I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.–John 8:37 Considering the perfection of Christ it is hard to imagine why anyone would want to kill Him, especially religious people who considered themselves to be God’s favored people. How can people get in such a wretched condition? Jesus gives us the answer—“because my word hath no place in you.”There it is, plain and simple. This goes to show what vile deeds people can do when they reject God’s Word. This explains why the world is in such a rotten condition. Ruin always comes to those who refuse to respond to God’s revelation and be regulated by His requirements. We expect that from the world, but we often fail to make a personal application. The truth is that anyone pays a price when they reject God’s Word. To become the person God wants us to be we must hear and heed the Word of God. When the Bible ceases to be the rule of our life we are headed for a fall. Although many claim to believe the Bible, for all practical purposes they deny it by refusing to obey it. They just don’t seem to understand that the Bible is our only safe guide. If we fail to walk in the light we walk in darkness–eventually we stumble and fall. We end up doing things we never imagined we would do. There is no subsitute for the Word of God. It is food for our soul, a light for our path, armor against our enemies, a guide our feet, medicine for our pain, and strength for our struggles. I can give you no better advice than this—discover what God expects and do it.
YOU CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES
Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.–Proverbs 13:21 As the hounds pursue their prey, evil follows hard on the heels of those who sin. People often sin because they think it will bring profit or pleasure, but it produces evil instead. No good can ever come from sin. No one can sin successfully. Some think they can but they are wrong–very wrong. They think they can find a refuge from the consequences of sin, but they are deceived. As sure as the sun will rise in the morning, their sin will be repaid with evil. There is no escape. We reap what we sow! Now, just as certain is the next clause, which assures us that good will not go unnoticed or un-rewarded—“to the righteous good shall be repayed.” It might appear that your good deeds have been in vain, but they aren’t. Every good deed is like a seed sown in the ground, the harvest will come later. As you sow so shall you reap. The choice is yours. You have a golden opportunity today–make the wise choice. You won’t regret it. (HDS)
MEDITATING ON HEAVEN
Those who meditate much on heaven and all it holds are the happiest people on earth. With their focus on God their heart is filled with wonder and excitement. As James Meikle (1730-1799) wrote: “Meditation, like the spies sent from Israel in the wilderness, returns with a good account of the good land, presents some of the fruits of paradise, and produces refreshing grapes pulled from the true VINE. Here the weary soul retires to rest in the bosom of the promise, in the love of God, in spite of all surrounding troubles; and drinks at the river before the throne, which makes her forget her miseries, as waters that flow away. O the high estate of the sons of God in meditation! They walk in the fields of glory, associate with the angels of light, and hold communion with God Himself! Thus, their face shines, and their mind seems as if in heaven, nobly opposing the base practices of the men of the world.”
The Psalmist said, ” My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.”(Psalms 104:34). So shall it be with all who follow his example. You can’t stand in the sun for a long period of time without being affected by it and you can’t bask in the splendor of heaven without being changed as a result. Let us then resist the temptation to rush through the day, never taking the time to reflect upon the glories of our heavenly home. Get alone with God, open His Word, read His promises, and meditate deeply upon them. You will be glad you did!
SURRENDER YOURSELF
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.——that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—Romans 12:1-2
There are many, very many Christians who are afraid of making an unreserved surrender to God. They are afraid that God will ask some hard thing of them, or some absurd thing. They fear sometimes that it will upset all their life-plans. In a word, they are afraid to surrender unreservedly to the will of God, for Him to do all He wished to for them and whatsoever He wills with them. Friends, the will of God concerning us is not only the wisest and best thing in the world; it is also the tenderest and sweetest. God’s will for us is not only more loving than a father’s; it is more tender than a mother’s. It is true that God does oftentimes revolutionize utterly our life plans when we surrender ourselves to His will. It is true that He does require of us things that to others seem hard. But when the will is once surrendered, the revolutionized life plans become just the plans that are most pleasant, and the things that to others seem hard are just the things that are easiest and most delightful. Do not let Satan deceive you into being afraid of God’s plans for your life.(R.A. Torrey)
COMPLAINING
” And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”–Exodus 16:2-3
In all honesty, we have nothing about which we can complain.
What do you do when the coffee’s too hot, the line’s too long, or things aren’t what they seemed? Most people complain about anything that does not go according to their plan. We have become a self-centered society that has the “it’s my way or the highway” mentality.
But let’s think about the situation more. You have money to pay for the coffee, you have the ability to stand in that line, and clothes are always at your disposal. Many places in the world do not have these luxuries. And yet we complain when one little thing goes wrong.
The Israelites had been delivered from bondage in Egypt through God’s miraculous parting of the Red Sea. They had been given freedom, a new land, and many of Egypt’s riches; yet they complained. How much more selfish could they have been? Yet we are equally as guilty in our lives.
Once saved, we have a home in Heaven, riches unspeakable, and a God who loves us more than words can describe. And we complain about coffee? We have been blessed with more than most people have! But if salvation had been the only thing God had given us, it would be far greater than anything else in life.
Do you ever find yourself complaining over petty things? We have all gotten frustrated and complained about things that went wrong. Ask God to forgive you for complaining. Today, promise God that you will try not to complain. Every time you catch yourself murmuring, thank God for something He has given you. Try to go the entire day without complaining. Because honestly, we have nothing about which we can complain. (By Dr. Paul Chappell)
