The testing of faith

(2Corinthians 13:5) “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”

There must come a time in a believer’s life when the trial of life begins to drive home the reality of belonging to the Christian faith. For some the realism is a lot more severe! Just last week four Christians were martyred for their faith. Over time many have been brutally slaughtered for their faith. This then the ultimate test of what a person would be willing to die for. Death the last possible sacrifice for any individual! However while we still have breath we still live to see another day, it is this analysis I want to consider. While we live are we living as a Christian should, are we amongst the number by deed and not only empty words? Remember the verses of the Apostle James; “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:17-18)

If we are to consider the father of faith, Abraham; did he not prove his faith by offering up his son on God’s request? With his obedience to the call of God upon his life he proved, when tested, that he believed God by obeying His instruction; hence he has proved his faith and the bible now refers to him as the father of faith! “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. (Genesis 22:1-3)

Let us learn from his example: - Note. We often may begin to believe no differently to what Abraham may have deliberated that God had now given him a son as He had promised and the storm had now run its course. God’s promise had now finally arrived and it would be plain sailing from here on in. But in fact the greatest of test was yet to happen. "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering”. He had another son Ishmael whom Hagar his servant had given him, but God did not consider that, look at the text; “Take your son, your only son Isaac”. The plans we make as men do not factor into the equation when true testing unfolds. When we do something of our own accord, when we make a plan I see that if we lose what we have gained, that really isn't a true test of whether we walk by faith or not. We can only really be tested when we are willing to sacrifice what God has blessed us with. I suppose we can all fill in the blanks to our lives as we examine it individually. I have lost or rather squandered much of what I have received throughout my life, but that is not what is now in question. Even though I may have lost over a million rand in the space of two years that was my own doing and that is irrelevant when we consider the true test of faith!

The consideration I now need to consider is will I sacrifice what God has blessed me with, will I sacrifice that which is most dear to me? I cannot say with any certainty that I know what that is, but I am sure in time it will become apparent. May God find me faithful I pray and give me the insight to understand the true test when I see it!

Job was another man that God tested which proved that he was not only a good man but a great follower of God. Strong faith is often exercised with strong tests.

“What the apostle here says of the duty of the Corinthians to examine themselves, etc., is applicable to the great duty of all who call themselves Christians, to examine themselves concerning their spiritual state. We should examine whether we be in the faith, because it is a matter in which we may be easily deceived, and wherein a deceit is highly dangerous: we are therefore concerned to prove our own selves, to put the question to our own souls, whether Christ be in us, or not; and Christ is in us, except we be reprobates: so that either we are true Christians or we are great cheats; and what a reproachful thing is it for a man not to know himself, not to know his own mind!” (Matthew Henry)

The beauty of God’s testing helps us understand our state before Him, it is not as if God isn’t aware of where we stand on this issue but sometimes we need to be shown our own reality and then we can call on God to help us find grace to right our wrongs. Please, Father God, renew a right spirit in me, I pray! Help all those who belong to you in this area of their lives, show us who we are in you is my cry! Teach us all the genuineness of what it means to walk by faith! For when we have progressed in faith it will be well with our souls! Thank you Lord Jesus for our dependency upon your finished work; praise and honour belongs to you and you alone, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone   

    

    

    

Remembering that day

Because we (the Christian) have all been covered by the rich, free sovereign grace of God; we are indebted to our God and all because of the glorious perfect work of the Gospel that Jesus Christ our Lord accomplished, by willingly laying down His life for the scum of the earth, a person like me, a sinner, and once an enemy of the cross!

It would be beneficial to recollect that glorious day when our eyes were opened for the first time, when at first we looked at life and it was hard to make sense of it all, but God stepped in and opened my eyes and I was able to cry, “I CAN SEE!” That was a great day, a blessed day! Perhaps the best day of my life! Can you remember your day? I feel the corners of my mouth rising as it cracks a warm pleasant smile remembering the zeal I had back then; day one and I was on the phone asking others if they had seen what I could now see? In spite of the “huh” response it was the best of days; for the first time I knew what it meant to cry with joy. I vividly remember wrestling to understand my new commitment to this gospel message, it took days of grappling with my decision on why I had favorably responded to this altar call, eventually the light switch flipped and then I understood the enormity of it all, “my sins had been forgiven”! Wow! I had done nothing to deserve this pardon! And yet I had been forgiven and that understanding was truly wonderful; praise the name of Jesus Christ my Lord! Thank you Father God for sending your Son to die for me!

