The Truth and Our Mind

 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever in honorable,

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence

and if anything worth of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8

"An old subject is thus brought before us again: the cardinal place occupied by the Christian's mind, for good as well as for ill. Just as a carnal mind is the surest passport to the downward path, so a mind drilled in the things of which God approves is the steadiest way into practical holiness. If, in a difficult relationship (1), we allow our minds and judgment to be clouded by half-truth, or if we allow frivolous and damaging thoughts about the other person (2) to simmer in our minds, we are hardly being like Christ. We should rather determine to think only the truth about the other person (2), to value what is attractive and praiseworthy about him. This will prove to be the way of peace.

We are to meditate on, to prize as valuable, and to be influenced by all that is true, all that merits serious thought and encourages serious-mindedness, all that accords with justice and moral purity, all that is fragrant and lovely, all that brings with it a good word, that speaks well, whatever has genuine worth of any sort and merits praise. It is the will of God that by giving attention to things of which he approves we should shape our minds to be like his: to those who do so, he pledges his guardian peace and his own presence as the God of peace."

Alec Motyer

The Message of Philippians

Page 212

The italics above are mine, and for #1 you could substitute situation or circumstance; and for #2 you could substitute the Lord.

Philippians 4:8 is a powerful verse.  It is one of  the verses that should be required memorization for every Christian.  It is the verse that both guards and shapes our mind. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, "As a man thinks within himself, so he is."  And how we think within ourselves should be guarded and shaped by Philippians 4:8.  

There are two things I would like for us to take note of in this verse:

First is the word dwell (think in the ESV). The Lord could have used the two most common Greek words for think, phroneo or dokeo, but He didn't. Instead He used the word logizomai. This word means more than just having an opinion or giving acknowledgment. It means to give careful consideration, to make a reasoned reflection, to be circumspect about. It implies deliberateness and seriousness. As it is used here, logizomai is also in the present tense and imperative mood, which means it is a permanent command to the point that these qualities are to be the habitual focus of our mind; and then these qualities, qualities of which God approves, will guard and shape our mind.      

Second, is the word truth. This word is the first word in this list of eight things which our minds are to be dwelling upon. The primary, most important, first and foremost thing which we are to give careful consideration to is the truth. Truth is to be the gatekeeper of our mind, and the main shaper of our thoughts. All the other qualities that we are to let our mind dwell on should always be subject to the truth. Truth is the best thing we can know, and the most reliable and powerful thing we can reflect upon.  

The most important, most reliable, and most powerful truth we can know, and therefore dwell upon is the truth about God. How we think about God and what we think about God greatly affect our life; and how we respond to all the different situations we find ourselves in is based in large part on our view of God, and our view of God is shaped by what we know about God. So knowing the truth about God is paramount.

The second most important truth we can know, is the truth about ourselves. It is against the backdrop of the truth about God and in light of the truth about God that we gain insight into the truth about ourselves, and in knowing the truth about ourselves we begin to see ourselves as God sees us. We see our life and all of its dynamics from God's viewpoint. We see our motives, our reactions, our plans, our thoughts and desires from God's vantage point, and we began to view ourselves in light of the truth that we know about God. Of course this truth was realized, brought to full view and manifested thoroughly, in Jesus Christ (John 1:17) because He is the embodiment of the truth (John 14:6).

Where can we go to find this truth? Why, of course, we go to the word of God, which is truth (John 17:17), and speaks the truth concerning every subject it touches (Psalm 119:160). The truth which should guard our mind and shape our thoughts is found in the Scriptures, and is the Scriptures themselves, as the Bible does not contain the truth, but is the truth.

Romans 12:2 tells us that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Our mind is renewed (continually made new) as we grow in knowledge of the truth. In John 8:32, Christ tells us that in knowing the truth we shall be set free. Starting with salvation, there are a myriad of applications in this verse, but the base line is that we shall be set free from the shackles of the lies of the enemy, the lies of the world, and the lies of our flesh. These are the lies we have been believing for most of our life, lies that have shaped our thoughts and governed the course of our life, lies that have made our lives miserable, lies that have separated us from God and from others, lies that our unredeemed flesh still wants to cling to.

