My last article was on fear and after some reflection I felt that I needed to add a few more thoughts on the subject. No one likes fear and certainly no Christian should suffer from fear or allow it any place in their life.
Jesus said "fear not" and that is as much a commandment as "do not steal or commit adultery". Why? Because is shows a lack of faith, plain and simple. Faith is not as complex or unattainable as some would think because it is a gift and it is freely given those who diligently seek the Lord. Faith in it's simplest description is the ability to truly believe the promises of the Promisor. Usually the promise goes like this; "You do this and I will do this in return". It is nearly always a two way street. While you cannot save yourself with your efforts you can obtain eternal life through obedience and love. He has already done His part but you have a part to do to access what is already made available. I have often used the term "passionate pursuit" to describe how our relationship with Him should be and here is a scripture;
Hebrews 11:6
New King James Version (NKJV)
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:13
New King James Version (NKJV)
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Now here is a scripture that is the opposite and is the condition of many Christians today;
Matthew 15:8
New King James Version (NKJV)
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
Those who are in the second category are those who have fear of something unless they are too blind or arrogant to fear anything.
Much of the blame for this condition rests on the shoulders of those who are supposed to be our spiritual leaders and should be pointing out these matters. Some may tread around the edges but are afraid to speak plainly for fear of offending anyone. Better to offend I say than to do nothing to stop folks from a headlong plunge into hell or even living a life that is like hell. I have often heard it said that "He didn't promise you a rose garden" and I would argue that point. The abundant life that Jesus came to give us is better than a rose garden. It is simply that few enjoy it to it's fullest because they will not comply with the requirements. All the dark clouds are the result of outright sin or made necessary for a course correction. God will micromanage your life if you will let Him and He can do a much better job than you can because He can see everything and you cannot. Main problem is that most people don't want someone else making decisions for them even when the outcome is for their benefit or else the effort to come into that intimate relationship with Him is just too much effort.
I titled this "perfect love" and that is from this scripture;
1 John 4:18
New King James Version (NKJV)
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
God's love is always perfect but it is not complete or perfect for me until it is returned. It must be reciprocated to be complete. The word "perfect" that is used in scripture means "mature or complete" so While God's love is awesome and even beyond comprehension it is not of much benefit to me until I love Him in return and there is plenty of scripture that defines how my love should be and here's one;
Deuteronomy 6:5
New King James Version (NKJV)
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
This does not sound like the sort of love that many Christians have for Him because I set in many meetings and it is simply amazing to me how few even have a working knowledge of the Bible which is His eternal word. They not only do not know what is in it but can't even find a book or chapter. This does not sound like a heart that is on fire for Him. Nor does it sound like a soul that is seeking Him, the soul is our mind, our will and our emotions combined. To me this scripture says that I should love Him and seek Him with every faculty in me without reservation. Believe me, the benefits outweigh the costs by a huge margin. God gives incentives but we must work to discover them.
Be blessed in your efforts to renew and increase your love for Him.
john
email;justjohn@eoni.com
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
FEAR
I never know what is going to be the catalyst for another article. Sometimes everyday events serve to direct my thoughts in a certain direction and this is one of those times.
I was having lunch at the Senior Center about 10 days ago and was sharing a table with several others. One of those present who was setting right next to me was well known by me for more than 30 years and is probably one of the dearest Christians that I know. Good works galore and full of scriptural knowledge. In our conversation this person was telling me some of their activities and mentioned taking someone to a home for Alzheimer's patients. I commented that was sad and that it seems that Alzheimer's was increasing in frequency and this persons response was "Yes and it is my greatest fear". I was surprised at that response and said so because this should not be the case for a true Christian. I quoted this verse;
2 Timothy 1:7
New King James Version (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind
Then I said do you really think the loving God that you have served faithfully for so many years will reward that service with such an end? I said a few other things that I will not repeat but the person said "I never thought of that and now I feel better".
I thought that was the end of it but ever since then I have been bombarded with thoughts concerning fear and what may imply for the Christian. Some articles are born fully developed and others grow slowly and it take a while before I see it is something I should write.
First of all I believe fear is a symptom of something worse going on in the life just as pain is a symptom rather than the actual problem. We can take a pain killer for the pain but we haven't done anything to solve the underlying problem and so it is with fear. We can ignore it or we can even try to do something to ward off the thing we are afraid of but we still haven't done anything to remedy the cause of the fear.
