A Pattern of Perpetual Sin - by Greg Laurie -
But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.-1 John 3:8
It's an indisputable fact of the universe: we will sin. The Bible even says, "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth" (1 John 1:8 NLT).
Having said that, it doesn't give us an excuse to go out and willfully sin against God.
Yet some Christians say, "I believe that once saved, always saved. And because I'm saved, because I'm justified, I can go out and pretty much do whatever I want to do."
So, they live in a pattern of habitual and continual sin. Talk about missing the point. They have misunderstood and misused the wonderful biblical teaching known as justification.
The apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1 NKJV).
We see the word justification several times in the Book of Romans. Justification means that when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God forgives all our sin. He also places the righteousness of Christ into our spiritual account.
One-way justification has been defined is "just as if it never had happened." The problem is that some Christians stop at salvation. They don't understand that the fruit of salvation should be evident in their lives.
Whoever continues in sin without remorse is not in danger of losing their salvation; rather, by their choices, they reveal they may never have had salvation to begin with.
The Bible tells us that "when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8 NLT).
God has justified us. And in light of that, we should want to live lives that honor Him.
From Spiritual Death to Life - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. -Romans 6:4
A pastor was baptizing a man who had lived a rather wicked life. The man told him, "Pastor, hold me down a long time. I have a lot to bury."
Baptism is a symbol of the end of the old you and the beginning of the new you. It's an outward showing of an inward doing, because regeneration takes place when we believe in Jesus.
The Bible tells us, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4 NKJV).
By the way, there is God's part and our part. God sanctifies us. The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV).
But then we need to cooperate with God. Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV).
Notice that Paul didn't say, "Work for your salvation." That's impossible, because salvation is a gift of God. Rather, live it out. Experience it. Our salvation should affect us in our day-to-day choices.
Salvation is coming to Christ; sanctification is growing in Christ. Salvation happens in a moment, bringing a sinner from spiritual death to life; sanctification is an ongoing process.
Salvation is being forgiven of the past; sanctification is breaking free from the power of sin. This is something God does in our lives, and it never stops until we get to Heaven.
Showers of Blessing
“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” (Ezekiel 34:26)
This verse provided the inspiration for the old gospel hymn “Showers of Blessing.” While it applies specifically to Israel, it states a divine principle that believers of all times have rightly appropriated to their own lives. The same word (“showers”) is also frequently translated “rain,” speaking of the rain that followed Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal at the end of the three-year drought. “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain” (1 Kings 18:41).
In general, the word is most commonly used to indicate very heavy rains. In fact, its first occurrence is in connection with the great Flood. “The rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights” (Genesis 7:12). This rain had poured forth from the windows (literally “sluiceways”) of heaven, and it provides an impressive picture of the tremendous showers of blessing that God desires to pour down on His people.
In the context of our key verse, the promised showers follow the condition of the preceding verses: “And I the Lord will be their God,…And I will make with them a covenant of peace” (Ezekiel 34:24-25). The greatest blessings of God, accordingly, must follow the knowledge of God and the peace of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.
No doubt the greatest of all spiritual blessings, at least in this life, is the inspired Word of God, and the same word is so used: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud….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 55:10-11). HMM
“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” (Ezekiel 34:26)
This verse provided the inspiration for the old gospel hymn “Showers of Blessing.” While it applies specifically to Israel, it states a divine principle that believers of all times have rightly appropriated to their own lives. The same word (“showers”) is also frequently translated “rain,” speaking of the rain that followed Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal at the end of the three-year drought. “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain” (1 Kings 18:41).
In general, the word is most commonly used to indicate very heavy rains. In fact, its first occurrence is in connection with the great Flood. “The rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights” (Genesis 7:12). This rain had poured forth from the windows (literally “sluiceways”) of heaven, and it provides an impressive picture of the tremendous showers of blessing that God desires to pour down on His people.
In the context of our key verse, the promised showers follow the condition of the preceding verses: “And I the Lord will be their God,…And I will make with them a covenant of peace” (Ezekiel 34:24-25). The greatest blessings of God, accordingly, must follow the knowledge of God and the peace of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.