Every child of God has to have “in type” a similar experience to that of “Christian” in “Pilgrims Progress”; the day when the heavy load of sin fell off his back. For some, I included; have made such a botch of this wonderful free gift along our journey, the reasons will vary with each individual, so many detours along the way; be that as it may, in spite of ourselves, our great God has worked out and continues to work out sanctification in the lives of Christians for His names sake. He is a merciful God, praise His name! There have been times when I have wanted to throw in the towel, but He has carried me through the “valley of death”, all glory belongs to my Father who is the only true living God with the cloak of salvation draped across my shoulders and only because of the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice. To think on this fact; that God knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. He is able to look into the future and even knowing that I would make such a hash of my life along the way He still was willing to save me, what a glorious reality! I am forever indebted to Him! I am truly grateful! The bill of my debt is so long that it cannot be measured! I cannot say with any accuracy whether my love and commitment to Him is less of greater now than it was back then. But of this I am sure I do indeed love Him and all because He first loved me! He sent His son to die for me! Thank you Father God!

I have a greater understanding of many truths to what I had back then, and yet I only know in part. However, sadly I certainly do not have the zeal I had back then; “renew a right spirit in me Father” is my cry! My life is hid in Christ, I am forever indebted to Him; if you do not share a similar thought I would implore you to call out to Him so that you may go free! He is but a cry away! But cry you must!

Signing off

Tyrone     

Take Care!

TAKE CARE!

How often do we haphazardly disregard this instruction? God help us to “take care” of all that He has and will still to give us. Sloppy stewardship can be a hindrance to our walk with the Lord. Often it is not something we willingly choose to ignore but by default something else in our life takes precedence; work, holidays, family responsibilities, TV, and anything else that hinders our progress to God’s call upon our lives. May my heavenly Father forgive me for failing so dismally in this area of my life; we only get one crack at life and when it is over it is over. There will come a day when the books will be opened and our stewardship will be examined not by man but by God! Nevertheless today is a new day and we have a brilliant opportunity by faith to find grace to right our wrongs whatever they may be; we serve as God full of compassion, slow to anger and full of love for His children. Let us resolve to call out to Him from here on in.

Every Christian has been privy to a pilgrimage from Egypt (slavery to sin), through the Read Sea (the miracle of salvation), into the Wilderness (the testing of our faith) on our way to the Promised Land (heaven).

Here then is the parable; "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” (Matthew 25:14-15) – We must “take care” not to think that because we have not been given the measure that the minister or the pastor has that we are to sit on our laurels. The smallest acts of kindness to our brothers and sisters in Christ can only ever hold us in good stead with our Master; the idea on burying even the smallest of measures is nothing more than a trap full of deceit. Our mind-set must not be one of “I can’t” but rather “what can I do”! This is not a word of judgement but rather an encouragement. It would be good to ask God for grace to place this awareness in the forefront of our minds and have it written deep within our hearts, remembering what the Lord Jesus had to say about stewardship; “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'” (Matthew 25:35-40)

We needn’t have a great ministry with a booming voice or a charismatic character to be useful to our Master; it’s the little things that often have the greatest effect. A kind word in season, a visit, sharing someone’s burden by just lending an ear and the like we can all do! I believe that is what our great Saviour is teaching us with this parable. Let us “take care” to be sensitive to the needs of others. If we consider the design of our bodies which God has created to work in unison, if we twist our ankle the other ankle willingly works harder taking more weight, even though we walk with a limp. Before long the healing process runs its course and our bodies are back to normal.

This world with all its systems teaches us to survive, “eat or be eaten” this however is not the instruction for the Christian. Freely we have received now let us learn to freely give! Do not let the lie of the enormity of the task at hand render us useless but rather let us look for every opportunity to be actively involved. And remember that even offering someone a glass of water will go a long way into eternity.

Signing off

Tyrone

     

     

Hyssop

(Psalms 51:7) “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean…”

How many of us as Christians, have stumbled in a one area or another? What I mean by that is after salvation we have outsiders disqualifying us on our merits. “And you call yourself a Christian” is a phrase often coined! How many can actually say with Paul? “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1Corinthians 9:27) – I am guilty of not sharing his testimony in many areas of my life. In hindsight I hang my head in shame because of it. What is a man to do with such a burden over his head? I cannot do anything about my action prior to today, they have come and gone, but I most certainly can now cry unto my God and ask for forgiveness. I can ask Him to purge me with hyssop. I now beseech you Father to act favourably unto me, in spite of my poor judgment, for your name sake!   

