Monthly Archives: August 2010

Condoning Sin

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~Romans 1:29-32 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Today’s text pretty much covers all types of sins. The last verse states that those who know God’s judgment and still commit such things are worthy of death. Furthermore, those who are guilty of supporting those sins are just as guilty of the same judgment! Wow! :shock: Do you see this?  Are you guilty of this, Christian?  Take a step back and look at your life.

When you go to the polls and vote, do you vote for someone who will support the abortion agenda yet you are against abortion?  You’re just as guilty as if you had done the abortion yourself!  Do you have friends or relatives who live a life of sodomy and they don’t know your stand on the issue?  Have you confronted them about it and told them they are living in sin?  If not, you’re as guilty of that sin!  How about couples who are living together?  Do you have friends you entertain in your own home and have not spoken to them about this?  How about if it’s your own child?

I believe you understand where I am coming from today.  If you think back on the morality of our beloved country 50 years ago, none of the sins I’ve just outlined were even spoken about in public, let alone encouraged or looked upon with complacency!  No – in fact, quite the opposite.  What has changed?  The Bible says that God never changes so His judgment will still be dispersed upon this wicked generation just as much as it was 50 years ago.

~Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

God never changes! What has changed is the heart and mind of man.  Man has allowed the sin of this world to harden his heart. After all, the more you sin the harder your heart becomes to sin and the less you are convicted of it.  What God considered sin thousands of years ago is still sin today.  What God considered an abomination thousands of years ago is still an abomination today!  It is man who has strayed and has hardened his heart to the point where sin is no longer considered sin! To abort one’s child was considered murder – now it’s considered an inconvenience! To be a homosexual was considered an abomination to God – now it’s a lifestyle.

I was having this same discussion with a dear friend last week. I told her that when I was a young teenager, the world was disgusted by the sodomite’s sin! Today the world is not even mildly annoyed – in fact, laws are being passed to protect them.  Those who speak out against it are considered haters and charged with a hate crime. The world gets further and further away from the Word of God. Should the Lord tarry His return, I would not be surprised that in 50 years, pedophiles will no longer be viewed as disgusting and horrible sinners but will be an accepted lifestyle of society – or it will be stated that it is a “disease” – or they will say ‘the poor dear is sick’!  Oh deceived generation of blind hard-hearted sinners! This generation no longer recognizes sin but, instead, calls sin “good” – all under the title of “tolerance”!!

~Isaiah 5:20-21 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Judgment is coming. God does not change, dear soul. God will judge according to His Word, not according to what feels good or what other people say is right. How can one say he is a Christian when he is committing sin that God has said is an abomination or he is supporting the very same sin? Turning a blind eye is equal to supporting that sin – can’t you see that? How can you allow yourself to be so deceived by the god of this world, the devil, the father of lies? It is a choice that you will have to make and I pray your choice is made before it is too late.

If you are a Christian, then act like one! Stand up for Christ and what He has taught us. Don’t try to smooth ruffled feathers in a family when there is sin running rampant. Stay away from it – do not support it – do not condone it! And worse of all, do not be silent! The devil has his way with his children.  Why not allow the Holy Spirit of God to have His way with you?  How will they (the world) know what the Bible says on this topic except you tell them? Don’t sit on the fence – after all, the fence belongs to the devil. That’s what he wants you to do!  Jump off that fence and run as fast as you can to the Word of God! Then stop being ashamed of what He has taught you and start shouting His judgment from the rooftop!

Joyful Noise!

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~Psalm 100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100 is filled with instruction for the believer! I absolutely love how we are instructed on how to conduct ourselves and our spiritual life.