No doubt the greatest of all spiritual blessings, at least in this life, is the inspired Word of God, and the same word is so used: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud….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 55:10-11). HMM
The God of Heaven
“And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.” (Jonah 1:9)
It was by these words that the prophet Jonah identified himself to the merchants of Tarshish as he was fleeing on their ship from the presence of the Lord. This special title, “the God of heaven,” seems generally to have been used by the Jews when they were talking to men of other religions, stressing that their God was no mere tribal deity but the true God who had created the very heavens.
The title was first used by Abraham, speaking to his servant: “And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth” (Genesis 24:3). At this time, the nation of Israel existed only in the promise of this “God of heaven.”
It also appears frequently in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, first in the decree of Cyrus the Persian: “The LORD God of heaven…hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:2). Even though the Persians followed lesser gods, Cyrus knew that the one God of heaven was the Creator. The name then reappears several times in the book of Daniel, who was living in the palace of the heathen king of Babylon. Its final Old Testament occurrence is Daniel 2:44: “The God of heaven [shall] set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.”
In the New Testament it occurs only twice, both in Revelation. In one instance, John writes that the ungodly nations “blasphemed the God of heaven”; in the other, he says they “gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 16:11; 11:13). In our own witnessing today, especially to those who don’t know or believe the Bible, it is also good to stress that our God is not just the God of Judeo-Christian tradition but the Creator of all things. HMM
“And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.” (Jonah 1:9)
It was by these words that the prophet Jonah identified himself to the merchants of Tarshish as he was fleeing on their ship from the presence of the Lord. This special title, “the God of heaven,” seems generally to have been used by the Jews when they were talking to men of other religions, stressing that their God was no mere tribal deity but the true God who had created the very heavens.
The title was first used by Abraham, speaking to his servant: “And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth” (Genesis 24:3). At this time, the nation of Israel existed only in the promise of this “God of heaven.”
It also appears frequently in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, first in the decree of Cyrus the Persian: “The LORD God of heaven…hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:2). Even though the Persians followed lesser gods, Cyrus knew that the one God of heaven was the Creator. The name then reappears several times in the book of Daniel, who was living in the palace of the heathen king of Babylon. Its final Old Testament occurrence is Daniel 2:44: “The God of heaven [shall] set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.”
In the New Testament it occurs only twice, both in Revelation. In one instance, John writes that the ungodly nations “blasphemed the God of heaven”; in the other, he says they “gave glory to the God of heaven” (Revelation 16:11; 11:13). In our own witnessing today, especially to those who don’t know or believe the Bible, it is also good to stress that our God is not just the God of Judeo-Christian tradition but the Creator of all things. HMM
Habitation for God
“Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.” (Psalm 132:5-7)
These fascinating verses may well have a double meaning. First, a retrospective reference to David’s desire to build a temple for God, and second, a prophecy concerning a still-future habitation for God. Ephratah was the same as Bethlehem, the birthplace of both David and his greater son, Jesus.
The writer of this psalm may have been King Hezekiah, a contemporary of the prophet Micah, who had written: “Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,…out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). He was also a contemporary of Isaiah, who had written concerning this same coming Son: “His name shall be called…The mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).
David had desired to build an earthly habitation for the mighty God of Israel; Isaiah had said this “mighty God” would be “a child born” and “a Son given”; and Micah said He would be born in Bethlehem Ephratah. Our psalmist must have been thinking about these truths when he saw, through the future eyes of those “in the fields of the wood,” “at Ephratah,” this “place for the Lord,” who then would go to “worship at His footstool.”
Some 800 years later, “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields” at Bethlehem Ephratah, when a great host of angels told them the promised Savior had come, directing them to go to His “habitation” to worship Him. And that was where they did, indeed, find Him, “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:8, 12), and they were the very first to “worship at his footstool.” HMM
“Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.” (Psalm 132:5-7)
These fascinating verses may well have a double meaning. First, a retrospective reference to David’s desire to build a temple for God, and second, a prophecy concerning a still-future habitation for God. Ephratah was the same as Bethlehem, the birthplace of both David and his greater son, Jesus.
