Maranatha!

~Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Since the day of your salvation, have you changed from your old ways? Are you finding your friends not so attractive? Are you finding your pet sins offensive? Do you find yourself thinking about Christ and what He did for you on the cross? Are you more aware of your sin? Does your sin bother you? The Bible says in this verse that at the time of salvation, when you are “in Christ,” you are a new creature. Your old life and sinful ways pass away and your life is made new. You now have a desire for spiritual things. If you do not see these changes in your own personal life, something is not right. You may have spoken all the right words to accept Christ’s salvation and His work on the cross, but your heart may not have been sincere. There’s a difference. Jesus said,

~Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

There are many who profess Christianity but not so many possess true salvation. How can you know for sure? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that you will be different – you will think differently – you will desire to be different. You won’t be changed overnight, but little by little you will find that you are very different from the day you first were saved.

~Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

My friend, many people are walking this earth thinking that they have said the right prayer or lived the right life or are a member of the right church. But Matthew 7:13-14 says that FEW will find the way that leads to eternal life. Are you certain you have? Don’t wait until it is too late. Find out now!

“What we mean by salvation is this—deliverance from the love of sin, rescue from the habit of sin, setting free from the desire to sin.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

~Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

We know that God hears everything – He even knows what we are thinking!

~Psalm 94:9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

There is nothing that gets by Him. We can’t slide something passed Him so let’s not deceive ourselves. But how many times have we heard that God doesn’t seem to hear our prayers? Could it be that we have allowed sin to separate us from Him? When your child is continuously disobedient, does he get everything he wants from you? Why should it be any different with God? It’s not that God doesn’t hear our prayers, it is because we have not been meeting the criteria for answered prayer. The Word says:

~John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Ouch! So what’s our excuse? Are we praying with selfish motives? Are we praying but yet still clinging on to sin in our lives? Just as our earthly parents won’t reward us when we’re defiant, neither will our Heavenly Father. Our earthly family can be used as a good learning tool when it comes to the born-again believer’s relationship with God.

~2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Where does your day-to-day life lie? Do you mainly fellowship with unbelievers? I have heard some say that this is where we must be to spread the Gospel. Well, yes, the Gospel needs to be preached but it does not mean that your life should be spent totally around unbelievers. Otherwise this verse would be in vain. Paul was explaining to us that if we are yoked with unbelievers, we find ourselves (those with the light of the Gospel) having fellowship with darkness (the unsaved).

It is safe to conclude that when a believer is surrounded by unbelievers, he will struggle in his spiritual walk and will fall over and over. Any believer can tell you this. It is best to surround yourself with people of like mind so you may be encouraged to do right. Spurgeon said it right in the quote below. The unbelieving world will not help draw out truth in our hearts. Instead, they will keep us in darkness. This is not the place for a believer to be.

“Our own hearts are deceitful, so that truth lies not on the surface, but must be drawn up from the deepest well.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

~Psalm 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Praise the Lord that His work in the born-again believer is never finished! Daily we find ourselves tempted and daily we fail. I am so thankful that God continues to work in my life for my benefit!

~Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

The Lord began a good work in me the day I was born-again! He continues to grow good works in me through His Holy Spirit’s convicting power. When I yield to His convictions, I grow spiritually. That is the reason a baby cannot be born-again at baptism as some religions claim. Babies cannot decide for themselves whether or not they will fall into sin. They are born in sin. They cannot choose to do right – not yet. That is why a child must get to the age where he knows the difference between right and wrong. At this point, he is able to understand the need for salvation.

~Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

We’ve all seen babies who cry the minute they are put down for a nap, yet the minute Momma picks the baby up, the baby stops crying. How true Psalm 58:3 is!  But can a baby repent?  Not just yet – he is totally dependent on his parents until he reaches an age where he can see for himself that he is sinning.  Once that child is born-again, then God begins that beautiful work spoken of in Philippians 1:6!

Thank you, Lord, for your continuing work in my life!

~Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Today’s verse made me think about what is esteemed in today’s world. Just to name a few, I thought of:

• Wealth
• Philanthropy
• Knowledge
• Social Status
• Religious hierarchy

But God’s Word says that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in His sight! The Bible teaches:

~Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

When wealth is used for God’s glory, it is blessed by Him. However, most people who achieve wealth use it for selfish reasons. They then become less dependent on God and more dependent on themselves. The poor in spirit, however, depend on Him and are open to the salvation message.

~Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is good to do good works. However, when one does good works thinking that this will “outweigh” his sins and still gain him entrance into Heaven, he is sorely mistaken according to Scripture. Salvation is all about Christ and nothing to do with anything good in us. After salvation, however, Christians should be busy doing the work of Christ. Let’s get the works on the right side of salvation!

~Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

When you speak with a scholar, his thoughts are more on science and knowledge, not on the Scriptures. It seems that the smarter and educated someone is, the less they want to do with God.   However, the Scriptures are the beginning and basis of all knowledge. When one excludes God in his thoughts and in his learning, he will come to a point where he will believe that there is no God.

~Luke 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

Those who are up on the social status look down upon the lower echelon. They snub their noses and ignore the needs around them. The Word says that these people have their reward here on earth.  Their status in eternity is what is important.