  1. Praise your Lord:  The words from our mouths should be a joyful noise, not sounds that grate on people’s last nerve.  I’m sure you’ve been around Christians who appear as though they have been sucking on lemons!  Nothing is ever right for them.  They are in a constant state of complaining.  This is not becoming of a Christian.  Why would the unsaved world want what the complainer has?  I think of Matthew 5:13 when the Lord Jesus said we are the salt of the earth.  Salt causes one to be thirsty and our testimony should cause the unsaved to thirst after what we have, which is salvation.  Do you really think your complaining will cause the unsaved to thirst after what you have?  What kind of testimony is a complaining spirit to your Saviour?  Who would want Him after listening to you?  Let’s rejoice!  Let’s praise the Lord who saved us from burning for eternity in the Lake of Fire!  Praise the Lord!  Sing to Him hymns of praise and rejoice!  Rejoice, Rejoice oh Christian, lift up your voice and sing!  Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!!
  2. Serve your Lord:  Everything we do should be a joy because we are His!  Jesus told His disciples that if they gave a drink of water to someone who thirsted, it was as if they had given it to Him.  If we did each of our tasks in our daily lives as though we were doing it for our Lord, wouldn’t our attitude be different?
  3. Acknowledge your Lord:  We must remember who God is and it is He that created us!  We can’t rule the Master – the sheep can’t lead the Shepherd!  We must acknowledge that He is our Maker and He is our leader and we must follow.  When we acknowledge this daily in our prayer life, it is easier to follow.  It is when we try to do things on our own without His direction or His help that we find ourselves in trouble!
  4. Thank your Lord:  Everywhere we go we should be ready to share what God has done for us!  A grateful heart leaves no room for bitterness or discontent.  A grateful heart is ever ready to praise the Lord for all that He has done.  Some have to dig deep before they can find one tiny morsel of thankfulness!  How sad is that?  When the heart is thankful, the Lord is glorified!
  5. Embrace your Lord:  As you meditate on the Lord’s attributes, you realize just how small you are and just how big He is.  Our sinful nature is in need of His goodness and mercy!  Praise the Lord that His truths endure to all generations!  Praise the Lord that He loved us so much that He was willing to pay the price for our sins!  Oh what great love!  I know I can speak for many who say that once I enter Heaven’s gates, it will be His neck that I hug first thing so I can thank Him and praise Him for what He has done for me!  For without His mercy, I would lost for eternity!

He Lives!

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find,
None other is so loving, so good and kind.

Chorus
He lives, He lives,
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives,
Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

Sports Time!

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~Proverbs 10:23 It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.

The unsaved world does not think about living righteously. It is the furthest thing from their mind. In fact, and I speak from past experience, they cannot wait until the next moment they can do evil. Of course, at the time, I was not thinking that what I was doing was evil. All I cared about was that I had great pleasure in doing them!

The Word has so much to say on this subject. The wicked are explained with great accuracy in the Book of Proverbs. I did not think of myself as wicked prior to my salvation. In fact, I thought I was a pretty good person. But had I measured my life with the “yardstick of the Ten Commandments,” I would have seen that I did not measure up at all!

~Proverbs 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

I took great pleasure in my sin and loved it when I could partake with others! During the work week, we would be busy planning what we could do on the weekend. Our plans always led to sin!

~Proverbs 6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

I am so thankful that one day a dear friend came to visit and told me the wonderful news about salvation. It was not something I had ever heard before. My religious experiences revolved around “being good” and the burden was too great because I could never be good enough! Christ’s salvation is free but we must be willing to repent from the lifestyle we are currently living. To blab a prayer-ette and remain in the same lifestyle does not salvation bring! Jesus said to “repent and believe the Gospel,” (~Mark 1:15). There must be a repentance or there will never be any change!

~2 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.

Law vs. Grace

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I have a friend who has been a born-again Christian for some time. She has been led by another to follow the ways of Messianic Jews. My spirit was not right within me and I felt unrest when I first heard about her “change.” So I began researching the Messianic Jewish beliefs. Having been raised catholic, I discovered many correlations between Judaism and that of Catholicism. Catholicism bases many of its rituals to Jewish Laws. It amazes me that a born-again believer would want to have the yoke of religion’s burden once again placed upon his shoulders!

I was led to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, which is an excellent book covering this very topic. By the time I got to the third chapter, I discovered that one who lives under the Law lives under a curse.

~Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them.

Jesus redeemed us from this curse so why would we want to go back to it? He became a curse so that we no longer had to live under that curse of the Law! The Law taught us that we cannot keep it all because we are sinful, therefore, we are cursed.

~Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

What was the purpose of the Law if it was a curse then? The Law is our schoolmaster, a teacher if you will. It shows people they are sinners! When people realize they are sinners and and cannot keep the whole Law, it then points them to faith in Christ. After salvation by faith, they are not under the Law any longer.

~Galatians 3:24-25 Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The born again believer receives the Holy Spirit at salvation, He lives within the believer and the believer is led by Him, therefore, he is no longer under the Law.

~Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the Law.

The Law was not given to produce righteousness. The Law was given to show man he was a sinner in need of salvation. If any righteousness can come from keeping the Law, then Christ died for nothing! Not only Judaism practices this but Catholicism as well. The rituals that are entrenched in religion add a burden that is unbearable and these Laws just cannot be kept without failure! At best, the individual who is attempting to keep the Law realizes how futile an attempt it is.

Gal 3:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain.

We live under the Dispensation of Grace, not the Law. The born-again Jew has been released from the Law to live under grace. This grace given by God helps us to live righteously. Christ brought an end to that Law and brought forth righteousness.

~Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the Law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

~Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Christians are not under the Law but under Grace – but this Grace is in no way a license to sin. This is where confusion sets in for most churches today. There seems to be a lack of understanding concerning what Grace is. Grace is not passing over our sins nor is it merely unmerited favor. Grace is a God-given ability to live righteously.

~Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

This is grace – God’s power within us to stay away from sin! Christians are called to a higher standard under grace than that of the Law. It’s not an open door to sin – it’s not a free ticket to do all things because we have an ability to do so! In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Jesus said that the adulterer was guilty of that sin under the Law but under Grace, you are guilty of adultery if you even look at a woman to lust after her (~Matt. 5:28). The Law says you are guilty of murder if you kill someone. But under Grace, if you even hate your brother you are guilty of murder (~1 Joh. 3:15). The Law says you have sinned if you bow down to an idol. But under Grace, if you are covetous you are guilty of idolatry (~Colossias. 3:5). Does this sound like the Christian has a license to sin? Absolutely not! We are called to a higher standard! Many today have misinterpreted this Grace and say it is freedom and we can do whatever we want! Do you not see how deceived this is? Is it any wonder that some Christians are looking to a more righteous form of living?

God’s people were given Laws that they could not keep because of their sinful nature. They were not given the power to keep the Law, that is, they were not given Grace as Christians have under the New Covenant.

Why would a born again Jew want to go back to the things of the Law? Why would a born-again Christian wish to convert and become a Messianic Jew? Jewish Law had more than 600 Laws they had to follow – these were not just the Ten Commandments. The Word says:

~Galatians 4:9-11 After that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid [for] you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

If we are led by the Holy Spirit are we under the Law? No. “If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the Law” (Gal. 5:18).

Why would one want to follow after the Old Covenant when it was not faultless?

~Hebrews 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

Jesus Christ brought us a better covenant!

~Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

My friend, if you are a born again Christian and have been led by others to follow after the Law, please study your Bible – especially Galatians. Paul, a Pharisee, would have been the perfect example if this were to be the life of a Christian. However, the Hall of Faith in Hebrews says Abraham, etc. lived by faith – these were all before the Law – and they were accounted as righteous. Be careful who you follow! Don’t be deceived. Christ saved us from the works of the Law to be born again under grace. We are called to higher standards than the Law and are given grace to live by those standards! Be careful!

Incorruptible

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~1 Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

When I repented of my sin and received the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I received an inheritance! That inheritance is eternal life in Heaven with my Saviour. An inheritance was given to me by Christ Himself because He purchased me with His own blood! Furthermore, today’s text says that this inheritance is incorruptible!

Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines incorruptible as:

1. That cannot corrupt or decay; not admitting of corruption. Thus gold, glass, mercury, are incorruptible. Spirits are supposed to be incorruptible. Our bodies shall be changed into incorruptible and immortal substances.
2. That cannot be bribed; inflexibly just and upright.

This sense of permanence is encouraging to the believer! I wondered what other verses contained this word in the Bible.