The writer of this psalm may have been King Hezekiah, a contemporary of the prophet Micah, who had written: “Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,…out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). He was also a contemporary of Isaiah, who had written concerning this same coming Son: “His name shall be called…The mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).
David had desired to build an earthly habitation for the mighty God of Israel; Isaiah had said this “mighty God” would be “a child born” and “a Son given”; and Micah said He would be born in Bethlehem Ephratah. Our psalmist must have been thinking about these truths when he saw, through the future eyes of those “in the fields of the wood,” “at Ephratah,” this “place for the Lord,” who then would go to “worship at His footstool.”
Some 800 years later, “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields” at Bethlehem Ephratah, when a great host of angels told them the promised Savior had come, directing them to go to His “habitation” to worship Him. And that was where they did, indeed, find Him, “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:8, 12), and they were the very first to “worship at his footstool.” HMM
To Be Like Him
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)
Scripture admonishes us as Christians to be like our Lord and Savior in “all manner of conversation,” or all manner of life. We are His earthly witnesses, and we must so order our lives that we are an adequate reflection of Him.
We are to be like Him in the purity of our lives. As our text points out, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). “Follow…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Our daily walk and lives should be patterned after Him. “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” (1 John 1:7).
Furthermore, we are to be like Him in love. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God…for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). We are to be willing to suffer unjustly without revenge, “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” (1 Peter 2:21-22).
Being like Him involves a life of service, as well. “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15).
Christ has forgiven each of us many times, even though our sins grieve Him deeply. He stands ready to forgive and restore fellowship, and so should we. With His help, we can emulate Him, even when we are wronged. “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). JDM
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)
Scripture admonishes us as Christians to be like our Lord and Savior in “all manner of conversation,” or all manner of life. We are His earthly witnesses, and we must so order our lives that we are an adequate reflection of Him.
We are to be like Him in the purity of our lives. As our text points out, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). “Follow…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Our daily walk and lives should be patterned after Him. “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” (1 John 1:7).
Furthermore, we are to be like Him in love. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God…for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). We are to be willing to suffer unjustly without revenge, “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” (1 Peter 2:21-22).
Being like Him involves a life of service, as well. “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15).
Christ has forgiven each of us many times, even though our sins grieve Him deeply. He stands ready to forgive and restore fellowship, and so should we. With His help, we can emulate Him, even when we are wronged. “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). JDM
Spiritual Hoarders - by Greg Laurie -
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. -Mark 10:45
I would describe myself as a microhoarder. I save pretty much everything, especially drawings that my children or grandchildren created for me over the years. But then I save random things, such as a single cord to a device I no longer have.
My wife, Cathe, will pick up a cord and say, "What does this go to?"
"I don't know," I'll tell her, "but one day I may need it."
So, I throw it in a box, where they are all tightly wound together into a big ball of cord madness. But every now and then, I find the very cord I was looking for.
I also save single socks, by the way. If I happen to lose one sock, I will save it in case the other sock returns somehow.
But some people are serious hoarders. We've seen the shows about them on television. Over the years, they have stacked books, newspapers, and magazines from floor to ceiling and collected weird junk.
Now people are hoarding other commodities: toilet paper and cleaning supplies.
I think Christians, too, can hoard. I'm not talking about stockpiling reading material or paper goods, however. I'm talking about when they look at church and think, "What's in this for me? How are you meeting my needs?"
Jesus said of Himself, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45 NLT).
A real mark of spiritual maturity is that you no longer perceive church, thinking about how you can be served. Instead, you look for ways to serve others. You have skin in the game. And that indicates you're growing spiritually.
I guarantee that as you focus on helping others and ministering to others, you will be blessed.
Why We Should Study Romans - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. -Romans 1:16
The study of the Book of Romans has transformed the lives of very significant people in church history, including Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and even a pastor named Chuck Smith.
Swiss theologian Fr�d�ric Louis Godet wrote of Romans, "The probability is that every great spiritual revival in the Church will be connected as cause and effect with a deeper understanding of this book."