I take solace in the fact that I am not alone as regret eats away at my soul. Others faced similar shames; David had great regret after going into Bathsheba, his sin was great but has my behaviour been any different in that sense? I may not have taken another man’s wife and then killed her husband to cover my sin; but I most certainly have failed in many other areas and on numerous occasions. I know I have been pardoned thanks to the greatest of Advocates who pleads my case on His merit and not mine. However that does not excuse my sins as if it is a light thing. Sins in a believer’s life are so serious and this is what Paul has to say about it; “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4)

Disobedience has robbed me of so much joy, but I thank God that He is slow to anger and has been extremely patient with me. He has used discipline to teach me the errors of my ways, and for this I am forever grateful. He is a God who cares for His own, a shattered femur, HIV and divorce are but some of the scars I carry, even though there is much regret I wouldn’t change it for the world! In fact it is what God has chosen to use to open by eyes to my own idiocy. But to now know that I am covered by the blood of the Lamb will more than suffice! Continue to teach me the severity of anything contrary to your will for my life my gracious heavenly Father. Thank you for showing me with a renewed vigour that to continue in sin in any form whatsoever you will never accept. We must all be purged with hyssop!  

Sin must rock us to the core as we cry to our God, seeking His forgiveness. If we turn a blind eye to it, all it proves is that we have once again been enslaved with the yolk of bondage; the shackles that Christ obliterated by hanging on that cruel roman cross, where He defeated sin once and for all! Our cry must be the cry of David; “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” (Psalms 51:7-12) -The blood of the Lord Jesus is the “hyssop” than now sanctifies us. Praise his name!

God’s means is far above all others, He is brilliant in the way He is able to turn and teach those who are covered by His grace; He is the greatest of Fathers and I love him so!  To think on my life with so many ill-advised mistakes, how they left me leprous and unapproachable and yet I am now able to cry with great assurance “it is well with my soul!”

We too like David must find forgiveness for our treachery, it is up to the individual to stand in the mirror and confess their errors. But once grace floods our soul and we find forgiveness we must also share in his objective and that was to teach others from his mistakes; “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.” (Psalms 51:13)

  

Why is it that I am once again able to have a joy in my soul and freely commune with God my Father in and through my precious Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ? God alone knows the depths of that answer, but what I do know is I too found it upon my hearts to cry, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” There was and still is a deep desire for God to continue to expose the rot, even within the deep hidden fractures of my life. How I long to be more like my Saviour! And what a great Saviour He is, who can ever compare? There is none like Him, praise His brilliant name now and forever more, Amen and Amen!   

    

“Singing” off

Tyrone

Lessons of Faith

Faith is a consideration that needs far more attention than most give it; however it is clear from scripture that those given to it reap great reward. I must also conclude that as I have wrestled with certain needs in my life, which I am thankful for, for if I had no need, there would be no necessity to learn the valuable lessons that faith teach. When we learn to rest in the eye of the storm this is where we find great benefit. I have much to learn but the little I have learnt has been very rewarding. Continue to show me your ways my great Father God. Your ways are far higher than the ways of man, praise your name! You have chosen to teach your children so many valuable lessons that are foreign to the majority. But not to those who put their trust in you. Thank you!

The world coins this phrase “if the world deals you lemons make lemonade”, but I say, “thank God for the lemons for they can be the greatest of teachers!” They lead us to depend on the unseen and we can of a truth share David’s sentiments; “A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalms 23:1-6)

We are saved by hope that will never disappoint, because we have trusted in our God and not our own circumstances. Without witnessing the hand of God in our lives how would we ever be able to share David’s sentiments? It is only when we understand our need that we learn to cry to our God. He has an ear for His children and is quick to bless, praise His everlasting name! “Jesus, Jesus Lord to me, Master, Saviour, Prince of Peace! How does He bless? Who has the right to speak on His behalf as if we were there at the beginning of time? All I know is My God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! He fills the person’s soul with peace! And how sweet it is to dwell there!

There are many bellowing voices that look to bend our ears, but we must pay careful attention to the voice of our Shepherd, it has a different pitch and his instruction may at first seem foreign to our reasoning, however the more we learn to trust His tuition the sweater our relationship will become. I have wasted so much time on instruction from family and friends that have been no more than worldly tripe, which has come out of its instruction manual, it will only ever produce thorns and thistles; I would implore you to Look to Jesus and live. The lessons we need to learn are harsh and even brutal at times, but of this I am convinced, they are all working together for the good of those who belong to God, in and through the saving power of our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ.

My words have been bold and they shall be tested, nevertheless I am persuaded that God will teach me His way through it all! Help me find grace my great King and teach me to be wise through it all, Amen! My God will be with all those who depend on Him and who is stronger or wiser than our God? Shall tribulation separate us from the love of God, or distress, or famine? No, through it all we are more than conquerors in Him that loved us when we were yet enemies of the cross; how much more now that we belong to Him and are able to cry ABBA FATHER Will he sucker us along life’s journey? Faith demands that we trust our God. Trust we must and we must never lean on our own fickle understanding if it drives us from it!

