blessings and curses

(Galatians 3:13) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"—“

I have been traveling back and forth this morning with differing thoughts, words that have jumped through my minds eyes with the arguments of “curse and Blessing” dominating my attention.

Why do some achieve in certain areas of their lives while other fail? Or so it would seem when view on the surface of things. Mankind measures accomplishment on the evidences we witness. Naturally we measure success as blessing and we contemplate the amount of it by what material value we equate to the individual in question. Let’s face it we have all applied for some form of credit throughout our lifetimes. The same scales are always used by the banks; the greater your value the larger the loan; the opposite naturally applies, the less you are valued the greater the liability or “curse” for the sake of our argument, with an alarm bell that goes off in their heads “avoid at all costs”. We all think the same way, whether we are aware of it or not. Test if what I say fits. “Birds of a feather flock together”, you will very seldom see the beggar feasting with the nobility.  

The greatest of all examples has been depicted in and through the life of the man Jesus Christ; whilst he was helping the needy with their needs, feeding the poor, healing the sick and the like, he was the greatest of all blessing to those around him. The multitudes swamped him at every opportunity. Mankind’s natural tendencies at play with this thought alive and well in our hearts, “what can I get out of it”?

The question I need answered is how does God view this topic? I understand that there is a season for all things in a person’s life; it is the way of the world and the pressures place upon its inhabitants, God has so fashioned it; varying trials for differing individuals with many unpredictable times throughout our lives with the unknown at work. However, that is obviously only applicable with mankind and our limited understanding of the bigger picture. God has his plans and they will come into fruition whether some believe this to be true or not is totally irrelevant. God will have his way, He always does, praise His name. His plans cannot be thwarted.  

Out of the greatest curse of all times has come the greatest blessing; the Lord Jesus Christ became a curse so that I could go free; “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"—“ (Galatians 3:13)

The trial of life tests us with our understanding of this principle; are we willing to become a curse so that other may go free? This is what was required of God, the Lord Jesus Christ who became a man and died for the sins of the world. He became a curse so that many could be set free from the pending judgement that Jehovah God will bring upon those in breach of His laws. Those who disregard His offer of salvation in and through the darling of heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, who first had to became a curse in order to conquer sin before He received his elevated position and is now seated at the right hand of God. What about other examples? Joseph lived in a prison prior to ruling Egypt, Job lost all he had and had to suffer severely before he too was elevated and received a greater blessing. What of Daniel, Noah, David and even Samson, the man who lost his eyes? The Apostle Paul was beaten and stoned, left for dead, shipwrecked and imprisoned. The list is long if we would only dare to examine the scriptures.

It would appear that all the great men of God had their fill of curses prior to receiving their blessings; and at times both seemed to be interwoven through the trials of life. As I see it, simply known as the test of faith; its one thing to believe God when the fig tree blossoms but quite another altogether when there is no fruit on the vine.

The testing of this reality in our lives is verified through endurance and not sprint races even though they too have their place in a believer’s life.

The world may look upon its individuals through the eyes of their rules, but God views His plan in a totally different light. He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life", therefore we are obviously wrong when we think like the masses and He is right.

God help us, help me, put on the mind of Christ is my cry this morning.

       

Signing off

Tyrone

A frosted window

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1Corinthians 13:12)

Having a hidden agenda is something that we fall privy too when we lack understanding. It proves that we lack faith. How so one may ask? Faith has its demands; it believes God and then it irrefutably obeys His instruction without question and then it goes on to prove that the hearer walks by faith in obedience to God’s commands and only then will they receive their commendation. To measure our faith in Christ is so profound and yet so simple to test; here is the father of faiths example; “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8) – God said go and he went, God then pledged Him a son of promise and when he was old and past the age of fathering children and with Sarah long past the flower of her youth she bore Isaac, the son of promise.

What I see from this marvellous account and what lead up to this miraculous event was simply this; God is not bound by time, nor is he bothered by it, we on the other hand are driven by it and it therefore gets us to act unwisely when the pressure is on. Sarah tried to help God with his promise by giving Hagar to Abraham to father a child; Ishmael was born to her by his seed. However he was not the son of promise. God does not need our help, we need his.