In all of the Bible, Romans is the most basic, comprehensive statement of what the gospel is. It's in Romans that we read, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:23 NKJV). If Romans does nothing else, it once and for all refutes the idea that we're not good enough to get to Heaven, regardless of how many good works we've done.
In Romans, the apostle Paul systematically addresses every person and every type of argument as to why God would accept someone on their own merit. He deals with pagan people. He deals with moral people. And he deals with religious people.
The conclusion is that everyone has to come to God through Jesus. Everyone has to acknowledge their sin.
And Romans offers a solution to the sin.
In chapter 5 we read, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (verse 8 NKJV). And verse 23 of chapter 6 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (NKJV).
Then Romans 10:13 tells us, "For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved'" (NKJV).
It's very important we understand and appreciate all that God has done for us. If we really get this, it will cause us to want to serve Him and discover His plan for our lives.
Thanks for Everything
�Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.� (Ephesians 5:20)
Being thankful for everything that happens in his or her life to a Christian believer is listed in this section of Paul�s letter to the Ephesians as one of the evidences that a Christian is indeed �filled with the Spirit� (Ephesians 5:18).
That is not all. Not only for everything, but in everything we should give thanks to God. �In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you� (1 Thessalonians 5:18). These two commands are easy to obey when the living is easy, as the song says, though we might easily forget to do so. But when the Lord is allowing us to hurt for a while, thanksgiving becomes hard. It is hard while we are experiencing the difficulty and just as hard when it has passed with no relief in sight. The two small prepositions �in� and �for� are different in New Testament Greek as well as in modern English, and God really wants us to learn how to thank Him both during and after the hard experience.
Because He has allowed it for a good purpose! The apostle James urges us to �count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations� (that is, �various testings�); �Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing� (James 1:3-4). Paul says that we can even �glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us� (Romans 5:3-5). Patience and real love will come to characterize a habitually thankful Christian. HMM
�Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.� (Ephesians 5:20)
Being thankful for everything that happens in his or her life to a Christian believer is listed in this section of Paul�s letter to the Ephesians as one of the evidences that a Christian is indeed �filled with the Spirit� (Ephesians 5:18).
That is not all. Not only for everything, but in everything we should give thanks to God. �In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you� (1 Thessalonians 5:18). These two commands are easy to obey when the living is easy, as the song says, though we might easily forget to do so. But when the Lord is allowing us to hurt for a while, thanksgiving becomes hard. It is hard while we are experiencing the difficulty and just as hard when it has passed with no relief in sight. The two small prepositions �in� and �for� are different in New Testament Greek as well as in modern English, and God really wants us to learn how to thank Him both during and after the hard experience.
Because He has allowed it for a good purpose! The apostle James urges us to �count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations� (that is, �various testings�); �Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing� (James 1:3-4). Paul says that we can even �glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us� (Romans 5:3-5). Patience and real love will come to characterize a habitually thankful Christian. HMM
Wondrous Things in the Word
�Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.� (Psalm 119:18)
The word �law� (Hebrew torah), as used in the psalms, actually refers to all the revealed Scriptures. We may well understand it today to mean the entire Bible. And we can indeed behold wondrous things in the Word if we have eyes to see and hearts to believe by the grace of God.
The adjective �wondrous� is often used to describe God�s mighty miracles in Egypt and elsewhere (e.g., Psalm 106:22, �Wondrous works in the land of Ham�). This would indicate that there are many evidences of divine origin that can be gleaned from the Scriptures if our spiritual eyes are open to discern them as we search.
This 119th Psalm itself illustrates this truth. It has 22 stanzas (keyed in turn to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet), each with eight verses (the number eight representing new life, since eight suggests a new beginning after the �completeness� represented by the number seven). In each stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter�aleph, the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, in the first stanza, beth in the second stanza, etc.�and the 176 verses (i.e., 8 times 22) of the psalm (the longest chapter in the Bible) have 176 references to the Holy Scriptures.
The great theme of the psalm is, therefore, the wonder and power of the life-giving, written Word of God. As the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead on the �eighth day,� and as there are eight other instances of the dead being restored to life in the Bible, there are eight different Hebrew words used for the Scriptures in the psalm.