God help us to learn to appropriate faith with a new resolve from here on in.

Signing off

Tyrone    

  

The phenomenal love of God

(John 6:37) “…whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

Amazingly we serve a God who is too wonderful for comprehension. A God full of empathy and always willing to bless; praise His marvelous name! The only true and living God could have been a mean harsh God quick to anger and ready to destroy all those who oppose Him. And yet He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die in our stead. This thought humbles me so! We had all gone astray, like sheep without a shepherd. Enemies of the cross! Why would God even consider saving His enemies? Because He is full of compassion, praise His glorious name! This is the God I serve; He is my God and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, one and the same. The great I AM! To Him alone will I bend my knee? And why is it that I am able to replicate the love He shows me? Because He first loved me, without God making the first move I would be lost in my sin, blinder than a bat, but now I see! All hail King Jesus my Saviour!  

To God alone is the glory, what marvelous love, which creature could ever exhaust the depths of it? God’s love is immeasurable! And I am one who has found it, a sinner like me who is now free to bask in His incredible love. Why would He love one day and then despise the next. He is not human and full of changes like rippling water. His love is forever true; applaud His name now and forever more! He who has begun this great work will surely see it through unto the end!

The deeper my relationship becomes with my God the more I realize that He will never snap the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax. This is the God I serve and the invitation has gone out to all, look to Jesus Christ the Lord and live. He will not turn one away! But look you must! And once you see Him, call out unto Him and He will respond favorably. Praise the name of my God and King!

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37) – Why is it that some believe there would be an expiry date set to this promise? Or is our great God only capable of operating in ideal conditions; as if His assurance is like that of the contra-indications on a medicine bottle; as if any “allergic reaction” would hinder His undertaking. I have tried to avoid this topic for the sake of my Arminian brothers, but that will help no one! We must be accurate with the text! As they believe that salvation is partly up to the individual and they have it in their power to lose their salvation. This is not what the text teaches! If I struggle along the way, which has most certainly been my testimony, my God will certainly bring me through in spite of myself for His name sake. This is the God I gladly serve with my whole heart; He is not only capable of changing a man’s stubborn ways but amazingly willing to teach Him the ways of the righteous.

When examining the text no limit is set to the duration of His promise; Charles Spurgeon says it best: - “No limit is set to the duration of this promise. It does not merely say, “I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming,” but, “I will in no wise cast out.” The original reads, “I will not, not cast out,” or “I will never, never cast out.” The text means, that Christ will not at first reject a believer; and that as he will not do it at first, so he will not to the last.

But suppose the believer sins after coming? “If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” But suppose that believers backslide? “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” But believers may fall under temptation! “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but he will “Purge them with hyssop, and they shall be clean; he will wash them and they shall be whiter than snow”; “From all their iniquities will I cleanse them.”

“Once in Christ, in Christ for ever,

Nothing from his love can sever.”

“I give unto my sheep,” saith he, “eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” What sayest thou to this, O trembling feeble mind? Is not this a precious mercy, that coming to Christ, thou dost not come to One who will treat thee well for a little while, and then send thee about thy business, but he will receive thee and make thee his bride, and thou shalt be his for ever? Receive no longer the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby thou shalt cry, Abba, Father! Oh! the grace of these words: “I will in no wise cast out.”

Some may present different formulas on how to stay saved; some say it’s the body of Christ that will get us home! It is obvious that by belonging to the body of Christ (a church) as an active member that it will help with our faith but it is God alone who will see us through unto the end! We must continue as we did at first looking to Jesus, He alone has accomplished the work, praise His glorious name! We began in the Spirit and others may believe that it is now the works of the flesh that will justify us; as if what we do or don’t do will qualify us for heaven. This is what the Apostle Paul had to say about this type of mentality; “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3)

Our total dependency is on the person of Jesus Christ and nothing more, look to Him and live. He will not only save the strong but also the weak in the faith shall all arrive at their final destination, heaven with all its glory. Praise His majestic, everlasting, treasurable name, now and forever more, Amen!

Wherever you now find yourself; did you once look to Jesus but find that the mud of sin has veiled your vision, be of good cheer all you need do is cry out unto Him and before long His righteous accomplishments will become your endeavours as His beauty once again begins to fill your life with joy unspeakable and full of glory! Are you barely hanging on to your faith with hurting cotton threads that are just about to snap under the pressure? Fear not! Look to Jesus and live! For you shall be plucked from the fire of unbelief! “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

  

Signing off

Tyrone

This body of death!

