I want to start this topic with a few concepts to level set our understanding.
1. God is eternal. He is not bound by time or space as we are. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” Isaiah 46:10
2. Unlike us, God does not think of something and then wonder if He can pull it off. He accomplishes everything He thinks of. “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:” Isa 14:24.
3. God always acts in a righteous and perfect way. “And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.” Psalm 9:8. “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” Isaiah 11:4-5
As I considered the topic of God’s purpose, I came to realize that God’s purpose is eternal, just as He is eternal. When we look at all that we have given to us in God’s Word, we must come to the conclusion that God’s purpose has always revolved around His Son Jesus. Not just after the creation and fall of humanity, but since before the creation of humanity. Jesus is and always will be at the center of God’s purpose.
We should start by understanding that God’s purpose is unchangeable and cannot be stopped. “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:” Isaiah 14:24. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” Isaiah 46:10.
God is not like us in needing to figure out if His plan is executable or not. He is not moved by things that happen that seem to undermine His plan. He knew them before they happened. He was not taken by surprise at the fall of Adam and Eve. It was already accounted for in His plan before He even created them. “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,” 1Peter 1:20. Nothing done by man is affecting God’s plan. To the contrary, it is working right in line with God’s purpose.
I started writing this before the war against Iran began, and I know some are very concerned about what will come of that. However, nothing that is happening today is outside of God’s purpose. He is putting everything into place where He needs it to finish His work with humanity.
I would not have enough room here to lay out every bit from the Old Testament, but I will point out that God chose Abraham to become His nation. He chose others throughout the OT to bring about the necessary people and conditions for Jesus to come. He chose and used imperfect people like Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, and many others to bring about His purpose in Christ Jesus. Paul tells us that Jesus came at just the right time. Galatians 4:4.
I cannot tell you exactly why that was the “right time”, but God has an exact plan that is being worked out. What I can tell you is that God’s purpose is wrapped up in Jesus, and that it includes you and me and anyone who will trust in Jesus. I can tell you God is choosing to work through people and nations to bring about His final purpose.
While we may not have every minute detail of God’s plan, He has revealed to us what He intends to do. “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” Ephesians 1:9-10.
God will gather all things together in Jesus. Jesus came and gave His life to make it possible for us to be a part of this plan. It was always God’s intent to bring humanity into His presence through the sacrifice of His Son. This is God’s work, and not one person can take any credit for it. “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” 2Timothy 1:9.
I find this revelation to be incredibly exciting. It is also very humbling to realize that God always intended for me to be able to spend eternity in His presence. I think sometimes we fail to comprehend the fulness of this plan. Maybe we have heard it before, and are keen to regurgitate the words, but do we really understand? Are we aware of the depth of God’s grace? Paul prayed for the saints to have a deep understanding.
To put a “cherry on top”, there is even more. God is taking from out of those who have believed and trusted in Jesus (the church), a group that will be the bride of Jesus. These will have a very close intimacy their Lord. It is still God’s work, so we still cannot take any credit for it, but we can be a part of that company. All God is expecting from us is a desire and a willingness to yield to His working.
When we study God’s Word with a true desire for a deeper revelation, God will honor that and reveal Himself more and more. As He does that, He is working in our life to change us from glory to glory. He is preparing us for a close intimate relation with Himself for eternity. Don’t let the world rob you of this great opportunity.
In II Samuel chapter 9, we find the story of Mephibosheth, which is a spiritual picture of salvation by grace. Mephibosheth was King Saul’s grandson through his son Jonathan. According to I Sam. 31 King Saul and Jonathan had both been killed in battle against the Philistines. After Saul’s death, David became king of Israel. David had loved Jonathan as he would a brother and had made a love covenant with him when they were younger.
II Sam. 9:1: “And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” In v.3 David asks Ziba, one of Saul’s servants, “…Is there not yet of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.”
In these verses, we see that David is seeking for someone to show kindness to in order to honor his covenant of love to Jonathan. He sought and found Jonathan’s son who was lame on both his feet, and therefore unable to stand or walk. We learn from II Sam. 4:4 that Mephibosheth had become crippled when he was injured in a fall at age 5.
II Sam. 9:4-5: “And the king [David] said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir…in Lo-debar. Then king David sent and fetched him out of the house of Machir…from Lo-debar.”
In this story, David is a spiritual type of Christ who came to seek and to save that which was lost because of a love covenant that He had made with His Father. It was love that brought Jesus to this world to die on the cross to save sinners. Mephibosheth represents the sinner who is lame on both his feet and has no standing before a holy God. When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, he lost his standing with God. Mephibosheth also lost his ability to stand when he fell.
Where was Mephibosheth found dwelling? He was found in the house of Machir, which means “to perish,” in Lo-debar, which means “barren wasteland.” This is where we are found as sinners before Christ rescues us. We are perishing in a barren wasteland of sin and unforgiveness. But Christ loved us enough to seek for us and to “fetch” us out of our hopeless condition and bring us unto himself.
Mephibosheth’s name means “shame out of his mouth.” We read in Rom. 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” All of us are in a shameful and helpless condition apart from the grace of God.
II Sam. 9:6-8: “Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence…And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake…and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?” Mephibosheth humbled himself before king David and acknowledged that there was nothing good in himself to merit the king’s favor. This is exactly what we must do in order to receive salvation. Salvation is by grace alone. None of us are worthy to receive it. We must accept it by faith.
In v.10 David tells Ziba, “…Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table.” And in v.11 he states, “…As for Mephibosheth…he shall eat at my table, as one of the King’s sons.” Mephibosheth was raised up from being a “dead dog” to the same status as one of the king’s sons. When we are born again we also become one of the king’s sons, not just servants. Oh, what grace, oh, what love that He has shown to us, as declared in I John 3:1: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…”
II Sam. 9:13: “So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.” Jerusalem means “foundations of peace.” He was brought out of the house of Machir (“to perish”) in Lo-debar (“barren wasteland”) to a place of peace and rest. This is the place where we are brought spiritually by God’s grace, and we are made to dwell in the king’s house and eat continually at His table as His sons, as David said in Ps. 23:6: “…I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
Mephibosheth never regained strength in his legs. He remained weak and dependent on the king’s grace. Spiritually, this means that we have no strength in ourselves or any of our own ability to earn salvation or to keep ourselves saved by our works. But God’s grace is sufficient for us, as Paul was told by God Himself in II Cor. 12:9: “And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
A woman sick for twelve long years,
heard that Jesus came.
