Archive for the ‘Encourgement’ Category

Spiritual Training 05 January 2015

Posted: January 5, 2015 in 2 Corinthians, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

2 Corinthians 4:13-18 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Paul had faced suffering, trials, and distress as he preached the gospel. But he knew that they would one day be over, and he would obtain God’s rest and rewards. As we face great troubles, it’s easy to focus on the pain rather than on our ultimate goal. Just as athletes concentrate on the finish line and ignore their discomfort, we, too, must focus on the reward for our faith and the joy that lasts forever. No matter what happens to us in this life, we have the assurance of eternal life, when all suffering will end and all sorrow will flee away (Isaiah 35:10).

It is easy to lose heart and quit. We all have faced problems in our relationships or in our work that have caused us to think about giving up. Rather than quitting when persecution wore him down, Paul concentrated on experiencing the inner strength that came from the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). Don’t let fatigue, pain, or criticism force you off the job. Renew your commitment to serving Christ. Don’t forsake your eternal reward because of the intensity of today’s pain. Your very weakness allows the resurrection power of Christ to strengthen you moment by moment.

Our troubles should not diminish our faith or disillusion us. We should realize that there is a purpose in our suffering. Problems and human limitations have several benefits: (1) They remind us of Christ’s suffering for us; (2) they keep us from pride; (3) they cause us to look beyond this brief life; (4) they give us opportunities to prove our faith to others; and (5) they give God the opportunity to demonstrate his power. See your troubles as opportunities!

Lets Bring it Home: Our ultimate hope when we are experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realization that this life is not all there is—there is life after death! Knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain that we face in this life.

Proverbs 5:6 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 5, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 05, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 5:6 She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not. 

Son, your great enemy is adaptable. She will alter her methods in order to entice and keep you, for she cannot allow you to examine your life or consider the consequences of further dealings with her. Do you know this enemy? Do you know her tactics? Do you know how to save yourself from her? Be forewarned and live, my son (Pr 5:1)!

Solomon used many proverbs to warn men about the strange woman and how she destroys men (Pr 7:26; 23:28). A strange woman is any woman not your wife, but especially a whore; he warned his son carefully about her (Pr 5:1-5). He knew her pain himself, and experience said she was a great threat to destroy young men (Eccl 7:25-29).

He knew many of her enticements. He knew about her flattering words (Pr 6:24), her beauty (Pr 6:25), her eye contact (Pr 6:25), her kisses (Pr 7:13), her pretended character (Pr 7:14), her romantic affection (Pr 7:15), her creative lovemaking (Pr 7:16-18), and her precautions for a safe rendezvous (Pr 7:19-20). But he did not know them all.

Escape from a strange woman requires a man to soberly and unemotionally examine his life and the future results of his actions. Calm reflection will show he is hanging over the pit of hell, with bitter pain and death the certain results. All she can offer is momentary and temporary pleasure. He needs to immediately get as far away from her as possible.

A whore cannot allow you to think soberly, for it would ruin her game, so she uses all her wiles to keep you from realizing your fatal situation. She entices you unrelentingly in various ways, so that you cannot escape her draw. She uses womanly instincts, hellish training, and devilish seduction to keep you off balance and under her spell. She cannot afford to let you consider your ways. She must keep your soul a slave to her desires.

Solomon had learned the hard way that her “heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands” (Eccl 7:26). Snares and nets are the tools of those who trap unwary animals, birds, or fish. They are disguised from view; they are often moved; and they have attractive bait attached. Whorish women are like beasts of prey, crouching, sneaking, hiding, and then pouncing on their unwary victims to their mortal destruction (Pr 23:27-28; 22:14).

Samson knew Delilah sought to destroy him, by three other events; yet he could not resist her seductive wiles, and so she destroyed a strong man (Jdgs 16:4-21; Pr 7:26). Samson’s ruin is hard to believe, so Solomon gave a clear warning in the proverb here. Tamar knew she must alter her appearance and ways to snare Judah, and they worked (Gen 38:12-19).

