Archive for September, 2011

  • 10 Sep

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    EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE

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    “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
    Psalm 127:1

    One of the most devastating evidences of the spiritual decline in any culture can be seen in the home and family. A nation’s homes will, in many ways, determine the condition of churches, communities, and ultimately entire societies. We have witnessed tremendous changes, mostly not for the better, in America’s families. There are no more important human relationships than those formed and fostered in the family.

    In looking for reasons for the decline in the average home, one needs only to seriously consider our Scripture. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” Without God, our families will never be what they were planned to be. As our society has rejected the authority of God and His Word, the effects have become obvious. It is not possible to experience God’s best in our families without the help of God. This Bible passage gives us assurance that God is interested in our homes. “Except the LORD build the house” teaches us that God can build our families to be what He wants them to be. Whatever your family situation might be, God wants to work in that relationship.

    To see Him work, we must be willing to follow His guidelines for the home, beginning with Scriptural order. God has clearly established that the husband or father is to lead the home. There is confusion in many families because of a lack of biblical direction. This does not mean that the husband is to be a dictator or a tyrant, but rather should provide loving protection and leadership. The wife is to be in submission to the husband, recognizing and respecting his God-given position; and the mother’s priority should be the home. Children are to obey and honor their parents. This order has been greatly rejected in modern society.

    Not only do we need order in our homes, but also we desperately need love in our families. Love that is kind, forgiving, patient, selfless, and attentive binds the hearts of our families together. Having a loving and caring home that is filled with peace and is a refuge in this troubled generation is still possible. But, it takes God to “build the house.” If we are going to see true revival, it must begin in individual hearts and in our homes.

  • 09 Sep

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    LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

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    “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
    Galatians 5:14

    The Lord has a way of greatly simplifying things. He says that “all the law” can be fulfilled by obeying a single command, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” This sheds tremendous light on the vital importance of relating to others, and how it is possible to fulfill the righteous commands of God toward those we interact with. Much of our human existence has to do with personal relationships; first our relationship with God, and then our relationships with other people.

    There are many commands in the Scripture that have to do with our relationship with others. For instance, the Ten Commandments tell us to honor our parents, not to covet what belongs to others, not to murder, not to commit adultery, or steal, or lie. These commands help to govern our relationships with people. We are taught elsewhere in the Scripture to submit to those in authority, to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, to forgive those who wrong us, to treat others as we would want to be treated, to love our enemies, to encourage each other daily, etc. All of these admonitions govern our relationships.

    And yet, Jesus teaches us that if we will love our neighbor, we will obey all of these commands. How is that true? It is true because, when we walk in love toward others, we will surely obey these and all other commands like them. If we love someone as we should, we will not want to violate or hurt him. When we love people, we will not think evil of them or want to harm their testimony or reputation. When you think about it, the reason we mistreat people, or break a command of Scripture toward them, is that we do not love them as we ought.

    To be able to respond to others as God would have us to, we are going to have to learn to love them. How can we possibly love others in such a way that our attitudes, words, and actions toward them will not break God’s commands? We must allow God’s great love to be expressed through us toward them. God wants to enable us to be channels of His love. As the Holy Spirit fills our lives, He will love people through us as “the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22). There is no one that God cannot love, and no one that He cannot love through us. To obey God’s commands toward others, we must allow Him to love them through us.

  • 08 Sep

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    DEATH PRECEDES LIFE

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    “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
    John 12:24

    Our Lord uses a law of the plant kingdom to teach a lesson about spiritual life. Unless the grain of wheat is planted in the ground and decomposes, it cannot bear fruit. This principle is as important in the Christian life as it is in plant life. Death precedes life. In order to experience true life, there must be a death. Of course, Jesus was teaching His disciples about His impending death. In order for Him to bring forth the fruit that He was destined to produce, He would have to die. Thankfully, He did die on the cross and rose from the dead, and has since produced eternal fruit in millions of lives.