If she could only touch His robe,
she’d never be the same.
“I shall be whole” she cried with faith,
as Jesus closer came,
“I am unclean but just one touch,
I’ll never be the same.”
The crowd pressed close around the man,
they’d heard about His fame.
With desperate courage she moved in close,
yet hung her head in shame.
I cannot speak, I am unclean,
but just one touch I’ll steal,
The hem of His dear garment,
is all that I will feel.
I shall be whole, I know I will,
her heart cried out with faith.
And as she touched that dusty robe
a miracle took place.
Jesus turned and looked around,
for virtue He felt leave,
A hand of faith had touched His tobe,
a heart that did believe.
“Who touched me?” He asked aloud
but knowing it was she.
He looked at her who touched His robe,
and knew she was set free.
The woman fell down at His feet,
pouring out her soul.
And Jesus spoke with tenderness,
“Thy faith hath made thee whole.”
Debbie Isenbletter
Springfield, Missouri
First, an apology for last month’s article that had Ephesians 1:7-10 which should have been Ephesians 1:7-12.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14
So, verse 12 tells us that God’s purpose in our life is that we might be to the praise of His Glory. All of this is His purpose for those that put their trust in Jesus. It is the Gospel that brings us directly to Jesus. When we hear and understand the Gospel, we realize that the only way to salvation is to put our trust in Jesus, and that brings us directly into God’s eternal purpose.
He has given us the Holy Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance. An earnest is something valuable given as a pledge to some future value that will be given. While we are in this world, awaiting our final inheritance, we have God’s Holy Spirit. More than just something to show God’s promise, the Holy Spirit also works in us to make us into those that will certainly bring praise and glory to Him.
Verses 15 and 16 lead us into one of Paul’s prayers for the saints. I have always loved studying these prayers. It helps us understand what Paul thought was important for the saints, and since the Holy Spirit inspired him to write these down, they have important instruction for us.
First, note in verse 16 that Paul starts by giving thanks for all the saints. “ALL” the saints. And he is praying for all saints.
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,” Ephesians 1:15-18.
Praying for wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. I want to point out that none of this prayer is for worldly anything. Not even for healing (which Paul could use). It reminds us that what matters most is the spiritual. We often get too focused on the things in this life that bother us or that we think we need
Paul’s desire for the saints was that they would have a deeper knowledge of God. Nothing is more important or more valuable than knowing God. So many Christians have a very shallow knowledge of their Lord. The enemy can get us so focused on the world and our place in it and the things we think we need, that we fail to take the time to truly spend in fellowship with our Lord.
Many do not have any understanding of the hope that is in our calling. That is that God, in His amazing grace, has given us something that should make the things of this world pale by comparison. Our hope is that we will spend eternity in His presence, reigning with Jesus, which is also His inheritance. He considers us (His children) to be of extreme value to Himself. We have in us the life of His Son.
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Ephesians 1:19-23
The next part of Paul’s prayer is for the saints to have a deep knowledge of God’s power. As a reminder of how great this power is, he tells us that it is the power that raised Christ from the dead. We probably have a good idea about power. We might know that there are powerful machines that can do serious work and it might impress us. However, we do not know of anyone that has power to raise the dead, except our God.
I realize that this kind of power is difficult for us to comprehend. This is why we live by faith. I believe that God raised Christ from the dead. However, do I really have a deep understanding of that power and it’s impact on me? Do I want to truly know God in that way? Paul prays for us that we would.
Something the Holy Spirit reveals here through Paul, is that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and has been given dominion over all things. This is part of God’s eternal purpose that will gather all things in Christ Jesus. The fulness of this purpose will come when God brings an end to the time of the Gentiles and Jesus returns to take His place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
In the meantime, we, the church, all believers are already under His headship and He is Lord over His church. Not all “churches” acknowledge this as they attempt to put a man as head of the “church,” but that does not change God’s purpose in any way. It is our privilege today to acknowledge and yield to the headship of Christ in our lives and in our churches. We are privileged to realize that we, as His church, are the fulness of Him that fills all in all. I think we should be amazed and excited by all of this.
We have come to understand that God has a purpose for us, and that it is in His Son Jesus Christ. We now know that it is all of Him; all His work, and all for His Glory. Paul’s prayer reminds us of how we should pray for each other, and even for ourselves. Asking God to reveal more of Himself to us, and to increase our knowledge of Him and of His power to work in our lives. This is a great request for us today.
Continued
Dearest Earlene, Thank You for reaching out to me. Just so You know my son Shaun passed 2/18/2026. Losing both my children 9 months apart, it is the hardest thing I have ever gone through. My only peace is knowing that they are with our Lord and Savior. I have always Loved the Lord, when I was saved and then Baptisted by Jack Davis. My life was changed, a true blessing. As life goes on somewhere along the way, life got in my way. Still believing in Jesus Christ, other things were always there, some good, some not so good. Trying to do things on my own without asking God what I should, I just did. Drifting further and further way from what I believed and knew the one and only person who could save me, I did not reach out to. God’s not supposed to let bad things happen to good people right?? Little did I realize that He used the adversities in my life to remember that He was there all along, but I just didn’t reach out to Him. Struggling in life with life, and the loss of loved ones, I knew I was broken and not walking in God’s good grace, but still tried on my own, living life on my own just wasn’t working. When I was taking care of my Dad before he passed, we were talking about God and the Bible. So I picked the Bible up and started looking through it and began reading and studying it more and more. Asking myself when and why did I stop relying on God?? I was lost without Him and just didn’t realize how complicated I made my own life. One of the hardest lessons that He taught me “I will never leave nor forsake You” Again I surrendered everything to Him, leaving me with a life filled with His word and goodness. I have ALL that I need, my life is full, again trust and believe ALL things through our Lord and Savior. My Daughter was always a child of God and loved him and trusted Him and put her life in His hands. My son was a different story, not until He moved back home with me due to his illness did he give his life to the Lord. He always questioned me why I read and studied the Bible daily. He thought God would never forgive him for the things that he had done in life, but I never gave up reading him scripture and having him read scripture. One day I saw him praying!!!! What a wonderful sight to me. I know He gave His life to the Lord, and that is a true blessing! Always know no matter what. GOD is always there to guide, protect and love Us, for our lives are in His hands and I thank Him for that, and loving and forgiving a Sinner like Me.