Faith ousts the voices of doubt regardless of the stacked odds that shouts “fold”. We will all face similar challenges which will test our faith and what it consist of; lip-service or an action that brings glory to our God and Father, praise His name, Amen! We must learn to have this verse inscribed upon our awareness if we are to soldier on; “If God be for us who can be against us”.   

All a hidden agenda proves is that the mirror we look into is so damaged that we fool ourselves into thinking it may be overlooked. Like for like might well play in the same arena but as for God’s corner we are fully known by Him, nothing slips His attention. Now with that in mind we have to conclude that there is nothing under the sun or above it that will catch our God and Father off guard. Sin on the other hand will always look to deceive us into believing lies that lead us to consider that we may just slip something past His attention. As we look back on our lives it will soon become apparent that we have evaded some form of punishment through the trickery of our lies, which in itself leaves us feeling triumphant. "Phew", that was close! We may have fooled the relevant parties but we will never trump God, praise His name and the sooner we make this reality our own the freer we will be to serve Him with a clear conscience. 

How I long for the day when I will see my God and Father alongside my great Saviour face to face; I know that I am known in full, for God is Sovereign, He sees me as I am, with ever crevice of my persona bare before him with absolutely nothing hidden. As for me understanding the magnitude of who my God and Father is in His entirety; I looked through the glazed window of faith where my vision is blurred; I need The Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures working in tandem to help me see the truths of that world which is beyond the veil and in order to achieve this I need eyes of faith; a world where time does not exist as we know it. I know the essence of what is true, but I only know in part, there is a day coming when I will know in full and what a day that shall be. Just as the Word and the Spirit work in tandem so too do we need our faith and hope to work in juxtaposition; a great help to alleviate the doubts of sin or unbelief if you prefer as it looks to penetrate the barrier of our victory in Christ.    

Here is another thought that will help us focus on our hope in Him. If we were to remove time from our day, where would that leave us? When we strip down time we see that is no more that a management tool to help us manage the days and season of our lives. Think about how our lives are structure around it. In eternity time has no bearing for it is a never ending reality. God is eternal, He has no beginning nor shall He ever have an end. Impossible to grasp if viewed through the eyes of a time chart. Eternity and time does not correlate, how could it? It’s like trying to get oil and water to mix. Faith is the mechanism which bridges the gap and the Lord Jesus has permitted those who believe on Him to see these truths through the eyes of faith. Without us repenting and accepting His sacrifice for our sin we will remain blind to the blurriness which merges the divide. Now we can only discern things at a great distance, as through a telescope, and that involved in clouds and obscurity; but after time has run its course our eyes shall be fully opened; and our knowledge will be free from all obscurity and error. We will never grasp the fullness of who God is on this side of the gulf. However we will see enough to understand the call that He has placed on all of our lives. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1Corinthians 13:12)

Faith in the finished work of Calvary allows us the privileged position, VIP seats that allow us to gaze across the gulf of time into eternity and the finished work of the cross and the Bible is the time machine that allows us to get there if and when we are strapped into its cockpit with the seat-belt of faith strapped tightly in place.

This is what we see on the other side; a never ending existence that all will be privy too in one form or another, with heaven or hell as our final destination; a place of eternal joy, where we will have no more tears or sadness filling our days due to varying disappointments or a place filled with relinquishing pain and torment where the so called wise men of the world will be brought low and they will be exposed as fools, those who thought that they could conquer God. Hell with all it gnashing will be their lot in eternity. 

This may seems like a harsh reality, nevertheless its true in accordance with the teachings of scripture and the time for pulling punches and candy coating the truth is something I am looking to avoid, time is short and we only get one crack at this life; therefore let us embrace the day and resolve to be honest with people even if we are frown upon for it.

Signing off

Tyrone

God has spoken

(2Timothy 3:7) “Always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” – There are other voices that oppose what has been written and we must avoid them at all costs, because those who follow that train of thought will never come to the knowledge of the truth.

