A part of our lives that requires humility comes when we must reconcile — with God, with our friend, our spouse, a neighbor. “I’m sorry”– that I took liberties in my self-righteousness. I’m sorry for hurtful words, for hurtful acts which broke your heart. Friends, the anti-Christ spirit of the age touts “big-boy” clothing, promotes the world of fighting rage, laughs at the “second-rate” people who dare to say, “I’m sorry.” These are labeled “weak” and despised. These weakened ones cannot play in “man” games of slander and character defamation without remorse — they surmise. These lack the courage to threaten others, to harass, to justify hatred, to blame — they decide. These cannot converse behind the backs of colleagues, separate friends, perfect the two-faced sagacity, conspire to maim — they figure. The “big adult people” view sincere love as an Achilles heal, a flaw to be exploited. They escalate…
Category: <span>Walk, for Christians</span>
Martha was cumbered about with much serving. Distracted she was away from Jesus words. She had found serving the physical needs of the Savior a more important thing than simply receiving His discourse. Mary was contented to sit at Jesus feet. Luke 10:40-41 Two value systems display themselves here: One, the magnification of external impositions; but two, the priority of internal peace. The believer in Christ must maintain peace within and peace serves as a buffer against the forced authority of outside levying or intrusion. Sadly, folks divide their soul by entertaining the pressures. A person with a divided heart is a person with misplaced priorities. “Priority” is a person’s hierarchy of values within himself. The divided man has esteemed certain troublesome things above the high priority of a unified soul so he sacrifices his harmonious soul which consists of: a mind kept in it’s executive position — with emotion…
How does Joy fit into the scheme of Christian living? “.. on March 18 Mr. Chollet locked the garage door of his New Hampshire house, climbed into his BMW, and turned on the engine. He left behind a note that read, “Please forgive me, but the thought of going through the torture of living is just too much to bear.” “Some successful entrepreneurs have a fear that they won’t be able to reproduce or sustain earlier achievements. Gerald Kraines, a psychiatrist who treated Chollet, said, “They’re on a treadmill where they can never savor their success, because they have to keep working harder. Many Christians feel the same way. They think that they must keep working harder for the Lord and forget to spend time with Him.” ministry127 Nehemiah 8:10 tells us: “neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” They were rebuilding, and saw favor…
Peter fished: “Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. Matthew 4:18 He walked on the water: “Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. Matthew14:28-29 He spoke well: “Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 He rebuked the Lord: “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” Matthew 16:22 He queried Jesus: “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Matthew 18:21 “Behold, we have forsaken all,…
When disappointments would come my mother would say, “its not the end of the world.” Since those days I have had many “end of the worlds.” Perhaps some of us are having a doomsday even as we write — a grand parent, mother or father, even a son or daughter have gone away. Friends, Jesus is the glory and the lifter of our heads. Psalm 3:3 Robert Nathan wrote his poetic cry: God of pity and love, return to this earth, Go not so far away, leaving us to evil, Darkness is loose upon the world, the Devil Walks in the land, and there is nothing worth. Death like a dog, runs howling from his lair; His bite has made men mad, they follow after All howling too, and their demoniac laughter Drowns like a sea our solitary prayer. Return, O Lord, return. Come with the day, Come with the…
There’s a new world coming, with a new world order. Are we excited yet? “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Isaiah 11:6 On the earth, yet “not of this world,” the righteous shall enter the kingdom; Matt 25:37 teaches, “then shall the righteous answer.” and Isaiah 60:21, “Thy people also shall be righteous, they shall inherit the land forever.” In that day, “Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10 “With righteousness shall He judge the poor; righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins.” Isaiah 11:4-5 Other characteristics: Israel shall…
Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God…” Proverbs 20:28, “Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.” Romans 14:4, “…to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” A person stands, is upheld, and his rational service is founded, in something he does not deserve. Paul the Apostle beseeches men, by the mercies of God… William Newell comments, “We must believe that these divine mercies have persuasive powers over our wills.” “It is not that we can move our own wills; but that faith in God’s…
Paul considered himself less than the least. “…these have the meanest thoughts of themselves, and the best of others; they rejoice in the grace of God manifested to others; they are willing to receive instruction, nay admonition, from the meanest believer; they have the least opinion of their own works, and are the greatest admirers of the grace of God” “they have the largest discoveries of the love and grace of God and Christ, which are of a soul humbling nature; they are the most sensible of their own sinfulness, vileness, and unworthiness, which keeps them low in their own sight; they are commonly the most afflicted with Satan’s temptations, which are suffered to attend them, lest they should be exalted above measure;” Gill I spoke to a fisherman and found out he was a believer in Christ. He exhibited confidence, and a positive outlook. I wondered how much…
Love, with heat and moisture, irons out a wrinkle, mends a broken heart. It even unifies a division, straightens a crooked or double mind. An animal may respond to love, so might a tree; these have some form of life in them. But, a man or woman cannot survive without love! The sophisticated psyche of a man checks his barbaric side. He remains cool. He would like to run amok all over the planet, but stifles his urges. Then he is told of “liberation” and feels cheated and hypocritical. He begins to explore his dark barbarism, but has no understanding of its depth. He senses that the cost for “liberation” will be rejection from the sophisticates, but the feeling of “free” empowers him forward. He affirms his rights of individuality; becomes more and more barbaric. He wonders where love has gone, but he has forsaken its initiation; he has chosen…
Job 5:7 …man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. KJV — (As sure as the wild birds fly, Aramaic; and even so the vulture’s young seek the high places, Septuagint.) As sure as the laws of nature; as birds of prey scavenge from on high or fire flickers upward, so men will see trouble. Psalm 119:67-75 teaches, ” Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” …”It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”… “I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” It seems that trouble should not surprise us, but must come. A word from Jeremiah: ” …the Lord will not reject for ever.” ” But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.” “For he doth not…