CONSEQUENCES!

 

Saturday, June 21, 2025

 

CONSEQUENCES!

 

Gal 6:7-9

7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

 

          A consequence is the cost we pay or the reward we receive from a decision we have made. We are free moral agents and not puppets of a God who pulls all the strings. While we are free to make choices those choices have accompanying consequences.

 

          Our text uses an agricultural analogy. If you plant corn, you can’t expect watermelon as a crop. By the same analogy, we can determine your choices by observing your fruit. This is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 7:20. “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

 

          This truth should cause us to be cautious regarding which life force we obey. The flesh is always demanding attention and pampering. We may give ourselves completely to the demands of the flesh but there are consequences. The Spirit – God’s Holy Spirit – is always cooing and wooing us to do right and to do well. If we listen and obey there are consequences.

 

          Verse 9 seems to indicate that “well doing” requires much more forethought and energy than wrongdoing. We are advised not to grow weary of the effort because there are consequences and rewards.

 

Heb 11:24-26

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

 

Dear Lord, help me to keep my wits about me when I make choices. AMEN

 

ENCOURAGING TRUTHS FOR THE DOWNHEARTED!

 

Friday, June 20, 2025

 

ENCOURAGING TRUTHS FOR THE DOWNHEARTED!

 

2 Cor 7:5-6

5 For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

6 Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

 

We all get down from time to time. Even the Apostle Paul, though a spiritual giant, admitted to being “troubled on every side.” Externally there were fightings and internally there were fears. He was cast down and then comforted.

 

What can we do when we are cast down? Let me suggest that we check the balance in our spiritual account. We need a reality check to see just who we are in Christ. Consider the following truths.

 

1. GOD HAS ALWAYS LOVED YOU!

 

Jer 31:3

3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

 

Ps 103:17

17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

 

2 Thess 2:13

13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

 

2. GOD LOVED YOU ENOUGH TO ALLOW JESUS TO DIE!

 

1 Peter 1:18-19

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

 

Heb 9:12-14

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

 

3. GOD HAS INVITED YOU TO BE PART OF HIS FAMILY!

 

Rom 8:16-17

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

 

Gal 4:7

7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

 

4. HE IS COMING FOR YOU SOON!

 

Luke 21:27-28

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

 

Ps 126:2-3

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

 

Dear Lord, whenever my heart is downcast help me to count the many blessings of my salvation. AMEN

 

THE LIFE OF THE FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD!

 

Thursday, June 19, 2025

 

THE LIFE OF THE FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD!

 

Lev 17:11

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

 

          No matter your race or color, your blood is red. (Acts 17:26) Racism recedes when we trace our heritage back to Adam and Eve. The first hateful sin was the murder of a brother. You can maintain bigotry if you want to, but it doesn’t coexist with reason and that is true regardless of your color. It is when our color or condition is thought to have purchased for us some unearned entitlement that we have trouble and cause trouble.

 

          The death of Jesus was no mere martyrdom. Jesus was, as John correctly stated, “the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.” His blood has made atonement for our souls. That atonement is freely offered as a gift, but it is conditional upon our receiving it.

 

1 John 1:7

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth [keeps on washing] us from all sin.

 

Dear Lord, my sin was horrible, therefore my redemption required blood. Thank you for your sacrifice that provided my atonement. AMEN

 

ENDURANCE!

 

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

 

ENDURANCE!

 

James 1:2-4

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 

          The word “patience” is translated from the Greek hupomone which means “cheerful endurance.” The word assumes that there is something to endure; a hardship to deal with. Most of us have hardships and circumstances that we can’t overcome. Endurance is not a choice, but “cheerful” endurance is and most of us spend our time being anything but cheerful while waiting.

 

2 Cor 12:7-9

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

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.

 

          Paul had an “unsolvable” problem. He prayed three times for relief and removal of this physical problem and each time God said no. He was forced to release the circumstance to God who provided grace instead of healing. Grace or “charis” is defined as: “divine influence on the heart with its reflection in the life.” Oh, how we need God to influence our heart so that we might reflect this influence in the way we live our lives. All too often we let others know that we are resisting God’s influence on our heart because there is no change in our lives. In his paraphrase of our text, J. B. Phillips sheds some light on the process of endurance.

