God

Loving the Scriptures

Posted by

0

An anonymous Christian said one day “When I was filled with the Spirit, I loved the Scriptures so much that if I could have gotten more of the Word of God inside of me by eating it, I would have eaten the Book. I literally would have taken and eaten it—leather and everything—if I could have gotten more of the Book inside my heart.”

Well, you don’t get it by eating it, but the Word of God is sweet to the Spirit-filled person because the Spirit wrote the Scriptures. The spirit of the world does not appreciate the Scriptures—it is the Spirit of God who gives appreciation of the Scriptures. One little flash of the Holy Spirit will give you more inward, divine illumination on the meaning of the text than all the commentators that ever commented.

It 1727 the Moravians who were quiet people, like you and me, but they waited and prepared their hearts, and one morning, suddenly, that which they called “a sense of the living nearness of the Savior, instantaneously bestowed,” came upon them.

Now, when the Holy Spirit is allowed to come with particular intimacy in a human soul, He never talks about Himself, but always about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Count Zinzendorf wrote that the small group of 75 German Christians arose and went out that building so happy and joyful that they did not know whether they were on earth or had gone on to heaven. The historian says that, as a result of that experience, within twenty short years those Spirit-filled Moravian Christians did more for world missions than the entire Church in all of its parts had done in 200 years. It made missionaries of them.

The New Testament speaks of the sense of “wonder” among the early Christians. The Church in our day seems to have lost this. I remember that Dr. R.R. Brown, of Omaha, once said to me, “God is so good to me that it frightens (amaze) me!”[1]

[1] A. W. Tozer, The Counselor: Straight Talk About the Holy Spirit from a 20th Century Prophet (Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread, 1993), 149.

I’m Not Giving Up!

Posted by

0

Last Monday, as I was talking on the phone with a friend in Windsor it was snowing. I ask him what the temperature down his way was; I truly didn’t like the answer, a sunny and a beautiful 18C. I taught of giving up the North and move down South. Many things in life can provoke us to give up! Maybe it is unemployment, financial loss, infidelity in marriage, death of a loved one, etc.

Centuries before Jesus Christ, the nation of Israel was in a terrible shape, the future didn’t look too bright. Soon the nation would go into captivity (bankrupt), the enemy was exulting with Israel downfall. Yet, God was not done with his people. God is in the business of encouraging those who trust in Him. God did come to his prophet Micah to reassure him. If your world seems to collapse, remember that God want’s to come to you and reassure you. Micah was so uplift that he wrote these delightful words, “But me, I’m not giving up. I’m sticking around to see what God will do. I’m waiting for God to make things right. I’m counting on God to listen to me (Micah 7:7)”.

Do you feel depres? Do you feel like giving up, out of touch? Please, don’t give up! Remember, God is an expert to turn around desperate situations. Nothing is too hard for Him! Remember that discouragement is the Devil’s best tool. When I get this tool into a man’s heart, the way is open to plant anything there I may desire.”

Don’t give up! Obey Jesus telling you“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11: 28)

 

What happened to meeting with God?

Posted by

0

Am I a religious person or am I seeking a relationship with God?

The author A.W. Tozer wrote, “From man’s standpoint the most tragic loss suffered in the Fall was the vacating of this inner sanctum (man’s spirit) by the Spirit of God.” When Adam and Eve disobey God in the Garden of Eden, something regrettable took place. Eloquently Tozer wrote, “At the far-in hidden center of man’s being is a bush fitted to be the dwelling place of the Triune God. There God planned to rest and glow with moral and spiritual privilege and must now dwell there alone. For so intimately private is the place that no creature can intrude; no one can enter but Christ, and He will enter only by the invitation of faith.”

The Good News is that it is still possible to restore our lost relationship with God. Jesus Himself said “Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). When a person “open the door” to Christ, He is invited into someone inner sanctum, the far-in hidden center of man’s being; then a miracle takes place, it is called the <new birth>. How does the new birth take place? It is operative by the Holy Spirit; the “divine nature” enters the deep-in core of the believer’s heart and establishes residence there. The apostle Paul add, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his,” for “the Spirit itself witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:9, 16). Such a one is a true Christian, and only such.

What happened to meeting with God? Did you take the time this morning to meet with God? “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Breakfast will feed your body, but what about your far-in hidden center? Don’t be content by reading a little devotional, instead take time to meet with God!

