk by the grace of God, "We walk by faith and not by sight."

Or perhaps you are discouraged.
If you are, that means you do not believe God's Word and way of blessing. You really thought you could do it your way, and now you are discouraged. Or you might be saying, I hope I can do better in the future
Then you do expect to get some good out of the old nature!
My friend, be strong in the grace of God

 

[doc329]

When the sting of anguish penetrates the heart of human love; when gloom and loneliness and desertion cloud the soul of friendship and trust, then it is that the heart turns toward the sheltering love of the Eternal, and finds rest in its silent peace.
And whosoever comes to this Love is not turned away comfortless, is not pierced with anguish nor surrounded with gloom; and is never deserted in the dark hour of trial.

 

[doc329]

James 5:12
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

James words simply tell us to say what we mean. We have assailed the English language with our flippant use of it. We throw about empty phrases, we exaggerate so much that no one knows when to believe us any more. How frequently do you hear someone saying, "everybody's doing it," and you know that only a few really do.
How often do you preface your remarks with introduction like, "Now, to tell you the truth" or "To be honest with you," both of which only imply that you do not always tell the truth, or speak honestly.

The point is that we have diluted our language to the point that it no longer reflects the personal integrity to which we aspire in all areas of life. We ought to tell the truth without exaggeration.

Say what you mean. And mean what you say.
If we promise something, we ought to follow through with it. Otherwise we will lose our credibility at this point.

The most frequent criticism against modern Christians by outsiders is that "the church is full of hypocrites" What a shame that Christians are seen that way!
It is true perhaps that people would criticize the church even if it were full of committed folk. But it is true also that we Christians give the outsiders much to criticize. We grumble and mumble. We are unkind and unfair. We criticize and complain. We debate and argue.
And we are judged.

Imagine how different our mission would be, imagine how much better our task would be if, when we approached a lost man with the gospel, he knew that our church had a track record of love, compassion, and honesty.
Imagine how different his response might be if we said what we mean and mean what we say.

 

[doc329]

To center one's life in the Great Law of Love is to enter into rest, harmony, peace.
To refrain from all participation in evil and discord; to cease from all resistance to evil, and from the omission of that which is good, and to fall back upon unswerving obedience to the holy calm within, is to enter into the inmost heart of things, is to attain to a living, conscious experience of that eternal and infinite principle which must ever remain a hidden mystery to the merely perceptive intellect.
Until this principle is realized, the soul is not established in peace, and he who so realizes is truly wise; not wise with the wisdom of the learned, but with the simplicity of a blameless heart and of a divine manhood.

 

[doc329]

Brothers & sisters, we can't live by bread alone. We are told in Deuteronomy 8:3 that "man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."
No matter how much we want to think that we can prosper and grow in our Christian walk without studying the Word, we just can't do it. Man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. He spoke the world into existence; those were words that came from His mouth, and they give us life!

We are blessed to have been left a written account of the history of God's interaction with His chosen people. The least we should do is to take advantage of those words and soak them up with every ounce of our being.
God longs and desires to be in relationship with us, and the Holy Bible is the ground floor and escalator that will take us all the way to the top.
We can't live by bread alone, which is this life without God; we need to live by the words of God, which are found in the Holy Bible.