“In one sense we must all be ever learning, that is, growing in knowledge, following on to know the Lord, pressing forward; but these were sceptics, giddy and unstable, who were forward to imbibe every new notion, under pretence of advancement in knowledge, but never came to a right understanding of the truth as it is in Jesus. He foretels the certain stop that should be put to their progress.” (Matthew Henry)

Always learning and never coming to the understanding of what is being taught is a possibility if we are dull of hearing. And yet the flip side of that is the opposite, which is learning our lessons well. Those who oppose the Word of God, or look to modify it are guilty and those who by the grace of God resolve to make the Word of God their own will eventually produce the good fruit spoken of by our Lord. However we must be cautious of the opposing voices even within our circles; “scripture and verse” needs to be quoted on a regular basis and those who fail to do so are the ones that need to be watched ever the more closely. It was Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses; Moses received His instructions directly from God. We have the voice of God penned for us throughout scripture and that is what must take pre-eminence in our lives. If and when we learn this lesson well our lives will begin to bud in accordance with the goodness of God bringing about change to them as we begin to bear fruit worthy of repentance. The opposite is true for the gainsayer and the apostate who will and must also be amongst the churches of today; men and women who oppose the truth, with their corrupt minds leading those of a similar mind-set to follow suite.

“You shall know a tree by its fruit”.  

It will be plain to see if they qualify as preachers of the truth. In order to feed our HOPE with the correct information we must hang onto sound doctrine as the key of our HOPE IN CHRIST. It’s when we veer away from the sound teachings of the Bible that the information fed could mislead someone into false hope. An obvious error would be; the Hindu’s teach re-incarnation but that type of message could never be gleaned from the bible. That error would be far too obvious. However a twist on scripture taken out of context for personal gain is the case in point; a refusal of dying to self at the expense of whatever that engulfs is a great indicator that something is amiss. Looking to elevate oneself with costly clothing and the like is the lure from the devil himself. Can you recall the first trap that Satan looked to tempt the man Jesus with after he had been fasting for 40 days and nights? He uses his hunger with a crafty twist on using the same temptation to get him to prove his authenticity as the Son of God as he tried to bait him into his deceitful web of sin; “And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."” (Matthew 4:3) – The man Jesus answered; “But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"” (Matthew 4:4) – I trust we all understand how essential our “hope” needs to be based upon the Word of God, even if we do not fully understand what is being taught. When the Word teaches us its truth and the Holy Spirit reveals a certain sin to us we must heed His counsel and repentance must and will follow. The longer we procrastinate the harder the fall. We need the Word of God to help us feed that which is eternal in spite of the lures which pull us in the opposite direction with the “shouts” of the here and now taking priority. If and when it does, there is a good chance the Word of God has taken a back seat. We must examine our hearts, if we pursue something of material value and we are motivated by its reward to the exclusion of sound doctrine, we have erred and been lead astray. We have been enticed into the deceitful web of Satan’s cunning plots; sex outside of marriage another obvious ruse. There are many other poisonous fruits that we must learn to avoid at all costs and the Word of God will steer us away from them, whereas our flesh if left to run riot will be drawn to them, which are easily identified; “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

I am not sure how many Christians haven’t been mislead by some of these things somewhere along their journeys; I know I have fallen privy to some of those traps. But there must come a time in all of our lives where we understand the error of our ways and seek out God’s forgiveness as we turn from them in and through repentance towards our God and Father's counsel, leaving behind the sin that so easily besets. This is the fruit we need to depend upon for our survival; we must cling to the finished work of the cross. Our lifestyles must bear fruits worthy of repentance, if we are to finish well. There will always be the voice in our heads that cries, “but”. However we must strive by the grace of God to silence that nagging impostor.

It is God who speaks and we must listen if we are to be favoured by His instruction. God speaks and the whole of creation abides by His commands. The seas stay where they are instructed to end without walls; they are bound by the words of God, “so far and no further”. It is only the rebellious heart of man that believes he knows better. Fools who look to supersede the voice of God are laughed at by Jehovah; the day of reckoning will soon be upon us all.

The reason I highlight this observation is that the Apostle Paul understood the need to pen what he did back then, all of his writing’s, as hard as some of them may be to receive, they always came with this intention attached; “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17)

Good works will always be founded upon the Word of God with all sorts of bad fruit resulting from neglect to heed its counsel. When we find a resistance to it, it is a tell sign that we are being led down the road of carnality; we walk in the flesh and not the Spirit and of this I am persuaded.

We must all resolve to apply what is taught by our great God and King as the most import facets to our lives. I do reiterate that some things taught may be hard to receive but when we depend upon it as gospel it will change us from the inside out, praise, honour and glory be to the King of kings now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Discipline a necessary aid

(Proverbs 5:23) “He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.”

