Today's reading: I Samuel 11, 12, 13; Psalm 25, 55, 85, 115, 145; Proverbs 25
I Samuel 13:8-9, "And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering."
I cannot help but think that Saul has gone from hiding among the stuff to thinking he is the stuff. I think I might have said this the other day. I guess I repeat myself so that I might learn from the mistake of Saul. We need to remember that apart from God we are nothing. We are nothing but dust. It was God who breathed the breath of life into a bunch of dirt and a living soul came about. That is pretty humbling to think of yourself as dirt.
Pride is a terrible thing. It is like the young Preacher who preached his first sermon. As he ascended the platform and took his place behind the pulpit he began to speak as eloquently as he could. After the service he knew that his message had been horrible and that the people had given him little to no attention during it. He walked down from the pulpit with his head hung low. The older Pastor of the Church took him by the arm and led him to his office and began to help him. The older Pastor said, "Son, if you had gone up as you came down, you could have came down as you went up."
I know in my own life when I thought that something could not happen to me it would soon happen to me. Pride is a horrible thing. If we spend time in prayer and study of the Scriptures, I think we will be less likely to have problem with pride. We need to pray for ourselves and others. Look at I Samuel 12:23, "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:". Prayer is important and it is very important in battling with pride.
How is your pride? Sure about that?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
March 24, 2010
Today's reading: I Samuel 8, 9, 10; Psalm 24, 54, 84, 114, 144; Proverbs 24
I Samuel 8:5-7, "And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
As I was reading today's Scripture passage I was wondering what the children of Israel were thinking. They up to this point have been ruled by God Himself. You could not ask for a better ruler. I think they had been bitten by the same bug that we give in to in our day. We want to be like everyone else and so did they. Notice they said, "... like all the nations." They wanted to be like all the other nations around them. This was a huge mistake. It was a far bigger mistake than they ever imagined.
People in our day will go so far as to have plastic surgery to look like someone else. That is sad. Why can we not be content with what we have or where we are, etc... The Apostle Paul tells us that he learned to be content no matter where he was or what state he was in (Philippians 4:11). We need to find ourselves in this same state.
No matter what Samuel told the people they would not listen to him. Notice I Samuel 8:19-20, "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." This is so sad that God's own people had forsaken Him like this. But wait a minute. You and I are guilty of the very same thing too. Yes, we are. We make certain purchases because so and so has one just like it. This list of things could go on and on.
We should have the desire to be like Jesus and not so and so. If we are not careful we will find ourselves thinking that we deserve whatever it is that we want. This is not true. God provides all that we need. Look at I Samuel 10:22, "Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff." We need to be careful not to be come like Saul. Oh, he started out humble and hiding among the stuff. He ended just the opposite. He ended thinking he was "the stuff" if you will.
We need to learn to be content with God as our Father and Provider. That way we can say as the psalmist said in Psalm 144:15, "Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD."
Are you happy and joyful?
I Samuel 8:5-7, "And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
As I was reading today's Scripture passage I was wondering what the children of Israel were thinking. They up to this point have been ruled by God Himself. You could not ask for a better ruler. I think they had been bitten by the same bug that we give in to in our day. We want to be like everyone else and so did they. Notice they said, "... like all the nations." They wanted to be like all the other nations around them. This was a huge mistake. It was a far bigger mistake than they ever imagined.
People in our day will go so far as to have plastic surgery to look like someone else. That is sad. Why can we not be content with what we have or where we are, etc... The Apostle Paul tells us that he learned to be content no matter where he was or what state he was in (Philippians 4:11). We need to find ourselves in this same state.
No matter what Samuel told the people they would not listen to him. Notice I Samuel 8:19-20, "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." This is so sad that God's own people had forsaken Him like this. But wait a minute. You and I are guilty of the very same thing too. Yes, we are. We make certain purchases because so and so has one just like it. This list of things could go on and on.
We should have the desire to be like Jesus and not so and so. If we are not careful we will find ourselves thinking that we deserve whatever it is that we want. This is not true. God provides all that we need. Look at I Samuel 10:22, "Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff." We need to be careful not to be come like Saul. Oh, he started out humble and hiding among the stuff. He ended just the opposite. He ended thinking he was "the stuff" if you will.