 

"When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the PROCESS go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find that you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence." (James 1:2-4 – Phillips Translation)

 

          Once we release our grasp, our anger, and our control of the situation, God is then free to go to work. The process of endurance has a product, and that product is the maturing of our character with “the right sort of independence.”

 

Dear Lord, today many things are broken that I can’t fix. There are circumstances beyond the reach of my control. Help me to cheerfully endure so that the process of endurance might produce the product of character. AMEN

 

FEELING THE PAIN OF OTHERS!

 

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

 

FEELING THE PAIN OF OTHERS!

 

John 11:33-35

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

35 Jesus wept.

 

          In the same way service dogs sense that something is not right with their patients, some of us have been gifted with the ability to sense pain in others. It is not a gift to ask for! We see through the smiles and happy-go-lucky attitude to the depths of a person’s heart. I’m one of those people but I don’t always appreciate this ability because there seems to be pain everywhere.

 

          I attended a police chaplain’s conference in Dallas several years ago and met some of the first responders to the Oklahoma City bombing. They told of the carnage they witnessed and how they gradually grew numb to the pain. Many of these ministers and counselors were still groaning in their spirit. They had seen and felt more than they had prepared for. Their grief needed to be postponed to a later time. Now they were caring machines but grief would catch up to them later.

 

          The word “groaned” in verse 33 is the Greek embrimaomai which actually means “to snort with anger or to sigh with chagrin.” More than being sorrowful, Jesus was angry at death. Knowing this changes the tone of His question: “Where have ye laid him?” I hear a determined resolve to reverse the cause of pain. Only God could do this.

 

          As you go through this day keep a sharp eye out for the pain in others. Develop a firm resolve to reverse the cause of pain if possible. Then pay attention to yourself and do what Jesus often did. Steal away to some quiet place and talk to the Father so that your peace may return.

 

1 Cor 12:26

26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.

 

Lord, give me a keen insight into the pain of others and a heart to help. When I am worn, restore me that I might help again. AMEN

 

SORRY IS NOT AN APOLOGY!

 

Monday, June 16, 2025

 

SORRY IS NOT AN APOLOGY!

 

Heb 12:16-17

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

 

          Dissecting words often sheds light on a deeper meaning. Our modern word “sorry” is not an apology at all and is now generally used simply to dismiss an action rather than to rectify a wrong. The origin of the word is Old English and means “pained or distressed.” It is from the noun sore. Heard less frequently is the request for forgiveness.

 

          Esau foolishly sold his birthright for a bowl of beans after returning from a hunting expedition. He later regretted doing so and wanted to reverse the decision but could not. He found no place or “opportunity” for repentance though he sought it carefully and tearfully.

 

          Esau was "a profane person," which means "a common person, one who lives for the world and not God." Our English word literally means "outside the temple," or not belonging to God.

 

          The word “repentance” is the Greek metanoia and means “compunction for guilt which includes reformation along with a reversal of a decision.” We don’t see much repentance today, but we hear “sorry” many times.

 

          God's grace does not fail, but we can fail to depend on God's grace. Esau is a warning to us not to live for lesser things.

 

Rom 8:18

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

 

Dear Lord, help me to be more than just sorry. Provide for me a place and an opportunity for repentance. AMEN

 

MEMORIES OF MY FATHER!

 

Fathers’ Day Sunday, June 15, 2025

 

MEMORIES OF MY FATHER!

 

Eph 6:1-4

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

 

          June is not only the month in which we find Father’s Day, it is the month in which my own father was both born and died. Dad was born on June 26, 1917, and died on June 21, 2001, just five days short before his 84^th birthday. He and Mom were married just four months before Pearl Harbor. To say that those were interesting days would be a gross understatement.

