THE APPLE OF HIS EYE!

 

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

 

THE APPLE OF HIS EYE!

 

Deut 32:9-10

9 For the Lord 's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

 

Zech 2:8

8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

 

 

          We have heard this “apple of the eye” phrase most of our life, but do we know to what it refers? The apple of the eye is from a word that literally means "gate or opening" probably referring to the pupil of the eye; that part of the eye most easily injured, the most demanding of protection. When something approaches our eye, the lid reflexively closes. What God is saying is that He is very sensitive to the needs of His people.

 

          God is aware of those of us who are suffering physical illness. He knows that beyond the physical pain of the illness itself, there is the fact that we must temporarily assign our duties to others or else leave them undone. There is the sleepless nights and the inactivity and loneliness of the long days while our bodies recover. We become needy and fear that we will be a burden to others. We become concerned that important things will not fare well without our personal attention. We feel helpless and weak. Whatever touches you touches the apple of his eye!

 

          God is aware of your financial needs. He knows when the rent is due and the contents of the pantry. He has felt the hollow of hunger and the empty purse. His eyes are on the widow and the orphan. He is aware of those who are unemployed or locked in a low paying job. We may call upon Him to meet our needs. He invites us to trust Him for supplies. Whatever touches you touches the apple of his eye!

 

            He knows the pain of unfriendly friends. He knows what it is like to see a multitude of followers dwindle to a handful. He has asked “Will ye also go away?” He knows what it is like to stand upon principles and lose companions because of it – or simply to have those leave your company who expected a product you were not manufacturing. He knows what it is like to be “unfriended.”

 

Dear Jesus, I can face the afflictions of this day knowing that you guard me like the apple of your eye. Thank you for being my companion in trials and for the abundant provision of my need. Come quickly to help when we need you. AMEN

 

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE CONFUSED!

 

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

 

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE CONFUSED!

 

1 Cor 14:33

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

 

Acts 9:22

22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

 

          Two words beg for deeper exploration this morning. The first is the word confusion which we find in our first verse. It is the Greek word akatastasia and is pronounced (ak-at-as-tah-see'-ah). When pronounced it sounds like the noise of a machine gun and it means instability or disorder. The verse goes on to say that God does not “author” instability and disorder.

 

          The other word is confounded in the book of Acts which means “to throw into disorder or to perplex the mind.” Paul, in preaching that Jesus was indeed the Christ, threw the Jewish system into disorder. He challenged long held prejudices and perplexed their minds. They sought to kill him.

 

          What do we, as believers, do when we are thrown into disorder and perplexed? If confusion is a state of disorder and if we want “peace” instead, what should we do?

 

STOP! Back away for a moment. If what you are doing is confusing and confounding, perhaps it shouldn’t be done. Maybe there is a better way.

 

ASSESS! Evaluate and analyze the situation. Is there something you are overlooking? Have you tried everything?

 

REST! I know this can be a frustrating suggestion when there is so much confusion and so much to do but it was the suggestion of Jesus to His disciples when things became chaotic.

 

Mark 6:31

31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place,[a place without people and distraction] and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

 

PRAY! Hey now, there is an idea! Why not ask God what to do?

 

Ps 120:1

In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

 

Dear Lord, in the confusion of this day help me to trust in Thee. AMEN

THOUGHTS ON MEMORIAL DAY

 

Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2023

 

John 15:13

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

THOUGHTS ON MEMORIAL DAY

          Why does it seem we mark each generation with a war? My grandfather fought in WWI. I remember his old “flat” army helmet he brought home from the trenches in France. There was a dent in it that corresponded to a dent in his forehead. A machine-gun bullet caused him to have some paralysis to his tongue.

 

          My Father suffered a back injury as a child that kept him out of the military in WWII, but it did not keep him from serving. He worked/served at Oak Ridge, Tennessee building the atomic bomb. He did not know just what he was building until the loudspeaker stopped production and asked the workers to sit down for a special announcement. Then they knew, and daddy cried. He cried for the unknown souls that were killed with an instrument that he helped to build. He cried because the war would soon be over. He cried because his work was done at Oak Ridge, and he could soon move his family and find a real job.

 

          The Korean War began when I was only four years old. I think I had an uncle who served. I have had many friends who did.

 

          Viet Nam found me enrolled in seminary, but I had a dear friend who saw action there. For years I thought my friend had died in combat but within the last few years I learned he is alive and well. What a joy it was to speak with him on the phone and then visit him at his home in Iowa.

          Iraq and Afghanistan seem to linger on and on. We were weary of it and so instead of winning we simply left. It will take more years to learn whether it made any difference.