We need to learn to be content with God as our Father and Provider. That way we can say as the psalmist said in Psalm 144:15, "Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD."
Are you happy and joyful?
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
March 23, 2010
Today's reading: I Samuel 5, 6, 7; Psalm 23, 53, 83, 113, 143; Proverbs 23
I Samuel 5:3-4, "And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him." Jesus said in Luke 19:40, "And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." One day we will all bow down and confess Christ is the LORD. It does not matter if we are born again or not. We will all acknowledge who He is.
So many people today have idols in their lives and they are not willing to give them up and trust Christ. In a day of such economic turmoil I would think that people would run to Jesus; but, just the opposite seems to have happened. Why put trust in something that is failing? I think we have been blinded by sin and Satan so badly that people just cannot see the truth. Nobody seems to know what truth is in our day and time. The truth is relative. This should not be. God help us!
People need to realize that God is trying to draw them unto Himself. He allows things into our lives to cause us to look to Him. Look at I Samuel 5:7, "And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god." Even though they acknowledged in this verse that God was more powerful than Dagon they continued to serve him. It is much the same way for you and I as we live in our sin and will not forsake it. God is not sitting in heaven waiting for us to make mistakes and then pound us for it. He is allowing things in our lives to cause us to look to Him. The problem is that we look anywhere else except Him.
We have gone so far in America to try to legislate God out of everything. One day we will regret that. We have done much like the men in I Samuel 5:11, "So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there." This sounds like the cry of people today. They want every bit of God out of their lives and their society. If God is God then they have a sin problem that they refuse to acknowledge and deal with. The Word of God is like a mirror which reveals every little or big flaw in our lives so people do not want to hear it. Christians who live their lives in line with the Scriptures are convicting also and people do not want that either. We are pushing God right out of our lives and this ought not to be!
One day we will look back and regret the fast track that we are on. It might not be until we end up like these men of Bethshemesh and we are judged for our sin. Look at I Samuel 6:19, "And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter." These men knew better than to touch the ark of the Lord and look inside. They paid severe consequences for their sin. Payday someday. It is coming. If you know Christ as your Saviour then you are paid up and do not have to worry about payday. If you have never put your trust in Christ then I would strongly suggest that you do that immediately.
Will you trust Him today?
I Samuel 5:3-4, "And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him." Jesus said in Luke 19:40, "And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." One day we will all bow down and confess Christ is the LORD. It does not matter if we are born again or not. We will all acknowledge who He is.
So many people today have idols in their lives and they are not willing to give them up and trust Christ. In a day of such economic turmoil I would think that people would run to Jesus; but, just the opposite seems to have happened. Why put trust in something that is failing? I think we have been blinded by sin and Satan so badly that people just cannot see the truth. Nobody seems to know what truth is in our day and time. The truth is relative. This should not be. God help us!
People need to realize that God is trying to draw them unto Himself. He allows things into our lives to cause us to look to Him. Look at I Samuel 5:7, "And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god." Even though they acknowledged in this verse that God was more powerful than Dagon they continued to serve him. It is much the same way for you and I as we live in our sin and will not forsake it. God is not sitting in heaven waiting for us to make mistakes and then pound us for it. He is allowing things in our lives to cause us to look to Him. The problem is that we look anywhere else except Him.
We have gone so far in America to try to legislate God out of everything. One day we will regret that. We have done much like the men in I Samuel 5:11, "So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there." This sounds like the cry of people today. They want every bit of God out of their lives and their society. If God is God then they have a sin problem that they refuse to acknowledge and deal with. The Word of God is like a mirror which reveals every little or big flaw in our lives so people do not want to hear it. Christians who live their lives in line with the Scriptures are convicting also and people do not want that either. We are pushing God right out of our lives and this ought not to be!
One day we will look back and regret the fast track that we are on. It might not be until we end up like these men of Bethshemesh and we are judged for our sin. Look at I Samuel 6:19, "And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter." These men knew better than to touch the ark of the Lord and look inside. They paid severe consequences for their sin. Payday someday. It is coming. If you know Christ as your Saviour then you are paid up and do not have to worry about payday. If you have never put your trust in Christ then I would strongly suggest that you do that immediately.
