Posts Tagged ‘religion’

Spiritual Training 15 August 2013

Posted: August 16, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart
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Under Gods Command

 1 Timothy 1:3-4 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrine any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.  These promote controversies rather than God’s work, which is by faith.   

The church at Ephesus may have been plagued by the same heresy that was threatening the church at Colosse-the teaching that to be acceptable to God, a d person had to discover certain hidden knowledge and had to worship angels (Colossians 2:8 18).  The false teachers were motivated by their own interests rather than Christ’s.  They embroiled the church in endless and irrelevant questions and controversies, taking precious time away from the study of the truth.

Lets Bring it Home: Stay away from religious speculation and pointless theological arguments.  Such exercises may seem harmless at first, but they have a way of sidetracking us from the central message of the gospel-the person and work of Jesus Christ.  They expend time we should use to share the gospel with others, and they don’t help people grow in the faith.  Avoid anything that keeps you from doing God’s work.

Proverbs 14:03 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: August 14, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 14:3 A fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.

Is your speech mostly arrogant or gracious? All speech falls somewhere between these two extremes. Where does your speech fall? Does your speech tend toward being gracious and kind at all times? Or does it tend toward being arrogant and hurtful at times?

Here is one of the problems – you are not a good judge of your speech. Only others can accurately tell whether you are haughty or kind in your words. All men want to justify the way they speak, but it is the hearers that feel either irritated or blessed by your words.

There are consequences to pay for your speech. Harsh and proud speech brings punishment and trouble from God and men; discreet and gracious speech brings blessing and safety from God and men. Can you rule your mouth to protect yourself from trouble?

How you use your tongue, one of the most difficult things to rule, dictates how you are treated in life. Both death and life are in the power of the tongue, and if you indulge yourself in talking, you will realize one or the other result (Pr 18:21). Solomon warned often about the consequences of speech (Pr 10:20,31; 15:2; 21:23; 26:28; Eccl 10:12-14).

What is this rod of pride in the mouths of fools? It is a metaphor describing how the proud speech of a fool hurts others and himself. His tongue becomes a weapon for pain (Job 5:21; Jas 3:9-12). A fool cannot control his proud speech, and it causes others and him grief wherever he goes (Pr 12:18; 13:10; 14:16; 18:6-7,21; 21:24; 28:25; 29:20).

But a wise man is preserved and honored by his tongue. He uses speech for the good of others, and they love him for it (Pr 15:4,23; 24:26; 25:11-12). His gracious and kind words win the blessing and favor of others (Pr 11:16; 22:11; 31:26). He preserves his soul from much grief by wisely dealing with those around him (Pr 6:1-5; 12:13; 15:1; 18:7).

When a fool talks proudly with his mouth, the pride in his words causes others to dislike and resent him. He loses friends and relationships, but in his ignorance does not know why. When a wise man graciously and humbly denigrates himself to always advance others, they respond with affection and appreciation. He gains in friends and honor.

Do you know where your speech falls between arrogance and grace? Since your heart is deceitful above all things, you are a poor judge (Jer 17:9; Ps 19:12). Since men are prone to excuse their own faults, you must accept the judgment of others. Do others think you biting, harsh, proud, or sarcastic? Or do others think you gentle, kind, edifying, or meek? You must crush even the smell of pride in your heart to have acceptable speech (Pr 16:5).

The word of God is plain here. Corrupt speech is to be replaced with gracious and edifying speech (Eph 4:29). Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and malice are to be replaced with kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness (Eph 4:31-32). Your speech is to always be gracious, allowing room for only a little salty seasoning (Col 4:6).

The Lord Jesus Christ spoke with the purest grace ever (Ps 45:2; Luke 4:22). Even officers sent by the Jews to apprehend Him could not believe His excellent speech (John 7:45-46). The wisdom from heaven is distinctly different from the wisdom of hell, and both kinds are evidenced in the heart attitude and speech of men (Jas 3:14-18). Let the wisdom of this proverb dramatically turn your speech today from pride to graciousness.