Whores can play hard to get – or easy to have. They might be down and dirty – or upright and noble (Pr 7:14). They can offer love – or threaten revenge. They might take you with words – or with touches. They can be mysterious – or bold. They can appear to be slipping away – or promising eternal adoration. They can pretend to be innocent and virtuous – or they can be wildly bold. They will change to chain you to them!

Young man, certain safety is only by staying far from her (Pr 5:8; 4:15; Rom 13:14). Do not deceive yourself about your ability to resist her temptation. To expose yourself to her wiles is more than you can handle. Nearly any whorish woman is too much temptation for nearly any man, so get away, now! Flee fast and far (Gen 39:12; II Tim 2:22)!

You will never escape an inviting woman unless you ponder the path of life. Do you examine yourself in the light of God’s word, where the path of life is detailed for you (Ps 139:23-24)? Do you prepare for the preaching of God’s word to convict you of any errors in your life? This exercise is essential to your safety and success in life (II Cor 13:5).

Beyond whorish women, the devil is also your enemy. He walks about seeking whom he may devour, just like a wanton woman looking for a victim (I Pet 5:8). Take the whole armor of God and stand against his enticing wiles (Eph 6:10-19). Jesus withstood the devil’s three best efforts to ruin Him by soberly applying God’s word (Matt 4:1-11).

Beyond influencing whorish women in their wicked tactics of seduction, the devil also influences false churches to change their methods to beguile unstable souls (II Pet 2:14). The chief of these churches is that in Rome, which has seduced billions of souls into her religious brothel with many abominable spiritual inventions (Rev 17:1-6).

Jesus was tempted in all points, yet without sin (Heb 2:17-18; 4:15). Being a perfect man, He experienced malicious and weak women pursuing Him (Pr 6:26), but He gloriously resisted them all. Having lived so successfully, He is a most merciful high priest for those facing such temptations. Go to Him for strength, and go to Him for forgiveness.

 

Spiritual Training 02 January 2015

Posted: January 2, 2015 in 2 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

2 Corinthians 4:6-12 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

The supremely valuable message of salvation in Jesus Christ has been entrusted by God to frail and fallible human beings. Paul’s focus, however, was not on the perishable container but on its priceless contents—God’s power dwelling in us. Though we are “jars of clay,” God uses us to spread his gospel, and he gives us power to do his work. Knowing that the power is his, not ours, should keep us from pride and motivate us to keep daily contact with God, our power source. Our responsibility is to let people see God through us.

Paul reminds us that though we may think we are at the end of our rope, we are never at the end of our hope. Our perishable bodies are subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Because Christ has won the victory over death, we have eternal life. All our risks, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate his power and presence in and through us. We must ask ourselves, “Could I handle the suffering and opposition that Paul did?” The success syndrome is a great enemy of effective ministry. From an earthly perspective, Paul was not very successful. Like Paul, we must carry out our ministry, looking to God for strength.

Lets Bring it Home: When opposition, slander, or disappointments threaten to rob you of the victory, remember that
no one can destroy what God has accomplished through you.

Proverbs 02:09 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 2, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 02, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 2:9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 

Here is treasure! Righteousness! Judgment! Equity! Every good path! Can you have all these in life? Yes! This is the best news you will get this year. If you will pursue wisdom, God will bless you with these things. The rewards are great; the requirements small. God offers this treasure for a little effort from you to obtain wisdom. Reader, go for it, today!

The Preacher, King Solomon of Israel, pressed his son to apply himself to the pursuit of wisdom and understanding (Pr 2:1-4), with the promised reward being the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God (Pr 2:5). Upon this foundation and reward, Solomon then promised that God would add many blessings, including these special four (Pr 2:6-9).

What is righteousness? It is being right. It knows and does what is right. It is justice and uprightness. It knows and does what is acceptable and pleasing to God. It is having your mind conformed to the divine standard of God’s perfect mind and laws. And if your thoughts and actions please God, then they will certainly please other men (Pr 3:1-4).