So, it is imperative that we know the truth, and not just know the truth but continually reflect upon all that we know to be true, to give deliberate, serious, and careful consideration to what we know to be true. As we do this, our knowledge of the truth, what is true about God, ourselves, and life will grow; and as we engage our minds on the things we know to be true, our mind will be guarded from what is false...the lies of the enemy, the world, and our flesh...and our mind will be trained and shaped.

The more truth we know, the more our mind and therefore our thoughts are conformed to the truth. The more our minds are conformed to the truth the more discerning we will be regarding the lies of the enemy no matter which area of the prevailing culture they emanate from. Truth is the backdrop against which the lies of the enemy become apparent. 

Friends, let us determine today, and pray today for strength, wisdom, and discernment in the things that are true, so that our minds will be fixed upon only that which is true, so we will be people of the truth. In doing this we will be set free from the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and have the peace that surpasses all human comprehension.

Rejoice in the Lord Always

 Rejoice in the Lord always,

again I say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 

In the Greek, this word rejoice is a present active imperative, which means it is an ongoing command, one which is to be carried out continually, and is one of a list of commands that Paul gives in the first nine verses of this chapter. And, for obvious good measure, Paul couples this command with the word always, so that we see for sure that there is to never be a time when we are not to be rejoicing. Along with this I do not believe that it is an accident that Paul gives this command on the heels of reminding the Philippians about the book of life in verse three. What comes to mind immediately is the command of our Lord to his disciples in Luke 10:20...but rejoice that your names are written in the book of life. Here He was telling the disciples that their rejoicing should be in their salvation, its surety and security.

As Christians, our greatest joy should be our salvation, and it should override and overcome any and all circumstances in life. Our joy in our salvation, in our eternal standing in the Lord should always be our greatest joy, and we should exult in our salvation above all else. As a result, we should be more thankful for our salvation than anything else, and the fact of our salvation should be both the foundation and the fountainhead of all of our praise. In Hebrews it is called a "so great salvation" and, indeed, it is just that. The Scripture tells us we are to make melody in our hearts to the Lord, and if you read through the Psalms you will see the greatest praise and thanksgiving, the greatest rejoicing, revolves around salvation.

The circumstances of the Philippians when Paul wrote this also gives us some insight into this command to rejoice. They were facing opposition from without that was causing suffering of the type that they had seen Paul go through when he was in Philippi (Philippians 1:27-30). They were faced with opposition from within as there were enemies of the cross (tares) among them (Philippians 3:17-19). They were also beset with internal bickering that was dividing the church (1:27, 2:2-4, 4:2-3). There was much going on that would be disheartening and discouraging to this body of believers. This is why Paul starts of this section with the command to stand firm in the Lord. In light of all of this, we see the command to rejoice in this verse is for them to have a thoughtful response to their circumstances, not a blitheful, ignorant, Pollyanna view, but a knowing reflection of the greatness of their eternal spiritual state in comparison to the temporal circumstances they found themselves in.

Additionally, they already have joy, joy within, through the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Joy is second on the list of the fruit of the Spirit. It is only those who have the joy of the Lord who can truly rejoice in the Lord…in His reality, His nearness, His promises, His truth. Again, you rejoice in Him because of all that He is and all that you have in Him. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, "The joy of the Lord is our strength." Joy steadies the fainting soul, it strengthens the weak soul, it anchors the wavering soul, it gives light to the distressed soul, it soothes the anxious soul, and it bolsters the vexed soul.

However, joy is what we have, rejoicing is what we do as the outward manifestation of the joy we have within; and rejoicing in the Lord is key in standing firm in Him. Paul also tells the Thessalonians in Chapter 5 to rejoice always. So rejoicing is to be a state that the Christian is to live in, and a daily practice. In his commentary on Philippians Walter Hansen shares this, “The fulfillment of all other goals in the Christian walk flows out of the practice of the rejoicing in the Lord." If you think about it, you see how true this is. I have never seen an effective Christian who was not a rejoicing Christian. 

This command to rejoice was given to the Philippians in the context of suffering, in the context of opposition, in the context of less than perfect circumstances, and so we see who they are rejoice in, it is the Lord, Himself. They are to rejoice in the Lord, not in their health, their wealth, their prosperity, their stuff, their job, their family, or their circumstances. Their object of joy is to be the Lord, who He is and all that they have in Him, which is all wrapped up in the package of salvation. 

So with this in mind let's look at why we are to rejoice in the Lord, by looking at our reasons for rejoicing. And these reasons never change, even though our circumstances do.

