If Thine Eye Offend Thee

In the same vein, let us look at the words of Jesus: 

Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

If anything is causing you to sin, even if it means as much to you as your own right arm, you need to be rid with it. If it is a friend, in whose company you are drawn away from God, let it not be grievous to you to end that friendship. It may look innocuous, but the devil loves to deceive and get us away from the power of God that gives us the victory.  Anything, once God has brought it to your attention that it draws you from Him and causes you to be easily tossed about by the devil to sin, has no worth to you as a child of God-- it's not worth your soul! 

Not My Will But Thine Be Done

I've been pondering a matter, wanting to know God's will before I do anything. I believe that it is good to take everything to the Lord in prayer and acknowledge Him in all our ways. I want to be where He wants me to be. I know from experience that He can lead me in the right way and that I can know that it is His will. He has taught me out of His holy word and done "surgery" on my heart to help me to offer up of my will as a spiritual sacrifice to Him-- and may He continue to work on me until there is nothing left of my own will and only His divine will remains.

But then I was hesitant; what if God showed me which way I should go but I could not give up what I wanted? I shudder to be like the remnant of Judah who purposed to go down to Egypt, but asked the prophet Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord his God for them if they should go or stay and whatever He said, they would obey. God knew they wouldn't obey, but still He answered them and told them not to go up to Egypt. The remnant didn't agree with God's advice, and made the excuse that Jeremiah must be working for their enemies and told them to stay only to get them killed. And so disobeyed and partook of God's wrath in the judgment of Egypt.

Am I willing to do whatever Jesus asks of me? Am I willing to go to the cross with Him? As Jesus sacrificed His own flesh's will in the garden of Gethsemane, may God give me the grace to offer up my own will for His. 

As a child, I was very hesitant to make a promise, fearing I wouldn't be able to keep it and be made a liar. I remember as I studied baptism, how I wondered how I could promise to always follow Jesus. And in my own strength alone, I could never succeed. Thank the Lord, I made the decision to always follow Jesus. But it is Jesus who keeps us from falling. In my own strength, I can do nothing, but by God's grace and in His strength alone, I will always follow Jesus. And I can look back and say, it was nothing good in me, only the great matchless mercy of God, that drew me to Him. Everything I have become, any good that is found in me, is due to the mercy of my Savior alone. In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. 

In conclusion, I must never be afraid to ask His will, He will give me the strength I need when I need it, and help me to give up my will for His.

What a Savior!

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Be careful not to entertain your flesh. He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. God, in His great love and mercy has given you a heart that longs for Him; don't dull those hunger pains by going after the food of the flesh which will never satisfy. But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the flesh, ye shall live. Don't dwell content with the spiritual food you recieved yesterday, He has something new for you today; look well to the health of your soul. Today, if you would hear His voice! Harden not your hearts.  In the book of Jeremiah, God said can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number! How can you bring forth fruit in your Christian walk, if you are not first partaker thereof?  Lest ye be unfruitful. Be faithful with what He has given you! He made you a new creature, that you might have the desire and taste for the new things. Don't go back to the old! It is not in your own self to have the hunger for the spiritual things, it was a gift from your heavenly Father. In me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. I have no place for boasting: it was in His great mercy that He drew me to Himself. It was only His mercy that granted me salvation. O what mercy that Jesus met me there when I prayed and asked Him to save me from so great a death. I long for Him--this, a wonder of His mercy! 

Let us the humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and be diligent with our talents, lest what we have be taken away.

The love of Christ, which passes all understanding, be with you.

So Run, That Ye May Obtain.

     I was recently introduced into the world of long distance running. I have found that I must be constantly preparing for a race. Before a race, I must run several practice runs, I must not eat too much before I run, I need plenty of sleep the night before, and I need to be hydrated. I must have discipline to go out and run even when I don't feel like it or else I'm not going to do so well at the race. There are a lot of things I could do that are not inherently bad but if I want to receive the prize I must put my body into subjection and say no.
     In the Bible, Paul likens our lives to that of a runner preparing to win a prize.

           Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run,                      that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all                          things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore                  so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my                body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to                          others, I myself should be a castaway.

    It is really just like the life we live as Christians. Jesus paid our entry fee to this race with His blood. We had better be winners. We shouldn't run the race just to make it across the finish line. We should run our best! That might mean giving up some of this life's pleasures to focus more on God and His word. But it is worth it.

    The Bible says that all these little things that we busy ourselves with for the enjoyment of our present life will be burned up.
            But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall                   pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth                     also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things                   shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and                       godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the                           heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
     So let us remember and keep our eyes on our goal. Let's not be distracted with making the journey more pleasant; it will just hinder us on race day.