Genesis 22 tells of the time God told Abraham to “take his son, His only son Isaac that he loved, and to offer him up as a burnt offering.” As Isaac and Abraham headed toward the place that Abraham was told to go, Isaac asked his father “ where is a Lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham replied “God will provide Himself a Lamb for a burnt offering.” We will look at 5 places where the Lamb provided is seen.
#1. In the New Testament, at the right time, we see that Lamb in a manger. The shepherds, being directed by the angels, found that Lamb in Bethlehem. Shepherds were the first to see the Lamb that God had provided Himself. Why shepherds? Why a Manger? Why Bethlehem? The shepherds were probably temple shepherds. They took care of sheep and lambs that would be used in the daily sacrifices. The lambs born were examined, they had to be perfect, and put somewhere safe, so they could not be hurt, like a feeding trough which is what a manger is. When they saw Jesus wrapped and lying in a manger they saw God’s perfect Lamb, that God provided for Himself. Why Bethlehem? In Isaiah 9:6 A promise was given, “For into us a child is born” In Micah 5:2 the place of His birth was given “But though Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come that shall come forth unto Me…” The Lambs birth was prophesy fulfilled.
# 2. 30 years later Jesus is presented to Israel and the world. John the Baptist says of Jesus that there was one coming who was greater than John himself. These are his words “He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me…” The word “preferred” not only means greater than John, it also means He was before John. One time Jesus said “Before Abraham was, I Am.” This shows that Jesus is not only Man He is God. John cries out to the world then and now “Behold, (look, see) the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” ( John 1:29). Jesus is introduced to the world as The Lamb that God Provided for Himself to take away the sin of the world.
# 3. Let’s look at the Lamb at the cross. Not only do we see Him as the Lamb at the cross in the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we see Him at the cross in Isaiah 53, in the Old Testament. It says “He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter.” In verses 4-6 are the reasons why. “All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned everyone to his own way: and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” This Lamb identified himself with us sheep. God became man and took upon Himself the penalty of sin, the death due all of us. This death goes beyond this natural body. This is the second death we see in Rev. 20:14. It is a death of separation from God, death of darkness, of sorrow, of being alone, a death of regrets. But now, because of Jesus we have access, even now the very presence of God. We have life and light and peace and joy, and fellowship, we are free to call God Abba, Father. We have a home and an inheritance. We are blessed because of the Lamb. We will enjoy all the above in it’s completeness when we see Jesus. Also, do you know God is for “party’s”? We have an example – when the son came home to his father in Luke 15. His father was so happy he threw a party for His lost son. We are told there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents? Yes, God likes party’s. There will be no partying in hell with friends. That is a lie of Satan.
# 4. Now, lets look at the “Lamb risen.” In Philippians 2 we see the downward steps the Son of God took. He who had been equal with God because He was God, left that place. “But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men: and being in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (verses 6-8). Then we come to V. 9, “Wherefore (because of the preceding verses) God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Between the words “the Death of the cross” and the words “God hath highly exalted Him” we see the resurrection of the Lamb. For there can be no exaltation, if there is no resurrection. On that first day of the week, on resurrection morning, Jesus rose and appeared to those He loved. Their sorrow was turned to joy. Like the song says “Death could not hold in prisons greed the Fathers only Son – He Arose.”
# 5. The last place I want us to see the Lamb that God provided Himself” is yet future, the Lamb on His throne. In Revelation 4, we see Jesus taking His throne in heaven. We see 24 elders and 4 Living ones with Him. This group represents a full overcoming group of people who will be with Jesus when He takes His throne. In chapter 5, we see a book sealed with 7 seals in the right hand of the One seated on His throne. This is a book of judgment. No one was found worthy to open this book. The writer of Revelation, the disciple, John, began to cry. He knew this was an important book, But there was no one to open it. So he wept. Then one of the 24 elders told John not to weep; that the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David had prevailed to open the book and loose the seals thereof.” Oh, this must have made John so happy. He knew that this Lion was Jesus Himself. So John looks at the throne but he does not see a Lion. He sees “A Lamb as it had been slain…” This is no ordinary meek Lamb. This LAMB has 7 horns. “Horns in scripture speak of power and authority. This LAMB has the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit, represented by 7 eyes. This LAMB is empowered like a Lion to pour out judgment on a Christ rejecting world. This is the LAMB God has for Himself prepared.
We have seen the LAMB in Genesis 22 promised.
We have seen the LAMB in the manger.
We have see the LAMB in His ministry.
We have seen the LAMB at the cross.
We have seen the Resurrected LAMB
And soon to come, we will see the LAMB on His throne, ready to return as KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS.
Even so come, Lord Jesus. AMEN.
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” – Psalm 29:2. Faith in the Lord and all His name represents makes us partakers of His holiness; saints, holy ones, being born again of the Holy Spirit. We are made fit to glorify His name. Let us give Him all the glory due unto Him. We have been bought and brought into the realm of true worshipers, wherein we are to worship Him in spirit and truth. As we adore Him, He adorns us.
“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and inquire in His temple” – Psalm 27:4. There seems to be several things involved in the “one thing.” I think here of one being singularly, centrally, focused with desire upon the lover of our soul. Considering Him in intimate acquaintance, knowing Him in the depths of our being as He is revealed to our hearts is most transforming – II Cor. 3:18. Paul urged that we not be conformed to this world, but be transformed, and he prayed to have Christ formed in us – Gal. 4:19. He encouraged that as we receive the truth spoken in love, grow up into Christ in all things – Eph. 4:15. He also spoke of God’s purpose that we be conformed to the image of His dear Son – Rom. 8:29. Now that’s beautification!
A very real aspect of the beauty of Holiness is that effectual working of the Word in those that believe – I Thess. 2:13. Thus He makes our lives productive for His glory. These traits are wonderfully expressed in the fruit of the Spirit. I appreciate the way the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives to graciously reproduce the beautiful characteristics of the life of Jesus Christ within the believing. Yielding child of God. Hallelujah!!
“Thou art beautiful oh my love…How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter…” – S.O.S. 6:4, 7:1. The King’s description of His great love is as one that is bright, shining, pleasant, well pleasing, and well shod, (with the preparation of the Gospel of peace). There is a saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The fact is that our dear Lord is able to see where no other can. The thought and intents of our heart’s are clearly defined unto Him. Preparation for being made most desirable in the sight of Him who shall reign as King of kings, is to be realized as we come to know him experimentally, intimately as our Lord. We are just absolutely ugly without His holiness. This unique beauty is not on old, dried up, harsh, demanding, unrelenting trait that many consider holiness, at all.