II Corinthians 1:20 You rejoice in Him because in Him all the promises of God are Yea and Amen.

Philippians 4:13, John 15:5 You rejoice in Him because in Him you can do all things, but apart from Him you can do nothing.

Ephesians 1:3 You rejoice in Him because in Him you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.

Colossians 2:3 You rejoice in Him because in Him you have all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I Corinthians 1:24 You rejoice in Him because He is wisdom of God and the power of God.

Colossians 2:10 You rejoice in Him because in Him you have been made complete.

I Corinthians 1:30 You rejoice in Him because in Him are righteousness, sanctification and redemption.

Romans 8:1 You rejoice in Him for in Him there is no condemnation.

Ephesians 1:7 You rejoice in Him because in Him there is forgiveness of sins.

I Thessalonians 1:10 You rejoice in Him because in Him there is deliverance from the wrath to come.

Ephesians 1:10-11, I Peter 1:3-4 You rejoice in Him because in Him you have obtained an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, will not fade away, and which is reserved in heaven for you.

I Peter 1:5, 3:20-21 You rejoice in Him because in Him your salvation is protected by the power of God.

Ephesians 1:13 You rejoice in Him because in Him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Ephesians 2:13, 3:12, Hebrews 4:16 You rejoice in Him for in Him you have been brought near to the throne of grace, and in Him you have bold and confident access to the Father.

II Corinthians 5:17 You rejoice in Him for in Him you have been made new.

II Corinthians 5:18 You rejoice in Him for in Him you have been reconciled to God, and are no longer God’s enemy.

Ephesians 2:22 You rejoice in Him because in Him you are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:16 You rejoice in Him because in Him you have been raised up and seated in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 1:7 You rejoice in Him because in Him are all the riches of grace.

Ephesians 4:21 You rejoice in Him for truth is found in Him.

John 1:4, 11:25 You rejoice in Him for in Him is life eternal.

Acts 4:12, II Timothy 2:10, Hebrews 5:9 You rejoice in Him because your salvation is in Him.

John 14:9, Hebrews 1:3 You rejoice in Him because in Him you see the Father.

Ephesians 2:5 You rejoice in Him because in Him you have been made alive.

Galatians 2:20 You rejoice in Him for because He now lives in you.

John 16:33 You rejoice in Him for in Him you have peace.

This rejoicing is to be a persistent rejoicing, an active rejoicing, an intentional rejoicing…not a passive, reluctant, forced rejoicing. When we rejoice like this, in any and all circumstances, the joy of the Lord is truly our strength.

Let's rejoice today in the Lord, in all that He is, in all that He has done, in all that we have in Him. Let us rejoice in the greatness of His salvation that He has so graciously and magnanimously bestowed upon us. For the circumstances of this life are temporal, but His salvation and all that we have in Him are eternal.

A Soldier of the Cross

 Am I a Soldier of the Cross

Am I a soldier of the cross,

a follower of the Lamb, and

shall I fear to own his cause,

or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies

on flow'ry beds of ease, while

others fought to win the prize,

and sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes to for me to face?

Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vile world a friend of grace,

to help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign;

increase my courage, Lord;  I'll

bear the toil, endure the pain,

supported by Thy Word.

Thy saints, in all this glorious war, 

shall conquer though they die;

they view the triumph from afar,

and seize it with their eye.

When that illustrious day shall rise,

and all Thine armies shine in robes

of vict'ry through the skies,

the glory shall be Thine.

Isaac Watts

This hymn was written circa 1721-24 while Watts was preaching on I Corinthians 16:13, and was appended to Watts sermons published during this period , "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." is the admonition in this verse. In the time when the persecution of Christians is global and our society's intolerance toward us is increasing, the timelessness of this hymn is a vital reminder to us all of the challenge and cost and glory of taking up our cross and fighting the good fight of faith. 

Since Genesis 3 those who follow the Lord have been embroiled in a long war against the truth, and this war is also against those who love the truth, speak the truth, and live the truth. So, in a very real sense all who name the name of Christ enter into the battle in some way. May this hymn encourage and strengthen us all to be strong and be soldiers of the cross, and may we sing more songs like this in our churches.  O Father, grant us your strength that we not shrink back, Hebrews 10:38-39, but be counted among those who stand firm in the faith.