Spiritual Training 14 August 2013

Posted: August 14, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

 This letter was written to Timothy in A.S. 64 or 65, after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:16-31).  Apparently Paul had been out of prison for several years, and during that time he had revisited many churches in Asia and Macedonia.  When he and Timothy return to Ephesus, they bound wide spread false teaching in the church.  Paul had warned the Ephesian elders to be on guard against the false teachers who inevitably would come after he had left (Acts 20:17-31).  Paul sent Timothy to lead the Ephesian church while he moved on to Macedonia.  From there Paul wrote this letter of encouragement and instruction to help Timothy deal with the difficult situation in the Ephesian church.  Later, Paul was arrested again and brought back to a Roman prison.

Lets Bring it Home: We must know the truth in order to defend it.  We must cling to the belief that Christ came to save us.  We should stay away from those who twist the words of the Bible for their own purposes.

Spiritual Training 13 August 2013

Posted: August 13, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Romans:  16:25-27 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him-to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ Amen.

As Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life, Rome was the world’s political, religious, social, and economic center.  There the major governmental decisions were made, and from there the gospel spread to the ends of the earth.  The church in Rome was a cosmopolitan mixture of Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free people, men, women, Roman citizens, and world travelers; therefore, it had potential for both great influence and great conflict.  .

Lets Bring it home: Paul had not yet been to Rome to meet all the Christians there, and of course, he has not yet met us.  We too live in a cosmopolitan setting with the entire world open to us.  We also have the potential for both widespread influence and wrenching conflict.  We should listen carefully to and apply Paul’s teaching about unity, service, and love.

Proverbs 13:13 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: August 13, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 13:13 He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.

God created us, knows us, and loves us.  It only makes sense, then to listen to his instructions and do what he says.  The Bible is his unfailing word to us.  It is like an owner’s manual for a car.  If you obey God’s instructions, you will “run right” and find his kind of power to live.  If you ignore them, you will have breakdowns, accidents, and failures.

How great is the difference between being destroyed and being rewarded? How great is the difference when it is God that does both the destroying and rewarding? The difference is enormous. But the conditions for being rewarded are clear and easy. Thank you, Lord.

This proverb is similar and typical of many other proverbs by Solomon. He constantly reminded his son and you of the blessing for obeying God’s word and the punishment for not obeying it. If you despise the Bible, you will be destroyed. If you respect and keep what the Bible says, you will be blessed. This is a fundamental axiom for your life.

The God of heaven is holy and jealous (Josh 24:19). He will not forgive or overlook those who despise or reject His word. Since He is the Creator of all things, including every man, woman, and child, He expects their total submission and obedience to Him. His first commandment justly demands your absolute and total love for Him (Deut 6:4-5).

About 1650 years after creation, or about 4400 years ago, God drowned and suffocated the earth with a flood of water (Gen 7:4,23). What brought His great destruction on the earth and the human family? They had despised His word and corrupted His way on the earth (Gen 6:5-7,11-12). He sent Noah to preach and warn them, but they rebelled against the commandments of their Creator, so He destroyed them (I Pet 3:18-20; II Pet 2:5).

God sent another preacher to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, about 3500 years ago. The Hebrews, worshippers of the living and true God, were slave laborers for Pharaoh. Moses brought God’s request for Pharaoh to let His people go to Canaan. When Pharaoh despised the word, God ravaged the land with ten plagues and destroyed his army and him in the Red Sea (Ex 5:2; 12:29-36; 14:28). The lesson of the proverb should be clear.

King Ahab despised the word of the Lord, so God destroyed him in battle with a chance arrow (I Kgs 22:1-40). King Uzziah despised God’s word that only the priests were to serve in the temple, so God destroyed him with leprosy (II Chron 26:16-23). King Jehoiakim thought he could burn the word of God and get rid of its warnings, so God destroyed him and his family and gave him the burial of an ass (Jer 36:1-32; 22:18-19).

But the proverb also promises reward to those who fear God’s commandments. This fear is not servile terror, but rather eager reverence to know and do His will (Ps 1:1-2; 112:1; 119:47-48; Is 6:8; Acts 9:1-6). Though the LORD God is very great, He will bless and reward those who humbly tremble before His word (Is 66:1-2; Acts 17:11; Heb 11:6).

