THINK AHEAD, BUT DON’T FORGET!
HEBREWS 13:1-25
It is wrong for Christians to obsess about the past. The Apostle Paul gave us the phrase "forgetting those things which are behind." But this passage underscores certain behaviors we must strive to live out all the days of our lives:
SO, REMEMBER TO….
1. KEEP PRACTICING CHARITY TOWARD BROTHERS IN CHRIST (Hebrews 13:1)
“Let brotherly love continue.” (This is a 'thinking' kind of love that considers the well being of others and takes beneficial action toward them, according to truth.)
2. KEEP EXTENDING HOSPITALITY TOWARD STRANGERS (v 2)
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (We live in a fearful and wary age. Wisdom considers this realistically and exercises care. But, nevertheless, a 'thinking' kind of helpfulness and goodness should not be neglected.)
3. KEEP EXPRESSING EMPATHY TOWARD THE SUFFERING (v 3)
“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” (Empathy is two hearts tugging at the same load. "Empathy is your pain in my heart.")
4. KEEP RESISTING IMMORALITY IN MATTERS SEXUAL (v 4)
“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” (Many deem marriage unimportant. God talks about it as an important covenant relationship. It entails uncompromising commitment. Proverbs 2:17.)
5. KEEP LIVING CONTENTEDLY IN LIFE (vv 5,6)
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” ("Covetousness is a dry drunkenness." Proverbs says that the human eye is never satisfied.)
6. KEEP BEHAVING SUBMISSIVELY TOWARD LEADERSHIP (vv 7.17)
“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation” (v7)
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (v17)
(In 1859 multitudes accepted Darwin's theory of evolution, thereby rejecting the authority of God's Word. It's been downhill ever since rejecting not only Bible's authority but all other authorities too. Acts 5:29 is how the early believers retained respect for civil authorities and absolute submission to God's authority.)
7. KEEP TRUE DOCTRINALLY, IN THE FAITH (vv 8,9)
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.” (When steadfastness to the truth is most difficult it is most necessary.)
8. KEEP PRAYING INTERCESSIONALY FOR OTHERS (vv 18,19)
“Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.” ("Talking to men about God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.")
- Dick Christen
ROOM IN THE INN
"And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).
How could one, even such a One as Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, suffer such a lowly birth? The wealthy of that age didn't sleep in the inns, they stayed with friends or had special abodes reserved for them. Commoners stayed in the inns. There wasn't even room for Jesus in such a place. Rather, it was out in the barn and He was probably placed in a wooden feeding trough.
But the more important personal question is, do I have place for Him, a real abiding place, in the rooms of my heart?
One commentator remarked: "Without a doubt it is the same today. Every chamber of the soul is so filled with human interests that there is little room for Christ. There is little vital interest in Him. There is little, if any, time for Him. And this is so, simply because our time is demanded by a thousand other things, our interest in drawn off in a thousand other directions, and our life is crowded to the full with possessions and pleasures until, strange though it seems, there is no room for the Savior except in the stable."
So I must ask, is Jesus merely in a stable in my life? Have I failed to make Him the core of my earthly existence? Until He has entered the door and reigns upon the throne of my life I cannot regard myself as being in any better position than those who slept comfortably while Mary gave birth to the infant God in a stable.
- Dick Christen
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).
In this verse the Apostle issues a stern warning! He tells us to be on the alert because error and false propagators are prolific. He says "many false prophets" will be on the scene.
We Christians must reject an easy and widespread indifference to proven wrong. We are to be willing to warily judge in this way: Statements or professions of faith must be held up to the light of Holy Scripture looking for cracks and dark spots of error. We must relentlessly maintain this readiness. And we must remember that when Jesus said "judge not," He was not speaking contrary to such a process or John's instruction in the above text.
It is true that we limited humans must not judge motives (we just don't know what is in the heart of another person) and must also refuse to impose upon others an unrealistic kind of perfectionism which in this lifetime is impossible to attain. And, if the fundamentals of the faith are intact, we readily agree that there are areas of doctrine wherein honest differences exist.The Almighty knows this and is often more patient with us humans than we are with our fellow humans. For instance: In Psalm 103:14 we are told: "...He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." And, of course, we are 'dirt dust', not gold dust. God knows the limitations of His creatures, especially since sin entered the world. Therefore, we most certainly are not in the position to judge others with a haughty judgmental spirit. And so, Jesus warns us against such. We must not play God. He alone knows all and the Judge stands at the door. He's looking after everything perfectly so.
But, on the other hand, we must judge in this way: Check out all ideas and philosophies, especially those purporting to be Christian doctrine, by holding them up to the all-pervasive searching rays of Holy Scripture. We must reject the practice of judgmentally going after others but at the same time accept the need for judgment or judging in the light of Scripture, it being the very mind of God. So, interpreting Scripture carefully we let them, in effect, do the judging. God has spoken. Here is what He says about this and that. If anything is contrary to His clear Word, it is wrong. Using such Scripture we then proceed to "prove all things" or put them to the test, even as the Bible so instructs.
Yes, this makes for tensions and conflicts but the clash of ideas is the sound of freedom and price of doctrinal purity.
- dick christen
There's much wisdom in what Mr. Buffett says. It brings to mind the words of St. James.... Jam 1:19:
"This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, SLOW TO SPEAK and slow to anger..."