Written by a 18 years old young man

Posted by

0

“After this my sense of divine things gradually increased, and became more and more lively, and had more of that inward sweetness. The appearance of every thing was altered; there seemed to be, as it were, a calm, sweet cast, or appearance of divine glory, in almost every thing. God’s excellency, his wisdom, his purity and love, seemed to appear in every thing; in the sun, moon, and stars; in the clouds, and blue sky; in the grass, flowers, trees; in the water, and all nature; which used greatly to fix my mind. I often used to sit and view the moon for continuance; and in the day, spent much time in viewing the clouds and sky, to behold the sweet glory of God in these things: in the mean time, singing forth, with a low voice, my contemplations of the Creator and Redeemer. And scarce any thing, among all the works of nature, was so sweet to me as thunder and lightning; formerly, nothing had been so terrible to me. Before, I used to be uncommonly terrified with thunder, and to be struck with terror when I saw a thunder-storm rising; but now, on the contrary, it rejoiced me. I felt God, so to speak, at the first appearance of a thunder-storm; and used to take the opportunity, at such times, to fix myself in order to view the clouds, and see the lightnings play, and hear the majestic and awful voice of God’s thunder, which oftentimes was exceedingly entertaining, leading me to sweet contemplations of my great and glorious God. While thus engaged, it always seemed natural to me to sing, or chant forth my meditations; or, to speak my thoughts in soliloquies with a singing voice.”

“Holiness, as I then wrote down some of my contemplations on it, appeared to me to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature; which brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, and ravishment to the soul. In other words, that it made the soul like a field or garden of God, with all manner of pleasant flowers; all pleasant, delightful, and undisturbed; enjoying a sweet calm, and the gently vivifying beams of the sun. The soul of a true Christian, as I then wrote my meditations, appeared like such a little white flower as we see in the spring of the year; low and humble on the ground, opening its bosom, to receive the pleasant beams of the sun’s glory; rejoicing, as it were, in a calm rapture; diffusing around a sweet fragrancy; standing peacefully and lovingly, in the midst of other flowers round about; all in like manner opening their bosoms, to drink in the light of the sun. There was no part of creature-holiness, that I had so great a sense of its loveliness, as humility, brokenness of heart, and poverty of spirit; and there was nothing that I so earnestly longed for. My heart panted after this,—to lie low before God, as in the dust; that I might be nothing, and that God might be all, that I might become as a little child.” —Jonathan Edwards

Gratitude is the Believers’ Emblem!

Posted by

0

Christmas is the time of the year where most people become enthusiastic; very busy cooking, decorating the house and shopping for the perfect gifts. Unfortunately few people stop to find out the true meaning of the season. Imagine the joy of giving a very exclusive gift to a loved one. Regrettably that person does not even bother to show any gratitude; worst, she even pays no attention to the gift. How would you feel? Wouldn’t your emotions be disturbed? Of course they would. Ingratitude is a terrible disease, it reveals egotism.  Two thousand years ago God gave the most extraordinary gift possible, a gift that cost Him a lot. We read “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) But regrettably people don’t even care about the gift. Christmas is more than parties, family getting together, riding snow machines, exchanging gifts, etc. The real Christmas story is the story of God becoming a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Why was Christmas necessary? Simply because we needed a Savior!                                                                                                       Why do we celebrate Christmas each year?                                                                                                                                                  Out of gratitude for what God did for us! He provided a way—the only Way—for us to spend eternity with Him. He provided a gift, His only Son to take our punishment for our sins. “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Some folks ask Jesus “What does God want us to do?” Jesus responded, “God wants to do something for you so that you believe in the one whom he has sent.” (John 6:28–29) The best gift you could give God is to believe that Christ was sent by God for you. This Christmas will you pay attention to the gift God send you?

Risking

Posted by

0

Risktakerby taking bold decision. Examples from the pass will help reflect on where motivation comes from.  Why people avoid as much as possible risk? Because taking some risk imply some exposures. Nobody likes to show their vulnerability. Risk occurs when we put our reputation, beliefs, financial security, personal well-being, or even our lives on the line. Some do so simply for the thrill, or in the hopes of achieving some higher goal.