Will you trust Him today?
Monday, March 22, 2010
March 22, 2010
Today's reading: I Samuel 2, 3, 4; Psalm 22, 52, 82, 112, 142; Proverbs 22
I Samuel 4:3, "And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies." The ark of the covenant represents the presence of the Lord. You cannot just up and take the presence of the Lord with you wherever you go in the Old Testament economy. God would give the order to break camp and move and He had done no such thing. I Samuel 4:7, "And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore." Even the pagan people knew that this was not the "normal" practice of the Israelites.
It is my fear that today this is happening all the time. I think the reason we see the Church loosing influence and power is that Christians are doing things in the power of the flesh and not the power of the Spirit of God. In me is nothing worthy of being used of God. When I am filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit I can be mightily used. The children of Israel were doing things their own way by taking the ark without the leading of God to do so. They were doing what is called in the fire service as "freelancing". This is a deadly practice. You cannot do things your own way and expect to get the results that God has intended. It will not work that way. We must do things God's way, in God's time, in God's power with God's presence. Otherwise, it will not work. Ask the Israelites. They got spanked to say the least in the battle and it will be the same for you and I. If we are God's child and we disobey we can rest assured that we will be chastened.
Are you going with the presence of God?
I Samuel 4:3, "And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies." The ark of the covenant represents the presence of the Lord. You cannot just up and take the presence of the Lord with you wherever you go in the Old Testament economy. God would give the order to break camp and move and He had done no such thing. I Samuel 4:7, "And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore." Even the pagan people knew that this was not the "normal" practice of the Israelites.
It is my fear that today this is happening all the time. I think the reason we see the Church loosing influence and power is that Christians are doing things in the power of the flesh and not the power of the Spirit of God. In me is nothing worthy of being used of God. When I am filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit I can be mightily used. The children of Israel were doing things their own way by taking the ark without the leading of God to do so. They were doing what is called in the fire service as "freelancing". This is a deadly practice. You cannot do things your own way and expect to get the results that God has intended. It will not work that way. We must do things God's way, in God's time, in God's power with God's presence. Otherwise, it will not work. Ask the Israelites. They got spanked to say the least in the battle and it will be the same for you and I. If we are God's child and we disobey we can rest assured that we will be chastened.
Are you going with the presence of God?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
March 21, 2010
Today's reading: Ruth 3, 4; I Samuel 1; Psalm 21, 51, 81, 111, 141; Proverbs 21
Earlier today I heard a message on Ruth chapter 4 and it was fantastic. I am going to try to remember some of what was said.
Boaz is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at Ruth 4:1, "Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down." When a man died in the Old Testament a near relative could marry his wife and they could have children together to keep the family name going. This is the role of a kinsman redeemer. Jesus is our kinsmen redeemer.
Ruth 4:2, "And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down." These ten men are a picture of the law or the ten commandments. These ten men were to make sure that Boaz was doing everything correctly. The ten commandments are God's law to ensure that we do all things correctly.
Ruth 4:6, "And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it." Who cannot redeem us? The devil. He cannot redeem us nor will he. As a matter of fact he would do anything he can to keep us from being redeemed.
My point today? Simple really. Jesus loved us so much that he paid the ultimate price for you and I. He paid with His own blood the price of sin for you and I. All we have to do is accept His free gift of salvation. Just like the kinsmen redeemer who paid the price for the land and the wife. The songwriter penned, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe." Ruth is a picture of the Church. She is not perfect; but, Jesus died for her the same.
Jesus died to pay the debt of sin that you owe. Will you accept His free gift today? Let me know so that I can show you how to trust Christ as your Saviour today.
Earlier today I heard a message on Ruth chapter 4 and it was fantastic. I am going to try to remember some of what was said.
Boaz is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at Ruth 4:1, "Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down." When a man died in the Old Testament a near relative could marry his wife and they could have children together to keep the family name going. This is the role of a kinsman redeemer. Jesus is our kinsmen redeemer.