It is true that whatever moves the heart wags the tongue. And so, we must keep our hearts with all diligence. But then, there are even good things that shouldn't necessarily be said. Someone remarked, "What is in the well of your heart will show up in the bucket of your speech." True enough, but we can refuse to 'let down' the bucket.
Forgive me, heavenly Father, for thinking I have to say something about everything. May my ears be more prominent than my mouth. Amen.
- Dick christen
I'VE ALWAYS FAVORED children being in public worship with their parents or caring adults (at least when they can read, even a little, if not before). My parents did this and looking back, I learned so much, even unwittingly so. They did this in ancient Israel. In Deuteronomy 31:12 - 31b Moses commanded:
"Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God..."
Nurseries? Yes. Children's church? Yes. But even at these early stages leaders and teachers must always remember that tiny humans learn so very much, much more than we think. Even seeing a teacher with a Bible in hand or hearing an adult pray speaks volumes to tiny eyes and ears. They'll even go home and emulate such. But, at five or so take them to big peoples' service. And the parent (and others) may not think they're learning much, but they are. The prechurch experience continues. Otherwise, in the above narrative, God would have told the people," Leave the kids at home. Get a baby sitter."
I once preached a sermon on the doctrine of sanctification. It pertains to positive holiness as different from the daily cleansing when we confess our sins. I illustrated using a dirty apple. Washing it was the daily cleansing of confessing (1John 1:9). Rubbing it til it shone was Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:1-7).A mother told me the next week that her young son upon taking an apple, washed it, shined it and held it up to his mother and said, "Mom, that's sanctification." That kind of report is enough to make the preacher 'dig in' and prepare another preachment.
- Dick Christen
PASTORS have a heavenly calling... but still have clay feet. The great Apostle said, "For in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody" (2 Cor. 12) He thought of himself as "a NOBODY" but who really was a SOMEBODY who affected EVERYBODY in the Church of Jesus Christ. But, nevertheless, he unbelievably refers to himself as a "nobody."
This same Apostle warned all of us about the ever present danger of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought: "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).
When we do exalt ourselves God has His ways of reminding us (and sometimes crushingly so) that He "knows our frame and remembers we are but dust." And this means dirt dust not gold dust. He knows it and wants us to remember it:
"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust" (Psalm 103:13,14).
St. Augustine remarked: "It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humilty that makes men as angels." I guess it's better to be a humble worm than a proud angel.
- dick christen
GOD knows all; GOD sees all! He is omniscient. Down south they use to sing "He sees all we do; He hears all we say. My God's a' writin' all the time."
Proverb 15:3 declares: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good." THE MESSAGE paraphases it like this: "God doesn't miss a thing—he's alert to good and evil alike."
Doesn't this fact instill in us the healthy "fear of the Lord" so often referenced in the Bible? We can't hide anything from God. Our sins will find us out; He makes sure they do.
"It had been an unusually hectic weekend, and I decided to put off doing housework until Monday", so a housewife tells. "As I was curling up with a book, old friends phoned. They were in town and wanted to stop by. I tore around the house, dusting and vacuuming. Time was running out when I grabbed ples of dirty dishes and put them in the oven. The doorbell rand. THERE STOOD MY FRIENDS ......WITH A FROZEN PIZZA.
- Dick Christen
THE CHURCH NEEDS TO RAISE A GREATER AWARENESS OF THE FIVE CROWNS WHICH WILL BE BESTOWED IN HEAVEN ON CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE EARNED THEM BY THEIR GOOD WORKS IN THIS LIFE.
The salvation of a sinner's soul is not at all BY self-works of righteousness but it is UNTO works of righteousness when performed obediently in the Holy Spirit's strength.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Salvation from sin is free, it being all of God's unmerited favor (grace) . "Jesus paid it all! Ephesians 2:8-10 says it clearly but also emphasizes the place of 'good works.' We are saved by grace "for (unto) good works." It other words, just because our efforts don't contribute to being saved from our sins this does not mean they are unimportant.
In fact, the Bible sets forth FIVE CROWNS potentially awarded at a Christian's appearance before Christ's BEMA JUDGMENT. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).
At least part of our recompensing will be in the form of a crowns bestowed upon the deserving. What will they be? Here are the five mentioned in the Bible.....
1. THE CROWN OF REJOICING (OR, THE SOUL WINNER'S CROWN)
1 Thessalonians 2:19,20:
"For who is our hope or joy or CROWN of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy."
(Those the apostle won to Jesus are Paul's "glory and joy" or "crown of exultation." Heaven rejoices when one sinner is saved. Apparently the rejoicing continues into eternity. Will I receive this crown. Who have I brought to Jesus)
2. THE INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN (OR, THE CROWN OF DISCIPLINED CHRISTIAN LIVING)
1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible CROWN; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
(Personal discipline is important to God! To live for Jesus in this world and for His glory, requires a holy stringency that most shy from. It requires personal suffering. Peter said, "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin" (1 Peter 4:1). It IS real suffering to reject what displeases God but necessary for this crown.)
3. THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (OR, THE CROWN OF OBEDIENT LIVING)
2 Timothy 4:6-8:
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me A CROWN of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
(A righteous act is an obedient act in accordance with God's directive or principle. The sum total of these obedient acts equals our 'personal righteousness' status before God. (To be distinguished from the imputed righteousness every believing sinner receives at the time of salvation.) Think this way: all of our acts of personal day by day obedience = our personal 'righteousness status' before God. The sum total of our righteousnesses = personal holiness status before God. (To be distinguished from imputed holiness at the moment of salvation.) On this basis of this reading the CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will or will not be awarded.)
4. THE CROWN OF GLORY (OR, THE FAITHFUL PASTOR'S CROWN)
1 Peter 5:1-4
"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a CROWN of glory that fadeth not away."
(Pastors should strive to be the kind of pastor Oliver Goldsmith describes in THE DESERTED VILLAGE. In his depiction of the village preacher he says:
Truth from his lips prevail'd with double sway,
And fools who came to scoff remained to pray.)
5. THE CROWN OF LIFE (OR, THE OVERCOMER'S CROWN)
James 1:12; Revelation 2:10:
James says, "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the CROWN of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
To the suffering at Smyrna, Jesus says, 'Be faithful until death, and I will give you the CROWN of life."
(All true Christians go to heaven when they die. All will appear before the BEMA rewarding stand with the books open. All will be recompensed for their deeds done in the body while on earth. Some will suffer loss. This can't mean the loss of salvation so we must ask "what does this mean?" Will there be degrees of enjoyment or privilege in heaven? All will undoubtedly rejoice in heaven and enter into its goodness, but will we do so at differing abilities to imbibe or appreciate? Perhaps all will rejoicingly take in the wonders of eternity but at differing levels of appreciation and while each will enter into their personal level of enjoyment, such, however, will be unknown to others. It will be very personal. But again, heaven being heaven, all will be in a state of glorification and rejoicing but, I believe, each person will 'take it in' at his or her personally assigned quotient determined at the BEMA seat. The award or crowns MUST have some significance, perhaps more than we want to acknowledge. Anyhow, this is how I try to understand it.
- Dick Christen
REMOVE THE FIVE GUMBALLS SO YOU CAN DRINK THE MILK
If a mouth is full of food (like five gumballs at once) it would be most difficult to attempt drinking a glass of milk at the same time. In this passage of Scripture five evils must be set aside in order to imbibe the milk of the Word.
"Therefore, laying aside all (1.) malice, (2.) all deceit, (3.) hypocrisy, (4.) envy, and 5.) all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious..." (1 Peter 2:1-3, NKJV, numbers and parentheses, mine).
The Amplified NASB Bible renders the text like this:
"SO BE done with every trace of wickedness (depravity, malignity) and all deceit and insincerity (pretense, hypocrisy) and grudges (envy, jealousy) and slander and evil speaking of every kind.
Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation,
Since you have [already] tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord" (1 Peter 2:1-3, NASB - AMP).
A. THE FIVE SINFUL GUMBALLS TO BE REMOVED...
1. Malice (baseness)
2. Deceit (guile)
3. Hypocrisy (hypocrisies)
4. Envy (envies)
5. Evil speaking (defamations)
B. THE DRINKING OF THE MILK OF THE WORD...
1. Related Passages: 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:12-14)
2. Context: Cf. 1:3, 23 (This pertains to the doctrine of regeneration set forth by Jesus to Nicodemus, John 3.)
3.Literal translation: "as new born babes" = "as just-now-born babies"
4. Phrase: "desire the pure milk of the word" (Cf. "pure" = reasonable as found in Romans 12:1 (the only other reference in N.T. where the word is used which means reasonable, sincere and "it makes all the sense in the world." All of which adds up to the practicality and usefulness of the Word.)
5. Cross reference: "My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times" (Psalm 119: 20). Catch this: the Psalmist LONGED for this Word.
6. Peter writes and uses the decisive aorist imperative exactly as he did in 1:13,17,23. These aorists (verb tenses) are used because they are stronger than present imperatives would be. The implication is: long for this milk and for none other. Even Christians often hanker after the fleshpots of Egypt and grow tired of the simple, wholesome, saving Word, which is manna for the soul. Such a condition is the most serious sign of spiritual decline.
- dick christen
My Sherrill likes to follow Britain's royal family. It is like family to her. The other day she asked what their last name was. I said royalty goes by dynasties.....the Stuart, etc.
Well how about this? The other day I discovered the last name of King Saul in the Old Testament. Never knew he had one. His full name was Saul Matri. Really! Read 1 Samuel 10:21: "When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matrite was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found." Mmmmm! Must be KING SAUL MATRITE.
Now, isn't that fascinating? Um, I wonder what St. Paul's last name was? And, Peter? And...?
Jesus once asked his disciples who men were saying he is. They answered, oh, they think you are Elijah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist or one of the prophets. He said, and who do you say that I am? Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And that is exactly what Jesus wanted to hear. He is the promised Messiah, the very Son of God and the King of kings who will reign over this earth forever and ever.
"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
- dick christen
It's been said that when you're seventy your vital juices are prune. For Dagwood, all the meat and cheese have been replaced with a pile of pills.
An E. H. Chapin remarked,"An aged Christian with the snow of time on his head may remind us that those points of earth are whitest that are nearest heaven."
In the meantime be sure to be saved by God's grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-27).
