GOD'S PROVISION VERSUS MAN'S PROHIBITIONS

GOD’S PROVISION <-> MAN’S PROHIBITION

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

   John [GW] 14:27 [Jesus explained]"I'm leaving you peace. I'm giving you my peace. I don't give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don't be troubled or cowardly.

   John 16:33 [Jesus said]I've told you this so that my peace will be with you. In the world you'll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world."

   Luke 9:23-24 He [Jesus]said to all of them, "Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses every day, and follow me. Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will save them.

   Romans 12:1-3; 21 Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. Don't become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants-what is good, pleasing, and perfect. Because of the kindness that God has shown me, I ask you not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. Instead, your thoughts should lead you to use good judgment based on what God has given each of you as believers. … Don't let evil [KJV “overcome”] conquer you, but [KJV “overcome”] conquer evil with good.

  God provides peace, rest, and the ways and means to overcome self and life’s stresses. Man, individually and by group frequently ignores or prohibits God’s provision. The lack of trust in His sufficiency makes mans’ erring obvious to those with Biblical eyes. Eve, then Adam erred. The Hebrew people erred. And the march away from God’s gracious provision continues for many as a tragic emulation of our errant ancestors.

  I well know that the opportunity to trust and obey is not a one time altar commitment. It is a step by step effort that honors and pleases God.

EBB4

FORTITUDE

FORTITUDE

   Matthew chapter 24

   Hebrews [GW] chapter 3 … As the Holy Spirit says, "If you hear God speak today, don't be stubborn. … So I [God] angrily took a solemn oath that they would never enter my place of rest." Be careful, brothers and sisters, that none of you ever develop a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. … Who did God swear would never enter his place of rest? He was talking about those who didn't obey him. {Please read in complete context. Also note Ps.95:7-11]

   Hebrews 4:9-11 Therefore, a time of rest and worship exists for God's people. Those who entered his place of rest also rested from their work as God did from his. So we must make every effort to enter that place of rest. Then no one will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey.

  Luke 21:19 tells us as followers of Christ that in our trusting patience we can possess our souls. I’m unable to completely understand or fully explain this, but it is obvious to me in the context of all Scripture that Christ’ work is complete salvation-wise whereas mine is an ongoing work that involves personal responsibility with fortitude to the very end of my life or the Matthew 24 Tribulation; this fortitude is something I cannot gain or maintain without being in His rest as result of obeying God’s precepts spelled out in His Word, the Bible. (Ps.119; “rest” in the book of Hebrews) Fortitude now and until our end very much involves the current practice of our humbly off-loading our anxieties on Him. If we don’t presently practice God’s gracious provision stated in 1Peter 5:7 how can we possibly expect to have fortitude during our end. Stated another way: If we are crushed and discombobulated by our present “light afflictions” how will we handle large future challenges?

  Please be reminded that “Our suffering is light and temporary and is producing for us an eternal glory that is greater than anything we can imagine. We don't look for things that can be seen but for things that can't be seen. Things that can be seen are only temporary. But things that can't be seen last forever.” (GW 2Cor.4:17-18)

EBB4

UNEARNED, UNDESERVED

WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP

Monday, October 08, 2018

   Ephesians [MKJV] 2:1-10 And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins,   in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also had our way of life in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

  Though there are those that think otherwise, eternal life is never a reward. Biblically, rewards are result of works, gifts are not. (This includes ministry and spiritual gifts explained elsewhere in God’s Word.) Eternal salvation is a gift for those that accepted it. (Rom.6:23)

  In Ephesians 2 the Greek word for gift means something presented, specifically a sacrificial gift. (Think John 3:16 “gave”.) Elsewhere in this passage we read of the gift of eternal life being a current, now!, not some later gift. Eternal life being by God’s grace alone: His act of divine influence upon our heart; the gift totally unearned and undeserved.

  The Word of God makes it plain that God’s gift of eternal life cannot be earned by good works . . . and that neither can it be maintained by good works; nor should we invest in working to do so.

  We are saved by His grace.

  We are kept by His grace.

  We are nonetheless definitely ordained to work within His gracious gift of our current tenting phase of his gift of eternal life. (2Cor.5:1-11; Rom.6:4; Gal.5:22-25; Eph.4:24) 

EBB4

#4 OF 10 REASONS I BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD

# 4 of Ten Reasons Why I Believe The Bible Is The Word Of God by R. A. Torrey

Sunday, October 7, 2018

FOURTH, on the ground of the immeasurable superiority of the teachings of the Bible to those of any other and all other books.