“The King’s daughters were among thy honorable women; upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir…the king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework…” – Psalm 45:9,13,14a.
Shall we expect to stand,
One day at the right hand,
Of Him who provided redemption’s plan?
Shall we be brought,
In the golden glory he wrought,
All glorious within, and in raiment of needlework,
Adorned just for Him? WHY NOT ??
MORE BEAUTY TIPS. “Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear: forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him” – Psalm 45:10-11.
+ Hearken: He would have us give the more earnest heed to His wonderful Word, which calls for an open ear, a receptive mind, and a responsive heart. The Hebrew seems to indicate to me, a listening attentively, hearing intelligently, and understanding with consent to obey.
+ Consider: The gist here, I cause to perceive with the eyes of the heart, gaze, and experience. Meditate, it greatly transforms our thinking As we think on the things given for our consideration in His word, our spiritual food for thought. The Old Testament symbol, ‘Chew the cud,” ruminate, turn it over and over in your mind. It is one of the ways we come into the awareness of the near presence of the God of peace – Phil. 4:8-9.
+ Incline thine ear: The Hebrew expresses a trait most becoming to Him; stretch out, bend forth, cause to yield, expend. He would produce from our life faithful feet. Thus we submit to, and honor the Word’s authority in our everyday living.
+ Forget also thine own people: We do well to forget in a sense, where we came from in the old creation, being fully aware that we are in Christ a new creation. But this doesn’t teach us to neglect to pray for our loved ones. Forgetting them with a spiritual concern is not a Christ like attitude. We do well to encourage them on toward God’s highest and best. Yet He would have us hold Him as our first love, that is love preeminently for Him. Let us forget in the sense of not being distracted or detoured from going on into deeper relations with Him. Rebecca was asked “Will you go?” We either go on or draw back. We choose whether we will allow natural relations, family ties, and loyalties to hinder us from a closer walk with our dear Lord, and leading of the Holy Spirit on into God’s best. When the bridal message catches us, capturing our hearts, we cry out to Him to draw us. When we go on whole-heatedly with Him, our families can also be drawn. When we are half-heated, insincere this is not as apt to happen.
Our soon coming Bridegroom would present us holy, unblameable, unreprovable in His sight. He sanctifies wholly in order to preserve us blameless (spirit, soul and body) in view of His coming. Faithful is He that has called us who will do it. In the beauty of His holiness He sanctifies and cleanses us with the washing of the Word, in order to present us glorious, without spot, wrinkle or blemish. ARE YOU AVAILABLE ?
Has He ever begun a good work in us? Is our confidence in Him? Do we expect Him to complete it in time? Are we telling Him things even while it hurts? Are we appropriating it by faith? Is He able to accomplish that work He has begun on time? He is doing a work that is exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power that is at work in us.
Let Him work, don’t get in the way, then it will be done in both the will and do of His good pleasure. When it is finished he will give us a glorified body that will radiate the beautification work that he has been doing in us during our earthly so-journ.
My Father is omnipotent,
And that you can’t deny;
A God of might and miracles,
‘Tis written in the sky.
Though here His glory has been shown,
We still can’t fully see
The wonders of His might– His throne,
Twill take eternity
The Bible tells us of His power
And wisdom all way through;
And every little bird and flower
Are testimonies, too.
It took a miracle to put the stars in place,
It took a miracle to hang the world in space
But when He saved my soul,
Cleansed and made me whole,
It took a miracle of love and grace!
–John W. Peterson
Used by permission
“And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isaiah 58:11
“For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” Isaiah 25:4
“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15:13
“There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” I Samuel 2:2
“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:14
“The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” Psalms 103:19
Martha Wainright
It is not hard to see there is a lot of anger building up today. It manifests itself in the rage and violent behavior we see everyday in the news. It is apparent in the way kids at school treat each other. It is apparent in the way adults speak to and about each other. Anger is used as a political tool to get people to do things they might not otherwise consider doing. The results are always hurt and more anger. Nothing good comes from man’s anger.
The Bible goes so far as to call those that are often angry, fools. “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9 The word fool, actually means silly or stupid. It generally refers to those that are unbelievers, but can also refer to an attitude. Notice the counsel to not be hasty. We used to say, “count to ten before you reply in anger.” For believers, this is important exhortation. How we respond to others should always be a reflection of Jesus.
Every one of us has been angry at some time. Anger is one of the deeds of the old nature. “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;” Colossians 3:8-9 We all have an old nature. However, as God’s people (believers, Christians) have something else. We have the New Nature (the Life of Christ) in us and because of that, we can “put off” the old nature.
The apostle Paul reminds of this in Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:” He starts in verse 22 about putting off the old man. Then we are told, Ephesians 4:26 “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” We are not to let anger control us and cause us to do something against our brother/sister, or something that will bring shame to the name of Jesus.
It is very wise to leave anger with God. “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.” Proverbs 14:29 James reminds us to not be hasty in anger. “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” James 1:19 When we become angry, if we first go to the Lord and tell Him what has made us angry, we will find peace, and He will help us to let go of the anger. We need to remember that God is the one who takes care of the circumstance that would cause us to be angry. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Romans 12:19
I have come to understand that anger is a result of pride. We become angry when someone does something to us or says something about us, or maybe even when we feel slighted by others. This is a result of pride that makes us think that we deserve better; that we do not deserve to be treated this way. We come to understand that we have no control over what others do or say, only over our response to them. That control over our response is yielding to the life of Christ that lives in us.
It is certain that when we act in anger, we will eventually regret it. Anger causes us to do and say things that we would not otherwise do or say. Then, once the words leave our mouth, they can never be taken back. On the other hand, when we are on the receiving end we can heed God’s Word; “[He that is] slow to anger [is] better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” Proverbs 16:32.
The world would have us believe that getting angry is just natural and necessary. Well, it is natural, but we do not need to be controlled by our anger. When we overcome anger through Jesus, we show to the world that Jesus is truly Lord. We show them how Jesus can bring peace to our lives.
There is a very instructive story in 1Samuel 25. David is about to react in anger against Nabal, but his wife Abigail comes to speak with David and diffuses his anger. David’s response in verses 32-34 are a reminder that sometimes we can react to a situation in anger that we might regret. Abigail shows us that when someone is reacting in anger towards us, we can help diffuse that anger. Alternatively, we just react in anger and they react in anger, and it just gets out of hand. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1.