Though I die, I live? Yes, for the Christian to die is gain and to be present with the Lord. No wise Christian ever wished to be younger.
- dick christen
A frenzied driver tucked a note under her windshield wiper and dashed off:
It read: "I've circled the block for 20 minutes. I'm late for an appointment, and if I don't park here I'll lose my job. Forgive us our trespasses."
Returning, she came back only to find a parking ticket and this note:
"I've circled the block for 20 years, and if I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job... Lead us not into temptation."
It has been said that Scripture can be used to justify just about anything. Some have even used it to okay suicide. You know: Judas hung himself. And then another Bible phrase: Go thou and do likewise. Nonsense. Let us study the laws of humeneutics, or the science of proper interpretation. Very important.
- Dick Christen
Christians frequently use the word GLORY. What does that word mean? A much loved hymn of the church begins with the words, "TO GOD BE THE GLORY!" GLORY literally relates to the reputation (an idea in the Greek word) or the sum total of the excellencies of any thing or any person. Add up all the excellencies of our God Jehovah (if that is even possible by any mere human attempt) and you have the glory of God or His Kingdom. Add up His omniscience, omipresence, mercy, love, grace and any other of His told or untold attributes and their sum would be His GLORY. What a mind boggling thought, even if scarcely comprehended. The Bible, as much as it underscores man's sinfulness, does likewise teach that man was made in God's image and when he or she learns God's wisdom possesses a glory of his own (Proverbs 3:35, etc.).
Often we refer to heaven calling it GLORY. In the last book of the Bible we are informed of many of the splendors of that place Jesus has gone to prepare for us (Revelation 21). Add up the details set forth and we understand it will be a glorious abode. In the meantime we wait for the GLORIOUS appearing, that of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the very first chapters of John, Colossians, and Hebrews we learn of the magnificent splendors of Jesus. He is very God, the Creator of heaven and earth and the sustainer thereof.
And then, rather humorously, but feebly, we dare place a yellow halo ring around His head trying to bring out this truth. It falls far short! But, with magnificent words, David does much more justice in his doxology of prayer. "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, AND THE GLORY, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head ABOVE all" (1 Chron. 29:11). And, of course, many other passages of Holy Writ do likewise. The doxologies of Scripture are worth reading again and again. We can increase our worship skills by incorporating this in our own prayers and expressions of worship.
And to think, forever, we believers will bask in His glory and that of all the works of His hands and will witness only glory in our fellow creatures. Glory!
-dick christen
I like Tim Keller's quote today: "If you met a truly humble person, you wouldn’t think him/her humble, but happy and incredibly interested in you."
Being a pastor and wife for over a half century we have been privileged to entertain scores of folks in our home. Curiously we noticed something: the vast majority spontaneously told us all about themselves without even being asked. They could easily occupy two hours at the table reciting story after story, incident after incident..... all about themselves. Much was interesting and we thrilled with them but afterwards had a sense of lopsidedness. In hindsight, rare has been the person who made inquiry about our lives, children, ministries, perspectives, opinions or background. And that's alright. We're pretty ordinary people. Not too many humdingers to pass on. But I think we could come up with an interesting tale or two.
A well known Christian leader once visited us by surprise. His name was known throughout the Christian world. What impressed us most was his interest in 'little old us.' Really we were very young but he was so inquisitive about our limited experiences in life. He hardly, if at all, referenced himself, his enormous knowledge or his widely traveled life.
Someone once noted: In the 1940's and the 1950's we had the all-encompassing Life magazine. Then we cropped our vision down to People in the '70's. Things tightened up even more with Us. Next came Self. Somewhere there's got to be a magazine just for me: THE DICK CHRISTEN MONTHLY.
Oh, that's right, I'm a Christian. Jesus showed me how to wash the other guy's feet. I'd best remember that because when self is not negated it is necessarily worshiped.
-Dick Christen
FOLLOW YOUR HEART? This is a popular mantra nowadays. But no, to do so is foolishness! Rather, pursue wisdom (Prov. 2) which is God's plan for your life. The path of wisdom leads directly to God Himself, His Word and His will. Obeying His Word aligns our hearts and lives with Him, and that is always the best! The Bible says so! And Holy Scripture has a principle or directive for every activity of one's life.
"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered" (Prov. 28:26).
The reading and study of the Word of God for the purpose of discovering the will of God is the greatest of holy disciplines. Yes, and as vital as prayer is, imbibing the Bible is more vital. The Bible is God talking to us. Prayer is us talking to God. Which is more important?And so, loving the Bible, the will of God is revealed. The will of God obeyed produces Christ-likeness and God-honoring character. The old self would rather have its own way. It ever resists what God decrees. We may well become miserable until we turn God's will from a sigh to a song.
All heaven is waiting to help those who will discover the will of God and do it. The sincere Christian is obsessed with finding and doing God's will. Study Proverbs 2. Notice the search for wisdom - the intense search, the discovery of God, God speaks, we listen and obey, we thereby walk in the light and are thereby on the path of wisdom or God's very best for us. THINK BIBLE!
- dick christen
Let me share my long time approach to daily Bible reading and meditation. I find it greases my ‘get-along’ in order to slip easily into an actual engagement with God in His holy Word.
This is what I do: I keep six bookmakers in six different places in my NASB or NKJV study Bibles and try to read from each passage about ten or fifteen minutes daily.