~1 Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

~1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

~1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Four times the word incorruptible is used. We learn that our inheritance of eternal life is incorruptible – we receive an incorruptible crown – at Rapture, we will receive an incorruptible body – and we are born again from an incorruptible seed by the Word of God.

What an encouragement for the true born-again believer! When God gives us something incorruptible – it is permanent. There is nothing we can do to revoke it. We are sealed – we have inherited eternal life, not by anything we have done but by everything Christ has done for us! Praise the Lord! Since my inheritance is not based on my works but Christ’s, I can be assured that it is settled! He entered my heart and His Spirit resides within, never to let me go! No wonder He convicts me and His desire is to mold me into someone that will bring Him glory! Yielded to His leading I must stay!

~Hebrews 13:5b … for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Obedience

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~1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

The religion of my youth was filled with “try too’s” and failures. As much as I tried to be good and not to sin, I failed daily. The guilt was unbearable! Granted, I found myself in the confessional trying to appease my guilt but I always turned around afterwards and repeatedly sinned. Obedience to my “faith” and its teachings was impossible! Why? Because I had not received my new nature. My inner man was not sincerely interested in walking with God or living for Him. I was not willing to repent. I merely wanted to have religion but did not want to practice it with sincerity nor did I desire true repentance. This was no different than the sacrifices offered in Samuel’s day for sin. I was no better than those that the Word is referring to in today’s text! I did my religious duties but was not obedient to the point of salvation nor was I willing to let go of my sinful ways.

This soul is no different than Cain of old whose sacrifice was of his own creation. He chose to disobey God – and the Word tells us that he never repented, even after God confronted him with his sin. God gave him the opportunity to repent, but Cain chose not to do so! Choice – do I obey God or not? Do I repent or not? It’s left up to the individual as God does not force His will on us! So how do you know whether you are practicing religion or not? The Word says that you must repent and believe:

~Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Simply believing does not do it. The devil’s believe but that does not make them Christians!

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Repentance is the key! Repenting means a turning away from the former sinful life and living for God! This is true conversion! Without repentance one will be no better than Cain with his own idea of religion and no obedience! That is why the devils will never enter Heaven! Rebellion thrives when there is no obedience!

Once we desire to repent from our wicked ways and are truly born again of the Spirit of God, our desire will be to obey God and His Word. We will not always be successful and we will be filled with remorse when we do sin. But we will not stay in that sin and will be quick to get back on the path. This daily renewal of the mind, this obedience to God’s Word, is what God wants from us.

~2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

~Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

~Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

God does not want sacrifice – He wants obedience! Putting obedience to practice daily will change that inner man. He will grow from a tiny mustard seed to a strong tree in his faith! Let your obedience speak for your actions and not the sacrifice of Cain. It is this obedience to repent and believe the Gospel that converts the soul and renews the spirit!

~Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

One cannot put this verse into practice without true conversion. Without obedience, there is no repentance. Without obedience, there is no salvation. Without obedience, one is offering the sacrifices of Cain.

We Are Covered!

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~Psalms 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

~Psalms 36:7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

~Psalms 57:1 To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

~Psalms 61:4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

~Psalms 63:7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

The best place to be is under God’s covering!! David knew this and spoke about it five different times, and all occurrences are in Psalms in the King James Bible. The number five symbolizes God’s grace in His Word. I found this very interesting indeed!  David truly experienced God’s grace and knew it so much that he wrote about it repeatedly. No wonder he was the apple of God’s eye (Ps. 17:8)!!

It is by God’s grace that we are saved and not by anything we say or do!

~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.

God’s grace, just as He provided during the first Passover when the Israelites were trying to leave Egypt, covers us and protects us from eternal damnation in Hell. David placed himself under the covering of God’s wings – God’s protection – because he had been there many times and knew that it was a safe place for him to be. It was the right place for him to be.