Ruth 4:2, "And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down." These ten men are a picture of the law or the ten commandments. These ten men were to make sure that Boaz was doing everything correctly. The ten commandments are God's law to ensure that we do all things correctly.
Ruth 4:6, "And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it." Who cannot redeem us? The devil. He cannot redeem us nor will he. As a matter of fact he would do anything he can to keep us from being redeemed.
My point today? Simple really. Jesus loved us so much that he paid the ultimate price for you and I. He paid with His own blood the price of sin for you and I. All we have to do is accept His free gift of salvation. Just like the kinsmen redeemer who paid the price for the land and the wife. The songwriter penned, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe." Ruth is a picture of the Church. She is not perfect; but, Jesus died for her the same.
Jesus died to pay the debt of sin that you owe. Will you accept His free gift today? Let me know so that I can show you how to trust Christ as your Saviour today.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
March 20, 2010
Today's reading: Judges 21; Ruth 1, 2 ; Psalm 20, 50, 80, 110, 140; Proverbs 20
Ruth 1:16-17, "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."
We live in a day that relationships are disposable. This should not be. Our Scripture for today is is one that is often used at weddings. I remember when my wife and I were first married she played the piano and/or sang in eight weddings in seven weeks. We were pretty busy back in those days.
We had the pleasure of attending a wedding service of sorts last Sunday. It was a renewal service or ceremony for a couple in our Church. It was so beautiful. There was nothing fancy about it. The beautiful part was the committing again of this couple to one another. Their children were able to attend this service also.
The best part of the service; I thought, was that there was going to be no giving away of the bride as there were no parents there. One of the trustees of the Church walked the lady down the aisle. When asked, "Who giveth this woman to this man?" the reply came back, "The Church and I do." It was so awesome!
Why do I ramble today about such things? Simple. When we enter into a marriage relationship we are making a covenant with our mate for life. No matter what may come we are to be committed to them "until death do us part". This is not a reference to homicide. Seriously, we need to be in it for the long haul no matter what comes or goes, depending.
It helps if your marriage; like the one renewed last week, is built upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice Ruth 2:12, "The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust." I believe that you will be rewarded for sticking to it. We need to trust Christ for eternal salvation; but, we also need to trust Him for daily things like food, etc... It will be payday some day and the books will be opened and then we will all know how good or bad we really did. I hope that I finish well. I hope that when I am old that I will be able to look back on life and see a life that was filled with serving God and loving the wife, children and family He blessed me with. Proverbs 20:29, "The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head." The gray head comes so much faster than you realize.
So friend, how is your marriage?
Ruth 1:16-17, "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."
We live in a day that relationships are disposable. This should not be. Our Scripture for today is is one that is often used at weddings. I remember when my wife and I were first married she played the piano and/or sang in eight weddings in seven weeks. We were pretty busy back in those days.
We had the pleasure of attending a wedding service of sorts last Sunday. It was a renewal service or ceremony for a couple in our Church. It was so beautiful. There was nothing fancy about it. The beautiful part was the committing again of this couple to one another. Their children were able to attend this service also.
The best part of the service; I thought, was that there was going to be no giving away of the bride as there were no parents there. One of the trustees of the Church walked the lady down the aisle. When asked, "Who giveth this woman to this man?" the reply came back, "The Church and I do." It was so awesome!
Why do I ramble today about such things? Simple. When we enter into a marriage relationship we are making a covenant with our mate for life. No matter what may come we are to be committed to them "until death do us part". This is not a reference to homicide. Seriously, we need to be in it for the long haul no matter what comes or goes, depending.
It helps if your marriage; like the one renewed last week, is built upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice Ruth 2:12, "The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust." I believe that you will be rewarded for sticking to it. We need to trust Christ for eternal salvation; but, we also need to trust Him for daily things like food, etc... It will be payday some day and the books will be opened and then we will all know how good or bad we really did. I hope that I finish well. I hope that when I am old that I will be able to look back on life and see a life that was filled with serving God and loving the wife, children and family He blessed me with. Proverbs 20:29, "The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head." The gray head comes so much faster than you realize.
So friend, how is your marriage?