ONE is at a chapter in Proverbs. There being 31 chapters in this Book of wisdom, it must be profitable to read one each day of the month. So, each first day of a month my marker is at chapter one.
A SECOND marker is somewhere in the four Gospels, reading them over and over: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and again, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, etc. I delight seeing and hearing Jesus during His earthly sojourn. What does He say, how does He handle situations, how does He respond, what teachings come forth? How do holiness and love blend in His life? Gazing on Jesus is seeing God. My understanding of who God is increases chapter by chapter.
Then, a THIRD marker finds me reading consecutively from Acts through Revelation. The history of Acts, the doctrine and instructions in the church epistles, the same in the pastoral epistles and the insightful book of prophecy are, of course, all-important.
The FOURTH one is somewhere in the O. T., wherever I want to go. I’m either In the Pentateuch, the history books, the prophecies or the books of wisdom. I delight making the choice each time I decide upon a new book to read. I usually sense a particular need and make my choice under the Spirit's guidance.
The FIFTH reading is a round robin in four favorite prophetic passages, Isaiah 58-66, Daniel 9-12, Ezekiel 36-39 and Zechariah 12-14, giving me such fascinating details of things to come. When I'm done with Zechariah, it's back to Isaiah 58:1.
And finally, the SIXTH marker guides me each night to reading one or two of the one-hundred-fifty Psalms. These give me big thoughts for worship and about my glorying in my God. They teach me about faith in tough times. These are indeed precious concepts with which I lay my weary head on my pillow.
This works in an endearing way for me. It is God teaching me every day. I treasure and look forward to these daily times with God. And, really, can daily life be boring with such appointments with my dear Heavenly Father in such ongoing communion? The Scriptures are so pregnant with meaning. There are always new truths to learn whereby my faith is informed and built up, my mind fortified against the wiles of the devil. Each verse is a rich well of unfathomable depth.
I brag not, I’m just sharing what blesses me. Many days I fall short and find myself hastily reading at least a little from each place. I'm bothered when this happens. That's when I bark at Sherrill (just kidding, er, well maybe sometimes).
A program like this has to be top-priority, day by day. And I must remember what's happening when I so engage. It is God talking to me, teaching me, ever comforting me, correcting me, chiding and enlightening my poor dark soul. His Word is without error and the different styles of literature ever fascinating. The uniqueness of the Bible as literature, let alone as Divinely inspired (2 Corinthians 3:16,17), is incentive enough to keep coming back for more.
Arthur W. Pink brings this into perfect focus: "To realize that the Holy Scripture are a revelation from the Most High, communicating to us His mind and defining for us His will, is the first step toward practical godliness. To recognize that the Bible is God's Word, and that its precepts are the precepts of the Almighty, will lead us to see what an awful thing it is to despise and ignore them."
The bookmarks allow me to go right where I need to go with no hesitation at all. With any delay at all my attention could easily be diverted. But, what could ever be more vital than hearing from one's Maker, Savior, Lord and Hope?
Haldor Lillenas puts it exquisitely in his hymn: "The Bible stands like a rock undaunted 'mid the raging storms of time. Its pages burn with the truth eternal and they glow with a light sublime." Thank God that He spoke to us poor lost souls, clearly told us the way back to Himself through His Son Jesus, the Christ, and then instructed that His message be written down and preserved through the ages for our salvation and knowledge of the truth. What a God He is to come to us so marvelously.
And, if 10 or 15 minutes at each of the six places is just too much, five minutes would be only 30 minutes a day to bask in the euphoria of reading God's love letter to me.
- dick christen
AMEN! As a Christian POSITIONALLY I am fully holy in Christ, by His unconditional grace. I am fully set apart in the righteousness of Jesus and therefore perfect before the Father. But, PRACTICALLY, I am being made holy day by day by Christ and His conditional grace. (Yes, there is such a thing as conditional grace - Psalm 18:24-26; Matt. 5:3-11). When I walk by faith I progressively am being set apart unto the Lord in Christ-likeness. And that is God's aim in our lives (Romans 8:29).
When I was saved, believing in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, all His perfection and righteousness was reckoned or charged to my heavenly account. From henceforth God always sees me IN His Son. He sees me through Jesus and all that Jesus is He sees as me. Though certainly not perfect in myself, I am in Jesus. This is the basis of God's justification of me, sinner that I am. He declares me righteous IN Jesus. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Romans 5:1). This is an absolute, a constant. It can never change. It is invariable. "There is, therefore, no condemnation in Christ Jesus."
1 Corinthians 1:30 spells it out so very clearly...."But by His (the Father's) doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord'." I utterly have this the moment I am born again.
And now, the Christian life begins. And, although IN Christ I am fully sanctified, in another sense I AM BEING SANCTIFIED. While growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, I am sanctified BY Him. This is incremental. Being sanctified IN Christ Jesus is instantaneous. The Apostle Paul expresses this when he declares, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
So, the Christian should say with confidence: I AM SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST JESUS. Contrasting believers with unbelievers the Apostle says, "And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, YOU WERE SANCTIFIED, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). Regardless of my falterings, in the mind of the Father I am fully accepted. This is not an excuse to live sinfully, but is a tremendous comfort and brings wonderful peace to the human heart wrestling with the lusts within and evils all around.