A Christian should fear only one thing and that is God and that should be a fear that is mingled with deep reverence. The kind of fear that I'm talking about is that which a child has for a good father. A father that the child loves very much because the father is very loving and kind and does lots of fun things with the child but when the child steps out of line and needs correction the father does not hesitate to lower the hammer and the punishment fits the crime. When I was a kid I definitely did not want to incur my fathers wrath and though I did sometimes, it was something I did not want to repeat. There is no one so kind and loving as our heavenly Father but we can never ignore His judgement that is rendered out of love and desire for us to reach our ultimate potential and of course that is the very likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. As long as our progress is in that direction there is no need for fear but should it stop or begin to drift in the other direction then there is plenty of cause for fear.
I believe fear for a Christian has it's root in complacency. This person I was having a conversation with was the most fervent on fire Christian that I had ever known but in the course of our conversation I learned that it was no longer the case. Much of the fire seemed to have gone out and there was a coolness set in that was very easy to detect. Though I don't see this person very often because they live in another community, our conversation had always been very animated and heartwarming because of the similarity of our passion for the things of God. I commented that it is quite puzzling that in the day that we see that the end of all things is at hand that few if any are heeding the admonition of Hebrews 10:25
King James Version (KJV)
25 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.
Instead of getting together more often most churches are now down to one hour on Sunday morning only with no midweek or Sunday evening service. This person said "oh our church has a midweek service but we don't hardly ever go.
Friends this is complacency and complacency is another term for lukewarmness and lukewarmness is one of the most dangerous places to be. If we have ever been in a state of fervent love and devotion for the Lord that condition should only be increasing, not decreasing. There is no end or point of arrival where we can say I have now arrived and can just kick back and take my ease. Here's the warning from scripture;
Revelation 2:4
New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Revelation 3:14-16
New King James Version (NKJV)
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans[a] write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,[b] I will vomit you out of My mouth.
If you have never been hot for the Lord there's still time but if you have been and are not now you probably are experiencing some fear about something and you need to realize that God is calling you back before it is too late. A lifetime of devotion will not prevent being spewed out of His mouth if you have become lukewarm and do nothing about it. One does not need to fall into gross sin to be rejected by God.
There is much more that I could write on this subject but I will stop here and hope and pray that this is sufficient to get the attention of those who need to consider their present state with Him.
Many blessings
john
email; justjohn@eoni.com
I was having lunch at the Senior Center about 10 days ago and was sharing a table with several others. One of those present who was setting right next to me was well known by me for more than 30 years and is probably one of the dearest Christians that I know. Good works galore and full of scriptural knowledge. In our conversation this person was telling me some of their activities and mentioned taking someone to a home for Alzheimer's patients. I commented that was sad and that it seems that Alzheimer's was increasing in frequency and this persons response was "Yes and it is my greatest fear". I was surprised at that response and said so because this should not be the case for a true Christian. I quoted this verse;
2 Timothy 1:7
New King James Version (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind
Then I said do you really think the loving God that you have served faithfully for so many years will reward that service with such an end? I said a few other things that I will not repeat but the person said "I never thought of that and now I feel better".
I thought that was the end of it but ever since then I have been bombarded with thoughts concerning fear and what may imply for the Christian. Some articles are born fully developed and others grow slowly and it take a while before I see it is something I should write.
First of all I believe fear is a symptom of something worse going on in the life just as pain is a symptom rather than the actual problem. We can take a pain killer for the pain but we haven't done anything to solve the underlying problem and so it is with fear. We can ignore it or we can even try to do something to ward off the thing we are afraid of but we still haven't done anything to remedy the cause of the fear.
A Christian should fear only one thing and that is God and that should be a fear that is mingled with deep reverence. The kind of fear that I'm talking about is that which a child has for a good father. A father that the child loves very much because the father is very loving and kind and does lots of fun things with the child but when the child steps out of line and needs correction the father does not hesitate to lower the hammer and the punishment fits the crime. When I was a kid I definitely did not want to incur my fathers wrath and though I did sometimes, it was something I did not want to repeat. There is no one so kind and loving as our heavenly Father but we can never ignore His judgement that is rendered out of love and desire for us to reach our ultimate potential and of course that is the very likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. As long as our progress is in that direction there is no need for fear but should it stop or begin to drift in the other direction then there is plenty of cause for fear.
I believe fear for a Christian has it's root in complacency. This person I was having a conversation with was the most fervent on fire Christian that I had ever known but in the course of our conversation I learned that it was no longer the case. Much of the fire seemed to have gone out and there was a coolness set in that was very easy to detect. Though I don't see this person very often because they live in another community, our conversation had always been very animated and heartwarming because of the similarity of our passion for the things of God. I commented that it is quite puzzling that in the day that we see that the end of all things is at hand that few if any are heeding the admonition of Hebrews 10:25
King James Version (KJV)
25 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.