It is quite fashionable in some quarters to compare the teachings of the Bible with the teachings of Zoroaster, and Buddha, and Confucius, and Epictetus, and Socrates, and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and a number of other heathen authors. The difference between the teachings of the Bible and those of these men is found in three points-

First, the Bible has in it nothing but truth, while all the others have truth mixed with error. It is true Socrates taught how a philosopher ought to die; he also taught how a woman of the town ought to conduct her business. Jewels there are in the teachings of these men, but (as Joseph Cook once said) they are "jewels picked out of the mud."

Second, the Bible contains all truth. There is not a truth to be found anywhere on moral or spiritual subjects that you cannot find in substance within the covers of that old Book. I have often, when speaking upon this subject, asked anyone to bring me a single truth on moral or spiritual subjects, which, upon reflection, I could not find within the covers of this book, and no one has ever been able to do it. I have taken pains to compare some of the better teachings of infidels with those of the Bible. They indeed have jewels of thought, but they are, whether they knew it or not, stolen jewels, and stolen from the very book they ridicule.

The third point of superiority is this: the Bible contains more truth than all other books together. Get together from all literature of ancient and modern times all the beautiful thoughts you can; put away all the rubbish; put all these truths that you have culled from the literature of all ages into one book, and as the result, even then you will not have a book that will take the place of this one book.

This is not a large book. I hold in my hand a copy that I carry in my vest pocket and yet in this one little book there is more of truth than in all the books which man has produced in all the ages of his history. How will you account for it? There is only one rational way. This is not man's book, but God's book.

DISTRACTED BY EUPHEMISMS

DISTRACTED BY EUPHEMISMS

Friday, October 05, 2018

John MKJV 7:45-46 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees. And they said to them, Why have you not brought him [Jesus]? The officers answered, Never did any man speak as does this Man.

  How easily are we distracted from truth by worldly euphemisms?

  God’s Word exemplifies and directs us to be plainspeakers. Plainspeaking sometimes requiring the Biblical mandate to be a rethinker; to examine what we think and do in order to please God. (Rom.12:1-3) Once again I failed at this task. A failure I realized when reading an Omaha World-Herald op-ed while noshing corn flakes immersed in skimmed milk topped with sliced banana. This time it involved having accepted “distracted drivers” as though they are vastly different than selfish drivers inebriated or otherwise self-absorbed. And hereafter my saying so will not be limited to this page.

EBB4

 

BIBLICAL JURISPRUDENCE

BIBLICAL JURISPRUDENCE

Thursday, October 04, 2018

Proverbs 3:3-7 Do not let mercy and truth leave you. Fasten them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and much success in the sight of God and humanity. Trust the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths smooth. Do not consider yourself wise. Fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. [Ps.1:1-6]

  We say we believe God’s Word; believing the Word involves trusting and relying upon in application. This of course involves knowing what the Word says and then deciding if we are going to believe God’s directions. Have we as followers of the Word been doing so when it comes to recent troubling events where accusations and denials are made? Or do we decide by emotional bias as the result of our personal ideological positions that may or may not be in accord with the Word?

  Consider the following applicable instruction from God’s word.

  Deuteronomy 19:15-17 One witness is never enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

This is what you must do whenever a witness takes the stand to accuse a person falsely of a crime. The two people involved must stand in the LORD'S presence, in front of the priests and judges who are serving at that time.

  2Corinthians 13:1a Every accusation must be verified by two or three witnesses.

  1Timothy 5:19 Don't pay attention to an accusation against a spiritual leader unless it is supported by two or three witnesses.

  Ah but what of contemporary times? Isn’t DNA, recordings, security camera videos et al witnessing?

  Let us trust in the Word in all things pertaining to life present and eternal.

EBB4

THE GLORY OF KINDNESS

THE GLORY OF KINDNESS

Wednesday, October 03, 2018

   John [GW] 1:14 The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness and truth.

   Galatians 5:22-23 But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that.

  Observing, serving, and experiencing kindness is glorious far above and beyond any touchdowns.

  In recent days my 10 year old grandson and I have again been recipients. A stranger paid for our meal after our 11 mile triking. Another stranger offered me half his breakfast sandwich while waiting for our vehicles to be serviced. And yesterday after we had triked 8 miles we discovered one of the new tires flat. A nearby cook, another stranger, saw grandson with me as helper starting to change the tire. She came announcing “I’ll do it. I have many flat tires.” I was pleased that grandson didn’t act upon ego as I would have at age 10+ but kindly stepped aside allowing her to show us kindness.