How to Keep Life's Circumstances in Perspective

First, realize that God is absolutely Sovereign over all of your life’s circumstances…both good and bad. Psalm 103:19 says “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.” (NASB) The theological term for His sovereignty over our life’s affairs is Divine Providence. This means that whatever life throws at us has to come through the omnipotent knowledge and permission of God; and the course and direction of our life is ultimately determined by the Lord.

This is practically illustrated in the following verses:

 Proverbs 16:9 The mind of man plans His way, but the Lord directs his steps. This verse shows us that we are part of the process, but that in the midst of our thinking, planning, strategizing and praying, God is the ultimate determiner.

Proverbs 20:24 Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can man understand his way. We never know nor understand where our steps will lead because the Lord has ordained (planned and purposed) them, and they are beyond our foreknowledge; but not His.

Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. This verse show us the futility of thinking that we are ever in total control of our life and its destiny. The unseen providence of God is taking us where we would never have imagined or chosen had we known all that was before us.

Psalm 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in His way. Here we see that the Lord delights (takes pleasure) in the way He has established (planned, purposed, and carried out) for us. His ultimate goal for us is to be completely conformed to the image of His Son in preparation for eternity. His plan for us is not a plan for this world only, but, actually uses this world to prepare us for the eternal world to come, and our final and complete conformity to the likeness of Christ, who, as the God-man, is the complete man. (Philippians 1:6, 2:13, Colossians 1:28, Ephesians 4:11-15, I John 3:2, Romans 8:29)

Romans 8:28 For we know that God cause all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  This is because God’s plan for us is for our eternal good.  Our time here is short, and even though we are preoccupied with it, God is preoccupied with our place in eternity.

Secondly, what should our response be?

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. In our circumstances we must have confidence in the Lord, His leading and its outcome, and not lean on (depend fully) on our own understanding. In each and every situation of our life we are to have a reverential regard and respect for God as being God, so that we acquiesce to His leading, so that we do not kick against the goads in seeking our way and not His. 

Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it.  This section begins and ends with trusting the Lord; and this trusting is accompanied by doing good (being godly in our circumstances), dwelling in the land (staying where He has brought us and not trying to seek our own way of escape), cultivating faithfulness (building our faithfulness to Him by being obedient to Him in our circumstances), delighting ourselves in Him (this is a by-product of the joy that comes from our faithfulness and trusting), committing our way to Him (in all our way acknowledging Him…Lord I am going to follow you no matter what).

Finally, a biblical example.

Read Genesis 12 and consider the call of God to Abraham. God called, Abraham followed, and God led him right into the middle of a famine. Was the Lord surprised?…NO!  He knew where He was leading and what would be there, but God had a purpose, a greater and eternal purpose for Abraham; and through all of this He taught Abraham to trust Him, to be faithful to Him; and as a result, Abraham became the father of faith for all who would come to Christ thereafter.

Remember, in God's economy there are no accidents or happenstances. Whatever comes your way has been Divinely ordained for your good, your ultimate and eternal good, and for the glory of the One who has called you to Himself and blessed you with an eternal salvation that transcends your short time here on this earth. All that transpires is part of His eternal plan for you…even to your children. Thank Him for His eternal plan and its working out in both good and hard providence. For His eye is on you, His thoughts toward you are as numerous as His wonders, and what He began in You He will complete for all eternity.  Bless His holy name!

The Great Promise

Do not let your heart be troubled; 

believe in God, believe also in Me.

In my Father's house are many dwelling

places; if it were not so, I would have told

you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

If I go to prepare a place for you, I will

come again and receive you to Myself,

that where I am, there you may be also.

John 14:1-3

These words are what make the Christian life worth living, in fact, without these words the Christian life would not be worth living at all.  For Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15:19, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." 

The truth, stated plainly by Jesus here, is that heaven is a real place, it is the place where God dwells, and there are many other dwelling places there. Jesus will personally prepare a dwelling place for each one of us in the heaven of His Father; and although we cannot get there on our own He is coming back for us to take us there, and we will be with Him there for as long as He is there.  

If not for this truth, why on earth would we give up the things of this world?  For without this truth this world is all there is; but with this truth something more glorious, more abounding in riches, more peaceful, more magnificent, more splendid, and more fulfilling awaits us; and that is dwelling with both the Father and the Son for all eternity.