What is judgment? It is the ability to judge correctly, to form accurate opinions, to arrive at the proper notion of things; it is discretion, discernment, wisdom, understanding, and good sense. It is what men mean when they say, “That person has excellent judgment.” It is the ability to analyze a matter correctly and arrive at the correct conclusion about it.

What is equity? It knows what is fair and equal for any situation, through seeing differences that require charity and nobility to reach an equitable and fair conclusion. It is fairness, impartiality, and evenhanded dealing with things appearing unequal. It is what makes others trust you, no matter the circumstances, for they know you will be fair.

Solomon stated that Proverbs was written to teach these three wonderful virtues (Pr 1:3), which are very rare in the world today (Is 59:14; II Tim 3:1-5). Furthermore, they are aspects of God’s glorious and holy nature (Ps 98:9; 99:4), and they are character traits of the Lord Jesus Christ (Is 11:4). What hinders you from pursuing wisdom to obtain them?

Consider a very small sample of the righteousness, judgment, and equity of the Bible. It protects mother and baby birds (Deut 22:6-7), teaches that all races have the same blood (Acts 17:26), provides for working oxen (Deut 25:4), puts the burden of marriage and family on the father (Eph 5:25-29; 6:4), provides for the poor (Lev 19:9-10), teaches that mercy is more important than sacrifice (Matt 12:7), allows one church member to bring any matter to the church (Matt 18:15-17), financially rewards virginity (Ex 22:17), requires churches to take care of widows (I Tim 5:3-16), and teaches that the true love of God can only be shown by loving others (I John 5:1-2). No other book compares!

Compare a small sample of the righteousness, judgment, and equity of the world. It kills over ten million unborn children annually by extremely violent means, and yet demands funds to protect animals and birds on seven continents. It prohibits corporal punishment of children, but incarcerates the resulting criminals like animals in cages for decades. It subsidizes debt and slothfulness and penalizes credit and diligence by income tax laws. It claims to protect and honor women, but yet advertises lascivious fashions, promotes casual sex, protects pornography and prostitution, and allows divorce for any cause.

But these three things are not all that is offered to the man seeking wisdom. The proverb also offers, “Every good path”! What is every good path? It is every other virtue and grace not in the list of three. Reader, is there a better sentence in any language? If every good path is offered, then the means for your perfection and pleasure is being offered.

How can you get these four wonderful things? Humble yourself before the Creator God, and diligently seek His wisdom in His inspired scriptures. Can you humble yourself and admit that God and His Word alone are right on all subjects (Ps 119:128)? Can you reject the world’s vain thoughts (Ps 119:113)? He will reward you with these wonderful things.

The Bible can make ministers perfect for their great work (II Tim 3:16-17). Consider how much it can do for you. There is no light in this world apart from the light of the Bible (Is 8:20). It is a lamp for your feet and a light for your pathway through life (Ps 119:105). It is a light to which you should give serious attention and honor (II Pet 1:19-21).

Spiritual Training 01 January 2015

Posted: January 1, 2015 in 2 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake.

The focus of Paul’s preaching was Christ and not himself. When you witness, tell people about what Christ has done and not about your abilities and accomplishments. People must be introduced to Christ, not to you. And if you hear someone preaching about himself or his own ideas rather than about Christ, beware—he is a false teacher.

Paul willingly served the Corinthian church even though the people must have deeply disappointed him. Serving people requires a sacrifice of time and personal desires.

Lets Bring it Home: Being Christ’s follower means serving others, even when they do not measure up to our expectations.

Proverbs 01:22 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 1, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 01, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 1:22 How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

What have you done today to get wisdom? If you have not done much, this proverb is for you. Are you merely stupid and lazy? Or too arrogant to accept instruction from others? Or just foolishly in love with yourself? This proverb will show which of these traits is your chief character flaw. The proverb’s questions are important: because if you continue in your ignorance, Lady Wisdom will soon be laughing at your calamities (Pr 1:24-32)!

