Thursday, May 31, 2012

Knowledge As Compared To Wisdom

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." James 3:13-18 (NIV)

James teaches that there is a difference between being wise and knowledgeable in things of the world and in things of God. A person's thoughts, speech, and behavior depend upon the source of their knowledge and wisdom.

One can know a lot of facts about man and the world or about God and His Word, knowledge, but wisdom is knowing how to apply what you know to your life. How one uses the knowledge that he has suggests the source of its origin, Godly or Satanic. How are you using that which you know? If our efforts and applications are Godly, then they will produce good fruit.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

No Man Can Tame The Tongue We Need Help

"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell ... no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." James 3:5-12 (NIV)

In his teachings on Christian living and Godly behavior, James points out that the tongue, though it is small, is powerful and it is evil. The tongue can destroy the whole person. It cannot be tamed. That which is spoken reflects that which is inside of the person.

We cannot get both fresh water and salt water from the same spring and fruit that is produced reflects the nature of the plant on which it grows. Likewise, that which comes our of our mouth reflects that which in within us. Our conversation is a reflection of who we really are. We may pretend to be nice at times, but our true nature will soon reveal itself. We need to pray to God to change us, to guide our thoughts, talk, and walk. Only He can help us and save us from ourselves. We say that we want God in our lives, but we want Him in the backseat while we drive. What we should do is let Him drive, let Him guide, direct, and control our lives. Out of the mouth come issues of the heart. (Matthew 12:34; Matthew 15:18; & Luke 6:45) We need to get our heart cleaned and only God can do that.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Word Of God Can Build Us Up

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." Acts 20:32 (NIV)

On his way to Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul spoke to the Ephesian Christians. He warned them of the attack on the church that would come after he left. He said false prophets would come, wolves in sheep's clothing, from without and from within their ranks, twisting and distorting The Word of God. Therefore he was committing them to God and to The Word of God.

Today we need to understand that we are under attack by evil forces, and that only God and The Word of God can build us up, strengthen us, and protect us. Praying, reading and studying The Bible will provide us with the spiritual growth, knowledge, and understanding that we will need to guide and direct us in this world of many sinful distractions and pitfalls.

Monday, May 28, 2012

One Blessing After Another

"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17 (NIV)

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, states that by the grace of God, we all have received blessing after blessing. Not because we were so righteousness or deserving. We were and are utterly unrighteous. The law, the ten commandments which were given to Moses for mankind, were designed to show the unrighteousness of man and our need for a Savior. Grace, the unmerited favor of God, was displayed to mankind by Jesus Christ.

We have all enjoyed countless blessings, one after another, spaced out by trials and tribulations which are, or lead to blessings. Unfortunately, we tend to focus on our troubles and not on our blessings. Every breath and every heart beat is a blessing. Every act of random kindness shown to us is a blessing. Protection from dangers seen and unseen is a blessing. Closed doors to things that we want are blessings that keep us from some things and direct us to open doors that are opportunities for greater and better things for us. Even the death of a loved one can be a blessing, it frees them from suffering and it causes us to look to and depend on The Lord. God has blessed us with one blessing after another. We just need to be thankful for the blessings that we have received because we did not deserve any of them.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Fear The Lord And Be Blessed Beyond Measure

"Fear The Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek The Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of The Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry ..." Psalms 34:9-15 (NIV)

This psalm of David deals with the happiness of those who fear and trust in The Lord. He begins with a personal testimony and ends with public teaching on Christian behavior.

We are blessed in more ways that we can count, and yet there are still some blessings that we miss out on because of our behavior. God supplies the needs for those who fear Him. Fear here is not being afraid, it is more like being in awe, respectful, and obedient. The fear of The Lord requires that we tell the truth, turn from evil, do good, seek peace and live like we love and follow The Lord. If we do this, we will be blessed beyond measure.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Don't Conform But Transform And Renew Your Mind

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: 'Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.' " Romans 12:1-3 (NIV)

In his letter to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul exhorted them to live as living sacrifices unto The Lord. He encouraged them to change their lives and no longer conform to the sinful patterns of this world, but to transform and renew their minds in order to do God's will. He told them not to think so highly of themselves in their current sinful positions.

The same could be said of us today, we need to change the way that we conduct our lives. We need to live our lives to please God and stop imitating the sinful worldly people that we see in life or on TV. We need to renew and refresh our minds with The Word of God and seek to please The Lord. Most of us think to highly of ourselves. We wrongfully think that the world would be a better place if everybody in it thought and acted just like us. If that were the case, truly a lot of bad things that now happen would no longer happen. However, there are a lot of good things that now happen which would no longer happen because we do not do them. We all need to do a better job of being Christ-like and that begins with transforming our thoughts and actions and renewing our minds with The Word of God.