Rejoice, O Christian, for your heavenly Father, the Father of lights, the creator of the ends of the earth, has a place specially prepared for you to spend eternity with Him.  Rejoice, O Christian, that your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, His reservation list, never to be erased.  Rejoice, O Christian, that your heavenly Father has loved you so, so as to provide the way to Him through His Son; and to guarantee that reservation by dipping His pen in the well of the blood of His Son to write it down.  Rejoice, O Christian, for earth recedes and heaven draws ever nearer. Rejoice, O Christian, for what awaits you on the other side of this life.  Rejoice, O Christian, for the certainty of the life to come, given through the promise from Jesus, Himself.

Yes, Indeed, It Is A Great Promise, Because Heaven Is A Great Destination.

A Powerful Truth

Those who are meek before God, 

Will have the strength to be 

Unyielding before men.

II Corinthians 12:10

Ignorance of the Scriptures

Ignorance of the Scriptures has given rise to thousands of evils.

From this seed the great corruption of heresies has blossomed;

from this spring have flowed careless living and wasted labors.

Just as anyone deprived of the light of this world cannot walk 

straight, so those who do not see the rays of the divine Scriptures

walk in thick darkness. They regularly and inevitably fall into many sins.

John Chrysostom 

Early Church Father

As it was then, so it is now. 

Prosperity Theology and Christ

The Prosperity Gospel wing of the Charismatic camp is its dominant, most popular, therefore its most visible wing.  Prosperity theology never considers God Himself in the person of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ worth knowing.  Therefore Prosperity preaching never presents God Himself, never presents Christ, as someone who is worth knowing. They never present the Lord as the pearl of great value, as the One who surpasses all else in value, as the One who surpasses all that is in this world.  Their emphasis is not on Him, but is solely on the things of the world that you can get from Him, as His only value is in what you can get from Him. 

What does the Bible tell us?  "What does it avail a man to have the whole world, yet lose His own soul?" Friends, don't forsake the Lord, don't ignore the Lord, for the mess of pottage that this world and its Prosperity preachers offer.  For the world and all that is in it is passing away, and one day will be destroyed.  We entered this world with nothing and will leave it with nothing.  All the things of this world will pass, and it is only a relationship with Christ that will last.

Ten Encouragements for Pastors to Not Grow Weary in Their Ministry

Fellow pastors, anything less than an eternal perspective is being short-sighted in our ministries. Just as Rome was not built in a day, neither are lives of faith, lives that resemble Jesus Christ, built in a few sermons. So if we are building for eternity, it seems logical that the process that it would entail would be lengthy, as well. We would all like spiritual lightning to fall so that lives would be completely transformed overnight, but we all know this is not the case. We build up the body of Christ by building Christ into the lives of our flock one sermon at a time. (Which makes a good case for preaching 50-60 minute sermons, since that is the only exposure to the word most of your people are going to get each week)

I believe the Scriptural admonition to not grow weary in doing good is particularly applicable to us as pastors, as is its promised reward that in due time you shall reap if you do not grow weary.  Preaching rich biblical sermons each and every week is the greatest good we can do for our people; but as you know, in addition to being a great joy, there is a side that is demanding and laborious. And it is good that it is demanding and laborious, because that forces us to depend on the Lord and His grace for our sufficiency.

From our standpoint, what is it that we are to to keep in mind to have the proper perspective and prepare for the long-haul of a preaching ministry? In no particular order here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. We are to be faithful/trustworthy.
     I Timothy 1:12, I Corinthians 4:1-2

2. We are to watch our own life and doctrine.
     I Timothy 4:16, Hebrews 12:1, II Timothy 2:21, II Corinthians 4:1-2

3. We are be patient in our preaching (this keeps us from pressing for results).
     II Timothy 3:10, 4:2

4. We are to be realistic in our preaching.
     II Timothy 4:2-5

5. We are to be constant in our preaching
     II Timothy 4:2

6. We should always stay fresh in the word, so the word will stay fresh in us ( another benefit of preaching  consecutively through books of the Bible)
    II Timothy 2:15, 4:13

7. We are to expect hardships.
     II Timothy 1:8, 1:12, 2:3, 3:12, 4:5

8. Our gifts, ministry, and effects are all from the Lord, through the Lord, and for the Lord.
    I Corinthians 12:4-6, Romans 11:36