Lady Wisdom offers wisdom to those who will take it (Pr 1:20-23). Why reject a free offer of wisdom and understanding, which are the principal matters of life (Pr 4:7)? You came into this world totally simple, a scorner, and hating knowledge. But you do not need to stay in that evil condition. Repent, and take Lady Wisdom’s gracious offer (Pr 9:1-12).

A simple person is stupid due to a combination of low intelligence, laziness, and/or apathy. They leave the mental work to others. Simple men are very content eating, working, playing, and sleeping. They cannot perceive the value of wisdom. Pursuing wisdom sounds too hard, so they wallow in simplicity until they take their last breath.

Are you simple? Is your life basically getting up, going to work, eating, relaxing, and going to bed? Is getting a paycheck a real feat to you? Do you let others study issues and provide answers? Do complex dilemmas intimidate you? Do you prefer bodily exercise over studying? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you are simple.

But Lady Wisdom calls to the simple, “How long will ye love simplicity? Why are you content to be stupid?” The words of God can make a simple man wise, if he will repent of his simplicity, beg God for wisdom, and search the Scriptures (Pr 1:4; Ps 19:7; 119:130). If you neglect her offer, you will live and die in simplicity and bear the consequences.

Scorners are arrogant persons that despise those who try to correct or teach them. They are flagrantly haughty, rebellious, and stubborn. Puffed up in pride, they mock and resent any effort to reprove them. They are snottily disrespectful to authority. They are the most profane character in Proverbs, hated by God and men (Pr 6:16-17; 9:7-8; 24:9; 26:12).

Are you a scorner? Do you bristle at authoritative teachers, especially when they correct you? Do you look for faults in a reprover to excuse your rebellion? Do you enjoy snide remarks, accusing others, or seditiously sowing discord to get a following? Do you resent authority, because you believe you are at least as wise as any you have met? Can you mock a parent or teacher, just because you disagree?  You are a scorner.

But Lady Wisdom calls to scorners, “How long will you delight in scorning? Why do you take pleasure in being a profane scorner?” Though wise men are taught to ignore and reject scorners, Lady Wisdom offers wisdom even to these brute beasts (Pr 9:7-8; Matt 7:6). If they reject her merciful offer, the God of heaven will crush them under His feet.

Fools are stubborn and lazy persons, though not as conceited and vicious as scorners. In love with themselves, they see no need to listen to anyone or make changes in their lives. After being taught, they quickly return to their vomit and wallowing in folly (Pr 26:11). They hate knowledge by resisting instruction due to love of their own thoughts (Pr 18:2).

Are you a fool? Do you think you have a good head on your shoulders and do not need teachers? Are you confident you are right? Do you like the sound of your own voice? Are you better known for a sharp retort than humble listening? Do you get angry when you cannot have your way? Do you think you could be a good teacher? Do you like to surf the Internet looking for some new thing like the foolish Athenians? You are a fool.

But Lady Wisdom also calls to fools, “How long will you hate knowledge? Why do you resist learning what is right?” Though wise men are taught to silence fools and ignore them, she offers liberal wisdom even to these stupid dolts (Pr 14:7; 23:9; 26:4-5). If they do not heed her helpful offer, they will live dysfunctional lives and die hopeless deaths.

Reader, where do you fall on this scale? Are you a simpleton? Or are you a real fool? Or are you a haughty scorner? If you have not done anything to pursue wisdom today, you are one of these three. In any case, Lady Wisdom is offering you wisdom. If you refuse her offer, she will refuse to help you when troubles come to ruin your life (Pr 1:24-28).

The words of the living God are before you. They can make you wise (Ps 119:98-100; II Tim 3:16-17). But you must read and meditate on His words to become wise. He has sent teachers to you, from parents to pastors (Eccl 12:9; Jer 3:15; I Thess 5:20). But you must humbly submit to their teaching and put it into practice. He has offered wisdom to those who will humbly beg Him for it (I Kgs 3:5; Jas 1:5). When did you last pray for it?