Friday, May 25, 2012

God's Power And Strength Displayed In Our Weakness

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with The Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)

In defense of his ministry, the Apostle Paul confronts those who brag about their religious experiences. He states that he will not brag about his experiences because it is all about God and not about him. His physical suffering, the thorn in his flesh, was to keep him humble. God's strength becomes apparent during his admitted weakness.

Sometimes God allows things to happen to us in order to get our focus off of ourselves and to put our focus on Him. Nothing that we have accomplished could have been done without God allowing us to do it. In Him we live, move, and have our very being. He controls every situation. We would be foolish to brag about or take credit for something that God did through us. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you." The same is true for us today. God has the power to get us through any and all situations. Our physical ailments, short comings, and troubles, only limit us in our sight. God is able to use us to accomplish great things in spite of our apparent weaknesses. It is in our weaknesses that He can display His strength. In our weaknesses, we know that it was His strength, and not our own, that got us through and allowed us to do whatever. We need to thank Him and give Him credit for the things that He has done in our lives. We need to thank Him for the "thorns in our flesh" that weaken us and cause us to focus on Him. We need to thank Him for His strength that He gives to us.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Be A Blessing To Others And You Will Be Blessed

"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed ... He who seeks good finds goodwill ..." Proverbs 11:25-27 (NIV)

The Proverbs of Solomon contain some of the best advice ever given, from the wisest man that ever lived. Generosity will be rewarded. If you are a blessing to others, then you will be blessed. If you go about looking for the good in others, then good things will come to you.

As we sow, so shall we also reap. (Job 4:8) What we give out is what we will get back. And, one who gives will get back much more in return than they give out. A seed planted produces not just another seed, but many times more seeds, often more than one hundred fold increase. (Matthew 13:8 & 13:23) That which you want more of, try giving more of that to others. As we give, so shall we receive. He who is a blessing to others, will himself be blessed.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Narrow Less Travelled Difficult Road Goes To A Better Place

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

As part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that the wide and well travelled road that most people take is not the way to go because that road leads to bad outcomes. The narrow, less travelled, difficult road will lead to a better life.

The easy way is often not the best way. Following the crowd will usually lead you to trouble. Following Jesus is often difficult because we must make choices that are unpopular and that go against our sinful nature. Choose very carefully the road you take and who you will follow, your life on earth and in eternity will depend upon it.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Stand And See The Deliverance Of The Lord

"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance The Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV)

After they had been delivered out of Egypt and had come to the Red Sea, the children of Israel saw Pharaoh's army approaching and began to complain to Moses that he had led them out of Egypt to die in the desert. Moses told them, "Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of The Lord." The Lord blocked the path of Pharaoh's army with a cloudy firy pillar, and then parted the Red Sea so the people could cross over on dry land. Then He drowned Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea when they followed them.

The song writer said, "After you've done all that you can, you just stand." When our circumstances and our situations seem impossible, and all we can see is our defeat and destruction, we need to have faith in God. He specializes in doing things that man thinks would be impossible. He protects and provides for His own. We just need to believe, have faith, and trust in Him. He will see us through every storm. "Let go, and let God."

Monday, May 21, 2012

God Has A Place For Each Of Us

"Then Moses said, 'Now show me Your glory.' And The Lord said, 'I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, The Lord, in your presence ... But,' He said, 'you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.' Then The Lord said, 'There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock. When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.' " Exodus 33:18-23 (NIV)

After leading the people out of Egypt, God met with Moses and told him to lead the people to the promised land. Moses asked God to show him His glory. The Lord said "There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock ... I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you ..." God said that Moses could see His back but not His face, for no one could see His face and live. God had a place for Moses. He protected him and hid him in a rock.

Some times we ask God for things that are not in our best interest and He protects us from our wants. God has a special place for each one of us. If we stand where He puts us, He will protect us. He can cleft a rock for us, hide us, cover us with His hand and protect us. We just need to make sure that we are where God wants us to be. We need to stand near Him so that we may experience the glory of God.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

The World Hates Us

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." John 15:18-19 (NIV)

After entering Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus predicted His betrayal and denial, then comforts His disciples with the promise of The Holy Spirit and He began to teach them. Here He lets them know the reason why the world hate them.