Why do you think governments across the globe are so big on relinquishing discipline on children as they enforce laws removing that privilege from parents? They are against God and His counsel; they are trees that bear fruit full of thorns and with trunks as hard as briar. Without highlighting the exceptions of abuse that does exist, the principle of this proverb must never be ignored. Where there is a lack of discipline in a child’s life he will be lead astray and there will be the stench of death in the air. Satan our arch enemy understands this and therefore sends out those who cry “foul” when our children are loved the way our God and Father loves us and disciplines us where and when needed. Discipline is a tool when welcomed, it will help those exercised in it find life in Christ and of this I am certain; “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (Hebrews 12:6)   

  

Those who believe they are capable of out thinking God are alive and well, which is delusion of the highest order. However, this is sadly the deception of sin that has blinded the world. As Christians and although we have the mind of Christ we too can be lead astray with our reasoning and be led down the wrong road if we are not attentive the voice of our heavenly Father. Five of the churches in the book of Revelation had erred on the wrong side of God’s instruction and so discipline was needed to right their wrongs. A true response to the discipline of God is repentance, a turning from sin and spiralling towards God’s instruction. We know that; “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) - It’s our response to his discipline that proves our allegiance. It’s how we regard God’s discipline in our lives that produces fruit worthy of repentance. “You will know a tree by its fruit”.  

The one who dies is the one who lacks discipline in their lives. This is what this proverb teaches us. I am reminded of the goodness of God afresh this morning, I was one so undisciplined that it is a miracle in which the way our now view the need for discipline in our lives and the good fruit it is capable of producing; the goodness of God who can fathom it? I am forever thankful to Him for His mercy in my life. We may all have our Achilles-heel that we struggle with and yet God has provide us with his grace to see us past that hurdle; the harder the struggle the sweeter the victory. Even the Apostle Paul had his struggles; “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2Corinthians 12:7-9) – No one really knows what Paul actually refers to with his confession, it could have been a great trouble or some temptation; maybe he referred to a bodily pain or sickness; he could have been referring to it in the way in which he spoke, which was contemptible. Nevertheless it is a marvellous truth when we learn to rest in the finished work of the cross as we rely on God’s grace to get us home. The grace of God alleviates our ability to justify the reasons why we have been chosen by God. The Bible refers to this as “repentance from dead works”.      

  

Matthew Henry arrived at this conclusion in analysing this man now spoken of in the above proverb; “It is a sin which men with great difficulty shake off the power of. When the sinner is old and weak his lusts are strong and active, in calling to remembrance the days of his youth, (Eze_23:19). Thus his own iniquities having seized the wicked himself by his own consent, and he having voluntarily surrendered himself a captive to them, he is held in the cords of his own sins, and such full possession they have gained of him that he cannot extricate himself, but in the greatness of his folly (and what greater folly could there be than to yield himself a servant to such cruel task-masters?) he shall go astray, and wander endlessly. Uncleanness is a sin from which, when once men have plunged themselves into it, they very hardly and very rarely recover themselves. 2. It is a sin which, if it be not forsaken, men cannot possibly escape the punishment of; it will unavoidably be their ruin.” (Matthew Henry)

It is God alone who renews a right spirit within a man when they have erred, but it is needful for those who once shunned discipline to plead with God to change their outlook and folly. I am forever thankful that God has had mercy on me. I would encourage all to embrace the discipline that our loving Father inflicts into a believers life; it is for our nurture and it serves a purpose to help us see the wood from the trees. We all need it if we have erred. “If God be for us who can be against us”, praise His glorious name, Amen!

GOD IS TRUTH! “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life...””

Truth and mercy have collided in the Lord Jesus Christ which in turn has covered some by the mercy of God and we have now been forgiven for our sins. Praise God for that. What a glorious Saviour we serve, praise His name. The abuse he took to set us free is almost inconceivable but in fact true; He died a cruel death at the hands of a Roman crucifixion. It was bloody and gory and yet He never compromised the truth, He understood the call God had placed on His life and he drank the whole cup. He became the off scouring of the earth so that some could go free and be forgiven for their sins.