9. Our adequacy comes from the Lord.
     II Corinthians 3:4-6, I Peter 4:10-11, Zechariah 4:6, II Corinthians 4:7

10. We are to keep in mind, it is never about us.
     I Corinthians 8:6, II Corinthians 5:14-15, Colossians 3:24b, Luke 14:7-10, 
     II Corinthians 9:16-18, Ephesians 3:2, Colossians 1:25

So, fellow pastors, let us fulfill our ministry, let us fully carry out the preaching of the gospel, let us persevere until the Lord comes back or calls us home.  What a great privilege it is to preach the word of God and how beautiful are the feet that bring the great news of the riches of the love and grace of God in the person of Jesus Christ.  Be blessed by His word and His Spirit, be faithful to the work He has given you to do, and be thankful for His calling and choosing you for the noble task of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Time, Truth, and Endurance

But prove yourselves to be doers of the word,

and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

James 1:22

It is only when you live and apply the truth of

the Bible to your life that it becomes part of you.

The longer you do this, and  the more effectively you do this,  

the more a part of you the Word of God becomes.  

There is no shortcut for this, as the Lord works in us

 at the speed of life, with its days and months and years.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have

done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be

perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Hebrews 10:36, James 1:4

Testing and Blessing, Ours and the Lord's

Bless our God, O peoples;

let the sound of His praise be heard, 

who has kept our soul among the living

and has not let our feet slip.

For you, O God, have tested us;

You have tried us as silver is tried. 

You have brought us into the net;

You laid a crushing burden on our backs;

You let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and through water;

yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance.

Psalm 66:8-12

There is much to say about this great Psalm of praise, but let our focus be on this section of praise as the Psalmist praises God for His testing and refining them, His keeping them during the time of testing, and His bringing them out of the testing into a place of spiritual abundance.

God has put their spiritual mettle to the test as one would test silver.  How is silver tested?  It is tested by turning up the heat until its impurities and infirmities come to the surface.  As the infirmities and impurities come to the surface the silversmith scrapes them off and then heats the fire even hotter to remove those that are more deeply imbedded in the metal .  He does this until he can see his reflection in the silver.  That is when he knows the silver has been thoroughly tested and purified.  This trying of silver not only purifies the silver but strengthens it as well; and it serves to prove the genuiness and quality of the silver.  The higher quality, the fewer the impurities; and a lesser metal, metal that is not genuine silver, would not be able to stand the heat.

God, the master craftsman of our faith, is about the task of testing and refining our faith.  And He uses that testing and refining to bring us to a place of spiritual abundance.  He uses the very testing He puts us through to broaden our faith, deepen our faith, and purify our faith; and in the time of testing He will not let the faith of the true Christian fail (Philippians 1:6).

This is why the Psalmist is praising God before the peoples.  He does not keep his praise silent or to himself for he wants to share the greatness of what the Lord has done for his soul (Psalm 66:16).  

We are to give thanks in all things.  Why?  Because the Lord is working for our great good in all things, leaving nothing unused to make the image of Christ shine in our life more brightly than ever.  Let us bless the Lord, privately and publicly, for His testing, His keeping, and His blessing us with spiritual abundance.

Christ, Our Example

but so that the world may know that I love the Father,

I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.

John 14:31a

As Christians, we know that Christ is our model, our exemplar, and as such view Him as the example of how we are to live our Christian life.  While this is true and right, what we miss so often is that He is the model for how our relationship with our heavenly Father should look, as well.  

I don't know if you have ever thought about what your relationship with God should look like, but to know what it should look like you have to look no further than Christ.  In going through the Gospel of John, you will see Christ in a much more personal way than in the other gospels, and one of things you will notice about Him is His relationship with the Father; and how He fulfills all righteousness by first fulfilling the greatest commandment, which is to love the Father above all else.  

Loving the Father was His greatest desire and was the springboard for all that He did.  As you go through the Gospel of John you will come across verses that give you insight into His love of the Father and how that is manifested in His life here on earth.  Let's look at some of them:

John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish all His work.

John 5:19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son does in like manner.

John 5:30 I can do nothing on My own initiative....I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 8:28b-29...and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father has taught Me.  And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.

John 12:49-50 For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.  I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.  