And, day by day, it is right for the believer in Jesus to say, again and again, I AM BEING SANCTIFIED BY CHRIST JESUS. Jesus Himself prayed for all of us that we might be sanctified in this manner, and He revealed the means whereby this happens. In John 17:17 we hear His words: "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth."
Lay hold of this teaching and when reading scripture whenever seeing the word "sanctify" ask, now is this referring POSITIONAL SANCTIFICATION which I have IN Christ, or to PRACTICAL SANCTIFICATION which I am experiencing BY Christ Jesus, my Savior and Lord.
So, at any one time, I am resting in the full salvation I have IN Jesus and applying myself diligently ("work out your salvation with fear and trembling") to be more and more like Jesus (BY His enabling grace.)
- dick christen
On my walk I noticed a peculiar sign. It read: WATCH FOR FLYING PROJECTILES. I was next to a golf course. But, I mused, all projectiles fly. That's what the word denotes. If the projectile is grounded you wouldn't have to watch for it. So, I'll go back tonight and paint over the word "flying." It'll simply read WATCH FOR PROJECTILES or GOLF BALLS IN THE AIR. I'm just kidding.
But then I thought of this verse in the passage outlining the Christian's armor. Ephesians 6:16 "...in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish ALL THE FLAMING ARROWS of the evil one."
These demonically empowered projectiles constantly whiz toward us. To ward them off we must take up (our responsibility) the shield of faith. Like Enoch of old, we must walk with our God, looking to Him, reading His Word, depending on Him, pleasing Him, praying, etc., etc.
In short, it's the walk of faith. Such is our daily protection and must be our moment by moment alertness........The Apostle put it this way: "We walk by faith, not by sight."
- dick christen
Do you know why a car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the rear view mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE.
So, look ahead and move on.
"Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil" (Prov. 4:24-27).
The man without a forward purpose is like a ship without a rudder. What makes life complicated is multiplicity of motives. What makes like victorious is singleness of motive. And as Spurgeon remarked, "Spiritual life depends on the purposes we cherish."
Has any Christian been more focused than the Apostle Paul. He declared, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
- Dick Christen
The guru instructs, "Compasses! Get your compasses." The poor souls are looking for divine direction for life. Christians have that! They prize the Bible as the very Word of God and read and ponder it for direction in every aspect of life. It's a lamp to their feet and a light to their pathway. It shows the way for every aspect of life. In Bible times they strapped small lamps to their legs allowing a lighted pathway in the dark.
Joshua declared, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success" (Joshua 1:8).
In other words: Christians, loving the Book, possess a compass for life. We call it a truth-compass, a moral-compass, a make-sense-of-life compass and a know-how-to-live compass. Besides it has 'the message of all messages' for the saving of our souls from sin, hell, and death.
No wonder that Abraham Lincoln said, "In regard to this great book I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to men. All that the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book."
When people have tooth decay they go to a dentist. When Christians have TRUTH decay they need at once to 'brush up on their Bibles,' have the decay brought to the light and then proceed to root it out through the forgiveness and change that God gives. If they don't it is like heavy clouds making a compass meaningless and unable to give the necessary direction sought. As my dad often said, "Sin will keep us from the Book; but the Book keeps us from sin."
John Wesley remarked, "I want to know one thing, the way to heaven.......God Himself has condescended to teach us the way.......He hath written it down in a book. Oh, give me that book!At any price give me the book of God."
- dick christen
In American journalism have you noticed that a foolish person dominates a headline only because a publisher foolishly plays up what was said, splashes it in bold print and thereby promotes the nonsense? And on and on it goes, day after day.
My take on this is, in the first place, if the fool hadn't said something nonsensical and then, secondly, if the publisher wasn't so eager to blare it forth, probably, like rotten fruit, it would have died on the vine and not misled and annoyed the listeners or readers. But, instead, such caution not being exercised, two unthinking asses control what millions then asininely think. The jawbone of an ass was a killer in Samson's time. It still is. And society sinks lower and lower.
"Blessed are those who have nothing to say and who cannot be persuaded to say it."
If fools won't stop gabbing (and they won't because that's part of their foolery) then is it too much to expect professional publishers not to put it in the headlines? But the need for sensational headlines exists for the sake of the almighty dollar. Sensationalism sells.
Oppositely, just imagine this: Some unthinking mouth says something nutty, a major news outlet ponders it and declares it for what it is, just more unverified hype or sheer and unsubstantiated nonsense, and at once tosses it in file thirteen. If this procedure was practiced daily, newspapers would be reduced to once-a-week editions (they're struggling to stay in business anyhow), the crazy proliferation of TV news shows (often endlessly repeating the same thing) would would give way beneficially to edifying productions and fascinating experiences of every day life, and the never-ending-talkativiness of the over paid and too numerous pundits (did you ever realize there are so many experts on any subject introduced?) would finally be silenced by other than the 'mute' button and, lastly, the entire demeanor of humanity would be uplifted in meaningful and dignified ways. Greater calm would pervade society and stress pills would be dumped in the trash can by the millions.
Sadly, in our day, some leaders too often exhibit their own low level of decency when they harshly and nonsensically spew forth remarks geared toward grabbing those 'all-important' headlines. And so, as Spurgeon said, some men's tongues bite more than their teeth.