What motivate two men from the pass to take some great risk? Ezekiel was a prophet that lived about 600 years before Jesus; John was an apostle who lived during Jesus lives. Both of these men saw with greater clarity what was coming, they saw what others could not see.

Without risk takers, life would be even more dangerous. Politicians, doctors, and scientists throughout history who were willing to take well-calculated risks have benefited us all. A medical example will help us to understand how civilization did benefit from a courageous man who risk.

“Smallpox was the menace of mankind in 1717 when Zabdiel Boylston developed an effective but hazardous method of protection. He called it innoculation. He injected a small amount of infected material directly from smallpox patients into uninfected patients.”[1]

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.–Helen Keller

Because these men saw with greater clarity what was coming, because they saw what others could not see, they took risk because they knew that doing nothing would bring destruction of many lives.

Security is the mother of danger and the grandmother of destruction.–Thomas Fuller

Even though the Bible never uses the word risk, story after story tells of risks taken, risks that end in flaming disasters or inspiring victories.  Did the shepherd left the ninety and nine in the safety of the fold and went out to search for the one lost sheep? No, the ninety-nine were left not in the safety of the fold but in the wilderness. “Only God, exhibiting his risky, careless love, would leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness to look for the one who is lost.”

The risks taken with the goal of presenting the gospel to those who have not heard are high-priority risks indeed. Ezekiel, John, Zabdiel are all men who saw what others could not see. They knew that risk was inescapable; they cross the security line and sailed off shore into deep water. They expose themselves for the well-being of others; putting their reputation, financial security, personal well-being, or even our lives on the line. For a Christian there is a risk when confronting a fallen world with the gospel’s radical message. The question a Christian has to answer, are we willing to use our gifts and risk for the kingdom’s greatest advantage? A similar question need to be answer by anyone who see what others cannot see, are you willing to take a risk that will benefit others?

[1] Terry C. Muck, When to Take a risk, vol. 9, Carol Stream, IL; Waco, TX: Christianity Today, Inc.; Word Books, 1987), 32.

Fear: The Fight Against It!

Posted by

0

Recently I had some work done on my 23 year old Toyota Cressida. Andrew is semi-retired mechanic, he loves Harley and travelling with his homemade ‘Winnebago’. He just got back from a trip in the Mid-West States. Andrew asked me, “Do you know what took place in Moore, Oklahoma? I answer ‘yes’ a massive tornado. He answered to me, “You know, I was there with my camper only three weeks ago; could you imagine what it would like if we would be there during that Tornado? I am so happy to live away from tornado region.” As you can see, Andrew fears tornado, and it is understandable.

Yet in some situation fear can be poisonous.  If we let fear drive our decisions, it will slowly destroy us, causing us to make moves that are against God’s will and detrimental to ourselves and others. The antidote to fear is complete reliance on God and His work through the Spirit. God gave us a wonderful promise, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). How did God come? He sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day. One of the Holy Spirit’s ministries is to lead us each day wherever our heavenly Father desires us to best represent Him. Osbeck express it well, “When vital decisions must be made, the Holy Spirit can open the Scriptures to us and illuminate our minds. By this faithful guidance of the Holy Spirit, we come to love and follow the will of God for our daily living. Many of our troubles occur because we fail to take counsel from the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Instead of first praying and seeking guidance, we act and then ask God to bless our actions.”[1]

The Hymn “Holy Spirit, Faithful Guide” was written and composed by an American farmer, Marcus M. Wells. The first stanza goes this way, Holy Spirit, faithful Guide, ever near the Christian’s side, gently lead us by the hand, pilgrims in a desert land; weary souls fore’er rejoice, while they hear that sweetest voice whisp’ring softly, “Wand’rer come! Follow Me, I’ll guide thee home.”

Think over these wonderful words “weary souls… follow Me, I’ll guide the home”. King David did not let fear drive him facing the Giant, instead he drove out fear in the name of His God. Let’s apply it to our own situation, Will you follow David’s example trusting God? Will you believe that God has all the power and all the wisdom to guide you in all security? Something in life needs to be feared, like a tornado; but most of our daily activities, instead of letting fear control us, lest learn to rely and trust a faithful loving God.  For additional reading look in the Bible in 1 Chronicles 12:1–13:14.

[1] Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1996), 158.