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