So we see in these verses that the things Jesus did were what He saw the Father doing and the things He said were what the Father gave Him to say.  We also see that what sustained and nourished Him was doing the will of the Father, and that He always did what pleased the Father.  And what was His motivation, His foundation, if you will, for this great desire to please God and accomplish the Father's will in His life.  We see it expressed in John 14:31 above. Out of His great love for the Father came forth the desire to please the Father, and the desire to please the Father manifested itself in His obedience to the Father.

And what kind of obedience was this? It was a loving obedience.  It is obedience that was born out of love and its accompanying desire to please the One who is the object of that love.  My friends, it is to be the same for us.  Our obedience to the Father should not be a legalistic obedience or the obedience of duty or the obedience of fear, but an obedience that springs forth from a heart full of love for our heavenly Father.  In fact, our obedience is directly connected to our love.  This is why Jesus told His disciples (and is meant for us, too), "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."  Jesus could make this statement without the slightest twinge of the guilt of hypocrisy, because that is exactly what He did.

So let us love the Father and the Son by being obedient to them, and may our obedience to them be an obedience born out of love; and may our love and its obedience know no bounds.

  

The Crushing Weight of Glory

An excellent post by Tim Challies on having an eternal perspective on suffering.

http://www.challies.com/christian-living/the-crushing-weight-of-glory#more

Whose You Are

Who Me?

"God chooses whom He chooses in order that

He might receive the glory.  He chooses weak

instruments so that no one will attribute the

power to human instruments rather than to God,

who wields those instruments."

John MacArthur

Twelve Ordinary Men

Page 13

Yes, you!



Steady Love

We need not suppose that God's love for us

 is as fickle and undependable as our own emotions.

Numbers 23:19, Malachi 3:16, James 1:17

For the Love of the Father

but, so that the world may know that I love the Father,

I do exactly as the Father has commanded Me.

John 14:31a

Christ's holiness was not a legal holiness,

but a loving holiness---as ours is to be.

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:15

A Christian's Desire

As Christians, we are to be overcome

by the desire to please our Father,

rather than be overcome by the desire

to please ourselves.

(Isaiah 58:13-14a, John 8:29, Colossians 1:9-10,

Ephesians 5:8b-10, Romans 12:1-2)

Bulletin Bloopers

A little weekend humor.  Check out the first commentor.

http://www.thomrainer.com/2011/04/the-best-of-church-bulletin-bloopers.php

The Christian's Greatest Promise

In My Father's house there are many dwelling places;

if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to

prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place

for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself,

that where I am, there you may be also.

John 14:2-3

These words are what make the Christian life worth living, in fact, without these words the Christian life would not be worth living at all.  For Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15:19, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." 

The truth, stated plainly by Jesus here, is that heaven is a real place, it is the place where God dwells, there are many other dwelling places there, and Jesus will personally prepare a dwelling place for each one of us in the heaven of His Father. Although we cannot get there on our own He is coming back for us to take us there, and we will be with Him there for as long as He is there.  If not for this truth, why on earth would we give up the things of this world?  For without this truth this world is all there is; but with this truth something more glorious, more abounding in riches, more peaceful, more magnificent, more splendid, and more fulfilling awaits us; and that is dwelling with both the Father and the Son for all eternity.

Rejoice, O Christian, for your heavenly Father, the Father of lights, the creator of the ends of the earth, has a place specially prepared for you to spend eternity with Him.  Rejoice, O Christian, that your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, His reservation list, never to be erased.  Rejoice, O Christian, that your heavenly Father has loved you so, so as to provide the way to Him through His Son; and to guarantee that reservation by dipping His pen in the well of the blood of His Son to write it down.  Rejoice, O Christian, for earth recedes and heaven draws ever nearer. Rejoice, O Christian, for what awaits you on the other side of this life.  Rejoice, O Christian, for the certainty of the life to come, given through the promise from Jesus, Himself.

O friends, have you placed your hope for eternity, for the life beyond this life, in the person of Christ?  Have you placed all your trust in what He has done to secure that life for you?  Have you come to God acknowledging your sin, your helplessness, your hopelessness, your absolute need of His mercy, compassion, and grace?  Have you asked Him to forgive you and save you?  Have you cast yourself upon Him as your Savior?  He is not far away, He is near if you would but reach out and call out to Him!  Today is the day, wait no longer to secure your place in heaven, for none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

God bless you all.