Would it not be worth it for us if we too followed suite and also suffered a similar fate if our example could be the mechanism used in conjunction with the Word of God to save some?

Peace, grace and mercy to all who confess Jesus as Lord and for those who thankfully receive the discipline of God understanding the love of our heavenly Father at work in our lives.

Signing off

Tyrone

Fruit and faith

It is easy to claim something as your own, lip service happens all the time but how often is something claimed that shouldn’t be. I can say that a particular motor vehicle is mine but unless I have the paperwork to prove it, I would not legally be able to sell that car.

The Bible is full of statements that came from the mouth of our glorious Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ and the more I examine them the deeper I am taken concerning the profound simplicity in which He arrived at his conclusions. He was rather ingenious in a simple kind of way. He never muddied words in his explanations, but arrived at his point accurately and precisely. And when we are true to the text it is hard to find wiggle room on what has been penned.

Jesus was seen walking on water, leaving the discipline in a quandary and full of fear believing him to be a ghost; The Lord Comforts their hearts reassuring them that it was him walking towards them on water. Amazingly no scientific explanation was give on how he achieved this miraculous deed. Peter cries out like so many of us have done in the past, “command me to come to you on the water.” Look at the Lords reply, “come”. Peter was eager to go and so he did and when he saw the wind he began to doubt and immediately started sinking which instinctively caused him to cry out, “Lord, save me.” And Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him. What amazes me is what came next; "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" – Faith demands our ability to trust God at His word regardless of any scientific proof required by our natural brains to reconcile how something actually works. I do not believe that God expects us to walk blindly as we are called to walk by faith. He calls us to put us trust in Him. This is known in scriptures as “faith towards God”. It is the Word of God that we are called to follow and in so doing we need to believe what is written even if we can’t get our heads around certain truths. Peter saw the Lord Jesus walking on water believing that if Jesus commanded it he could do the same, until his carnality caught up with him, his brain needed and explanation. Faith does not! The cares of this life is what often chokes the once so called believer to reverting back to a nominal lifestyle where sight is dominate.

As Christian maturing in Christ we need to arrive at a place of total dependency upon our God and often it is in spite of our circumstances which exposes the core of our belief. We all want to receive accolades, it is nice to be noticed and we learn the feeling of this from an early age, report cards, and colours for sporting achievements and so on. Faith has proof attached to it and it speaks loudest when the chips are down and God’s people are not moved. As an outsider who reasons with their natural abilities they see failure, but God sees something far greater, those who have learnt to walk by faith, trusting Him in spite of their circumstances. A man is jobless and he holds onto to Gods Word, the Lord Jesus Christ and without any criminal activity and against all odds he doesn’t starve to death. God looks out for his own, praise his name!

Here is his point of view explained in a portion of the faith chapter of the Bible. The world sees something totally different and they see these individuals as a bunch of failures who achieved very little in this life, but those looked upon in that way were in fact focused on eternity, which is a concept foreign to the natural mind; “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated-- of whom the world was not worthy--wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:36-38)   

“You will know a tree by its fruit” is an obvious deduction or at least it should be, certain trees produce differing fruits. Who goes to an orange farm to get apples? That would be absurd, even a three year old understands this. Why then do people flock to those who claim Christianity and yet it is obvious that those in charge know nothing about sound doctrine? The simple truth taught throughout the Bible is shelved and their focus shifts to a twisted manipulated slant on faith attached to a prosperity message. Or the idea of fame is jumped at whilst everyone has a word for someone else, when the ones prophesying have in fact been deceived into believing that they are God’s chosen for the hour, when in fact all they seek is personal accolades. And then there are the less obvious traits that we see closer to home, nuances that tell a different story to what is being claimed and yet the Lord Jesus announced simply, “you will know a tree by its fruit”. It not about what we achieve here on earth but how we are willing to lay down the comforts of this life as we learn to walk by faith, loving our brothers as ourselves. Christianity is all about trusting God at His Word, which will come at a cost, it must if it is to be tried and tested and we are to come out on the other side refine and worthy to fly the flag of faith with the stamp of God’s approval endorsing it.

God singled out Moses and this is what it cost him; “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.” (Hebrews 11:24-28)

We cannot claim to be people of faith if our lives depict a totally different story. God help us all to walk by faith and to put to death the voices in our heads that leads us down the road of carnality which is another road altogether. The correct road that will harvest the right fruit is the road named "faith towards God".