Why do you continue in your simple, scornful, or foolish ways? What will it take to get your attention? What will it take to get you to leave your simplicity, your scorning, or your folly? Will a divorce do it? A dysfunctional home? A rebellious child? Professional or financial trouble? Some time in prison? The lack of friends and church? A medical emergency? The death of a loved one? Lady Wisdom offers wisdom. You better take it.

Proverbs 31:13 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 31, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 31, trust in the Lord with all your heart
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Proverbs 31:13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

A virtuous woman is not above dirtying her hands and working hard at manual labor. She has no illusions or pretensions about her role. She knows that productivity and wealth begin with her hands, not with her mouth. Though capable of using her brain to leverage her assets and labor, she has no qualms about adding her sweat equity to the family estate. Let every lazy or pampered woman humble herself before this wisdom from God.

Here is a trait of a perfect woman, which King Lemuel learned from his mother to find a great wife (Pr 31:1,10). Women must accept that a woman wrote this lofty description (Pr 31:10-31), in case she thinks the bar is set too high, the traits lack sufficient glamour, or they emphasize a wife as her husband’s helper. God made the woman for the man, and learning this lesson is the first step to being a great woman (Gen 2:18; 3:16; I Cor 11:9).

A virtuous woman does not need much done for her. She hunts for raw materials to make useful and valuable things for her family. She is a willing worker – cheerful and content – she has initiative to work hard on her own. She does not need prodding. She sees a need, and she rolls up her sleeves and attacks the project. She does not hope her husband will do it for her after he gets home from work; she finishes it to spend the evening with him.

A pampered wife flitting from tea to reading to drawing violates God and women. It is not found in God’s word or in any prudent society. God made women to work, and they realize one of their chief goals by diligent use of their time. Every Christian woman must make sure she is more virtuous than Victorian. Being a “keeper at home” has nothing to do with taking it easy and making the husband the only or primary worker.

Some women think they have it rough to get up with their husbands and be expected to accomplish a day’s work while he is at work. They prefer rising late, pacing themselves through a few chores, talking on the phone, surfing the Internet, reading a book, visiting the spa, getting their nails done, and then asking their husbands to bring supper home. It is terrible that many of these are so-called Christian women. Great women work as hard or harder than their husbands, and they do so willingly and cheerfully, even eagerly.

In a search for a wife for Isaac, Abraham’s servant found beautiful Rebekah fetching water at a well (Gen 24:15-16). What about her violin lessons? Forget it! How did he qualify her? He waited to see if she would graciously volunteer to draw water for his ten camels (each can drink 20 gallons in 10 minutes!). What did she do? She ran to get the water fast enough for these thirsty beasts (Gen 24:18-20)! Isaac had himself a winner! If you think this is an exception, then read where Jacob discovered Rachel (Gen 29:9-18).

Prissy girls can live and die single beside lazy women, or they can dream of effeminate rich men who will pamper them like dolls into boring oblivion. Marriage is not for a woman to find a gravy train so she can read, shop, and nap most of the day before manipulating her husband to bring supper home. Marriage is for a man to find a lover who will help him build the family and estate by bearing children and working hard.

The church is the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of glory. His Father did not choose His bride, nor did Jesus die for her, in order for her to have a life of leisure. Those who make up the family of God were chosen to serve and work to glorify God and help one another (Matt 20:25-28; Rom 14:8; I Cor 10:31-33; II Cor 5:13-15; 12:15). Christian saint, how cheerfully and hard have you worked this day to please your Husband?

Spiritual Training 31 December 2014

Posted: December 31, 2014 in 2 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2 Corinthians 4:3-4 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The gospel is open and revealed to everyone, except to those who refuse to believe. Satan is “the god of this age.” His work is to deceive, and he has blinded those who don’t believe in Christ (see 11:14-15). The allure of money, power, and pleasure blinds people to the light of Christ’s gospel.