For the Glory of God

"Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created."

Psalm 148:5

   Are you singing for the ears of man, or for the glory of God?

   I recently heard or read how some people sing because of the words, and other people sing because of the music. They could be singing heathen songs just as well as Christian songs. We're not singing because of the delightsomeness of the music, or our masterful ways with our instruments or voices. We're singing because of Jesus! 

    The concerts I like going to best are the ones where I can feel God's Spirit there or am encouraged in the Lord. A concert like this is like a nugget of gold in a pan of rocks. Rocks may seem special by themselves, but compared with gold, they are just another rock to be discarded when we leave our earthly pleasures behind. Our relationship with Jesus is all that we will still have. Get your heavenly house built. The houses you build on earth are not as important as they appear. Eternity is a long time compared with the blink of life you spend here. Will you have something to show for your life after you are dead?

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, 

and his righteousness; 

and all these things shall be added unto you.”

 --Matthew 6:33

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“Mother, I am afraid; no God I know; 

Please tell me an eternal way to go. 

You taught me how to live, each day by day,

But I am dying, and you don't know what to say.

In our land we honor mothers high,

The very word mother exalted to the sky.

But only the mother with God in her heart

Can teach her child how this life to part.”

--Maria, a Christian in the Soviet Union

Who are you going to be?

   Someone once asked me if I were going to college. I answered no, and he then asked me what I was going to be. I thought, “Well, I already am who I am.” But I decided he really was wondering what job or what occupation I wanted in life. I started to answer, “I don't know what I'm going to be...” And he cut in with some advice on finding a husband.

   I am who I am. What I do in life doesn't have that big of bearing on who I am. Who I am is who I am whether I'm taking trash to the dump, singing at nursing homes, welding rebar, playing chess, smoothing concrete, or playing freeze-tag. These things don't make me me. God made me into me, and I'm sticking with Him no matter what I may do. 

   People like to ask children what they want to be when they grow up, as if they are nothing until they become a doctor, plumber, electrician, or lawyer. So as children grow up, all importance is placed on becoming somebody. First they get their general education, and then they get a good college to make them into who they will be. This process of not quite being who you will be takes quite a long time. And, when you're almost thirty, you become who you are (maybe). And then what? All you know about is becoming and not being, so it probably takes some getting used to. And for the next thirty years, your goal is retiring. And then what?  The next big event is dying, and after that, surprise! It's the main event: heaven or hell.  

   I already am who I am, and I'm not worried about anything I will be doing in the future. I do know I will be serving Jesus. My earthly occupation isn't that important. Jesus said not to even think about what I'll eat or wear. But to seek the Kingdom of Heaven first! He'll take care of all the things everyone else thinks are so important and worries about in life.  

   Why worry about those things, when you know what is truly important? What is truly important is living for Jesus. If you are not, then what good is your life when it is over? So Charity, what are you going to be? I already am who I am going to be. I am a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I will continue to follow Him. Jesus said, “A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” And I'm pretty sure a man's life doesn't consist of how he got the abundance of things he possesses either.

Walk in the Spirit

   Sometimes it may seem that you are your own worst enemy. Your natural man wants to walk after the way of the flesh, and no matter how hard you want to be good, you just can't. The Bible says to be carnally minded is death, and if you are in the flesh, you cannot please God. There is only one solution: the flesh must die. Jesus died and rose again that we might also die and live again by His Spirit.

   Romans 8:13 says, 

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: 

but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,

ye shall live.”  

   Yield yourselves to God. Walk in the Spirit. Never let that old man you once were have his way; you will but forge chains of slavery for yourself. Romans continues, 

“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” 

I know that when I pray and read my Bible, seeking God with my whole heart, He comes and is with me and teaches me like a good father does. And every time I'm with Him, I just want to be with Him more. I want to do things that please Him.

   The Devil tries to throw a whole bunch of things at you to try to get you distracted from your spiritual walk because when you are with Jesus, you are dead to all the Devil's tricks. The Devil knows that you will get weak if he can keep you away from your time with Jesus. He hopes you will yield to the flesh, so he can have you for his servant again. Resist the devil. Remember, you need not struggle.  Jesus said, in John 16:33, 

“Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” 

The battle is already over, and Jesus has won. The Devil has no power over you.
   Walk in the Spirit. Do everything the way Jesus would have it done. Don't let your eyes get distracted from Him. Always take time to learn from Jesus and fellowship with Him. When planning your day, always remember Jesus is your number one priority. If nothing else gets done in your day, take time to be with Jesus. Keep your priorities straight! Jesus is always most important.