(Romans 7:24) “O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?”

How often do I have to eat my words with the bitter herbs of repentance? It would seem far too often! “O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?” Thank God for the hope the Christian has. Without the hope of one day putting off this sinful body of the flesh, I would most certainly be amongst the most miserable of all living! However it is the hope in Christ that keeps me pressing on. There are times when I would far rather cry, “Take me home Lord, this life has nothing to offer me.” And yet there is work to be done for the sake of the kingdom! It is not as if I have lived a model life like many that have gone before, on the contrary I have blundered more than I care to consider. It is extremely demoralizing! Nevertheless I know that my God shall present me faultless on the day of reckoning. A miracle indeed!

How weak am I in so many areas of my life; thank you for your patience with me my great Father, I have often wanted to throw in the towel but you have come to my aid more times than I could count, Thank you! If only the sin that so easily besets, could once and for all be gone for good. The weight of it has such a negative reaction on those around me, please forgive me. My short temper is such a selfish trait and for this I seek your grace to deal with it in a godly manner. Keep my eyes fixed upon the finished work of Calvary. In comparison to what Christ endures my life should be but a breeze and yet it is far from that. “O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?”

The cares of this life my God weighs up heavy on a man’s shoulders. How I long to be like my great Saviour, always focusing on the will of His father and even to the point of death! Praise His name! As the screws tighten may the searching out of your sustaining grace always be in the forefront of my mind. Renew a right spirit in me! In fact most of the distracting “has much to do about nothing”. Trivial nonsense! I shall focus on the promises of God, bless your name my great Jehovah, someday I shall be like Him and what a day that shall be. There is a day coming when I will in person see my God face to face and sing praises to His glorious name!  How I long for that day! Even so come quickly Lord Jesus! But until then help me to remain focused on what counts; the will of God for my life, Amen!

“O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?” Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord…” (Romans 7:25) 

Signing off

Tyrone 

Real Knowledge

(Proverbs 12:1) “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”

Knowledge (“general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles") a commodity as precious as gold, but only if used for God’s glory! How on earth have I arrived at such a conclusion one may ask? Miscued knowledge was the downfall of man! Adam and Eve both ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil before they were entitled to it! But after eating they understood that they were naked and covered themselves with fig leaves. Because of their mistake, all of mankind has been thrust into learning from their own inaccuracies. We will all need to learn from our blunders along life’s mission; it helps us gather information that will in turn support change in our conduct, making us wiser. It is only the fool who rejects knowledge! “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15)   

The longer we live the wiser we should be; however it isn't always the case; in fact the reason that God shortened the lifespan of man was because they degenerated instead of becoming wiser; “Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years."” - And the reason for His decision was this; “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them."” (Genesis 6:5-7) - Nevertheless, if we learn to appropriate God’s wisdom into our lives, it is obvious we will finish far wiser than most.

Solomon teaches us that if you “give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” But just as life had a beginning for all, so too must the beginning of wisdom spring from the right foundation; we will by default all try to gather information, it is part of our design. However if we start with the wrong information without ever correcting it we will all end badly. Where must we start if we want to end well? Here is the key to wisdom; “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10) – Now the systems of the world do not teach us this truth, it propagates education, degrees and doctorates as wisdom, they will only puff one up with carnal knowledge that will end badly if the fear of God is not our first focus.

Why we are initially told to fear God? Because he has it in His power to condemn a man to hell for all eternity; He is Sovereign and has it in His control to do whatever He pleases with His creation. He is the potter and we are the clay! We are the created!

The world has a system that teaches carnal wisdom (the wisdom of men, those who have been created) and those who propagate their message are doomed to pass away. Here is the Apostle Paul’s message; “that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1Corinthians 2:5-8)

Therefore any message that does not carry with it the message of the cross is a message full of folly! “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1Corinthians 2:1-2) – The sooner we learn to build upon the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of our lives the wiser we will become.

God’s message, in and through the finished work of Calvary is a message full of hope and anything outside of this wisdom will only ever condemn; “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18)

God help us to embrace this valuable lesson, it is the greatest of gifts we could ever give to our children. Whoever you are resolve in your heart to focus on eternity rather than this world and its idiocy as it is passing away!