 

Matt 5:2

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

 

Dear Lord, bless those families who mourn today. Comfort them and give them strong consolation. Give to this nation firm and compassionate leadership. Preserve us by your grace. AMEN

CULTURED BUT NOT CONVERTED!

 

Sunday, May 28, 2023

 

CULTURED BUT NOT CONVERTED!

 

John 3:1-5

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

 

          The condition of Nicodemus is a sad one indeed. He was not one of the more sinful sinners but was a cultured and educated man. Educated in the best schools, he was knowledgeable in the arts as well as skilled in social graces. His name, Nicodemus, is a combination of the verb Nikao which means “to win” and the word demos or “people.” He was a winner with the people, but he was not converted. He was not born again.

 

          Nicodemus was not disrespectful when addressing Jesus. We live in a world where disrespect is the universal attitude of man. Nicodemus addressed Jesus respectfully, noted his miraculous accomplishments, and was about to pose a few questions for clarification when Jesus challenged him with a simple fact. “Except a man is born again he can’t see the kingdom of God.”

 

          Try to imagine what Nicodemus was thinking. He had the best education, shopped the best clothier, lived in the best neighborhood, was active in his church and his community. He was a winner with the people, but he was a loser with God. In spite of his education, he was not equipped to discuss the new birth with its designer. He was ignorant of the most important things.

 

1 Cor 2:14

14 But the natural [unsaved or unconverted] man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned [understood].

 

 

Although Jesus explained spiritual reality to Nicodemus that night, it is only after Jesus' death that we see proof that he actually did become His disciple (John 19:39). Nicodemus clearly points out that the wisdom of men falls painfully short of the kingdom of God. Only by total reliance upon the work of Christ can we hope to attain it. We likewise must be "born again" (John 3:3). (from New Testament Sermon Starters © 2001, Spiros Zodhiates.)

 

Dear Lord, let me not trust in the wisdom of this world. Let me not become blinded by the acclaim of men. Let me see with spiritual eyes and hear with the heart. AMEN

A HIGH AND HOLY GOD!

 

Saturday, May 27, 2023

 

A HIGH AND HOLY GOD!

 

Isa 57:15-21

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.

17 For the iniquity of his [ Judah’s] covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly [kept on backsliding] in the way of his heart.

18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

19 I create the fruit of the lips; [I will restore praise to his lips] Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

 

Isa 6:1-3

6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

 

IT MATTERS HOW WE VIEW GOD!

 

Isaiah continues to see Jehovah in the way that he first saw Him in chapter six, Holy and exalted. This is as it should be! Calvary has made God instantly accessible; we have made him casual and familiar. In making Him our Friend I fear we have ceased to see Him as Lord. In making His Word more readable, through multiple modern translations, we have lost the awesome majesty of His words.

 

WHO HE IS DETERMINES HOW HE ACTS AND REACTS TO US!

 

God is Holy! That is His name! He dwells in a holy place with others He Himself has made holy also. This is both good and bad news. Those who have been made holy by the blood of His Son Jesus will one day dwell with him but the wicked will not. The wicked are so incompatible with the holy that both would be eternally frustrated if the wicked should reside in heaven. Like eggs and golf balls, both are of the same color and relative size, but they have different natures. You might refrigerate golf balls but could never eat them. You might smash an egg off the tee box, but the result would not be pleasant. Each has its own place. They cannot dwell together.

 

GOD TRANSFORMS THE CONTRITE IN HEART!

 

The holy God is easily entreated and responds favorably to those who are bruised with sorrow for their sin. To view our sin in the same way that God views them is to share His nature and opinion. God moves quickly to solidify this and to transform the penitent into a holy being through redemption. The penitent has been enlightened by the Spirit, convinced of his sinfulness, and brought to repentance. God continues to fashion him for His own holy dwelling place.

 

GOD PUTS PRAISE ON OUR LIPS!

 

If Judah would repent and turn from his backsliding ways (see v.18) God would remove the affliction which is designed only to turn him and would replace the pining with praise. But there is no peace, God says, to the wicked. His own wickedness afflicts him. His thoughts control him, and his deeds destroy him.

 

But we are built for praise! Heaven is a holy place inhabited by holy people. It is not, as some think, a place where our every lust will be satisfied. It is a place where our spirit and our heart are revived and restored.

 

Oh Lord! Early will I praise thee! I will bless thee as long as my soul lives. Purge me and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. AMEN

HIS FOOTPRINT ON MY HEART!