We should not be surprised that so many people hate us. They hated Jesus for what He said and did, and we are continuing to spread the good news about Him. Those who do not believe in God, will not want hear what we have to say, and they will hate us if we insist upon saying it. We the elect of God have been chosen to spread The Word of God throughout the world, but we should not expect that everyone will be happy to hear it or believe it. All we can do is speak it and be living examples of it. Remember, we are not of this world, we are just passing through it.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

The Certainty Of God's Promises

"God did this so that ... we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Hebrews 6:18-19 (NIV)

After explaining God's promise to Abraham, and the oath that He made unto Himself because there was nobody greater to swear by, the author makes it clear that our hope is embodied in Jesus Christ Himself. It is to Him that we flee and take refuge during times of trouble. He offers us protection and security. He is our anchor.

We should be encouraged by the knowledge that where ever we go, Jesus has gone before us, and The Holy Spirit will be there with us. God will never leave us or forsake us. There is nothing that we go through, that we go through alone. Our hope is steadfast and secure because He promised to always with us, and He keeps His promises.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Faith Hope And Trust

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen ." (KJV)

The author here provides two truths about faith. One, faith is an absolute assurance of being granted our future hopes. Two, faith provides us with a conviction in the realities that are as yet unseen. This shows an absolute trust in God.


You know that your faith is strong when you know that what you hope for will come. And when you know this without seeing anything in the present to suggest that it is true. Faith gives us the confidence to keep going on, in spite of whatever, because we know that the good that God promised us is coming. It is impossible to please God without faith. (Hebrews 11:6)

Thursday, May 17, 2012

We Are Comforted To Know How To Comfort Others

Praise be to The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows ... And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort ... Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers." 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (NIV)

In a letter to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul offers comfort for their suffering from the oppression of their enemies. He has been comforted in his hour of need and he now is offering comfort to others in theirs.

Comfort, like blessings, comes from God. He can use us to comfort one another in times of trouble and despair. We are comforted in order to know how to be a comfort to others. We are basically passing on the comfort that we received to others who are in need. We should share in each others joys and sorrows. We should be thankful for His delivering us through past troubles and despairs, and we hope and pray that He will continue to deliver us and others in the future.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

How Do You Walk Talk Act And Think?

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

In his discourse on Christian behavior, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the Christians in Corinth to grow up spiritually, and act like mature Christian adults, and not like selfish uninformed children.

Children have only a very limited understanding of God and the scriptures, and their speech and behavior reflects this. The same is true for babies in Christ. By reading and studying the Bible, mature Christians gain a greater understanding of The Word of God, and our speech and our behavior should reflect this. When we know better, we ought to do better. There will come a time when our partial knowledge of God will be replaced with complete and perfect insight into all things eternal. But until that glorious day comes, let us make sure that our speech and our behavior shows the world a Christ-like individual.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

We Hope For That Which We Do Not Yet Have

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us ... Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of The Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of The Spirit, because The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:18-28 (NIV)

Writing to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul tell them that even though we are saved, some times our sufferings cause us to moan, groan, and complain as we wait impatiently for our future blessings. But The Holy Spirit knows and understands our moans and groans, and intercedes on our behalf before God.

Our hope for a better future is not based upon what we can see or have. Our hope is in The Lord. In our weakness and shortsightedness, we don't even know what to pray for. We can't always put all of our requests into words. But thanks be to God, He knows what we need, and want, and He knows what is best for us. As we have hope and faith in Him, He will supply all of our needs.

Monday, May 14, 2012

From Suffering To Perseverance To Character To Hope

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by The Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul argues that God justifies sinners on the basis of their faith. Once We are justified, we have peace with God and we enjoy the grace of God.

Our salvation is based upon our belief in Jesus Christ. Our faith in Him and His love for us allows us to enjoy hope for the future. We can rejoice now, whatever the circumstance or situation, because our current sufferings will lead perseverance, which will produce strong character within us, which will strengthen our faith, and give us hope for a better tomorrow. We are blessed to enjoy the love of God.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Keep The Faith Fan The Flame

"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:5-7 (NIV)

To encourage his young co-laborer, the Apostle Paul told Timothy that the true and sincere faith that was in his grandmother and in his mother, was also in him. Paul encouraged him to exercise his faith, to fan the flame, so that his gift from God would grow stronger. God did not mean for him to be weak, loving and full of self control, yes, but not weak.