Life through the Word! This is also the testimony of the gospel of Christ, revealed in �the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus� (2 Timothy 3:15). HMM
�Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.� (Psalm 119:18)
The word �law� (Hebrew torah), as used in the psalms, actually refers to all the revealed Scriptures. We may well understand it today to mean the entire Bible. And we can indeed behold wondrous things in the Word if we have eyes to see and hearts to believe by the grace of God.
The adjective �wondrous� is often used to describe God�s mighty miracles in Egypt and elsewhere (e.g., Psalm 106:22, �Wondrous works in the land of Ham�). This would indicate that there are many evidences of divine origin that can be gleaned from the Scriptures if our spiritual eyes are open to discern them as we search.
This 119th Psalm itself illustrates this truth. It has 22 stanzas (keyed in turn to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet), each with eight verses (the number eight representing new life, since eight suggests a new beginning after the �completeness� represented by the number seven). In each stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter�aleph, the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, in the first stanza, beth in the second stanza, etc.�and the 176 verses (i.e., 8 times 22) of the psalm (the longest chapter in the Bible) have 176 references to the Holy Scriptures.
The great theme of the psalm is, therefore, the wonder and power of the life-giving, written Word of God. As the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead on the �eighth day,� and as there are eight other instances of the dead being restored to life in the Bible, there are eight different Hebrew words used for the Scriptures in the psalm.
Life through the Word! This is also the testimony of the gospel of Christ, revealed in �the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus� (2 Timothy 3:15). HMM
Inherit the Wind
�He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.� (Proverbs 11:29)
This verse was selected to provide the title for one of the most widely distributed movies ever produced in Hollywood. Inherit the Wind was a black-and-white movie produced in 1960 starring Spencer Tracy as the famous atheist lawyer Clarence Darrow. The theme of the picture was the Scopes evolution trial held in Tennessee in 1925. The picture glorified Darrow and evolutionism, portraying creationists and Bible-believing Christians as fanatical buffoons.
Although the movie grossly distorted history, it has continued all these years to be shown over and over. The Scopes trial itself�in the absence of any real scientific evidence for evolution� is repeatedly rehashed in print by evolutionists in their zeal to destroy creationism. This is typical of the �profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called� (1 Timothy 6:20) to which evolutionists resort in lieu of evidence.
As far as the Scripture verse itself is concerned, it should serve rather as a sober warning to those evolutionary humanists who are still troubling our nation�s homes and schools and churches with this false and deadly doctrine of evolution. They are the ones who will inherit the wind. �The ungodly�are like the chaff which the wind driveth away� (Psalm 1:4). They are the ones who, �professing themselves to be wise,� became fools (Romans 1:22), �who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator� (Romans 1:25).
It is the one who proclaims �no God� who is �the fool� (Psalm 53:1) of our text. Evolutionists, humanists, atheists, and other anti-biblicists will inherit nothing but wind, but �the wise shall inherit glory� (Proverbs 3:35). HMM
�He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.� (Proverbs 11:29)
This verse was selected to provide the title for one of the most widely distributed movies ever produced in Hollywood. Inherit the Wind was a black-and-white movie produced in 1960 starring Spencer Tracy as the famous atheist lawyer Clarence Darrow. The theme of the picture was the Scopes evolution trial held in Tennessee in 1925. The picture glorified Darrow and evolutionism, portraying creationists and Bible-believing Christians as fanatical buffoons.
Although the movie grossly distorted history, it has continued all these years to be shown over and over. The Scopes trial itself�in the absence of any real scientific evidence for evolution� is repeatedly rehashed in print by evolutionists in their zeal to destroy creationism. This is typical of the �profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called� (1 Timothy 6:20) to which evolutionists resort in lieu of evidence.
As far as the Scripture verse itself is concerned, it should serve rather as a sober warning to those evolutionary humanists who are still troubling our nation�s homes and schools and churches with this false and deadly doctrine of evolution. They are the ones who will inherit the wind. �The ungodly�are like the chaff which the wind driveth away� (Psalm 1:4). They are the ones who, �professing themselves to be wise,� became fools (Romans 1:22), �who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator� (Romans 1:25).