Is there Scripture that addresses this issue? Oh, yes, many pertinent verses. For instance:
"When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise" (Proverbs 10:19).
Again, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will also be like him. Answer a fool as his folly deserves, that he not be wise in his own eyes" (Proverbs 26:4,5). Politically, 'tit for tat' is a common exercise that pugilistically riles up society and spreads venom throughout. You hit me and I'll hit you back, harder. And then, it all snowballs, worsens and, again, society sinks to lower levels of harshness, hatred and crime. Is this an issue worthy of addressing?
It is true that whatever moves the heart wags the tongue. But, wisdom says, between hearing it and responding, THINK! Is it necessary to respond, is it worthy of an answer, and will a retort merely spread nonsense? Good questions for any thinking person to ask himself.
In other words when a fool speaks (and many such persons love to do that), is it even necessary to respond? And, if I must, I should refuse to get down on the level of the fool. I should not leave higher ground for lower slime pits.
On the other hand, God's Word instructs that if I don't answer the fool he will think he's wise and that can't be allowed. So, I should answer him as his folly deserves in order to stop him from thinking he's more intelligent than an entire college faculty. A careful and firm confrontation will make him feel that he has just run into a wall and he'll be stopped dead in his haughty self-deception.
If it be true that "we know metals by their tinkling and men by their talking" there are assuredly many moving mouths emitting only hot air serving to merely heat up the environment and degradingly inflame the feelings of mankind. And so, we all suffer in a highly-charged world with little respect and dignity of life.
Just today (at this writing) a headline has one ex-high ranking government leader calling a higher one, a "mob boss." The response is to castigate the one making the allegation, "a slime-ball." What dignity! It degrades all of life and must be disdained. And so, the nation seethes in disrespect, hate, name-calling and a distressing existence.
And the Church of Christ is affected. It seems to me that too many in high places are forever grabbing for headlines. We traffic in clever sentences and a bumper sticker mentality, all designed to catch the eyes of onlookers. If such activity is for the sake of truth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all the more power to such efforts. But, if just to be known and try to change the world, it would be good to remember that Jesus will someday ultimately and adequately take care of that! And, only HE can do that!
Again, Proverbs declares: "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances" (v.11). Is this a picture of a 'just right' painting on the wall? Or, does it reference a fine piece of jewelry? Either way, it highlights "a word spoken in right circumstances." Mere jabbering usually proves to be an odious "halitosis" of the brain. And, that's just not pleasant. Spurgeon quipped: "Believe not half you hear; repeat not half you believe; when you hear an evil report, halve it, then quarter it, and say nothing about the rest of it."
And, now that I've rambled on far too long and you've had enough of my blather, you may go ahead and apply Spurgeon's formula to all I've just written.
- dick d. christen
Thomas Brooks declared, "We know metals by their tinkling and men by their talking." We all stuggle to say things "just right." Actually, we need God to give us wisdom in our discourse.
And surely God knows this, So, IF I PRAY THIS......
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).
I MAY BE ABLE TO TESTIFY LIKE THIS.....
"All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them" (Proverbs 8:8).
Is it really possible for any mere human to even utter such a statement? Jesus is really the only one who could utter such an all-encompassing thing. But we must pray, pray, pray and try, try, try and at the very least keep getting it better. James says no man can tame the tongue. He sure got that right. But, again, we can cry out for Divine help! "It is not enough to harvest knowledge by study; the wind of talk must winnow it and blow away the chaff." So help us, God!
Let me nail this down with a humorous story. Someone smilingly reminisced, "Born and raised in Milwaukee, I sometimes have trouble understanding Boston accents. On business in Boston with a female associate, I met several other women who would be working with us on a research project. The conversation turned tojewelry, and one of the Bostonians asked my colleague, "Do you have P.S.D.S.?" She looked puzzled and the woman repeated her question, "Do you have P.S.D.S.?" May associate turned to me for help. I had no idea what "P.S.D.S." was, and I shrugged. The Bostonian realized we didn't understand her question, touched her pierced hear lobes and said, "You know, P.S.D.S.!"
Again, this points out again that we must keep praying and working at understandable and Christ-honoring communication.
- dick christen
FLUFF THAT PILLOW, FRESHEN THE LETTUCE, BRING UP THE NAP OF THE CARPET, STIR UP THE DWINDLING CAMP FIRE.....
The Apostle Paul said to his protege Timothy..."I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you..." 2 Timothy 1:6.
The embers of God's life (let alone any special giftedness) lie within every truly born again believer. They can never be fully extinguished but can dim almost to invisibility. This happens when we neglect the Lord and walk in the flesh. Sin starves the embers of the heavenly oxygen needed to burn brightly. When we leave off our sinning and stop quenching the Holy Spirit, the very wind of heaven once again will blow through the soul and stir up what God put within at regeneration.
John Bonar remarked, "Revival is the exchange of the form of godliness for its living power." Another preacher said, "Revival is not going down the street with a big drum; it is going back to Calvary with a big sob." And, Billy Graham said, "Every revival that ever came in the history of the world, or in the history of the church, laid great emphasis on the holiness of God." And I would add, this is true in the history of any one believer's experience. And so, Stephen Olford remarked, "Waiting for general revival is no excuse for not enjoying personal revival."
