Proverbs 24:10
If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.
So what are we to do? James tells us:
James 1:2-4
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
So what is this "joy" that we are to have when we face trouble? It can only be the "joy of the Lord" that He gives us that transcends all circumstances. It is the Joy of the Lord that gives us strength. This strength carries us through whatever trial we are facing, and enables us to avail ourselves of the help He provides to get through it, instead of succumbing to it. That's how our endurance grows, and our characters become more like Jesus' perfect character; we are to become more like Jesus, and this is one way we do that.
This is not easy--nothing worth having is easy. But we don't have to do it on our own. On our own we fail every time. But when we lean on Jesus, when we get into His yoke with Him, He pulls with us and the load seems light. That's how we face each problem in life successfully.
God wants us to be successful in life, overcoming all the trials, troubles and sorrows this World throws at us. That's why He invites us to walk with Him, think the way He thinks, and live our lives according to His ways. Then He will intervene and intercede for us, successfully growing our characters little by little, day by day.
May each of us determine in our own hearts to seek His ways, obey His rules, and love Him more each day.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Friday, April 28, 2017
James, The Lord's Brother
Paul writes in Galatians 1:19 that The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord's brother.
Yet, James says of himself, in James 1:1, This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
James grew up as the younger brother of Jesus, the first son of Joseph and Mary. We know there were three other brothers, Joseph (also called Joses), Simon, and Judas (Jude). They also had sisters, we don't know how many, but they are "all His sisters." (See Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3. The Greek is very precise; if they were His cousins a different word would have been used here.)
Jesus' brothers did not believe in Him before His death and Resurrection. At one point during His public ministry, they concluded that He must be "out of His mind" and went to take Him home. I deal with this event on my April 6, 2017 blog entry, "Jesus' Brothers And Sisters And Mother."
But then on Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day, the angel at the tomb told the women to go tell His disciples to keep the appointment He made with them in Galilee. Then when Jesus meets them on the way, He tells them to also tell His brothers to go to the meeting, too. Evidently they did, because James became the Church Leader (Pastor) in Jerusalem and wrote his epistle, and Judas gave us his letter, the Epistle of Jude.
Can you imagine having a big Brother who never did anything wrong? You would get in trouble for things, but He never did. How frustrating! No wonder they thought He was losing His mind when He started to teach the crowds that He was God's Son, and did outrageous stuff called miracles!
But then, seeing Him alive in Galilee after He was publicly Crucified to death only days earlier, convinced them that Jesus really was Who He said He was all along. They realized that He died in their place, as their personal sacrifice recorded in Leviticus chapter one, the perfect Lamb of God Whose Blood doesn't just cover, but takes away sins. Eyewitness proof is what they had, and they gave us their witness, so that we can believe and fully put our trust in Him, too.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Yet, James says of himself, in James 1:1, This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
James grew up as the younger brother of Jesus, the first son of Joseph and Mary. We know there were three other brothers, Joseph (also called Joses), Simon, and Judas (Jude). They also had sisters, we don't know how many, but they are "all His sisters." (See Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3. The Greek is very precise; if they were His cousins a different word would have been used here.)
Jesus' brothers did not believe in Him before His death and Resurrection. At one point during His public ministry, they concluded that He must be "out of His mind" and went to take Him home. I deal with this event on my April 6, 2017 blog entry, "Jesus' Brothers And Sisters And Mother."
But then on Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day, the angel at the tomb told the women to go tell His disciples to keep the appointment He made with them in Galilee. Then when Jesus meets them on the way, He tells them to also tell His brothers to go to the meeting, too. Evidently they did, because James became the Church Leader (Pastor) in Jerusalem and wrote his epistle, and Judas gave us his letter, the Epistle of Jude.
Can you imagine having a big Brother who never did anything wrong? You would get in trouble for things, but He never did. How frustrating! No wonder they thought He was losing His mind when He started to teach the crowds that He was God's Son, and did outrageous stuff called miracles!
But then, seeing Him alive in Galilee after He was publicly Crucified to death only days earlier, convinced them that Jesus really was Who He said He was all along. They realized that He died in their place, as their personal sacrifice recorded in Leviticus chapter one, the perfect Lamb of God Whose Blood doesn't just cover, but takes away sins. Eyewitness proof is what they had, and they gave us their witness, so that we can believe and fully put our trust in Him, too.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, April 27, 2017
How To Live Our Lives
Colossians 3: 9-17 (Paraphrased)
You have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.