    Jesus never considered any alternative to His death on the cross because His death was required. Our salvation would not have been possible without His death and resurrection. This principle is true in our lives as well. In order for us to be all God wants us to be, we must be willing to die to ourselves. “He that loveth his life shall lose it” (John 12:25). In order to find life, we each must lose our life. The most serious problem that most of us have is asserting our will or demanding our own way. We each must be willing to die to our personal agendas and opinions. Often, God allows adversity or difficulty to come our way that He might further the work of death in our lives.

    A fruitful life awaits those who are willing to yield to the work of the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for all of our sins. The Bible also teaches that our old man, our sinful nature, was crucified with Christ. Although this is a promised position, we activate this reality in our experience as we reckon ourselves to be dead to sin. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:6, 11).

    Paul said that he died daily. This is a choice that we must continually make. Are we willing to surrender our will and yield ourselves to God’s will? If we are to bring forth fruit, this must become a way of life. The more we die to self and live the crucified life, the more fruit we will be able to bring forth.

  • 07 Sep

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    THE FIRST FRUITS

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    “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
    Proverbs 3:9, 10

    God promises to bless the person who honors the Lord by giving Him the first part of his income. Obviously, money plays an important role in all of our lives. It may be that there is no subject that causes more grief in some people’s lives than the subject of finances. It is one of the primary causes of conflict in marriages. Although some people would prefer that it not be addressed in church, the Bible has much to say about the subject. Jesus taught many times about the importance of our personal management and financial stewardship. Although tithing is taught in the Old Testament law, it was practiced before the law was given. It predates the law and was commended by Jesus in the New Testament. Tithe means “a tenth,” and refers to giving the first tenth of our income to God. This tithing should be to our home church, where we are members and serve. This is a part of our worship and obedience. We are to “honour the LORD with thy substance.”

    Our possessions are given to us by God, that we might honor Him and use them for His glory. Giving the first part of our income to God recognizes His lordship and ownership. Everything we have belongs to God and is ours to manage for His glory. The “firstfruits of all thine increase” should be given to the Lord. Our increase would be our income or the resources that God brings into our possession.

    Malachi teaches that disobeying God in the area of tithing will bring His chastisement, while obeying will bring God’s blessings in several ways. He promised to open the windows of Heaven and rebuke the devourer. Our giving to God also allows us to be direct participants in His work and to be rewarded accordingly, as we faithfully tithe to our church. Tithing should be a commitment and priority for every believer and every family. It is a matter of obedience. To withhold our tithe is to disobey the Lord. Also, it is a matter of faith. As we obey the Lord, we are trusting Him as our source. God wants us to rely upon Him for our needs. It is a sign of unbelief if we do not think God can meet our needs when we honor the Lord by giving Him the firstfruits. God can be trusted. When we put Him first in our stewardship, He promises to bless our obedience.

  • 06 Sep

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    FIRST REMOVE THE BEAM

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    “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
    Matthew 7:3-5

    When Jesus says that something should come “first,” we should seriously consider it and know for certain that He has reason for making it a priority. In this Scripture, the Lord is teaching us about the importance of dealing with our personal sin. In essence, the text examines the error of being more aware of and concerned with the sins of others than we are our own personal sins. We can be guilty of beholding their sin, “the mote that is in thy brother’s eye,” and ignoring our sin, “the beam that is in thine own eye.”

    This is often a more serious matter than people imagine. Concentrating on the sin of others can produce the kind of critical spirit that poisons our spiritual lives. When people are overcome with this tendency, even the smallest error in others gets their undivided attention. When Jesus spoke of beholding “the mote that is in thy brother’s eye,” He described things that are extremely small, especially when compared to the glaring inconsistencies or sins in our lives. Probably all of us have found ourselves in this place at some time or another. Jesus puts us in our place when He refers to us as being a “hypocrite.” It surely is hypocrisy to point out the shortcomings of others while acting as though we have none. Quite often, it is our pride that keeps us from being honest about our spiritual condition and from dealing with our sin. Pride causes us to be inclined to magnify the sins of others. We must be willing to humble ourselves if we plan to see God’s hand of blessing in our lives.

    The Bible is not forbidding us from helping our brothers and sisters, seeking to “cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Jesus teaches us that we must “first” deal with our sin in order that we might be able to help others. As a matter of fact, we are not able to “see clearly” to help others if we have sins that are not dealt with in our own lives. Unconfessed sin and unresolved conflicts have a blinding affect on our spiritual discernment. If we are going to effectively serve Christ, we must first deal with our sins.