The linguist Mounce defines "to kindle afresh" as "to kindle up a dormant fire; met. to revive, excite; to stir up, quicken one's powers.")
ALL THIS REQUIRES A CHRISTIAN'S HOLY AND DAILY ATTENTION.
-dick christen
It's been said that "jealousy is the raw material of murder." If looks could kill that little girl on the right is about to prove the statement.
I like this definition of jealousy: "Jealousy is a complex emotion that encompasses feelings ranging from fear of abandonment to rage and humiliation. Jealousy strikes both men and women and is most typically aroused when a person perceives a threat to a valued relationship from a third party. The threat may be real or perceived. It is not limited to romantic relationships but also can arise among siblings competing for parental attention or in friendships. Jealousy is distinguished from envy in that jealousy always involves a third party seen as a rival for affection. Envy occurs between two people and is best summed up as 'I want what you have.'"
I've seen a small start-up church almost ruined because of this sin. A talented man who however didn't get his way, sulked and then worked stealthily to lead a group of people away from the growing church. It hurt many lives and was designed to ruin the church. But, God prevailed and today the church has matured, been blessed of God and holds forth the Word of Truth.
The love chapter declares "love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous" (1 Corinthians 13:4). It's an ugly emotion but, interestingly, God uses it for good too. Joseph's brothers were jealous of him but through their nefarious actions, Joseph ended up being a ruler in Egypt which then led to Israel's miraculous escape and eventual settlement in the promised land.
Praise God, He rules but also over-rules and His will is wrought. What a God!
dick christen
I rarely, if ever, recall hearing a fellow-believer admit to the chastening hand of the Lord. His experience(s) may be tough but it invariably is because of bad circumstances or just plain tough luck. After all, life is rough, tough and tumble.
But God instructs us otherwise. As a loving and concerned Father He sometimes deals with us with what we call "tough love." It is that but behind it is God's sanctifying love for His beloved children. He will make us like His Son, Jesus Christ. "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son..." (Romans 8:29). His determined design can involve a process that can be pretty rough.
The writer of Hebrews chided his readers with these words: "...and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, 'MY son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves HE disciplines, and HE scourges EVERY son whom HE receives" (12:5,6). His readers may well have been chalking up their difficult experiences with statements like: "Well, these are tough times" or "Into every life a little rain must fall" or "My luck must have run out" or, most disconcerting, "Where's God when you need Him?"
The text declares that EVERY child of God at one time or another is subject to His reproof and chastening hand. Sometimes it gets really harsh. But, as Thomas Brooks said, "God would not rub so hard, were it not to fetch out the dirt and spots that be in His people."
Remember this, God usually warns before He wounds. When He speaks to us we need to immediately align ourselves with His truth. The cycle of conviction, repentence and recomitment is ever ongoing in this life.
What God does for us emanates from His perfect love. (And remember, "perfect love casts out fear." We need not fear He will make a mistake.) But, He is more interested in our holiness than in our happiness. His wounds cure; sin's kisses kill.
The saintly Robert Murray M'Cheyne even prayed for God's wise chastening. He worded his prayer like this: "If nothing else will do to sever me from my (daily) sins, Lord, send me such sore and trying calamities as shall awake me from earthly slumbers." Could I pray that prayer for myself? Could I pray it for those dearest to me but who are living carnally and worldly? These pointed questions lead to serious consideration and whether or not we truly believe in God's intent for our lives: namely and again, HE IS MORE INTERESTED IN MY HOLINESS THAN IN MY HAPPINESS.
My stroke of five years ago was God's loving chastening in my life. I had no bad physical numbers, no warnings and no pain when the stroke hit me. I was an enigma to the medical experts. But, what they did not understand, God did it and I have learned so many precious lessons from the hard experience. My bum foot reminds me of the lessons every day. Thank you, Lord!
-dick christen
THE BELT OF TRUTH is double pronged and preachers and teachers of the Bible must make a faithful use of both. They are to set forth both the negatives and positives seen everywhere in Scripture.
Centuries ago the prophet Isaiah did. And Jesus, reading the same passage years later, applied it to Himself. Here is what they believed when it came to responsibly setting forth truth. They believed it their duty "to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor]and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61:2). They were to preach both positively and negatively - both "the acceptable year" and "the day of vengeance of our God."
Much later, the Apostle Paul maintained a similar stance. He viewed the preaching of his day as "a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2: 15,16) - notice "an aroma from death to death" and "an aroma from life to life."
A working battery has both positive and negative poles. It just won't work to block off the negative. The negative is essential. And when God speaks negatively (do count not only the "thou shalt nots' in Holy Scripture but also the "do nots" in such passages as Proverbs 23), I say, when God speaks negatively IT IS FOR THE SAKE OF A POSITIVE OUTCOME.
When a mother saw a thunderstorm forming in mid-afternoon, she worried about her seven-year-old daughter who would be walking the three blocks from school to home. Deciding to meet her, the mother saw her walking nonchalantly along, stopping to smile whenever the lightning flashed. Seeing her mother, the little girl ran to her, explaining happily, "all the way home, God's been taking my picture!
Even so, God works through His "do nots" and His numerous "you shalls" to produce the image of Jesus in us. The two together keep the power of God surging in us. Together the belt of truth hinges securely.
- dick christen