Signing off

Tyrone

Laodicea

“"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" (Revelation 3:14-22) 

Here is the last churches rebuked by the Lord; His warning is rather stern and unlike some of his other reproofs there is no commendation attached to Laodicea’s instruction. Apathy seems to be very serious consideration by the Lord and with democracy high up on people’s agendas; tolerance seems to be the order of the day, which will revolt against the Word of God when compromise is ushered into the equation. They didn’t even realise that they were in trouble. Happy go lucky type of attitudes and a free for all when it came using the grace of God as a licence to live conscience free. The Lord Jesus was at the door knocking; He knocks away at the doors of our hearts. We must respond to His thump if we are to end up as benefactors to God’s lessons; no differently to a child receiving discipline from their father. It will soon become apparent why we serve God when we are disciplined by Him; is it for selfish gain or are we the ones who look to be about His glory and seek out His forgiveness when the Spirit and the Word exposes our iniquity? Or are we always about condoning our behaviour when it is obviously in rebellion against God?

Here is a great cross reference to highlight where those in Laodicea will stand concerning the discipline that the Lord now gives them, it will soon reveal their standings in Christ just as it reveals ours when we too are rebuked by God for erring down the wrong path. We will all make mistakes but when God shows us our slip-ups its how we respond to His counsel that proves where we actually stand in relation to God’s eternal calling; “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:5-8)

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”

Sins if unchecked often leave us blind to their damage; “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” This is a very relevant point with regard to those of us living in this cosmopolitan age, with fashion high up on the agenda’s of some. Nice houses and costly clothing a must for many. But in light of eternity is this that important, obviously not in the bigger scheme of things. Why do we then place so much value on those things, if the shoe fits we must accept our loving Saviour's reproof; “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” (Revelations 3:17-18) – “There is none as blind as those who do not wish to see”, a quote that speaks volumes when we are taken by the sin of “lukewarmness”. Complacency when it comes to fence sitting will never cut it with our Lord. Neutral is a gear that keeps us stationary but once we know where it is that we need to go, we must engage. First gear is repentance and from there we move through the gears eventually engaging the gear of endurance.

Why is it imperative that we observe the Lord’s counsel to those in the church at Laodicea? Because if we are actioned into repentance the Lord Jesus promises a great victory and the reward will be paramount; “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” – It took the Lord Jesus all He had to rescue us from our sin, it cost Him His life, and He died so that we could be covered by God’s mercy for our sins, which is full of offense against God. As children of God we must take His counsel seriously if it is to end well for us.      

  

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The question we need to ask ourselves is the Lord addressing us on this topic or not? If the answer is yes then we must find grace to respond positively.

Signing off

Tyrone

Arrogance

(Psalms 10:4) “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God."”

Arrogance is something that we will all have to contend with along life’s journey, this is a given. Sin has taken care of that. It is one thing to be arrogant with like-minded people but we enter a totally different dimension when our thoughts and the rot that comes out of our mouths breaks out against God. Woe to the one who exalts himself above the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bless, praise and honour His name now and forever more; the One who has offer mercy to the whosoever in and through His Son. Repentance is on offer to those who understand their need for salvation. But with arrogance as your companion you will struggle to understand your need for salvation.

Unless we are brought to a place of absolute humility, where the pride of our hearts are not always second guessing the plans and will of God, true salvation will elude the unbeliever.

Job was a man who was blameless with his conduct when it came to his praise toward his God. He lived in Arabia which lay towards Chaldea, near Euphrates, probably not far from Ur of the Chaldees, where Abraham was also called, a land where very little thought was given to God’s will by the rest of its population. As for Job he was about God’s resolve and God commended him for this, wow! What a privileged position to find. But in order for a man to arrive in such a place the fear of God needs to be paramount, with a lifestyle of turning from evil and only then will a man be worthy of mention by the supreme God and ruler of the universe. Observe; “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” (Job 1:1) – Although his siblings were not like minded he continually offered up prayers and sacrifices for their salvation.     

Arrogance is a trait that supersedes God’s order dressed in a cloak of selfishness. Another word commonly used in place of arrogance is pride; the fruit of pride is this train of thought; “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God."”

