In Revelation 2:1-7, God commended the church at Ephesus very highly. Yet, they lacked one thing. God said, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4). “First love” means God loving me as a depraved sinner, God loving me while I was ungodly (Romans 5:6), while I was yet a sinner. (Romans 5:8). Quote is from “3 dimensional Christianity” by Dr. Carl H. Stevens Friends, too much of me-merit, or me-demerit hurts first love. Words such as “unconditional” must hold place, and others such as “unworthy” must keep their descriptive input. “Grace ” must always be the transferrer of this love to the believer, “Mercy” can never let “judgement” rejoice over it. In closing, “to believe, and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret.” Newell love ya
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“I will arise, I will go to Jesus; He will embrace me in His arms. In the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms.” Glen Campbell sang the words. These words are written for the sake of broken folks; the author (William Walker) wrote it in his own brokenness, no doubt. “Come Ye weary, Heavy laden, lost and ruined by the fall. If you tarry till you’re better, you will never come at all. “ Remarkable is the plight of the faint in heart. Desperate yet declining, Extremely needy yet losing hope, Emotional and Spiritual brokenness can mean a lot of things. It may imply a messy life full of imperfection. It may mean being heartbroken from a past relationship. It may mean emotional scarring from the deep wounds of the past. Sometimes, brokenness makes us a victim; for others, it motivates us to be strong. With…
God uses kings for His purposes. Cyrus was one of these, Jehu was another. Isaiah 45:1-3 speaks of God’s sovereign plan. Here, God uses Cyrus to rescue the Jewish captives following their 70 year exile in Babylon. “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. “ At a time preceding the same 70…
We all know the awesome experience of seeing something that is pristine, new. It evokes the senses, draws out the appreciation in us, fires the feelings. However, the phenomena of this “new” experience dwindles quickly as “new” becomes “old” in a short amount of time. We know the pattern instinctively. We expect it. Newness in our spiritual life bows a knee to the falling mental mechanism, as butter surely melts. Yes, cars will rust, food will spoil. Even our chewing gum loses it’s kick as digestive juices absorb the first-flavor. The time monster devours new stuff as quickly and systematically as a garbage disposal. As the song says, “It’s just the way it is.” So, how do we grasp the concept of “new” as in “all things are made new” from the Bible? “Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.” Right now, so says 2Corinthians 5:17.…
Matthew Henry teaches us, “The way to preserve peace among relations and neighbors is to make the best of every thing, not to tell others what has been said or done against them when it is not at all necessary to their safety, nor to take notice of what has been said or done against them when it is not at all necessary to their safety, nor to take notice of what has been said or done against ourselves, but to excuse both, and put the best construction upon them.” He continues: It was an oversight; therefore overlook it. It was done through forgetfulness; therefore forget it. It perhaps made nothing of you; do you make nothing of it?” The ripping up of faults is the ripping out of love. “ …and nothing tends more to the separating of friends, and setting them at variance, than the repeating of matters…
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 “In his book “The Latent Power of the Soul’ Nee quotes G.H. Pember who quotes “Wild’s Spiritual Dynamics.” “‘An adept can consciously see the minds of others. He can act by his soul force on external spirits, he can accelerate the growth of plants and quench fire. …subdue ferocious wild beasts .” ” He can send his soul at a distance, and there not only read the thoughts of others, but speak to and touch those distant objects…” While none of us ponder the possibilities of Astral travel, creating…
Are we having fun yet? In the generation in which we find ourselves living, wholesome fun seems to have been given a secondary role. Indeed, serious issues dominate our headlines — no one says that they are not. However, at what point is fun to be shelved and straight facedness to be donned permanently? If gone, will fun ever return or has it seen it’s final quash? Is fun done? These questions must find their answers in the nature of God Himself, His creation of Men in His likeness, and also in His redemption of our fallen human race. Websters on Fun : 1 what provides amusement or enjoyment — specifically: playful often boisterous action or speech 2: a mood for finding or making amusement. 3a: AMUSEMENT, ENJOYMENT On “joy” “The validation of earthly joys and the grateful acceptance of them is grounded in the Biblical doctrine we affirm in the “Creed” when we…
“. Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:1-3 Many say, “there is no help in God?” Then where? First thought — we need help. Help Lord! Long ago we have realized impotence, powerlessness in the fight for our think-ability. Our vulnerability apparent, our value diminished, our head bowed, we have battled on the opponent’s home field. In that venue, one where will power and natural strength matter most, we fight a losing battle. The common phrase war of attrition refers to a sustained effort to steadily wear down the defenses of an opponent, with the result that they are rendered weaker and less effective. From this sense…
Because our God authored Mercy, He has the authority to visit individuals, regardless of their dire circumstances or foolish actions. Mercy in the courtroom equals a judgment of pardon. As a policy however, mercy allows such a freedom of action that it beckons a person to the very seat of God, to surrender to mercy’s reality, in spite of shame or guilt, in order to commune with Him, face to face. “there is a God, there always has been. I see him here, in the eyes of the people in this hospital corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, this is where those who have lost God will find Him… there is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He will forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, and sinned…
2Thessalonians 3:13 exhorts, ” But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.”. So also Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. ” Weariness, frankly, comes under the category of “be not.” We should never allow weariness to eliminate our well doing. Why? Fyodor Dostoyevsky describes the practice of weariness in his famous work “The Brothers Karamazov.” In the chapter on “The Grand Inquisitor” Jesus Himself appears in 15th century Spain — a time when heretics were being burned at the stake. A small coffin is placed before Him, and a cry of parents to raise a child who had died. Jesus complies and the child comes back to life. However strangely, The Christ is arrested and incarcerated. As the story goes and I add my own interpretation, the appearance of the Christ and the resurgence of life-…