Fearing God and keeping His commandments is the whole duty of man (Eccl 12:13-14). But there is also great reward in keeping them (Ps 1:1-6; 19:11; 37:4; 84:11; 112:1-3), which God’s saints have experienced in all circumstances, such as Abram in Canaan (Gen 13:1-6), Isaac in Canaan (Gen 26:12-14), Joseph in Egypt (Gen 39:1-23), Ruth in Bethlehem (Ruth 2:3), Rehoboam in Jerusalem (II Chr 12:12), Manasseh in Babylon, (II Chr 33:12-13), Esther in Shushan (Es 2:17), and Daniel in Babylon (Dan 1:1-21).

What have you done with the preachers God has sent you? Paul warned against despising prophesying, or preaching (I Thess 5:20). And he foretold irremediable judgment on those who despise or neglect it (Heb 2:1-4; 10:26-31; 12:25). It is your solemn duty and great reward to fear and love the word of the Lord. The lesson of the proverb is clear!

Spiritual Training 12 August 2013

Posted: August 12, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Romans:  15:30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 

To often we see prayer as a time for comfort, reflection or making requests to God.  But here Paul urges believers to join in his struggle by means of prayer.  Prayer is a weapon that all believers should use in interceding for others.  Many of us know believers who are living in difficult places in order to communicate the gospel.  Sending them funds is part of joining them in their struggles, but prayer is also a crucial way of being with them.  Missionaries strongly desire the prayers of those who have sent them out.

Lets Bring it home: Do your prayers reflect that struggle on their behalf?

Spiritual Training 09 August 2013

Posted: August 9, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Romans:  16:17-20 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.  Keep away from them.  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.  By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.  Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.  The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. 

 When we read books or listen to sermons, we should check the content of what is written or said and not be fooled by smooth style.  Christians who study God’s Words will not be fooled, even though superficial listeners may easily be taken in.

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 

Lets Bring it home: How do you evaluate sermons and teaching?  The people in Berea opened the Scriptures for themselves and searched for truths to verify or disprove the message they heard.  Always compare what you hear with what the Bible says.  A preacher or teacher who gives God’s true message will never contradict or explain away anything that is found in God’s Word.

Proverbs 9:16 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: August 9, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

 Proverbs 9:16 “Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. 

Man, a woman wants you! This proverb is a woman inviting you to come into her house, because she wants to give you a good time (Pr 9:17). There is just one little problem – after being with her, you are dead and deep in hell (Pr 9:18). Hate this evil woman!

You can understand this proverb. Compare Pr 9:1-4 with Pr 9:13-16. There are two identical invitations from two different women. Lady Wisdom gives the first invitation (Pr 9:4); Folly herself, or a whorish woman, gives the second invitation (Pr 9:16). Appreciate Solomon’s comparison of these two women. See the comments on Pr 9:4.

Lady Wisdom kindly calls young men simple, for she has the cure for their ignorance (Pr 9:1-4). A whore does not literally call young men simple, but she instead uses all her verbal skills to flatter and seduce them. These are Solomon’s words, passing judgment on the men foolish enough to be near her. She invites all men, but only the simple listen!

Foolish young men are very vulnerable to the world’s folly and fornication with whores. They are simple and lack understanding. Captive to their powerful lusts, they cannot see beyond the next five minutes to the consequences of death and hell waiting for them (Pr 9:18). It is only understanding and wisdom that perceives the future and avoids the pain.

Lady Wisdom has a feast of meat, mingled wine, and bread at a fine table in her custom home with seven pillars (Pr 9:1-3). Folly, or the whorish woman, offers bread and water; the lying appeal is the seductive deceit of sinful pleasures (Pr 9:17). See the comments on Pr 9:17. Young man, will you dine in safety at a feast, or in grave danger on prison fare?

Every day, Folly and whorish women invite men to join them. They want to take men down to destruction. Men make daily choices to resist temptation or give in to it. Giving in has horrible results. Either, you enter Lady Wisdom’s house and find shelter there by humbling yourself before the blessed God and consulting His precious Word, or you give in to the lying laughter of this wicked world in its offer of short-term sensual pleasure.

Wisdom demands you stay away from the folly and women of this world as much as possible. The draw of both to the natural man is too powerful to play with. Instead, wise men will fill their souls and minds with the pure gospel of Jesus Christ and the doctrine that is according to godliness. They will not even allow potential temptations. The attraction and invitation of folly and fornication are real, but so are the consequences!