Jesus Himself is our example. Peter tells us that Jesus did not respond in anger even though He had a right to be angry. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:” 1Peter 2:21-23.
If you are thinking that it is too hard sometimes to control your anger, then I remind you that you have the life of Christ in you. Not only is He our example, but He is our power to follow His example. When we yield our emotions to Him, we will find ourselves reacting as He would. We should not be gritting our teeth to overcome anger.
I have heard some claim that their anger is a “righteous indignation.” This is just a fancy way to justify our desire to be angry. James reminds us that human anger does not bring righteousness. “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” James 1:20. It is true that God does exhibit righteous anger at times, but we cannot claim that same outcome since we are not omniscient.
If we have said something in anger, then we should ask forgiveness. We need to ask forgiveness from God, and then from the person with whom we were angry. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Take care of it quickly. You will feel better, and you will be glad you did. Remember that only Jesus can control your anger.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!
No greater place could e’re be found
Then safely kept in Jesus’ arms,
Protected from the temptor’s harms.
The vic’try for our souls was won
By heaven’s own Beloved Son.
Upon the cross, on Calv’rys brow,
Our sin He bore for us, and now
We stand complete in Christ alone.
He bought us, now we are His own.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
The Word of God is like a cookbook. In it we find many recipes for the nutrition of our spiritual man. What is a recipe? The 1942 Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “a list of materials and directions for preparing, mixing or cooking food to produce a particular dish.” However, the primary definition of “recipe” in this edition of Webster’s was “a physician’s formula for a medicine, also called a prescription.” In those days the physician would write out the formula and the pharmacist would mix up the medicine. Today most medications are premanufactured.
Spiritually, this means that the Word of God is also a prescription for the healing of our soul. Rom. 8:28 is a recipe for victory in our lives which is personally prescribed for us, but we must be willing to believe it and to receive it and partake of it. We must do more than simply read this verse or memorize it.
Now I would like to use the natural example of cooking something from a recipe to help explain how that we can appropriate God’s Word for ourselves. Let us assume that you are going to try to cook something from a recipe that someone gave to you.
First of all, you must trust the person who wrote the recipe and have faith that the finished product will turn out good. The next thing that you do is to read the recipe and consider the ingredients. But just possessing the recipe and reading it does not result in a finished product. You must decide to personally act upon it and make it a reality for yourself. The same is true spiritually. We must lay hold of the truth of the Word and act upon it by faith.
It takes all of the ingredients in a recipe to make it come out right. Some of the ingredients by themselves don’t necessarily look good or taste good or smell good. Vanilla smells good, but it tastes bitter. Raw eggs and uncooked flour taste bad, but they are necessary. God has a plan, or recipe, for our lives, and we must trust that all things will work together, both the bitter and the sweet. At the time that we are “tasting” or experiencing the bitter things, we may not understand the reason for them. His thoughts are higher than ours. He knows the end from the beginning and how much bitter and sweet that we need.
Suppose in making your recipe that you tasted each ingredient separately and decided to just leave out the things that didn’t taste good. Suppose you felt that all ingredients should be equally represented, so you just used ¼ cup of everything. Or perhaps you got impatient and decided to speed up the process by doubling the heat and cooking it for half the time. Maybe you can’t stand the heat from the oven, so you decide to put the cake in the freezer instead!
Too often we try to rewrite the recipe of God’s Word to make it fit our lifestyle instead of patiently waiting for Him to work His will in our lives. God knows exactly what we need: how hot to make the oven of our trials and how long we need to stay in them to produce the desired outcome.
Paul stated in Rom. 8:28 that he knew that all things work together for good. How did he know that? He learned that by his own experience. He had tried the recipe and discovered that it worked good for him. He was able to count all of the “all things,” including the suffering and the imprisonment, as joy. And so, he passed the recipe on to us. It is our recipe for victory. Are you willing to try it?
To each of us there comes a time,
when valleys we must face.
The walls seem steep, no end in sight,
yet always there is grace.
Each valley is a different trial,
and some are battles fierce.
We seem to face awesome giants,
whose armor we can’t pierce.
Yet when we fight instead of run,
and use what God deems best,
Then giants fall in sound defeat,
and we just stand there blessed.
Sometimes the battle waxes strong,
Our foes just laugh with glee.
Yet when our voices lift in praise,
they turn in fear and flee.
The valleys seem to sap our strength,
and weary with the fight,
We cry out for relief and rest,
and God gives us His Might.
Debbie Isenbletter
Springfield, Missouri
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” Ephesians 1:7-10
In the first six verses, we started noting that Paul continually refers to He, Him, who hath, all referring to what God has done. This first chapter really helps us understand the provision, and it is those that will go deeper and seek complete maturity that will lay hold of these.
As we continue in this chapter, we continue to see more of what has been done for us. Redemption (liberation procured by the payment of a ransom), and forgiveness of sins (remission of the penalty). Jesus purchased (paid the price for) our redemption. Not just barely, but according to the riches of His grace. We do not have the capacity to understand the true meaning of that phrase. Anything we think about what that means, falls short of the actuality. Our minds are so limited by the fact that we live in a limiting environment. I really encourage you to take time and meditate on some of these statements in this first chapter. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
All of what we see here is God’s doing according to His good pleasure. We cannot take any credit, nor can we even think that we might have imagined this. And what we learn is that everything that God purposes is abundant. Never just barely enough. This entire plan is God’s wisdom. It certainly does not fit the wisdom of this world. Consider 1 Corinthians 1:17-25.
He has abounded towards us. The means that He created provision for us beyond what might be expected. This is His wisdom. I often hear people say something like “God is so unfair, or He doesn’t care about human suffering, or how can a loving God do this?” As if somehow a puny little human could even imagine or understand the workings of the all-wise God. Paul says this “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1Corinthians 1:25. The most “foolish” thing that God could do, is still wiser than the wisest thing man could conceive.
And, instead of just keeping His wisdom to Himself, God imparts it unto us. “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” 1Corinthians 1:30. Everything that God has is made available to us through Jesus. Not because we deserve it, but because it is His good pleasure (grace). This thing that God has done and is doing right now, is not just a random occurrence. He is not just throwing things out there to see what happens. God always has a plan and purpose with everything He does. All the provision He has made available to us is making something specific that God had predetermined before the beginning of time.
God is bringing everything together in Jesus Christ. This is not an experiment to see if it works, it is a completed plan into which we are being offered a place. God absolutely will bring all things together in Jesus Christ, and the only question we must consider is: Am I going to be part of that? Remember that God is doing this. It is His work, not yours or mine.