Most of us received our early religious training from our mother and or grandmother. They were our example of faith, strength, and love. It was usually their strong faith in God that kept the family going. That capacity, which is a gift from God, was cultivated by them in each of us and it has been enhanced by life's lessons as we grew. Most of us have a little faith, but it is weak because we do not exercise it. We need to "fan the flame" so that our God given gift can grow stronger. With great faith comes the ability to do great things. We could move mountains if our faith was stronger. Jesus said, "... if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20 NIV) Thank God, and your mother, and your grandmother, for what they gave you, but you must decide to use your gift.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Always Have Hope

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more." Psalms 71:14 (NIV)

This is the psalm of an elderly man facing trouble. He is a mature man of faith who responds to trouble by displaying his faith and trust in God. He prays for God's help and expresses confidence that his prayer will be answered.

Like this psalmist, we should never lose our hope, faith, and trust in God. What ever the circumstance or situation, we should always have hope. Our prayer during the storms of life should be a request for strength for today and hope for tomorrow, that tomorrow will be a better day. We know that God is with us at all times, so we just have to hold on. Never let the devil get the best of you and cause you to give up. Exercise your faith and always have hope.
We should praise God for what He has done for us in the past, is doing for us right now, and for what He will do for us in the future.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Repeated Disobedience Brings Defeat And Punishment

"Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of The Lord and served the Baals. They forsook The Lord, The God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked The Lord to anger ... In His anger against Israel The Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them ... Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of The Lord was against them to defeat them, just as He had sworn to them. They were in great distress. Then The Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders ... The Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them ... Therefore The Lord was very angry with Israel ..." Judges 2:11-23 (NIV)

This pattern of disobedience, defeat, and deliverance was repeated throughout the period of the judges. Because of their worship of other gods, The Lord allowed Israel to fall into the hands of their enemies. After letting them suffer for a while, The Lord would use a judge to save them. However, they would soon return to their evil and wicked ways.

Today, in spite of the goodness that God has shown us, we continue to return to our sinful ways. We really enjoy our sins and bad habits, that is why we keep on repeating them. That is also why we have so much trouble in our lives as God is allowing us to be punished. We want to be blessed, but we don't want to follow His word. He said, "If My people, who are called by My name, would humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins ..." (2 Chronicles 7:14) Repeated disobedience will result in repeated punishment.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Having The Complete Joy Of Jesus

"As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:9-11 (NIV)

After telling His disciples that He would soon leave them, Jesus comforts them by saying that The Holy Spirit would come and be with them. He also said that if they continue to follow His teachings, that they would experience His joy and that their joy would be complete joy.

Jesus makes it clear that obedience is the basis for experiencing joy. His joy was based upon His obedience to the will of His Father. Our joy is based upon our being obedient to His word. We can have the ultimate and complete joy of Jesus. And this joy, the world can't give it to you, and the world can't take it away from you.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The Truth Will Set You Free From Sin

"To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can You say that we shall be set free?' Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin ... I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word ... 'If you were Abraham's children,' said Jesus, 'then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does' ... You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies ... He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." John 8:31-47 (NIV)

Even though the people wanted to kill Him for what He was saying, Jesus continued to teach the truth. To the Jews who were descendants of Abraham physically, their behavior revealed them to be the devil's descendants. The devil is the father of lies and there is no truth in him.

Jesus spoke the truth. We must hear the truth, believe the truth, and live the truth, if we want to be free from the penalty of sin. Those of us who belong to God can hear what He says, and we endeavour to do what He says. Our words and deeds reveal who is our real father.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Don't Lie

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16 (NIV)

The ninth of the ten commandments that God gave to Moses for the Children of Israel and all mankind. One should not speak falsely and lie on or to others, but should tell the truth.

Our legal system, and the legal system of most if not all other societies, is based upon the principal that witnesses should "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Societies and personal relationships fail when people cannot be counted on to tell the truth. It is very upsetting for someone, especially someone that you considered a friend, to look you in the eye and tell you a lie. Some people claim that they tell "little white lies" to avoid hurting someone's feelings. There is no such thing as a little lie, a lie is a lie. A lie is speaking falsely to someone about someone or something. Lying in not Christ-like. Good Christian conversation is not based upon lying. The Bible states that there is a special place reserved in hell for "... all liars ..." (Revelation 21:8) It would be much better for all of us, if we cannot tell the truth, then we should not say anything at all. We need to pray for forgiveness and pray for God to guide our tongue.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Be A Blessing And Inherit A Blessing

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

Writing to "the pilgrims", the scattered Christians now strangers in a land that is not their own,
The Apostle Peter provides them with instruction on how to live honorably before unbelievers, before fellow believers, and in the midst of suffering.