You may find yourself in a place of reasoning where deep within the recesses of your soul you acknowledge that their must be a God but you find a resistance to the toil of life and find that you are always second guessing the plans of God; if this is true then arrogance or pride if you prefer is still dominating your lives. And the fruit of it will be to run to evil even if you consider yourselves to be good. God alone is good, He is light and we were born with so many evil traits of darkness that until we are freed from that type of reasoning we will remain in the ditch of arrogance where obscurity dominates. Sentiments like “I am not a murderer” loom and yet we still covet what we do not have. Men second guess the laws of God as if they know better. There is a day coming where every individual every born to the world will have to give an account to this awesome God, of this I am certain; “for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:11-12)

Life will test our resolve when it comes to where we stand on this subject. It must! God tested Job and He will test all of as well. How will we stand up to His scrutiny? The Christian has been afforded the storerooms of grace as their aid, but it must be called upon daily if we are to overcome God’s inspection. Jesus has paid the price for our sins but we must learn to walk in His footsteps if it is to end well for us. This means that the trial of life will press in on us with its inscrutable vigour; it is duty bound and it will separate the wheat from the chaff; the call for the Christian is for us all to be changed into the image of our perfect Saviour whilst silencing the gainsayer.

Job was tested like no other, his seven sons and three daughters died, all his servants save a few were killed, all his livestock and wealth was taken from him, his body face server pain covered from head to toe with boils and his wife called on him to curse God for what they faced, which he rejected. But after he was stripped of his pride trying to understand it all, which on the surface is hard to find any actual arrogance when we reason as men but not when compared to God and His character. When confronted by God, this was his retort; “Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ’Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.' I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;” (Job 42:1-5)

God is the potter and we are but clay and there is so much we will never understand until we open our eyes in heaven and the sooner we humble ourselves before God, trusting His will for our lives regardless of what we are called to face along the way the easier it will become to front the hardships of life. Hope is a wonderful aid and it will sustain us in Christ.

Let us learn to put aside pride and its folly and let us echo the words of Job and it will be well with our souls; “therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 41:6)

Signing off

Tyrone             

Maturing in Christ

(Proverbs 16:3) Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Preparing for battle is a requirement needed prior to combat and for those who look to stand in the victors circle must allow time for preparation. Complacency is not your friend but shear grit and determination are if found in the bounds of the good graces of the Lord. We must will them into our corners. I am persuaded that whatever is of importance to us will become a way of life. If your relationship with the Lord Jesus has priority it will soon become obvious. Lip service will eventually run its course exposing the babbler. I am starting to understand what is truly meant with this statement; “you will know the tree by its fruit.” And until that fruit is palatable we are to avoid it. Men are prone to make mistakes, God knows how I have made more than I care to recollect.

Whilst in the throws of our pruning we will not bear any fruit fit for the Master’s use. However only once “our hair begins to grow again” will we be of any use. Samson was a man mightily blessed of God and he judged Israel for twenty years, but sadly there came a time in his life where he toyed with His gifting and that decision cost him his sight. For a time and only a phase was he given up for dead, forgotten as the great rescuer of Israel and its judge; his own (Israel) discarded him as one that had served his purpose and was of no more use to them. No rescue party was sent out to free him and he was left to rot in a Philistine cell. There will always be costs to our folly and we must accept our part with those mistakes. Confess our sin before God and commit ourselves to Him regardless of our blunders, pleading just like king David did and asking God to renew a new spirit in us. We may have made varying mistakes along our journey but once we come to our senses and seek out God forgiveness for them pruning will happen and before long our trees will once again being to bear fruit. Praise God for this reality in the Christians life. Without our fill of suffering we will never understand the part we played with our sinful actions that crucified the Lord Jesus. We all nailed Him to that cruel roman cross and it was our own sin that fastened Him there.         

When a tree is servery pruned is does not bear any fruit until it is nourished enough and has gained its strength to once again bear its produce. Samson lost his eyes, his sight was taken from him and during that period in his life he was no longer looked upon as a threat by the enemy; “But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.” (Judges 16:22)  - Although God had left him, “But he did not know that the LORD had left him”. - It was only for a season to teach him just as He teaches us many truths through sufferings. Without this facet to our lives we will not grow up into mature Christians.