For all of eternity, God will demonstrate that His plan of grace, that required the sacrifice of Jesus, was the only way, and that will bring Him glory. Notice this statement: “That we should be to the praise of his glory.” I always find this incredible. If you really understand the condition of humanity, it is incredible to consider that God will use us to bring glory to Himself, and yet, He absolutely will.
And, incase that isn’t enough, He has made us His heirs. We have “obtained” an inheritance. We have not “earned” an inheritance, it is God’s grace towards us to give us an inheritance in Christ Jesus. “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:17. I don’t know about you, but that is a statement that is hard to grasp.
If I told you that your were heir to Warren Buffet, you might be overwhelmed at the immensity of that prospect. That isn’t even a drop in God’s bucket. He is the creator, and thus owner, of everything. This isn’t about some greedy grab for wealth, it is an acknowledgment of the immensity of God’s grace towards us. It should elicit gratitude and humility to realize we have been given saving grace, enabling grace and preparation grace.
We have put our trust in Jesus, and that is all He has asked of us, Faith. Believe what He has said and trust that He will accomplish all of His will. The Gospel is not about performance, but rather it is about putting all of our trust and faith in Jesus for every aspect of our lives.
Faith is not some blind adherence to something because someone told us to. We trust Him because He has proven who He is. Abraham stepped out in faith and God proved to Him over and over that He was able to do what He promised. It is even easier for us. We have all of the Old Testament that shows us over and over God’s faithfulness and His ability to accomplish His promises.
Even beyond that, we can clearly see God’s faithfulness in His creation. He has created this world for us, and He sustains it every day. It is just exactly what we need to live.
Continued
He’s helping me now this moment,
Though I may not see it or hear,
Perhaps by a friend far distant,
Perhaps by a stranger near,
Perhaps by a spoken message,
Perhaps by the printed word;
In says that I know and know not
I have the help of the Lord.
He’s keeping me now -this moment,
However I need it most
Perhaps by a single angel,
Perhaps by a mighty host,
Perhaps by the chain that frets me,
Or the walls that shut me in;
In ways that I know and know not,
He keeps me from harm and sin.
He’s guiding me now-this moment,
In pathways easy or hard,
Perhaps by a door wide open,
Perhaps by a door fast barred,
Perhaps by a joy withholden.
Perhaps by a gladness given;
In ways that I know and know not,
He’s leading me up to heaven.
He’s using me now-this moment,
And whether I go or stand,
Perhaps by a plan accomplished,
Perhaps when He stays my hand,
Perhaps by a word in season,
Perhaps by a silent prayer;
In ways that I know and know not,
His labor of love I share.
– A. J. Flint
Testimonies are a blessing, whether they are about the power of the Lord working on our behalf in our lives or about the power of the Word working in our lives. I have been meditating on the importance of tribulations in our lives. The Word is so rich and precious in how it encourages us.
In Romans 5:3-5 I see the Fruit of Faith. This shows how our character is developed through tribulation. It begins with tribulation. Tribulation tempers us and teaches us who we are and what our potential is. The fruit begins with accepting and embracing each experience. Our attitude and our actions are put on display and both man and God see how we respond to tribulations. Through each experience we show the love of God and our love for God. These are spiritual character traits from lives tested and tempered by fire. We are made stronger. This is the testimony of an overcoming life. This is the testimony I want in my life.
Paul begins with “we glory in tribulations.” This was his testimony, and the testimony of those with him, They experienced tribulations. He assures the saints that what he has done, they can do. He leads by example. I want this to be my testimony also. Paul saw the “glory of God” on the road to Damascus. He saw Jesus in all His glory. He never took his eyes off Jesus. This is a declaration of victory. It is a cry of joy. It is the testimony of an overcomer. When we see “the glory of God” the way Paul did, then we can “glory in tribulation also.” When Jesus fills our vision, when we see the power of the grace of God, then that grace meets every need and glory is the result. The Lord used tribulations. To strengthen our faith, prove our faithfulness, make us reach out for that glory.
“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD GOD IS UPON ME; BECAUSE THE LORD HAS ANOINTED ME TO… GIVE UNTO THEM BEAUTY FOR ASHES” ISA. 1:1,3.
We may understand from this portion of Scripture that by the Spirit of the Lord, there will be marvelous changes for the regeneration of a believing remnant of God’s chosen nation. They will enjoy as a new creation glorious changes – exchanging ashes for beauty. But also in this Church Age there is a beautification taking place in the lives of yielding believers. The ashes of the old being exchanged for a glorious beautification in the new life. It is hard to understand why any of us would want to hang onto, or keep around the ashes. When we think of ashes we think of that which has all the beauty, and moisture of life burned out of it. Whatever we count loss in order to go on all the way with our Lord can be sill seen as ashes.
God has provided from the love of our Lord Jesus Christ an awesome beautification into His radiant glory. This work is available for every believer that remains available, like clay in the potter’s hand – Col. 1:20-23. The Thessalonian saints received the Word with much affliction, but also with the joy of the Holy Ghost. There were some Saints the took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, because they knew in them selves, they had in heaven a better and enduring substance. As we are available to His hand, our afflictions of the moment are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Are not these beauty for ashes?
“For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beatify the meek with salvation” – Psalm 149:4. Are you glad to know of the pleasure he takes in us? What a wonderful beauty tip. This is God’s work to be done upon and for any meek enough to realize their need for His great salvation. Thank God there are some in this age aware of their need of His salvation not the uttermost, and depend upon Him to take them on all the way. Meekness expresses the attitude that excepts all of God’s dealings with us a good. Blessed are the meek. God’s most beautiful Son was indeed the most meek. He invited us to come unto Him as such – Mt. 11:28-30. His first advent was somewhat characterized with that lamb=like meekness, that never indicated weakness. I think Paul showed the same in I Cor. 15:10.
Peter spoke of the manner of life of believing wives, that their attitude could be so attractive so as to attract others to Christ. He points out that it wasn’t their outward adorning, but rather let it be the “Hidden man of the heat, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” – I Pet. 3:4. This should be active in true men of God as well. The Lord doesn’t seem to be as impressed with the outward appearance as we are – Mt. 23:27-28. Yet that doesn’t mean that we are more Spiritual by trying to look shabby.