  The Heavenly Father is kind, His only Son, Jesus, is kind, and we are to be kind practicing faith in glorious Jesus Christ not favoring one person over another. (Jam.2:1)

EBB4

CHRISTIAN EXTENSION SERVICE

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Tuesday, October 02, 2018

   1Thessalonians [GW] 5:16-22 … Don't put out the Spirit's fire. Don't despise what God has revealed. Instead, test everything. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil. [Also note examples of in Revelation 2:29 thru 3:1-22, a passage beginning and ending with “Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."]

   James 1:22-25 Do what God's word says. Don't merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves. If someone listens to God's word but doesn't do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. However, the person who continues to study God's perfect teachings that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed. People like that don't merely listen and forget; they actually do what God's teachings say.

  The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather we are to reprove them. (Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 5:9-11. I encourage you to read all in context.)

  That which is not according to God’s Word is not good and is contrary to all goodness. Not living in provision that God has revealed to us in Holy Scripture suppresses the fruit of His Comforter and brings loneliness with its companion fear. This may be acted out in a 2Timothy 3:7 seekers’ treadmill life.

  Without the Word-centered devotional life of reading, study, prayerful thought time, and seeking application in all facets of life with implementation of His love regardless of our feelings is to dwell apart from our John 1:12 kinfolk. Devoid of Biblical holy exercise (1Tim.4:7-9) we will not nor will others by extension enjoy familial fruit of the Spirit. (1Cor.7:14; Heb.4:12)

  Let us not hinder the Spirit of God by seeking fulfillment in joining associations, societies, guilds, fraternities, clans, tribes, ethnic group, teams, troupes, troop, faction, gangs, support groups, corporations, charitable organizations, ministries, religions, churches, marriage, having children . . .  in the hope to fill a basic need to belong; all of which can never fully sate our hunger to actually belong for there is only one Authorized family that can do so. (Jn.1:12)

  “I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me” is an absolute purchase specification for believers. (Rom.5:8-11) Fruitful familial fellowship is not so, for it depends on devotion in thought, manner; instance and event. Let us beware looking to God for heaven but to the world for fraternity; for in doing so we compromise our John 1:12 childhood.

  Our blessed responsibility is to serve Him all our days in all ways. Join, yes, but as service extension of our identity in God’s family, “[Living] decent lives among unbelievers. Then, although they ridicule you as if you were doing wrong while they are watching you do good things, they will praise God on the day he comes to help you.” (GW 1Pet.2:12) 

EBB4

DISTORTED THINKING

DISTORTED THINKING

Monday, October 01, 2018

   Matthew 13:9-15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples said to Him, Why do You speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even that which he has. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not; nor do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which said, "By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive; for this people's heart has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

   John 3:3 9-10 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…. Nicodemus replied, "How can that be?" Jesus told Nicodemus, "You're a well-known teacher of Israel. Can't you understand this?

  Much of man’s thinking is presumptive comfortable process of moving along familiar tracks using convention practice, familiar experience ours or taught (formal and informal), and involving preconceptions and assumptions; all the while believing we are liberally logical and rational in deliberation.

  Though spelling and vocabulary, reading comprehensively, and writing sensibly is my primary responsibility in homeschooling grandchildren Ian and Shandree, I additionally challenge with lateral and critical thinking problems.

  Here’s example: Burwell Village Bank is in Burwell, population 1,210, cows and steers outnumbering people 46 to 1. A local woman, the only professional seamstress in the county, went to talk to her bank manager about some business. The baby sitter fell ill at the last moment and had to cancel. It being a small town, things were done differently; what big city folks might consider unprofessional. She took her 2 year old daughter with her. The bank manager asked his secretary watch her. Glad for break from typical duties, the secretary gleefully did. Business was transacted and the woman recovered her daughter and thanked the secretary. As they walked out the door the baby sitter secretary told a bank clerk “That little girl is my daughter.” How could this be?

  OK, those of you that can’t answer the question quickly are normal. Ian, Shandree, and Ann are abnormal as they deduced the answer quickly. I was normal on this one. L Relying on historic tracking I equated secretary with female. The secretary is the child’s father.

  Unless we’re in a career that requires such to solve problems it’s not a big deal to lack lateral thinking ability. But when it comes to spiritual matters it is crucial. Never a matter of intelligence or level of education, the problem is lack of faith; our being hindered by our mind as opposed to trusting the mind of Christ: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged [discerned] by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Cor.2:14-16; 2Pet.1:3) 

EBB4 (8/28/11)