~Matthew 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Religious hierarchy is dangerous. The Pharisees and Sadducees were very knowledgeable yet they could not see that their Messiah was standing amongst them. Instead, they were stuck on keeping laws which they had created. In fact, they could not even keep these laws themselves but expected the laity to keep them (~Luke 11:46).  Religions with a hierarchy structure are not concerned with the true meat of the Gospel but in furthering their religion.  The hierarchy lives extremely well while the laity are kept in the dark.  This keeps those with “position” in their jobs.  They lead the laity to believe that only their priesthood is able to interpret Scriptures.  They lead the laity to believe that they are the only ones with knowledge.  It keeps the laity in bondage and prevents them from seeking the truth through God’s Word.  Instead they receive interpretations created by the religious hierarchy to further their religion.

The world seeks knowledge but the believer seeks wisdom from God.

~Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

~Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We’ve all been there at one time or another, haven’t we? We’re tired of the trials of life. We’re tired of being under attack. We’re tired of the battle that every born-again Christian seems to fight with the unbelieving world. We’re tired of being ridiculed because of Christ’s name. Today’s saying really applies to the weary believer:

Been there, done that!

Don’t be discouraged, Christian! Our Lord suffered this first. He was mocked, ridiculed and crucified because of Who He was. But yet He continued on. Jesus left us with His Word to encourage our hearts – all we have to do is find the verses which will bless us! When we are tired, we take a nap and rest. When we are weary, we must turn to God’s Word for spiritual renewal. Today’s photo is awesome, isn’t it? It’s a great place to send your eyes and head to and get your brain headed in the right direction. Next, finding verses that will quench your thirsty soul and lift your weary head. This verse is probably one of the most quoted verses and I can see why. Each time I read these words, my heart is uplifted and I am ready to tackle my day.

Why not allow the Lord to restore you today?

~Psalm 23:3a He restoreth my soul:

Today’s verse is one of those. When we are at our wit’s end, the Lord is there to renew us.

~Psalm 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

The Word of God is filled with “shall nots,” both in a negative way and in a positive way. The Ten Commandments are the most popular of the “shall nots.” But what about those that speak of God’s provisions?

This verse tells us that the the one who seeks the Lord shall not lack any good thing. God’s hand of provision is upon those who seek Him. Just as He cares of the sparrow (Luke 12:6), so much more will He care of us! The times we live in are turbulent and the Word promises it will get much worse. But the Christian has the comfort that God will take care of him!

Our Shepherd loves us and cares for us. Nothing shall happen to us that He has not allowed!

~1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

~Matthew 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

I love this verse! It shows us two depictions of our relationship with Christ:

1. Disciple and master
2. Servant and Lord

The definition of the word “disciple” means pupil and the word “master” means teacher.   Christ is our teacher and through His Word He teaches all we need to know to serve Him.  Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1) and, therefore, has all authority to teach us.

The second relationship is servant and lord.  The word “servant” means bond slave and “lord” means supreme ruler!  No servant ignores his master’s commands.  No servant goes against what his master has told him to do.  A servant does not belong to himself but he belongs to his master.

Therefore, the born-again believer should obey the Lord without question.  The Word of God, our Master’s words, clearly outlines what He expects of us and as His servants, we must obey.

The world laughs at the Bible and anything that relates to it.  The world laughs at true Christianity and tries to make a mockery of anything holy.  Christians are depicted as lunatics and the world has great joy in making fun at Christ’s expense.  How very sad!  But Christ shall have the last word.

~Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

~Psalm 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

The word settled here gives us an idea of permanence, not something here today and gone tomorrow. “The Treasury of David” has a beautiful definition:

Man’s teachings change so often that there is never time for them to be settled; but the Lord’s word is from of old the same, and will remain unchanged eternally. Some men are never happier than when they are unsettling everything and everybody; but God’s mind is not with them. The power and glory of heaven have confirmed each sentence which the mouth of the Lord has spoken, and so confirmed it that to all eternity it must stand the same, – settled in heaven, where nothing can reach it.

It does not matter what today’s “religions” teach. What matters is what God’s Word teaches. When one stands before God at the time of judgment, he will have to give an account of how he lived his life and why he chose the path that he chose.

~1 Peter 4:4-6 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

I hear so often, “I’m going to hell – I’ll be meeting all my friends there”! How sad that eternity is taken so lightly! IF these misled souls are wrong, what a horrible price to pay to spend eternity in flames for just a lifetime of frivolity! Why take a chance?

~Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

~Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Man’s way seems right but leads to death. God’s Word is settled and leads to life eternal!

~Psalm 25:4-5 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Many have told me to find a good preacher and follow him. This is only good if the preacher is following after God’s Word. How’s one to know?

~2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

God’s Word is important and should be a part of our everyday lives. Christ said that those who love Him will keep His sayings. What sayings? The words that He spoke while on earth would be brought to the disciples minds by the Holy Spirit so they could write it down for us to have throughout the years.

~John 14:24-26 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

~2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Don’t let the words of men deceive you. The Word is Truth and will never deceive you.