In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, Who created this new nature within you.
... Since God chose you to be the holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love.
Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. It's the "special sauce" that coats and flavors all the other attributes.
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. Let's all just get along with each other.
And always be thankful.
Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words, not the world's words, to teach and counsel each other.
Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, wwjd (what would Jesus do?), all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
This is the Christian life-style that we all are to seek to model in our daily lives.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
You have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.
In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, Who created this new nature within you.
... Since God chose you to be the holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love.
Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. It's the "special sauce" that coats and flavors all the other attributes.
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. Let's all just get along with each other.
And always be thankful.
Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words, not the world's words, to teach and counsel each other.
Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, wwjd (what would Jesus do?), all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
This is the Christian life-style that we all are to seek to model in our daily lives.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
May You Experience The Love Of Christ
Ephesians 3: 16-21
I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.
Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him.
Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep His love is.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.
Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, Who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or (even) think (of).
Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
This is my prayer. May it be so in me and in all of us who are Your church, dear Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.
Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him.
Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep His love is.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.
Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, Who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or (even) think (of).
Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
This is my prayer. May it be so in me and in all of us who are Your church, dear Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Godless, Foolish Discussions
II Timothy 2: 16
Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more ungodliness.
Several decades ago when I was a young Christian I was confronted with some ideas that cast doubt on the veracity of Scripture, that maybe our modern translations have missed some points in our early human story that change how we see all that has happened since then.
After considering these concepts, I decided to trust God that He knows what He's doing and has given us everything we need to know to live our lives in Truth and righteousness (II Timothy 3:16-17), and that I didn't need these extra-Biblical stories to draw me away from God's revealed Truth in the Bible.
Since then, I've been granted to be able to attend a Bible College and learn how to study the Bible honestly, to understand it the way God intends. And He has been faithful to lead me into some wonderful understandings of His workings in this World, in History (His Story), and in my own life. Hence this blog. (Thank you for reading it, I hope it helps you, too.)
So I will continue to study in God's Holy Scripture, and try to avoid those "godless, foolish discussions" by relying on "All Scripture" that is "God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that" I "can be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
And you too, dear Reader, don't take my word for anything! I could be in error on some point; check out what I say, and if you have a question, I welcome your comments and will consider your view, and try to answer whatever difference you have in your understanding of what God is saying to us. May we "reason together."
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more ungodliness.
Several decades ago when I was a young Christian I was confronted with some ideas that cast doubt on the veracity of Scripture, that maybe our modern translations have missed some points in our early human story that change how we see all that has happened since then.
After considering these concepts, I decided to trust God that He knows what He's doing and has given us everything we need to know to live our lives in Truth and righteousness (II Timothy 3:16-17), and that I didn't need these extra-Biblical stories to draw me away from God's revealed Truth in the Bible.
Since then, I've been granted to be able to attend a Bible College and learn how to study the Bible honestly, to understand it the way God intends. And He has been faithful to lead me into some wonderful understandings of His workings in this World, in History (His Story), and in my own life. Hence this blog. (Thank you for reading it, I hope it helps you, too.)
So I will continue to study in God's Holy Scripture, and try to avoid those "godless, foolish discussions" by relying on "All Scripture" that is "God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that" I "can be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
And you too, dear Reader, don't take my word for anything! I could be in error on some point; check out what I say, and if you have a question, I welcome your comments and will consider your view, and try to answer whatever difference you have in your understanding of what God is saying to us. May we "reason together."
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, April 24, 2017
The Righteous And Sinners
Luke 5: 27-32
And the Pharisees and their Scribes began grumbling at His disciples saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
These religious leaders thought they were righteous, but all they had was self-righteousness, and they had a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Whenever they would come to the place where they could admit their sins, confess them and turn from them (repent), then they could be saved, too.
We all need to realize we are sinners before we can know we need a Savior. For there is none who is righteous in their flesh; we are all led astray by the sin-nature we inherited from Adam. So we all need saving.
Ephesians 2:3 tells us that we are all "by nature (not actions) creatures of wrath," we are all born into this family of Mankind inheriting the DNA of our fathers (through Adam) and our mothers (through Eve). But the sin-part of that DNA was given to Adam to pass on, not Eve. (That's why Mary could bear Jesus without sin, because He didn't have a human father.)