Instead of getting together more often most churches are now down to one hour on Sunday morning only with no midweek or Sunday evening service. This person said "oh our church has a midweek service but we don't hardly ever go.
Friends this is complacency and complacency is another term for lukewarmness and lukewarmness is one of the most dangerous places to be. If we have ever been in a state of fervent love and devotion for the Lord that condition should only be increasing, not decreasing. There is no end or point of arrival where we can say I have now arrived and can just kick back and take my ease. Here's the warning from scripture;
Revelation 2:4
New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Revelation 3:14-16
New King James Version (NKJV)
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans[a] write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,[b] I will vomit you out of My mouth.
If you have never been hot for the Lord there's still time but if you have been and are not now you probably are experiencing some fear about something and you need to realize that God is calling you back before it is too late. A lifetime of devotion will not prevent being spewed out of His mouth if you have become lukewarm and do nothing about it. One does not need to fall into gross sin to be rejected by God.
There is much more that I could write on this subject but I will stop here and hope and pray that this is sufficient to get the attention of those who need to consider their present state with Him.
Many blessings
john
email; justjohn@eoni.com
Friday, June 1, 2012
An Evening Prayer in Remembrance of the Lord's Prayer
Our gracious heavenly Father, you have shown us Your holiness by sending Your Son Who in turn has come to reside in our hearts. Praise be to His Name that is above all names in heaven or in earth.
Through Him Your kingdom has come and established itself in the lives of those who choose You.
Through the strength and guidance that He provides Your will has been done according to the best of our ability through the love that is shed abroad in our hearts by Your Holy Spirit.
Today was a good day, I pray that tomorrow will be an even better day and fill your heart with joy.
You have kept your promise to supply our daily bread and I am confident that you will do so tomorrow as well. I am most grateful that my problem is the need to work at keeping the pounds off rather than the struggle to find enough to eat to add a few pounds.
Thank you for the forgiveness that you have so freely extended to me that has made me feel so free and filled with peace. It has humbled me because I know what I am inside that nobody else knows. It has changed my heart and given me the ability to forgive those who so thoughtlessly hurt me. Oh by the way, you know Harold my co-worker down at the mill? Well today he was telling me about all the trouble he has at home with his wife being sick and his kids making trouble at school and the car broke down. Well I was telling him about all the awesome things that you have done for me and the peace that you have given me, after listening to me go on for half an hour he said that he would like to have a boss like that and I told him that all he had to do was ask. Well he did. Please take good care of him. Yes Lord I know you will.
Oh and you know that woman in the office who is always trying to catch my eye? I thank you that you always remind me with that little voice inside that the grass is not really greener on the other side of the fence and the wife I have at home is the one that You chose for me. You’re my deliverer from temptation.
Yours Lord is the kingdom, Yours Lord is the Power and above all, Yours Lord is the Glory but I thank you that you have given me the promise that I am a joint heir with you in all that is in the future and not because of anything that I have done but because of what Your Son has done.
Amen
By john Martin
Email; justjohn@eoni.com
Through Him Your kingdom has come and established itself in the lives of those who choose You.
Through the strength and guidance that He provides Your will has been done according to the best of our ability through the love that is shed abroad in our hearts by Your Holy Spirit.
Today was a good day, I pray that tomorrow will be an even better day and fill your heart with joy.
You have kept your promise to supply our daily bread and I am confident that you will do so tomorrow as well. I am most grateful that my problem is the need to work at keeping the pounds off rather than the struggle to find enough to eat to add a few pounds.
Thank you for the forgiveness that you have so freely extended to me that has made me feel so free and filled with peace. It has humbled me because I know what I am inside that nobody else knows. It has changed my heart and given me the ability to forgive those who so thoughtlessly hurt me. Oh by the way, you know Harold my co-worker down at the mill? Well today he was telling me about all the trouble he has at home with his wife being sick and his kids making trouble at school and the car broke down. Well I was telling him about all the awesome things that you have done for me and the peace that you have given me, after listening to me go on for half an hour he said that he would like to have a boss like that and I told him that all he had to do was ask. Well he did. Please take good care of him. Yes Lord I know you will.
Oh and you know that woman in the office who is always trying to catch my eye? I thank you that you always remind me with that little voice inside that the grass is not really greener on the other side of the fence and the wife I have at home is the one that You chose for me. You’re my deliverer from temptation.
Yours Lord is the kingdom, Yours Lord is the Power and above all, Yours Lord is the Glory but I thank you that you have given me the promise that I am a joint heir with you in all that is in the future and not because of anything that I have done but because of what Your Son has done.
Amen
By john Martin
Email; justjohn@eoni.com
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