Words of Encouragement and Thoughts (4)

Hi Gus, good to see you back.

You are welcome Shalico.

That is so true Shalico.

That is good to know and thank you. Most of all I thank our Heavenly Father.

That is okay Emerlander. Thank you for stopping by regardless. I do hope that you come back.

The Word, Necessary Food
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

If God so willed it we could live without bread, even as Jesus did for forty days; but we could not live without His Word. By that Word we were created, and by it alone can we be kept in being, for he sustaineth all things by the Word of His power. Bread is a second cause; the LORD Himself is the first source of our sustenance. He can work without the second cause as well as with it; and we must not tie Him down to one mode of operation. Let us not be too eager after the visible, but let us look to the invisible God. We have heard believers say that in deep poverty, when bread ran short, their appetites became short, too; and to others, when common supplies failed, the LORD has sent in unexpected help.

But we must have the Word of the LORD. With this alone we can withstand the devil. Take this from us, and our enemy will have us in his power, for we shall soon faint. Our souls need food, and there is none for them outside of the Word of the LORD. All the books and all the preachers in the world cannot furnish us a single meal: it is only the Word from the mouth of God that can fill the mouth of a believer. LORD, evermore give us this bread. We prize it above royal dainties.

Time is the price you must pay for intimacy with God.

One of the most valuable things that a person could possibly have is an intimate relationship with God. That same God who is big enough and powerful enough to create the whole universe is also small enough and caring enough to desire a personal relationship with you--a relationship that will last for eternity.

Of course, such an intimate friendship won't happen by chance. Your relationship with your best friend didn't come overnight, and your relationship with God is no different. It requires time.

There is a principle that can be seen both in the Bible and in the world, which basically states that you reap what you sow (see 2 Corinthians 9:6; Galatians 6:7-8). However, you can't expect to reap a harvest on seeds you've never sown. In other words, you can't expect to know God well if you don't invest significant amounts of time and energy into the relationship.

Therefore, it is very important how you use your time. No wonder Paul, in Ephesians 5:15-16, wrote this: Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Here, Paul is encouraging us to use our time wisely--that is, to make the most of it.

The way to make the most of your time is to invest it into something of great value that lasts forever--an intimate relationship with God.

A practical tip that I have found to be true in my own life is this: Reserve a specific slot each day to spend time with God. Don't do anything else during that time; make it your time specifically for you and God. You can't use the excuse, "I'll read my Bible and spend time with God, as soon as I can find some time." You will never find time! You must make time. Therefore, reserve time for God, remembering that time is the price you must pay for intimacy with God.

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot wrote that in his journal shortly before giving his life on the mission field. He knew that the cost of the cause of Christ is everything you have.

However, the things you give up to Christ (e.g. control of your own life) are things you couldn't keep anyway, but the things you gain as a result of faith in Christ (e.g. eternal life) are things you cannot lose.

Jesus said, in Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Everything you have here on Earth will decay and rust away -- you'll lose it all. However, what you store up in heaven you cannot lose.

The author of Ecclesiastes, who was probably King Solomon, recalled, in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, how he had done great things and accumulated much wealth. Yet, he realized that accumulation here on Earth is useless: I undertook great projects ... I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ... I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. ... Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun (Ecclesiastes 2:4,9-11). Even though he had everything he wanted, it was all pointless, because it didn't satisfy and couldn't last.

Take some advice from these passages. Trade the things you can't keep (your life, your money, your possessions) for the things you can't lose (eternal life, righteousness, a relationship with God).

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

Don't get so focused on the past (or the future) that you forget that today is all we have right now. So let's live today in a way that is pleasing to God!