 

It is a terrible thing to be “fatherless” even when you are fully grown with children and grandchildren of your own. There is a place deep inside where the memory of Dad still dwells. I can go there and review a photo album of memories. I can see how he dressed, how he walked and talked and even how he responded to troubling situations. I can see how he responded to the needs of those less fortunate while at the same time being disgusted at those who simply would not do for themselves. I can choose from the best of his character, sorting out the best of his nature and comparing it with my own. Every now and then I can see signs of him in the mirror. Sometimes I turn and stare, half expecting him to speak to me. 

 

          Since the commandment is to honor my father, I wonder how I might best do that today. I remember when my brother and I took Dad fishing. He never took time to do things like that, and it was an unusual pleasure for us all. We once lived close enough to drive to their house each week and we would take mom and him to “Amish country” and eat at one of those big buffets. Now I cannot take him to dinner or go fishing with him and he never was one for receiving gifts. I think the best way to honor my father is to assemble a list of his best qualities and emulate them. Next, I think I should assemble a list of his worst qualities and forgive them and reject them.

 

Dear Lord, since my father is closer to you than me today, would you please give him a hug for me? Thanks!

 

NOT THE WAY BUT THE END!

 

Saturday, June 14, 2025

 

NOT THE WAY BUT THE END!

 

Matt 7:13-14

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

          Charles Spurgeon quotes the ancient Chrysostom who says, “the way is good if it is the way to a feast, even though it goes through a dark and miry lane. If it goes to an execution, it is not good, even though it goes through the fairest street of the city.” Non qua sed quo. Not the way but the end is to be mainly considered.

 

          When God created man, He gave him a wonderful and horrible gift. It is the gift of choice. It is wonderful because of the limitless opportunities, and it is horrible for the same reason. We choose not so much because the way is well paved or well lit. We choose because of the destination. Our choices reveal our nature.

 

Our destiny is not determined for us, but it is determined by us. Man's free will is part of God's sovereign will. We have freedom to take which course we choose, but not freedom to determine the end of that choice. God makes clear what he desires, we must choose, and the result of the choice is not the inevitableness of law, but the inevitableness of God. -- Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

 

          Jesus said the gate was strait. The word does not mean that there are no twists or turns but that the entrance is small and exclusive. If Jesus is the “way” then all other ways lead to a different destination. The way that leads to destruction is wide; not exclusive at all. The most damning concept ever proposed is that all roads lead to the same place. This is clearly not true. Choose your gate and your way wisely.

 

Dear Lord, let me not choose my way blindly. Take me by my hand and whisper in my ear “this is the way, walk ye in it.” AMEN

 

WHEN PECULIAR MEANS WEIRD!

 

Friday, June 13, 2025

 

WHEN PECULIAR MEANS WEIRD!

 

1 Peter 2:9

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

 

          Paul warned that the last days would be marked by a gross misunderstanding of what is or should be normal behavior. By normal, I am referring to behavior that grows from a relationship and compliance with the truth. Deviant behavior is the result of abandoning or altering truth.

 

Rom 1:18

18 For God's [holy] wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative.

AMP

 

          It’s the false teaching of Antinomianism that teaches since faith alone is necessary for salvation, one is free from the moral obligations of the law.

 

          Typically, Antinomianism considers that law and freedom are opposed, that law is a restrictive mechanism, a product of civilization and therefore opposed to the free exercise of natural [animal] instincts. The New Testament declares that this distaste for law will lead, not to the promised freedom, but to slavery (2 Pet. 2:19).

 

          The word “peculiar,” in 1 Peter 2:9 is the Greek peripoiesis (per-ee-poy'-ay-sis) which means “purchased.” It has to do with acquisition and saving; to buy and then to keep. The idea is that Jesus has purchased us with His own blood and intends to keep us because he deems us valuable.

 

          If the word “hold” in Romans 1:18 means to “retain” then the rest of the verse means to retain for a future time of difficulty. That is what too many try to do. They know that they will one day give an account and they “hold” the truth as a “get out of jail free” card. But if the word “hold” means to “hinder the truth and make it inoperative” we see a society exactly like the one we now are seeing. Religion is wrapped around ourselves as the center. Rules confirm our behavior and never challenge us. The result is slavery to our desires.

 

Dear Lord, let me acknowledge Thy Law and obey it. Thanking you for purchasing and preserving me. AMEN