There was a man named Solomon, King David’s son; who up until then was the wisest man that ever lived. In fact he was so wise that people across the globe journeyed from afar to sit at his feet gathering information from him. His life was a life of searching out wisdom by trial and error; he personally tested just about every possibility known to man and their opinions. After all his searching out he arrived at this conclusion; “My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12-14) 

Signing off

Tyrone 

“The prelude of fulfilment”

“The prelude of fulfilment”

Faith comes first and then deliverance, not the other way around, with endurance as a core ingredient. Prior to baking a cake, one would need flour, milk, eggs, sugar, yeast or baking powder and obviously a pre-heated oven. Who in their right mind would proceed to bake a cake without all the components needed? In like manner we must understand the workings of faith before it will ever benefit our lives. Let us take the life of David as we work through the Psalms it is obvious to see the pattern unfold, there was most certainly “a prelude of fulfilment” prior to deliverance. Why would it be any different for us?  

We can expect deliverance from our God once we have learnt to endure in a particular area of our lives. But we must believe and anticipate that our God will come to the rescue. If not we walk in unbelief! I cannot get these words from the Apostle Paul out of my mind; “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” (Philippians 4:11-12) – I have a long way to travel! And yet I know of a certainty that my God will continue to supply all my needs, praise His name!

Having said that I must expect deliverance, faith demands it!

This was David’s journey as he fled from his son, Absalom; “O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!” – This was his cry and yet he was he was still on the run! – His emotions pleaded for deliverance with his pursuers hot on his tail and yet he believed that His God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would come to His aid. However the battle raged on; “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” He called on His past experiences to feed His mind, He remembered killing the bear and the lion when he was just a shepherd boy. We must remember the times of our deliverance when we find ourselves facing hardships! The trial of our faith is not only an experience we face alone, many have faced far greater trials and come out on the other side polished and refined bringing glory to God our Father. We must understand that the little trials we face are not exclusive; we must learn to be of good cheer as other Christians across the globe are fighting the good “fight of faith”!

Now observe the rescue David receives after many a struggle, fleeing for his life through different times in his life; “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.” – Regardless of the trials we now face we must in faith believe that as we cry to God our Father our voice is heard and when we have learnt through endurance to stay the course our God will intervene, of this I am persuaded!

May God help us with our unbelief and forgive us for our grumblings; to God now and forever more be glory and praise. All hail King Jesus!

Signing off

Tyrone

     

The Tongue!

In the Korean War the US forces introduced mine detectors as part of their arsenal. It was a magnetic metal detector that would sniff out mines buried just under the sand, carefully planted by the enemy. Their objective, stop the advancing forces! They were very effective and if triggered they would undoubtedly serve their purpose by slowing down the advancing forces, it was one thing if a man died but quite another if he was maimed. Think about the field dressing and all that went with that and then we understand the effect these mines really had. Hidden traps disguised with their surroundings, not easily seen but extremely effective if triggered!

David was a man fully aware of the evil ones traps; He understood that a man’s mouth could be used against him and that is why he prayed this prayer; “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalms 141:3) – The Apostle James teaches the exact same lesson but with more insight attached to it; “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.” (James 3:2-3) – I suppose traps are set in front of us to trigger the tongue in order to disqualify the believer, to get people to say, “And he says he is a Christian.” James teaches that if we learn to bridle the tongue we will also be in control of our bodies; this is a very interesting consideration. Discipline must then start with our tongues, may God help us to take what we say seriously! By implication if we resolve and ask God to keep a guard over our mouths and set a guard to keep watch over the door of our lips, we will then travel through the mine fields of life with the greatest of mines detectors as part of a daily resource.

I do believe the point James is making is the tongue is the root cause of our daily sin! “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.”

Matthew Henry has this to say on this topic; “Were we to think more of our own mistakes and offenses, we should be less apt to judge other people. While we are severe against what we count offensive in others, we do not consider how much there is in us which is justly offensive to them. Self-justifiers are commonly self-deceivers. We are all guilty before God; and those who vaunt it over the frailties and infirmities of others little think how many things they offend in themselves. Nay, perhaps their magisterial deportment, and censorious tongues, may prove worse than any faults they condemn in others. Let us learn to be severe in judging ourselves, but charitable in our judgments of other people.

II. We are taught to govern our tongue so as to prove ourselves perfect and upright men, and such as have an entire government over ourselves: If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. It is here implied that he whose conscience is affected by tongue-sins, and who takes care to avoid them, is an upright man, and has an undoubted sign of true grace. But, on the other hand, if a man seemeth to be religious (as was declared in the first chapter) and bridleth not his tongue, whatever profession he makes, that man's religion is vain. Further, he that offends not in word will not only prove himself a sincere Christian, but a very much advanced and improved Christian. For the wisdom and grace which enable him to rule his tongue will enable him also to rule all his actions.”

If we follow the progression of David’s Psalm, he is mindful of the traps that lie ahead. Evildoers are lying in wait for him to be caught in their snares, but he is all about keeping his eyes fixed on his God and we too must be as resolute, with our eyes fixed on our God! “But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.” (Psalm 141:8-10)

Signing off

Tyrone

Stand Still!