  • 05 Sep

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    THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK

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    “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”
    I Corinthians 16:1, 2

    God demands and deserves first place in our lives, our hearts, and our schedules. This includes our commitment to the assembly of the saints and public worship. In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to keep the Sabbath day holy as a day of rest and worship. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the churches met daily for teaching and fellowship; but the first day of the week was recognized as the primary day for public worship. Our text provides specific instruction for the “collection for the saints” on “the first day of the week.” This pattern is clearly seen in the New Testament. Acts 20:7 says, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread.” Sunday is referred to in Revelation 1:10 as “the Lord’s day.”

    The first day of the week should be observed as a day devoted to God for worship, ministry, and rest from secular activities. Salvation is not found in the church. But the New Testament makes it clear that assembling with the church, as well as serving and fellowshipping with the body of Christ, should be a priority in the lives of believers. We are to be faithful members of the church body to which the Lord has added us. We need the other members of the body, and the members of the body need us. God has chosen to feed, lead, and protect His sheep in the context of the church. The pastor, under Christ, is the shepherd of the flock. We are admonished to be faithful to the assembling of the saints together. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

    In our day, church attendance is increasingly neglected. When we fail to assemble with the other members of the body, we miss the fellowship, the joy of worshipping with the family of faith, and the preaching of God’s Word. But, we also miss the opportunity to meet with Jesus as He meets with His church. Jesus promised to be in the midst of His churches. As sincere Christians, seeking to live by biblical priorities, church attendance is of the utmost importance.

  • 04 Sep

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    LOVING GOD SUPREMELY

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    “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
    Matthew 22:36-38

    What is the most important duty or responsibility we have toward God? The Bible is very clear. Loving God supremely is the “first and great commandment.” With all of our heart, soul, and mind, we are to love the Lord.

    It is a wonderful day in our lives when we begin to realize how much God loves us. It is this awareness of His love for us that ignites our love for Him. “We love him, because he first loved us” (I John 4:19). To love God is the natural and spontaneous response to His love for us. How could a holy God love sinners such as we? How could God love us so much that He would send His Son to bleed and die for our sins? To think that He would love us, in spite of our stubbornness and rebellion, captivates our hearts. We could never love Him as much as He deserves to be loved, but we fell in love with Him at the cross of Calvary. Herein is a great help to those who want to love the Lord more consistently. The more we meditate on His great sacrificial love for us, the more we will love Him.

    Many things will be affected by our love for the Lord. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Our love for Christ will influence our obedience to Him. The more we love Him, the more we will want to please Him. If we love Him, we will want to serve Him. When Jesus was restoring Peter to fellowship and responsibility after Peter’s three denials, He asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Love precedes our service, and love will keep us faithful until death. God wants our service and worship to be an overflow of our love for Him. If it is not, these activities will become mechanical instead of meaningful. It is possible for a person to serve God and not love Him, but it is doubtful that a person can really love the Lord and not want to serve Him.

    It would seem that our love for Him would never waver or wane, but the church at Ephesus was rebuked in Revelation 2:4 because Jesus said they had “left thy first love.” They were a very zealous church, but were not in love with the Savior as they should have been. Their love for Jesus had diminished. May we sincerely and fervently love the Lord with all our hearts.

  • 03 Sep

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    ONE THING IS NEEDFUL

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    “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
    Luke 10:41-42

    When Jesus came to Bethany, Martha was quick to open her home to the Savior. The Bible says that Martha began to busy herself with the tasks associated with being hospitable to their special Guest, while Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to His words. Martha became frustrated that Mary was not assisting her and complained to the Lord, saying, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me” (40). Jesus answered her with the words of our text. Martha was anxious and stressful in her desire to serve the Master. As valuable as this was, Jesus wanted her to know that the thing Mary was doing was actually the more important act.