We would do well to also follow these guidelines for Christian living. Because of their words and actions, some people are just plain hard to love. However, we must learn to live in harmony with all of God's people. We need to be sympathetic when sympathy is needed, compassionate when comfort is needed, and to be humble and loving at all times. We should show Christian love to others regardless of what is displayed to us. How do we bless folk who are not kind to us? We pray for them, speak well of them (find something good to say), and pray for their salvation and well being. By doing that, we will be blessed.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Who Are You Connected To?

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples." John 15:1-8 (NIV)

Just before the passover feast, Jesus was with His disciples, telling them of things to come. After He had washed their feet, predicted His betrayal, and predicted Peter's denial, He sought to comfort them. He encouraged them to remain in Him, to be true to His word, and He would remain in them.

The analogy of a fruit bearing branch is so clear. If a branch is not connected to the main vine and its roots, it cannot receive the sustenance it needs to remain alive and bear fruit. Likewise, we can do nothing if we are not connected to Jesus. He is the source of our strength and our life. We cannot bear fruit or continue to exist without Him. If we are not connected to Jesus, then we are like dead branches, good for nothing but to be cast into the fire.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Comfort For Those Who Mourn

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

The second of the Beatitudes that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount addresses those who grieve and mourn. This suggests that God knows who is grieving and why, and He will comfort them.

The death of a loved one, though not the only cause, is the most common cause for people to mourn. Even for Christians, who should be celebrating the home going of a loved one, still mourn their death. Intellectually, we know that "to be absent from the body ... present with The Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8), but our emotions get the best of us and we mourn. We know that "... blessed are the dead which die in The Lord ... they ... rest from their labours" (Revelation 14:13), and we know that "Precious in the sight of The Lord is the death of His saints." (Psalms 116:15). Mourning is a natural human emotion. We cannot stop someone from mourning, but with the help of God, we can be there for them to comfort them. Be sure that you pray before you speak to someone who is mourning.

Friday, May 4, 2012

To Whom Much Is Given Much Is Required

"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:47-48 (NIV)

Luke, the physician, offers warnings and encouragements to the people. Those who do wrong but do not know any better, will still be punished for doing wrong. However, those who do wrong and know that what they are doing is wrong, will be punished more severely than the uninformed wrong doer.

More will be expected from those who are given more, entrusted with more, and who know more. When you know better, you should do better. Sin is sin, and wrong is wrong, but our punishment for wrong doing will depend upon our knowledge of right and wrong. When we know that what we are doing is wrong, and we continue to do it, our chastisement will be greater because of our willful commission of wrong. We need to pray for God's help in the avoidance of sins committed knowingly and intentionally.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Want To Be Richly Blessed?

"As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved.' " Romans 10:11-13 (NIV)

In his letter to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul tells them that salvation is available to all. He says Jesus Christ is The Lord of Lords, and He will richly bless all who believe in Him.

The same is still true today. When God made us, He gave us the freedom of choice. We can choose to believe in Jesus The Christ, or we can choose not to believe. All of us who believe in Jesus will be saved and richly blessed, those who don't, won't.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Overcome Evil With Good

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says The Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:17-21 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is presenting guidelines for Christian living to the Christians in Rome. He offers several examples to clarify the point he made in verse one, do not act like the unsaved people of the world act. Here his point is that they should not do someone wrong to repay that someone for a wrong done to them. They should continue to be nice to them, God will avenge the wrong done to His saints.

We should not return evil for evil. We should be nice to those people who do us wrong, those who use, misuse us, abuse us, and to those who lie on us and lie to us. We should basically, as the old saying goes, "kill them with kindness." By doing so, we will "heap burning coals on their heads." The best way to overcome evil is to do good. "... For it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' saith The Lord." Romans 12:19 (KJV)

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

We Must Go Through Many Hardships

"They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said." Acts 14:21-22 (NIV)

Paul and Barnabas travelled about preaching and teaching about Jesus. While large numbers of Jews and Gentiles heard them and believed, there were also large numbers of people who did not believe them and wanted to stone them. They left those cities and went elsewhere to preach the gospel, but the later returned to the cities where they were both loved and hated. At the risk of harm to themselves, their purpose was to encourage the believers to keep the faith.

Most of us do not live in countries where we are persecuted for our beliefs. However, during these difficult economic times, a lot of us are experiencing hardships of one kind or another. We are bombarded daily with all kinds of non-Christian philosophies and temptations that test our faith. We need to stand strong as we deal with our many trials and tribulations and we need to encourage others to do likewise. The words we say to encourage others, may very well be helpful to us also. Remember, God will never leave us, or forsake us. If He brought us to it, He can bring us through it.