(Exodus 14:1) “Then the LORD said to Moses…”

It is tough at times to know whether to retreat, advance or to stand still! The pressures of life press hard at times and we naturally find that something needs to be done to alleviate the situation. The Children of Israel fled Egypt with the strongest of armies tracking them down, with one intention and that was to annihilate them. They felt such panic that this is what they had to say to Moses; “They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."” (Exodus 14:11-12) – Enlisting as a Christian is not for the faint hearted! Once we enlist as Christians and look to be about our Fathers will and not our own wants, we face another ball game altogether! If we have not taken stock on what is required from the Christian, we too will echo the word of the Israelites, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians' and that would be very sad. To be fair I would need to confess that I too have felt like that at times. May God forgive my unbelief!

Thoughts flash through my mind when I am hard pressed; should I initiate something or not; how do I know whether I am being slothful or whether I should put in an effort? When everything you have put in place seems to crumble around you, what is a man to do? I know the result of an idle mind; “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” (Proverbs 19:15) – Am I on the brink of suffering hunger because I am idle? And yet it isn’t my intention to be idle! I pray that doors would open so that I can get on with life. However doors open and then they are very quickly shut! What is the lesson? Could it be a consequence to my folly along life’s journey, all the mistakes I have made? Will God hold me accountable as say “that is you lot in life, deal with it”, and if that be the case then praise His glorious name! I must learn to accept it! Or is it another voice I hear, a deceiving voice looking to trip me up. Show me the truth now I pray my gracious Heavenly Father.

I suppose I must search deep within my heart and examine my intent; am I sitting by waiting slothfully or am I sitting by waiting to hear His voice say “GO”! This then is the question that needs to be answered. Nevertheless once the reality of it all sinks in; we must dust the dirt from our knees and seek His counsel. OUR GOD IS ABLE! We must learn from Him!

We must learn not to fear the intermittent danger we think we see; There is nothing too great for our God; He controls the universe with absolute accuracy. This then was Moses’ retort; “And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."” (Exodus 14:13-14)   

My own natural character says “make it happen”! Faith teaches to trust in things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen…

Tit-bits of success appear and then disappear; I cannot retreat nor can I advance as there is danger on all sides but I can stand still and wait for clear instruction from my Commander and chief, so until I hear a clear audible voice with a distinctive order I shall stand and wait for my God’s tutoring. Let me ignore the voice of precipitancy as it cries, “do something. Stir yourself; to stand still and wait, is sheer idleness.” But to take my eyes off the Lord would be sheer madness. There has been far too much of that on this hopeful journey.  Help my gaze remain fixed on you Father God and as you utter that command may I be the first to react in accordance with your will and may it be to your honour and glory.

May my posture now remain upright as I further await you instruction as I am convinced that understanding will come. I eagerly await that command, “go forward” but until then help me remain resolute with my eyes fix on the finished work of Calvary, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone  

Enemies of the cross...

(Romans 5:8)  “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Can you echo these words, “When I think of the goodness of Jesus, when I think of what he has done for me, my very soul cries out HALALUJA, praise God for saving me!” It was no nimble feat to rescue all those who now confess Him as Lord! It was painful and it came at great cost! It needed God in the flesh to die so that I could go free! That is a phenomenal thought if you would dare to spend some time mulling it over.

If we were to consider an unworked lump of clay: Who would have the power to create whatever they desired with it? Would it not be up to the individual, do they not have the power to do whatever they please with it? The power is in the individuals hand to do as they please! Why then do we think as created beings that we have the power to dictate to the creator, the One with the power? It makes no logical sense and yet we claim rights when in fact we have no rights.

People make plans and create empires with the mentality of “we will achieve” and all it then takes is one small gale-force wind, or an earthquake and their dreams are shattered. Does not the potter have power over the clay?

God chose to save His enemies, to prove that He is a God of love. Not that God needed to prove anything and yet He chose to do exactly that! Wow! However, it came at a great cost; God looked down upon His creation, mankind, and saw their lost estate, no different to a headless chicken after slaughter running around without eyes, far blinder than any bat! With everyone only concerned about themselves. But not our great God, He took pity on us, and made a way for us to be freed from the bondage of sin.

This is what was needed and what God chose to do…

God is “righteous”, this is one of His glorious attributes; He will never operate outside of His own character to achieve an objective. On Sunday night Carte Blanche had a documentary of the “White Widow”, a woman involved with the jihad (“a campaign waged by Muslims in defence of the Islamic faith against people, organizations, or countries regarded as hostile to Islam”); proof was provided that she would use any means to achieve her objective, bank fraud, unpaid rent, stolen I.D and the like. The bible has this to say; “that you will know a tree by its fruit”. God never used sin to defeat His enemy. He defeated the devil with righteousness!