Friday, March 19, 2010
March 19, 2010
Today's reading: Judges 18, 19, 20; Psalm 19, 49, 79, 109, 139: Proverbs 19
Judges 18:31, "And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh."
I remember growing up my mother had a picture of an image that was supposed to be Jesus. Since these artists do not know what Jesus looked line in His earthly body I don't know how they could paint a picture of Him. The picture had a distinct feature that used to give me the creeps. No matter where you were in the room it appeared that the eyes would follow you.
The truth is that Jesus is able to see us no matter where we are or what we are doing. We must be aware of that fact. Notice our Scripture for today. The children of Israel had taken a graven image that belonged to Micah and set it up and worshiped it while God's house was in Shiloh. How sad. Their devotion was divided. They were no longer like Caleb who "wholly followed the Lord".
So many of our so-called Churches today have this problem also. They seem to be out of balance on worship and Christ honoring music. Their pulpits are filled with a feel good type of gospel which is no gospel at all. The Church has become a coffee bar and social club. This should not be! I believe it grieves the very heart of God.
I think the Church has lost it's vision of people perishing and spending eternity in hell. How about you? Do you still believe in a real, literal hell? I hope so; because, it is a real place and people go there daily.
We have lost our vision for winning souls. Look at Judges 19:17-18, "And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house." I think this looks like the Church today. A wayfaring man is a traveler. How many times do we see someone traveling through life and we just let them go on their way and never speak to them of their eternal souls? Far too many!
We need to be seeking to win the lost to Christ. We need to be doing it so much that we become so comfortable with it that it is like breathing to us. Look at Judges 20:16, "Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss." These people were well practiced and were experts with their weapons. We have only one offensive weapon and that is the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We need to know it and use it in the battle.
We need to have a vision. We need a vision of people perishing. We need a vision of serving God. Notice Psalm 49:8-9, "(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption." The reason it "ceaseth for ever" is because it is a done deal so to speak. Jesus died once for all: Hebrews 6:4, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:28. I love it that even the Old Testament talks of eternal security. Once we are saved we are always, eternally saved. Because of this we should be serving God out of love for Him and gratitude for what He has done for us.
Let's get busy! Will you?
Judges 18:31, "And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh."
I remember growing up my mother had a picture of an image that was supposed to be Jesus. Since these artists do not know what Jesus looked line in His earthly body I don't know how they could paint a picture of Him. The picture had a distinct feature that used to give me the creeps. No matter where you were in the room it appeared that the eyes would follow you.
The truth is that Jesus is able to see us no matter where we are or what we are doing. We must be aware of that fact. Notice our Scripture for today. The children of Israel had taken a graven image that belonged to Micah and set it up and worshiped it while God's house was in Shiloh. How sad. Their devotion was divided. They were no longer like Caleb who "wholly followed the Lord".
So many of our so-called Churches today have this problem also. They seem to be out of balance on worship and Christ honoring music. Their pulpits are filled with a feel good type of gospel which is no gospel at all. The Church has become a coffee bar and social club. This should not be! I believe it grieves the very heart of God.
I think the Church has lost it's vision of people perishing and spending eternity in hell. How about you? Do you still believe in a real, literal hell? I hope so; because, it is a real place and people go there daily.
We have lost our vision for winning souls. Look at Judges 19:17-18, "And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house." I think this looks like the Church today. A wayfaring man is a traveler. How many times do we see someone traveling through life and we just let them go on their way and never speak to them of their eternal souls? Far too many!
We need to be seeking to win the lost to Christ. We need to be doing it so much that we become so comfortable with it that it is like breathing to us. Look at Judges 20:16, "Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss." These people were well practiced and were experts with their weapons. We have only one offensive weapon and that is the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We need to know it and use it in the battle.
We need to have a vision. We need a vision of people perishing. We need a vision of serving God. Notice Psalm 49:8-9, "(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption." The reason it "ceaseth for ever" is because it is a done deal so to speak. Jesus died once for all: Hebrews 6:4, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:28. I love it that even the Old Testament talks of eternal security. Once we are saved we are always, eternally saved. Because of this we should be serving God out of love for Him and gratitude for what He has done for us.
Let's get busy! Will you?
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