“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth” – Psalm 110:3. Here is another beauty tip, and trait, “willingness.” They will have given an eternal yea, when asked “will you go.” Their willing attitude will have long been on record before He has girded on Hi sword and put down all rule and authority opposed to Him. His people do well to see themselves as free will offerings – Rom. 12:1-3. Then He bestows upon us His comeliness favor and honor. This has begun in an earlier day, “from the womb of the morning.” They will have been spiritually renewed and refreshed, with the dew of His eternal youth.
“Honor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the Lord the glory die unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the lord in the beauty of holiness…” – Psalm 96:6,8,9. This is why he is doing such marvelous things in us, and for us, so that we worship Him in the beauty of holiness. Let us sense there a refined condition, an elevated realm of the Spirit, also translated, “the glorious sanctuary.” Is he able to make such of us? Has He made the light of the knowledge of his glory shine into our hearts? Has He put the Christ life treasure into earthen vessels? Is He able to make the life of Christ manifest in human beings? How about the life of Christ being magnified in our bodies?
“Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us…” – Psalm 90:17a. It first, of course must be within. It is evident that He enjoys such request from believing hearts. “Lord, you have provided for it, now we are expecting you to produce it, make it happen. What do we require of Him? He is pleased that we are wanting no other attractiveness. We sing the chorus; “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” We think of Esther’s preparation in order to be pleasing to the King. She required nothing but what the keeper of the women (representative of the Holy Spirit) appointed. Are we allowing Him to do the purification in our lives to prepare us to reign with Christ?
Part 2 will be in the next issue.
(Song of Solomon 2:16)
I am His, by Him created; I am His, by His redeemed: I am twice His, by original right, and by purchase when I was lost. I am His by the ransom of His blood, His by the conquest of His spirit, His by my own free consent; His in body, in soul, in estate; His entirely, His exclusively, His irrevocably.
I am His and He will defend me, His and He will correct me, His and he will make use of me; but His and He will love me, His and He will delight in me, His and He will claim me against all rivals and opponents; yea rather His and He doth love, His and He doth delight in me. His and He claims me now against all adversaries.
I am not my own, not the church’s, not the world’s, not man’s, not the law’s, not Satan’s; but His, Christ’s, my Beloved’s. I am not the property of time, nor of care, nor of business, nor of necessity; but of Christ, for “I am His.”
I am my Beloved’s, and none else possesses either right or power over me, except according to His will and sufferance; and if I am my Beloved’s and He is mine, then all that is mine is His, all my sin, my weakness, my condemnation and my misery; and all that is His is mine, all His strength, His righteousness, His wisdom, His holiness, His salvation, His glory, His God is my God, His Father is my Father, His brethren my brethren, His Heaven my home.
From an old Scotch book, “The Song of Songs”
by A. M. Stuart
Dearly beloved in Christ,
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Praise be to our Lord, how wonderful is His love and how marvelous are His deeds!
James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” While living on this earth, our Lord Jesus showed us in practical ways not only to resist the devil but also to overcome him. Immediately after His baptism as led by the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus went to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Since the purpose of His coming was to do battle with the forces of evil, His first encounter before the start of the ministry was with the prince of evil himself. Temptation was also a preparation for His ministry, as had been His baptism. In baptism, He had received the Holy Spirit, a confirmation of His mission, while in His temptation, He received the strengthening from God, which came from trial and testing. It is a part of the discipline of God to make His loved ones perfect through trial and suffering.
It was precisely this part of our Lord’s mission that the devil attacked. The temptations were meant to divert our Lord from His task of salvation through sacrifice. Instead of the Cross as a means of winning the souls of men, Satan suggested three shortcuts to popularity. Jesus’ temptations were aimed at His identity as the Son of God, challenging Him to use His power for selfish desires of the flesh - turning stones to bread - to replace the suffering on the Cross with an effortless display of power - jumping from the temple, and to choose a much quicker way of establishing His Kingdom by striking up a treaty with Satan and worshiping him. (Matthew 4: 1-10) But Jesus responded consistently using the Scripture, asserting that man lives by God’s Word, not just bread, that one should not test God and that only God should be worshiped. This shows Jesus’ commitment to God’s will, refusing shortcuts to His mission.
Beloved, let Jesus be our role model. Let us overcome the devil and his temptations by quoting the Scripture. Let us defeat him by the power of the Lord Jesus, by His name and by the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Let us resolve to spend more time each day in Bible reading, meditation and prayer.
May the Lord give us His grace to do so.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
God bless.
Yours in His service.
Pastor Pani and Team
Uppahar, India
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed,
He’ll prepare for us a place.
While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will over-spread the sky;
But when traveling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.
Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.
Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open,
We shall tread the streets of gold.
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory.
– E. E. Hewitt
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.” Psalm 62:11
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” Romans 12:12
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” Psalm 62:5
“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:36
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26
“It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” Lamentations 3:26
“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8
Martha Wainright
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. “ Psalm 19:7-10
I don’t think there is anything more important for the child of God than understanding the importance of God’s Word. It is not just another book, nor is it some kind of science or history or social studies manual, even though it contains elements of those things. The main purpose of the Scriptures is to bring us into a closer relationship with God.
The Old Testament may seem like just a bunch of stories or some history, but God uses those books to speak to us about His plan for man’s redemption, and about His character. Our faith and trust in God are increased as we take time to study God’s Word. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17.
The 19th Psalm gives us some thoughts about the Scriptures and the effect of them on our lives. I think that verse 10 gives us the important conclusion. The value of God’s Word is beyond mere worldly wealth and sweeter than honey. This should grab our attention. If I told you that I have something that can increase your bank account by three times, it would probably grab your attention.
While I realize that we need money in this world, and we make use of worldly things for our survival here, there is something mush more important that we should seek after. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. Spiritual wealth (accumulated in heaven) is far more important. Life is short, but eternity is very long.
Let’s notice some of the characteristics of the Scriptures.
1. Perfect – God’s Word is perfect (complete). Everything we need from God will be found in His Word. I want to mention here that the Bible does not answer every single detail you can think of. It would be enormous. However, it does contain the information we need to address every single detail. God gives us principles to guide us. More importantly, everything that you need to know to turn you towards God is there. The entire purpose of God’s Word is to turn us to Jesus.
2. Sure – This speaks to us about support. A little like a foundation. It is a moral, spiritual foundation that is steady. This will make us wise. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15. Not the wisdom of the world. This wisdom is spiritual wisdom which supersedes the wisdom of the world.
