THE COMFORTER!

 

Sunday, March 3, 2024

 

THE COMFORTER!

 

John 14:16

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

 

The New Testament was originally written in Greek and Strong’s concordance tells us that the word which is translated COMFORTER is parakletos which means an intercessor or consoler.

 

Many images fill my mind as I think of the word comforter. I think of the cool hand of my mother on my fevered brow and the softness of her kiss on my face as she tucks the covers up around my neck. It almost made it worth it to be sick! Such is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to His people. In the world we are assured of tribulation accompanied by the comfort of knowing that God had overcome the world.

 

John 14:26

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 

The Holy Spirit is a travelling tutor for holy things. We have no need to be ignorant of the things of God because the teacher travels with us. The uncomfortable fact is that we do not always listen to our Teacher. We resist the truth, grieve, and quench His efforts to comfort and instruct us. But when we yield to His guidance, we find him to be the intercessor and consoler that we need.

 

Dear Lord, thank you for the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life. AMEN

 

TEACH THEM TO BE DIFFERENT

 

Saturday, March 2, 2024

 

TEACH THEM TO BE DIFFERENT

 

Ezek 44:23

23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

 

Ezekiel records a laundry list of rules and regulations for the priesthood. They must wear linen and not wool, they must not wear any clothing that caused them to sweat, they could not drink wine and even their potential marriage partners were limited to either maidens or widows of other priests. These strange things certainly set the priests apart from the rest of the people, but it is in verse twenty-three that we learn their purpose. They were to teach the people the difference between the holy and the profane, the good from the bad, and the best from the good.

 

Here are some rules of thumb regarding THE DIFFERENCE.

 

1. Does the thing tend toward health or harm?

 

If your activities keep you up at night, make you nervous and worn out, you should give a long look to your pursuits. If your life is full of, as T. De Witt Talmage puts it, “moonlight adventures and hairbreadth escapes” then you need to be more selective in your activities. 

 

2. Do you spend beyond your means?

 

If your lifestyle makes you hide from your creditors or if drinking steals your children’s clothes you need to learn the difference between the holy and the profane. If gambling or speculating takes the roof from over your head, if you spend all that you make and then borrow so that you may spend more you are not wise.

 

3. Do you fill your life with amusements so that you may avoid God?

 

Does the thought of meeting God at church cause you to shudder? Do you avoid conversations that turn to religion? Do you avoid thoughts of death and eternity? If you fill your life with sound and movement and color to avoid these things you are a fool because God can’t be avoided. It is appointed unto man once to die and then after that there is judgment. A wise man prepares for the inevitable instead of foolishly pretending it will never happen to him.

 

4. Your character is defined by the company you keep!

 

And the company you keep is determined by the activities in which you engage. Moreover, the activities in which you engage reveal the desires of your heart. If your friends are unbalanced and extreme, if they are immoral and unclean then abandon them! They will not support you or even sympathize with you in difficult times.

 

All such things are areas into which we priests stick our unwelcome noses! It’s what we do! It’s who we are, and it is for YOUR benefit.

 

Jer 3:15

15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

 

Dear Lord, thank you for shepherds who help me discern the difference between the holy and the profane. AMEN

 

PUT AWAY CLAMOUR

 

Friday, March 1, 2024

 

PUT AWAY CLAMOUR

Eph 4:31-32

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

 

          The Greek word used for clamour is kraugee and Adam Clarke says this about that. “Kraugee. Loud and obstreperous speaking, brawling, railing, boisterous talk, often the offspring of wrath; all of which are highly unbecoming the meek, loving, quiet, sedate mind of Christ and his followers.”

(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

 

          Well, fine, but what does the word obstreperous mean? Mirriam-Webster says it means “unruly and aggressive noisiness; stubbornly resistant to control.” Wow! That certainly seems to define our age. In some measure, I suspect it also defined the atmosphere that Jesus found in Jerusalem. Military occupation, summary executions, unthinkable taxation, and religious bigotry had to be a noisy din in Jesus’ ears. No wonder He often resorted to mountain tops and olive gardens alone.

 

          Rather than join the clamor and add screaming and hair pulling, we should copy the practice of Jesus and find a serene and solitary place away from people. Oh, I like most people at first, but ultimately, I learn that they are much like myself and I need to withdraw.

 

Ps 34:12-14

12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

 

Dear Lord, I need to put away the clamor for awhile. Let me do what you did when it became unbearable. Let me seek a quiet place in which I can commune with you. AMEN