Some may conclude that Samson got what he deserved, after all he toyed with his gifting. This may be true and have its relevance, but I will err on the side of mercy for I have been forgiven much and understand the logs that remains in my own eyes which still needs to be pried from them in certain areas of my life. But to be sound in our theology, we must stick to doctrine. Peter has this to say on the subject; “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1Peter 2:20-21)

We must not believe the garbage that some false prophets or so called apostles propagate and teach that if we suffer it is because there has to be sin in our lives. Discipline may arise from our rebellion but when we suffer for doing well this is a gracious thing in the sight of our Lord.

The writer of Hebrews is compelled to remember Samson for his faith and not his failures, praise God for that, who hasn’t failed in one form or another?

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” (Hebrews 11:32-34)

In conclusion we must come to a place of understanding that if we suffer for doing what is right in the sight of God, this is commendable in the sight of our heavenly Father. We must learn to commit all our ways to Him as we leave the rest to Him to set out in accordance with His will and purpose.

Lord willing in our next post we will conclude with the instruction to the church at Laodicea in the book of Revelation.

Grace and peace to all your confess Jesus as Lord and to those who believe that God raised Him from the dead.

Signing off

Tyrone

The gratitude of mercy

(Mark 5:17) “And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.”

Do we have hearts filled with gratitude or are we amongst the number that begs Jesus to depart? On the surface of it this may seem like a rather odd question, when in fact it is always relevant in a believer’s life. Sin cries leave me alone whilst the mercy of God is filled with gratitude which comes from a repentant heart. We have to understand mercy before we will ever be singing songs like this; “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” With the produce of that understanding filling our mouths with praise; not all are called to be Apostles, but all have been summoned to share the Gospel with friends and family; however until it dawns upon us what we have been saved from, the power of sin and escaping our initial verdict, hell with all its torment, we should at least be eager to share the good news with our relatives.

The Bible is filled with quotes which guides our intentions. It is informative and sensible with its instruction. The Lord Jesus made statements like these to help us understand the call of God upon our lives; “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33) – Although this is easy to understand, even a child could interpret what is being said; confess Christ to other as the true Messiah or remain silent with consequences attached. However we will only be moved to action when we understand mercy. Unless of course we have another agenda altogether, looking for the goodies of this life instead of the forgiveness of our sins. Some men preach the gospel for personal gain and Paul refers to them as men looking to fill the lust of their own bellies; false prophets exploiting the poor and simple to get rich.   

The ten leapers had a need, they needed healing and Christ obliged and yet only one returned to give Him thanks. He understood mercy; the others had what they had come for, the healing of their bodies. Unless we understand the mercy of God in our lives we will always be driven by our wants over our needs.    

The man possessed with the unclean spirit “Legion” understood the mercy of God having been freed from his entrapment. A man demon possessed but now set free and with a sound mind; although his conversion was undeniable to the witnesses and with God’s mercy on display; the onlookers perceive the power of his conversion. However in spite of the undeniable evidence this was their cry; “And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.” When we strip their reaction down to its core I am left with this conclusion; the state of their hearts left these individuals loving darkness and the fleeting pleasures of sin over the light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. They were more worried about their pigs than the privileged presence of God.

Until we understand the mercy of God in some measure we will continue to remain silent before men. The more we understand forgiveness the greater our intent we be to share the gospel. This man wanted to join the Lord Jesus and follow him, but that was not the call God had placed upon his life, however he was given this instruction; "…Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." (Mark 5:19)

Complacency, comforts and the like soften a soldier’s heart. Understanding the mercy of God in our lives will compel us to spread the news abroad or at least motivate us to share the good news with our kin. This will cause conflict within your families circle, so what! Some of those closest to you may even begin to detest your presence whilst others may be turned by the goodness of God. We have been warned about the rift of the true gospel message and what it could do to our relationships. The Lord explains; “"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”” (Matthew 10:34-39)

With that in mind who would ever lay down their lives if they haven’t understood the mercy of God? Test your level of understanding in light of your commitment in proclaiming the name of the Lord to others and it will soon become apparent if we have understood the mercy of God or not. I do understand that at times we are called to hold our peace but that is rather an exception than a rule.

Signing off

Tyrone