How did He achieve this?

God became a man through the birth of a virgin woman, Mary; she then gave birth to a son name Jesus. He lived like any other boy of the time, He was subject to his parents authority; he had to endure the challenges of puberty; he faced stern opposition from the religious leaders of the time; he was tempted of the devil; he sweated drops of blood enduring temptation; he was humiliated, spat upon, whipped, stripped naked, beaten beyond recognition, falsely accused of wrong doing, nailed to a cross; left alone to take on the punishment of mankind’s sin, and then left for dead. And through it all, Jesus never exceeded one of God’s Commandments! Why was this necessary? Because God is righteous and He needed the sin of mankind to meet its required punishment; someone had to pay the price for sin! Jesus Christ the Lord paid the price for man’s sin and not his own as he had no sin!

This is why the Apostle John says this in his gospel; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

God is the potter and He most certainly has power over the clay (His creation) and this is what He chose to do for sinful man; He could have started all over again by blotting us out, but God chose in His mercy to make a way for reprobates like us, praise His name! He sent His Son, God in the flesh to pay the price for our sin. We have now been afforded the opportunity to come to Him and seek out His forgiveness. Disregard this offer at your own peril!

One last question that now needs to be answered, do you think you are good enough in yourself to get God to accept you or do you acknowledge that you are inherently sinful and need forgiveness for your sin? If it is the latter we must come the way of the cross. God cannot accept any other sacrifice outside of His Son the Lord Jesus, He is Righteous!

Some may believe themselves to be righteous, which in fact is nothing more than a lie! “And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”” (Luke 5:31-32)    

Are you sick, have you been tainted by sin? If so, be of good cheer, you qualify for salvation. Call upon the name of the Lord with a sincere heart and you shall be saved!

Signing off

Tyrone

    

The sweet waters of patience...

(Romans 2:7) “To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;”

Patience is a virtue that is naturally foreign to our characters, but if we want something badly enough we will find the resolve to stick at it. We must therefore believe that it will be worth the wait! As a wildlife photographer wanting to attain, you will soon learn the lesson of patience if you want to achieve your desired results.

I recall waiting for six hours in the Kruger National park with cars coming and going before the prize arrived; a leopard returning to its kill! One of those images is now part of my wildlife portfolio. Without the wait I would not have received the reward!

Christianity is a religion full of reward for those who wait it out, the Lord Jesus shall return with His reward! However only those found faithful will be recipients of that remuneration.

I am persuaded that we will only ever learn the lesson of patience if we latch onto the reward, without hope we will be ineffective in this area of our lives. As Christians would we willing endure affliction if there was no reward, would it not be better to eat, drink and be merry? This is why so many eat, drink and focus on the carnal rewards they see in front of them, because they are tangible and real to them. But they do not understand the gravity of that choice! If they did they would change their ways. Have I change my ways is the question that needs answering? May God continue to renew a right spirit in me and may the hardship I face help me understand that it will be worth it all! The hope of heaven must be bigger than the goals of this life, if not; our strugglers will weigh heavily on us as worldly sorrow chokes life from us.

It would be quite a thing if these lessons that our Father teachers us never had any relief; thank God that He is A God of love and He cares for all His children. There were times in the dessert where the Children of Israel were parched and needed water but there was no water in sight; “Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer."” (Exodus 15:22-26)

It seemed like a helpless situation, BUT GOD came to their rescue! Many begrudge their predicament but not all! In spite of so many moaning God’s grace came to the rescue, praise His name! The waters in life can be very bitter, but they are no match for our God, He will sweeten them as and when He sees fit. Once we have learnt to trust Him through the roughest of patches I believe that is when the waters will be the sweetest! Without the lessons of patience, this truth will remain foreign to us!

My prayer is that God would help us all understand His ways and teach us to trust Him more and more each day. Our God is a God who loves to bless His children; Let us learn to trust and obey; let us learn from Him as it will always be to our benefit!

Searching out the treasures of this world is but vain glory and filled with an emptiness that will never truly satisfy. For all who patiently seek out honour, glory and immortality we know we shall have them. Our reward will not be a fleeting event in this life that comes and goes with trouble often attached to it. Our spiritual reward will last for all eternity. And with the beauty of God’s brilliance manifesting itself along the way that even through the struggle we can experience a calming peace, praise His name!

The lesson of patience is not our enemy but our friend!

Signing off

Tyrone