Eve was deceived, she thought it would be a good thing to not have to bother God with all her choices, she could decide for herself. But then she "gave to her husband with her" and he ate in full realization of disobeying God, a willful sin. That's when what he ate was digested, and "damaged" his genes. (Read Genesis 3:1-7, see how Satan first places doubt in Eve's mind, v. 1, then lies outright to her, v. 4.)
Satan tempts us with the same deception: we're smart, we know how to make our own decisions, don't tell us what to do! That's prideful, and worldly thinking. Yes, we're intelligent, we can think through a lot of things for ourselves. But God's thoughts are not our thoughts. We need to direct our thinking processes along God's lines, as He reveals to us in His Word, and depend on His Holy Spirit of Truth that lives in us to guide us. Even when it may not make perfect sense to us. If we think on it enough, submitting ourselves to His ways, then He will make known to us how "reasonable" it really is ("Come let us reason together" Isaiah 1:18).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And the Pharisees and their Scribes began grumbling at His disciples saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
These religious leaders thought they were righteous, but all they had was self-righteousness, and they had a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Whenever they would come to the place where they could admit their sins, confess them and turn from them (repent), then they could be saved, too.
We all need to realize we are sinners before we can know we need a Savior. For there is none who is righteous in their flesh; we are all led astray by the sin-nature we inherited from Adam. So we all need saving.
Ephesians 2:3 tells us that we are all "by nature (not actions) creatures of wrath," we are all born into this family of Mankind inheriting the DNA of our fathers (through Adam) and our mothers (through Eve). But the sin-part of that DNA was given to Adam to pass on, not Eve. (That's why Mary could bear Jesus without sin, because He didn't have a human father.)
Eve was deceived, she thought it would be a good thing to not have to bother God with all her choices, she could decide for herself. But then she "gave to her husband with her" and he ate in full realization of disobeying God, a willful sin. That's when what he ate was digested, and "damaged" his genes. (Read Genesis 3:1-7, see how Satan first places doubt in Eve's mind, v. 1, then lies outright to her, v. 4.)
Satan tempts us with the same deception: we're smart, we know how to make our own decisions, don't tell us what to do! That's prideful, and worldly thinking. Yes, we're intelligent, we can think through a lot of things for ourselves. But God's thoughts are not our thoughts. We need to direct our thinking processes along God's lines, as He reveals to us in His Word, and depend on His Holy Spirit of Truth that lives in us to guide us. Even when it may not make perfect sense to us. If we think on it enough, submitting ourselves to His ways, then He will make known to us how "reasonable" it really is ("Come let us reason together" Isaiah 1:18).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, April 23, 2017
We Will Not Conceal, But Tell
Psalm 78: 1-4
Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth to a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, but tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
This is a long Psalm: 72 verses, recounting all the miracles God did for Israel. We are to tell our children and grandchildren all these Bible stories as though they really, actually happened, because they did. If they don't seem to be reasonable, natural things, it's because they're not--they're miracles.
God is the Maker of this World, and He is the One Who designed it; so He can decide to "bend" it if He chooses to do so, without upsetting the "normal" course of events. God is the One Who put order (Truth) into His creation. He is Truth, our standard for what Truth is. As such, He would never put any "myth" into His Word as though it happened if it didn't.
And we will not conceal them or leave anything out of what we've learned, even the dark sayings of old. So our Bible is a true and complete record of all that God wants us to know.
So we are to teach our children and grandchildren these stories, to show Who God is, how He sees us and loved us, and is capable of doing anything He wants. He is a good God, and He wants only the best for His beloved, us, granting us grace and mercy.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth to a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, but tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
This is a long Psalm: 72 verses, recounting all the miracles God did for Israel. We are to tell our children and grandchildren all these Bible stories as though they really, actually happened, because they did. If they don't seem to be reasonable, natural things, it's because they're not--they're miracles.
God is the Maker of this World, and He is the One Who designed it; so He can decide to "bend" it if He chooses to do so, without upsetting the "normal" course of events. God is the One Who put order (Truth) into His creation. He is Truth, our standard for what Truth is. As such, He would never put any "myth" into His Word as though it happened if it didn't.
And we will not conceal them or leave anything out of what we've learned, even the dark sayings of old. So our Bible is a true and complete record of all that God wants us to know.
So we are to teach our children and grandchildren these stories, to show Who God is, how He sees us and loved us, and is capable of doing anything He wants. He is a good God, and He wants only the best for His beloved, us, granting us grace and mercy.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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