    Martha should certainly be commended for her desire to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, what could be more important than serving the Savior? According to Jesus, Mary was the one who was occupied with the most important activity. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, hearing His Word. This subject is one that needs to be understood and diligently applied by all. The activity for which we must consistently make room in our daily lives is taking the time to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word. Although our duty to serve the Lord in ministry is important, our time spent alone with Jesus should take precedence over our service.

    There are several very helpful and practical things about Mary’s devotion that we can benefit from. First, our devotional life is the “one thing” that “is needful.” The only way for us to maintain our consistent, daily time with God is to see it as our most important privilege and responsibility. We learn from the Scripture that our devotional life is something that must be “chosen.” We must make time for the things that are priorities. We must choose to spend time with the Lord. To choose this responsibility consistently means avoiding the distractions that compete with it. Then we are encouraged to see that the benefits of a meaningful devotional life cannot “be taken away.” God promises to bless the life that is disciplined and devoted to spending time with Jesus, the one thing that “is needful.”

  • 02 Sep

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    THE VALUE OF A SOUL

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    “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
    Mark 8:36

    How valuable is a soul? What is your soul worth? Is anything more important than one’s soul? Could we not agree that the condition of our souls should be a definite concern for our lives, as well as our primary interest for our family and friends?

    Sometimes we place the least emphasis on the things that deserve the greatest attention. It is quite common to see people washing and waxing their vehicle or mowing their lawn on Sunday morning. They are concerned about the appearance and condition of their earthly possessions, but not about their spiritual being. People spend a great amount of time in grooming and making their wardrobe decisions before going to church, but no time in prayer and surrender of heart before attending the services. It is because the health of the soul is not as much a priority as external things. When attending worship services, some people’s attention is more fixed on physical things than on worshipping God and seeking His face. All of these things point to misplaced priorities.

    God says our most valuable possession is our soul. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” A man’s soul is of greater worth than the whole world. What makes a person’s soul so precious? One thing that makes a soul so extremely valuable is its duration. We are going to live somewhere forever. Our spiritual being is eternal, whereas physical and material things are only temporal. Another factor that makes the soul of man so important is the place where that spiritual being will exist forever. Men and women will have an everlasting existence in the bliss of Heaven or in the torment of hell. If a person does not take care of his spiritual need for salvation, he will suffer for that decision forever. Another consideration in computing the worth of a soul is the price that was paid for its redemption. Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten and eternal Son, bled and died that we might spend forever in Heaven.

    A lingering look at Calvary’s cross will help us calculate the value of a soul. There is no way to understand the price that our God paid for our salvation. The greatest tragedy is for a person to reject the gift of grace and spiritual blessing that is provided for us through Jesus Christ, and lose his soul.

  • 01 Sep

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    SEEK YE FIRST

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    “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
    Matthew 6:33

    All of us have struggled with the challenge of keeping our lives organized in such a way that we will have time available for the most important things in life. If we are going to see consistent spiritual progress, we must find a way to discipline ourselves in the matter of our priorities. A great many people begin to go in the wrong direction spiritually because of their failure to keep their priorities in line. We must keep first things first. Sometimes the things that really appear to be the most pressing and urgent may not actually be as important as they seem. Someone has aptly referred to this dilemma as the “Tyranny Of The Urgent.” Things that cry out for our attention, and appear to be extremely important, leave no time for the things that really deserve priority status. In order to do the most vital things first, we need to determine what our priorities are. This question has been partially answered for us in our text: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

    Our first order of business is to seek the Lord. This should take precedence over all other activities. What does it mean to seek the Lord first? No doubt, it includes many things. It means spending time daily in prayer and reading the Bible. It also includes the importance of assembling with the church family consistently. Another part of seeking Him and His kingdom first is our involvement in spreading the Gospel and reaching out to our world with the message of His salvation. Christ, His will, and His kingdom are to be the priorities of our lives. May God give us wisdom to schedule our days to make sure we give time to the things that matter the most.

    The psalmist stated, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Not only do we need to identify the things that are most important for our lives, we also need to commit to a lifestyle that contributes to accomplishing them. We all have been guilty of doing the things that we enjoy the most first, and leaving the less pleasurable things for later, only to discover there is no time remaining for important responsibilities. We must remove time-wasters from our schedules. Time is a great gift from God, and we are to use it wisely.

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