 

Friday, May 26, 2023

 

HIS FOOTPRINT ON MY HEART!

 

1 Cor 10:13

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

          Because a thing is wrong, does not preclude my attraction to it! I am a man of two natures like the Apostle Paul. In Romans chapter 7 he painfully describes the struggle that rages in the heart of the man with two natures. What he wants to do he does not do and what he loathes to do he seems addicted to. In Romans chapter 8 he explains that the liberating difference is Jesus.

 

Rom 7:24-8:1

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

          Isaac H. Meredith, in 1900 wrote a hymn called Seal us, O Holy Spirit which conveys the thought of Christ’s image stamped on our heart. The first stanza is below.

 

Seal us, O Holy Spirit,

Grant us Thine impress, we pray;

We would be more like the Savior,

Stamped with His image today.

 

Dear Lord, walk throughout my heart and leave your footprints today. Be the difference between me and sin. AMEN

THE MIND OF CHRIST!

 

Thursday, May 25, 2023

 

THE MIND OF CHRIST!

 

Phil 2:2-8

2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

 

Three times in this portion Paul uses the word “mind.” It is interesting to learn that they have different meanings in the New Testament’s original language. Each time, however, Paul emphasizes the fact that our actions begin in our thought processes. Let’s take a look.

 

Like minded – One accord – of one mind—THIS IS UNITY!

 

Couples who have been married for a long time have an uncanny ability to finish each other’s thoughts and sentences in a conversation. They are so intimately familiar with one another that they seem to share a single mind! This is the atmosphere Paul is promoting within the Philippians’ church. The meaning is UNITY.

 

What would happen if you did not have to ask a question because you already knew the answer? What would happen if you did not have to persuade or negotiate because there was no opposition? What if every action had a predictable and FAVORABLE reaction? This is the atmosphere Paul wanted for them.

 

1 Cor 1:10

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

 

 

Lowliness of mind – THIS IS HUMILITY!

 

Paul explains himself in verse 4 when he says: “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” What would happen if every member of the church weighed their ambitions in someone else’s balance? What if we consciously and intentionally thought of others more than ourselves? What if each time we prepared a cup of coffee for ourselves we prepared one for someone else – just the way they like it – two sugars and no cream? Think about the atmosphere in that church where every member functioned in this way!

 

The Mind of Christ – THIS IS SACRIFICE!

 

Without abandoning His awareness of His own equality with God, Jesus “took upon him [put on like a garment] the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” It was necessary for Christ to become man!

 

Rom 8:3-4

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 

It was a tough job, as we say, but someone had to do it! This is the mind of sacrifice. Jesus willingly suffered loss that we might gain. Try, Paul was saying, to blend your affections and emotions – your mind – with this attitude held by Christ. The opposite of this “mind” is what I call the “greedy grab” mindset and it genders strife.

 

James 4:1-2

4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

 

Dear Lord! Help me to develop a mind of unity with my brethren, a mind of humility with my peers and the mind of Christ in the world. AMEN

GENTLE PRESSURE

 

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

 

GENTLE PRESSURE

 

Jer 18:4

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

 

          The Lord told Jeremiah to go down and observe the potter and his work. He watched as the raw clay was scooped up and pounded into a moldable consistency. The lump was slapped upon the center of the wheel, and he began to spin it with his foot while his wet hands smoothed out a usable shape. The Lord then explained that making a lovely and useful vessel sometimes required some pounding and finally some gentle pressure.

 

          A few years ago, an honors graduate gave a single rose to my wife to indicate that she had been impacted by my wife’s gentle pressure upon her life. My wife was surprised but I wasn’t. No, I did not know about the rose beforehand, but I was not surprised. Gentle pressure is not always appreciated but it transforms.

 

          Do you feel the Potter’s gentle pressure upon your life today? Maybe it is more like pounding! Either way, God is trying to make something beautiful and useful of you. Even “mess ups” are not a total loss in the masterful hands of the potter. He simply starts over and makes it into another vessel. Yield to His gentle pressure and wait for the transformation. It’s going to be wonderful!

 

Dear Lord, let me yield to your gentle pressure upon my life today. AMEN

THE HOLY (CAN DO) SPIRIT

 

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

 

THE HOLY (CAN DO) SPIRIT

 

Phil 4:12-13

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. KJV

 

Heb 11:32-34

32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

 

 

          It cannot be told how many things have been accomplished by those who were too timid, too tired, too wounded, and too ill equipped. Yet they prevailed by a strength which was not their own.

 

2 Cor 12:9-10

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

 

Lord, fill with strength and ability those who are weak. AMEN