David viewed the covering of God’s wings as:

(1) a place to hide from the cares of this world, its sin and its evil (Ps. 17:8).
(2) a place he could trust for protection and he could rely on God’s faithfulness – there’s no shadow of turning with the Lord (Ps. 36:7)
(3) a place where he could take refuge from the calamities around him – he knew he could run to God and be sure that He would give him a refuge where he could renew his spirit – revitalize his spirit – encourage himself in the Lord (Ps. 57:1)
(4) a secure place to be after salvation – knowing that he would abide there forever – he trusted in the fact that only God could provide that covering (Ps. 61:4) and that same covering was secure for all eternity!
(5) a place where he could rejoice because the Lord had helped him through all of his trials and tribulations – David had no doubts that God would continue to do so and, therefore, it brought David great joy and peace knowing he had a place to go  (Ps. 63:7)

I am on shouting ground, dear Christian! I praise the Lord God Almighty for keeping me under His wings, safe and secure for all eternity! Praise His Holy Name!

Science

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~1 Timothy 6:20-21 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea, which is the chiefest city of Phrygia Pacatiana.

Science is no different today than in Paul’s day. Paul exhorted Timothy to avoid the profane and vain babblings of science which exclude the Word of God. God’s Word has taught us about creation, the universe, the shape of the earth, life, etc. Anything preached which is more or less than that which is referred to in His word is error in the faith!

Just today, I heard a man question the Pastor because the Pastor did not believe in the earth being billions of years old. A Christian must place his faith on God’s Word and not that of man. No matter how many theories there are on a certain issue, if they are contrary to God’s Word, the believer must choose who he will believe! How can a Christian say he believes in evolution and in the same breath say he believes the Bible? The two do not go together! Evolution began being taught as “the theory of evolution,” but now the word “theory” has been removed and it is believed as fact! Christians who believe in evolution ought to be ashamed of themselves!  The longer one delves into science and ignores the Truth of God’s Word, the blinder he will become.

~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 has not left us helpless and without information! So open the Book, read and learn for yourself! God has promised wisdom to those who seek it!  It takes more faith to believe in a big bang and the whole evolution theory than it does to believe that God created all things.

~Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Which Way Are You Pointing?

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~Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

I came across this picture and chuckled to myself! What a funny looking tree, huh? I truly believe that there is a lesson from God in every piece of His creation. When I was in grade school Science class, we did an experiment on this very topic. We planted a bean in a cup filled with soil. We watered it, put it in the sun and watched how much it grew from day-to-day. We all know that all plant life grows toward the sun. When you shade a plant, it stunts its growth and slows the process. If the plant finds the smallest speck of sunlight, it will grow toward that sunlight. The tree in today’s picture doesn’t seem to have had a shade problem and I’m not certain why it’s so crooked, however, I think you see my point.

I wondered at how much our own spiritual lives are reflected in this picture! What circumstances would cause a new Christian to grow up crooked? Today’s text indicates that that the new believer is easily tossed about with wrong doctrine. He is easily deceived and sucked into false doctrine. Paul exhorts the Ephesians not to be like children! The only way to spot false doctrine is by knowing the true doctrine … by studying one’s Bible! Don’t study to be a man pleaser but study to show yourself approved unto God! God will reveal Himself and His doctrine to you if you are studious!

~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.

There are thousands of people on this planet who are preaching wrong doctrine. Just turn your TV set on and watch on any given Sunday. It is so sad that people are sucked into this spiritual vacuum and fall prey to these charlatans! They fall prey because they have not studied for themselves! It is easier for them to let someone else do the studying and they just follow! Letting someone else do your studying does not exempt you from studying for yourself! You will be accountable for your own actions. It may be easier for you to follow after someone else but you can be certain that you will be tossed about and carried away with every wind of doctrine, as Paul said.

Following after Christ is not easy. Christ never promised that being His disciple would be filled with good things and that you would prosper in wealth and in health. He did promise that you would prosper spiritually and that you would inherit eternal life, however! If wealth and health are in the future of every believer if they just believe, then Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is clearly a record of spiritually lacking people who have died and not prospered in their lives. It’s a sham to tell people this – it’s a money-making business! If people took it upon themselves to study for themselves, they would easily see the truth and the truth would set them free! Jesus said that the pathway to destruction is a wide path and many go through it. The Christian’s path is narrow but it is straight if he stays on it and reads, studies and applies what the Holy Spirit teaches him!

~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.