3. Right – “Straight” which means that they are correct and proper, and this rejoices our heart. Why? Because that which is straight is constant and easy to see and follow. More and more I have come to realize the simplicity of God’s Word and how important that is. The world’s philosophy and guidance is all over the place. “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.” Psalm 119:128. Knowing what God says is what matters most. God is the One who will judge all things, so what man thinks is irrelevant.
4. Pure – This refers to something that is clean or not adulterated. I also can refer to something that cleanses. Both of these meanings are perfectly applied to God’s Word. We can be certain that it is not adulterated with the philosophies and ideas of the world. We can also be assured that it will cleanse us if we lay hold of it. “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” Ephesians 5:26. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere (pure, unadulterated) milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” 1Peter 2:2.
“Enlightening the eyes” refers to the ability to give us wisdom and discernment. Through God’s Word, we can clearly see the way ahead of us. We can clearly see the stumbling blocks of the world. We gain discernment in all issues of our life.
5. “The fear of the LORD is clean” – This phrase does not directly refer to the Scriptures, but reminds us that this is the beginning of wisdom which is what we just read above. This word “clean” speaks of ceremonial cleanness. The “Fear of the Lord” refers to a true understanding of Who God is, and the reverence that comes from that. The fear of the Lord is not just some words from our mouth. It is demonstrated in our actions. It brings about a change that is eternal. We will for eternity worship God in absolute reverence.
6. True and righteous – “true” is about correctness, or trustworthiness. God has proven His Word to be trustworthy. Everything He has promised, He has done. We can also ascertain that His Word is correct. When comparing our lives to what we find in the Bible, we realize that it is certainly correct. “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” Psalm 18:30. “So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.” Psalm 119:42.
God’s Word is all of these things and more. It is of utmost value to those that know. If we are going to have a personal relationship with Jesus, we must spend time studying God’s Word. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39. Jesus makes it very clear that we will find Him in the Scriptures. If we are trying to find something else there, we are looking for the wrong thing.
I pray that you find the sweetness of honey when you get into God’s Word.
The word “trust” occurs 152 times in the Old Testament. The New Testament equivalent of “trust” is “faith.” The different Hebrew words which have been translated as “trust” have four basic meanings: 1) “to lean on,” 2) “to take refuge,” 3) “to roll on” or “to roll oneself upon,” and 4) “to stay upon.”
It is interesting to note that the center verse of the whole Bible is written about “trust.” That verse is Ps. 118:8: “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” The meaning of “trust” in this verse is “to lean on.” The basic idea of this word is “firmness and solidity.” In other words, it refers to something that is solid enough to lean on.
Another verse which expresses the idea of “leaning” is Prov. 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” We must lean on the Lord and not ourselves.
Now I would like to use an example from the physical body to illustrate the meaning of this verse more clearly. If a person falls and suffers a broken hip, then they must undergo physical therapy after surgery to learn how to walk again. They will require the use of a walker to lean on to help support their weight on the injured leg and to help maintain their balance in order to keep from falling. The walker must be sturdy, and the person must be instructed in how to use it properly. In addition, the person must trust that the walker will support them.
However, some patients never learn to walk again after a broken hip because they are fearful that they will fall again. They are afraid to put their full trust in the walker. As a result, they are hindered in their ability to walk. Likewise, our Christian walk is hindered if we have a lack of trust.
Learning to lean on a walker with all of your weight is like learning to lean on the Lord with all of your heart. We must realize that spiritually, we have no strength of our own or ability to walk without leaning upon Him. We cannot lean on our own understanding. It will not hold us up. If we are not trusting the Lord completely, then we will always have fear of falling.
Notice that the verse in Prov. 3:5 instructs us to trust the Lord with all of our heart, not just a part, not just half-heartedly. We are to first acknowledge our weakness and our need for God’s strength, and then we must lean fully upon Him. We cannot be victorious in our Christian walk or in our trials if we do not lean upon the Lord and trust him completely. If we put our trust in ourselves instead of the Lord, we will fall.
Today, if you are currently going through a time of weakness, a time of testing, a wilderness experience, and find that all of your strength is gone, then I encourage you to lean upon your Beloved, as the Shulamite did in S.O.S. 8:5: “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness leaning upon her Beloved…” Who is this Shulamite? She is the picture of the Bride of Christ.
The bride recognizes her need for the strength of her Beloved and leans upon him, not just in times of testing, but in her everyday experiences. She trusts Him with all of her heart and knows that she can safely lean upon Him. But she also leans upon Him simply because of her love for Him, even as John leaned upon Jesus breast.
In Ruth 2:12 we find the second meaning of the word “trust,” which is “to take refuge.” These are the words of Boaz, to Ruth: “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” Ruth’s testimony was that she trusted in the Lord and took refuge in Him, under His wings.
We, too, can be safely sheltered under His wings when we take refuge in the Lord and trust Him completely, as is declared by the psalmist in Ps. 91:2,4: “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” ... “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust...”
The third meaning of the word “trust” in the Hebrew is found in Ps. 2:2. This psalm is a Messianic psalm regarding the crucifixion of Christ. Verse 8 states, “He has trusted in the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” The word “trust” in this verse means to “roll upon the Lord.” This is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. He committed His Spirit into God’s hands. He rolled everything over upon His Father, and became obedient unto the death of the cross, and God raised Him up in victory over the grave. The Lord will also deliver us from our trials when we trust Him enough to roll our problems over onto His shoulder and leave them there.
The last meaning of the word “trust” is found in Job 13:15, where it means “to be patient, to hope, to stay upon.” Job was enduring a severe physical and emotional trial, and seemingly had no one to turn to, for his wife and friends had turned their backs on him. However, Job knew that, in spite of his circumstances, he could put his trust in the Lord. In this verse Job proclaims, “Though he [God] slay me, yet will I trust him...” Job’s hope and trust in the Lord extended even beyond the grave, and so he knew that he could safely depend on Him to take care of him. He trusted God in spite of his suffering. His faith and trust in the Lord were steadfast. God’s grace was sufficient for Job and for Paul and will also be sufficient for us when we put our trust in Him.
We can stand and move
when we want to go.
But to just stand still,
and take it slow –
Takes faith and trust
in God’s own plan.
He’s in control,
it’s in His Hand.
But standing up
when He says “Move,”
Is just as hard,
For you then prove –
That you are willing
to give your all,
To hear His voice,
to heed His call.
And then to stand
and wait to see,
His mighty Arm,
and let things be –
Shows grace and strength
drawn from His Word.
An obedient life,
a heart assured.
Debbie Isenbletter
Springfield, Missouri