Lets bring it Home: Those who reject Christ and prefer their own pursuits have unknowingly made Satan their god.

Proverbs 30:26 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 30, 2014 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 30, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 30:26 The conies (Rabbits) are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

Are you as smart as a coney? Wise Agur used four small creatures to teach his students great wisdom (Pr 30:1,24). The ants prudently save for the future (Pr 30:25). The locusts know the power of numbers (Pr 30:27). The spider by diligence goes where most cannot (Pr 30:28). The conies wisely avoid risk and loss by choosing safe and strong protection.

Evolution is a damnable lie from hell believed by God-haters after He darkened their minds (Rom 1:18-25; I Tim 6:20-21). God created every living thing, and much wisdom can be obtained by analyzing them. Sluggards can learn by the industry of the ant (Pr 6:6-8). The fearful can learn by considering God’s care for birds and flowers (Matt 6:25-32).

What is a coney? It is a rabbit, which used to be properly and ordinarily called a coney.  The variety Agur considered for this proverb lives in the caves and clefts of mountains on several continents. Without ability to defend themselves other than speed of retreat, these feeble creatures make their homes in rock strongholds where they can run for protection.

What is the lesson of wisdom for you? When exposed to danger or risk, you should wisely hide yourself from the threat (Pr 22:3; 27:12). Rather than foolishly exposing yourself to trouble, you should protect yourself from loss by using whatever means are available. You are not very strong yourself, so you should look for other protection.

Consider some examples. Your life is feeble, and your family will suffer if you die early. Term life insurance would create an estate for them, if that were to happen. Your health is feeble, and medical costs today could quickly wipe out your savings. Health insurance protects you from that catastrophe. This is how feeble folk make their houses in rocks.

You are a feeble investor, but you can easily join a mutual fund for professional management and diversify risk across many stocks. You are feeble at savings, but a company 401k plan can give you a solid advantage. A layoff from your job with too much debt could make your family feebler, so you reduce or eliminate your financial debt before such an event. This is how feeble folk make their houses in rocks. They are safe.

Your house is also feeble, since a strong tornado could blow it away, or an accidental fire could burn it to the ground. Homeowners insurance is what wise men do to protect against such a large loss. Your car seems strong, but when it meets another car, they both crumple easily, showing that they also are feeble, so you insure them against large losses.

If you live in a crime zone, you move to a safer area, have a security system installed, get a mean dog, or let Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson move in. If you own a business, you buy liability insurance against a sue-happy generation that has no remorse about ruining your business. If your business would be severely impaired by your death or other principal officers or employees, you get large life insurance policies designed for this possibility.

Some Christians have not been taught Bible wisdom, so they think they should live from hand to mouth and trust God to take care of the rest. They accuse those that buy insurance as not having faith in God. They consider themselves spiritual giants by Bible reading and prayer while foolishly exposing their families to ruin. They have not read Proverbs, where Solomon repeatedly warns to reduce risk of all kinds in any way possible.

Think spiritually. Your father Adam’s sin and your own sins have made you very feeble, without strength, before God. You are exposed to horrific eternal danger. But thanks be to God, Who sent Jesus Christ to die for His elect in their feeble condition (Rom 5:6-21). Flee to the Rock Christ Jesus for refuge and guarantee your future safety by building your house upon the rock of His sayings (I Cor 10:4; Matt 7:24-27; Heb 6:18; Ps 62:7; 94:22).

Spiritual Training 30 December 2014

Posted: December 30, 2014 in 2 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

Paul condemned those who twist God’s Word. Preachers, teachers, and anyone else who talks about Jesus Christ must remember that they stand in God’s presence—he hears every word. Many Christian ministers and leaders twist Scripture in their attempt to motivate audiences. Others take Scripture out of context to promote their own views.

Lets Bring Home: When you tell people about Christ, be careful not to distort the message to please your audience. Proclaim the truth of God’s Word.
 

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