It is the one who proclaims �no God� who is �the fool� (Psalm 53:1) of our text. Evolutionists, humanists, atheists, and other anti-biblicists will inherit nothing but wind, but �the wise shall inherit glory� (Proverbs 3:35). HMM
The Farm Chronicles: GI Joe Honor - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
Sonny and I had been saving up our money for months. He had seen a commercial on TV that promoted a nearly foot-tall action figure called GI Joe in 1964. The action figure, not a doll mind you, was about to come out in the stores and we wanted to be the first to buy one. Finally, when the release day had come, we bugged my parents to take us shopping to Kent, a little further down the road than Ravenna, Ohio to Hills Department Store, where we were hoping to find the first GI Joes. Imagine our excitement as we rushed through the various aisles in the toy section to catch our first glimpse of this new toy. If memory serves me right, they cost about $2.50. We were short a few cents so Mom helped with taxes.
My brother teased us about boys playing with dolls, but undeterred we informed him that it was an action figure, not a doll. These GI Joes became the catalyst for many an adventure played out on the living room and bed room floors in the winter time and far more outside when the Ohio weather became bearable. While we were fascinated with the M-1 rifle and the many poses we could do with GI Joe, it was the imagination he sparked in us that inspired many a battle, many rescues, many commando raids that may have started out with the action figures, but ended up with Sonny and I acting out our own battle scenes in the barn or out in the woods. When we weren't playing Cowboys and Indians, we were playing Army.
The folks at Hasbro were pretty smart. They kept releasing accessories for GI Joe. And, of course, Sonny and I had to buy them. Green Beret's, bazooka's, grenades, frogman suits, airman suits, various camouflaged clothing and weapons. Then we had to have an official foot-locker to keep all the equipment. We had some of the best times playing with GI Joe. There was a place back in the woods by the creek where there was a dirt hill. That was a choice location to fight battles. Normandy was recreated there. GI Joe came across the creek, crawled through the dirt, dodging bullets and hurling grenades at the enemy occupying the top of the hill. Later, a competing figure came out call Captain Action, who came with a parachute. We adapted the parachute to fit GI Joe.
We would toss him out of the third-story window at Sonny's house and watch him float to the ground. Got a lot of exercise taking turns running up and down all the stairs to see GI Joe parachute behind enemy lines. I still have my original GI Joe and all his military gear. In fact, every year as my son Christian was growing up, we would buy a GI Joe (the original large size) on the 4th of July. It renewed our patriotism and gave me an opportunity to talk about our country and the brave people who served it in the military, of which Sonny was one. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." Not long ago, Sonny and I were reminiscing about GI Joe. Those GI Joes helped teach us about patriotism, responsibility, leadership and honor, because that's what GI Joe represented to us. Still does.
Are You a Betweener? - by Greg Laurie -
But in spite of this, the people kept sinning. Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him. -Psalm 78:32
Commentator Warren Wiersbe has pointed out that "many of God's people are betweeners. . . . They believe that Jesus died on the cross, but they are not living in the power of His resurrection."
Some people believe that Jesus has saved them and justified them, but they enter into a lifestyle of sin. They don't live like they're saved; they live like they're spiritually dead.
Are you a betweener? Do you believe in Jesus but find yourself still bound to a certain sin, a certain vice that has a hold on you?
God can break that pattern of sin in your life. You can live a sanctified life as a follower of Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that you'll be sinless, because we all sin. But I am saying you can sin less.
Maybe you're thinking, "I can't stop sinning. It's just human nature. I can't control it."
Yes, you can. You make choices. Remember, Jesus warned a man that He healed, "Now you are well; so, stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you" (John 5:14 NLT).
For every temptation in life that you faced and gave into, if you think back, you will remember there always was a way out. And there was power from God to give you the resolve to take that way out. So, if you didn't take it, that isn't God's fault. Rather, you made a bad choice.
Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure" (NLT).
There's always a way out. We make our choices and then our choices make us.
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