Spiritual Training 09 August 2013

Posted: August 8, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Romans:  15:20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 

 Paul says that he has “ambition.” Ambition can be a difficult topic for Christian’s because we see so many bad examples of ambitious people who claw their way to the top.  But certainly that isn’t the kind of ambition one sees in Paul.  Instead of looking out for himself and working hard for personal advancement, he was ambitious to serve God-for Paul that meant to “preach the gospel where Christ was not known.”

Lets Bring it home: Are we ambitious for God? Do we want, more than anything else, to please him and to do his will?  Ask God for “holy ambition.”

Proverbs 08:05 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: August 8, 2013 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 8:05 – You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding. 

Are people willing to take the position to admit that they are not adequate, to say I am a sinner and that I really don’t have intellectual problems?  Sometimes I think it is a joke to listen to folk with “intellectual” problems. How many times do we hear people say, “I have intellectual problems about the Bible?”  What they really have is a sin problem, and he didn’t want to give up his sin.  I have discovered that if a person has a sin problem and will turn to Christ with that problem, it is amazing how often the intellectual problems will be solved.

Wisdom calls you! Will you consider her precious gifts? She offers understanding and wisdom to the simple and foolish. Do you hear her? Or are you too busy? Or are you too proud to know you are ignorant? Or are you too rebellious to change your ways for her?

Lady Wisdom says those who reject her must love death (Pr 8:36). If you disregard her offer, you do so to your own peril. God will bring calamities into your life, and He will laugh when you tremble in fear and beg for His help (Pr 1:20-32; Ps 2:4; 37:13). He will mock your troubles and your fears. The warning is harsh, but it is truly the words of God.

Solomon continued his personification of wisdom in this chapter.  See the comments on Prov 8:1. Wisdom, the ability to judge correctly, is presented as a woman here and in other parts of this book. It has been said, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!” It is your prudence to soberly consider the gracious offer of this glorious and terrible woman.

In this verse, Lady Wisdom exhorts simple and foolish men to take the wisdom and understanding she offers. All men are born foolish and ignorant, and she implores them to take and use her wisdom. Implied is the rhetorical question, Why do you want to continue in the stupidity and lusts of your ignorance (Pr 1:22; Ex 16:28; I Kgs 18:21)? Why?

Every parent thinks this about their children, and every pastor thinks it about church members. Parents watch their children ignore instruction and rush into pain and trouble, and pastors watch members do the same. The father and preacher in this book, Solomon, by the inspiration of God, calls for you to hear his instruction and learn wisdom.

Are you offended being called simple and foolish? It should not offend you. You came into this world messing on yourself, and you will go out doing the same. Unless you take God’s offer of wisdom, you are not any better right now. The world spews pagan and perverse filth at you daily in increasing intensity – you need God’s wisdom desperately.

If wisdom is the ability to rightly judge, do you have it? If understanding is accurate discernment, do you have it? There is only one way to know. Are your thoughts and actions in perfect agreement with God’s written word? Scripture alone defines wisdom, and any thoughts to the contrary are insane (Ps 19:7; 119:130; Isaiah 8:20; I Tim 6:3-5).

You cannot know wisdom by nature; you must obtain it by instruction. You cannot find truth by rationalization; it requires revelation from the God of truth. There is no better source than these proverbs for wisdom (Pr 1:1-4). Do you fear and crave their words? The Bible is God’s book of truth (Ps 119:160; 19:9). Do you love it preached to you?

Scripture addresses every area of your life – sex, employment, speech, money, eating, children, exercise, driving, thoughts, hair, television, clothing, friends, etc. If you think or act contrary to what is written, you have not advanced beyond the diapers that recently protected you, and your thoughts are the braying of a donkey (Job 11:12; II Pet 2:12).

Why be a fool? Take the offered wisdom and understanding today! How? Humble yourself before God’s word and this warning, repent of your foolishness, repudiate your sins, admit your ignorance, and conform every thought, word, and action to His holy word. Find a Bible-preaching church that emphasizes truth and wisdom and join it.

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