daily

Objects Appear Larger 

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Isaiah 28:13
“But the word of the Lord was to them,
‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little.’”

I don’t know if it is “a guy thing”, but whenever my wife arrives home from grocery shopping and asks for help bringing the bags in from the car, I attempt to carry everything in at once. It may be the challenge or it may be out of laziness, but whatever motivates me, it is down right comical to see me laden down with groceries, attempting to open the front door. The fact is, there is a much better way to accomplish a big task, that is, one step at at time.

For many, the Bible seems like a massive undertaking. We look at it and have no idea where to start. Perhaps we have even attempted at times to become a student of Scripture, only to become discouraged by how little we understand. It is common to develop an attitude that we will leave the Bible for experts, then our devotional life becomes limited to reading books others have written about the Bible. Isaiah gives us a tip here on the proper approach to understwnding the Word of God.

“Line upon line, line upon line,

Here a little, there a little”

Many Christians attempt to read the Bible by randomly opening it and reading whatever text they happen to find. Can you imagine reading any other book that way? What if you read articles like that? Would you ever come to the authors intended understanding? The fact is, the best way to approach reading the Bible is to do so systematically. Since the Bible is a collection of books, the best place to start is in one of the four Gospel accounts. Read at least a chapter a day until you are finished, then select another and do the same. You will find that in no time you are beginning to learn and understand the Bible on your own.

Pastor Jim

 

Daily News

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2 Chronicles 31:3
“The king also appointed a portion of his possessions for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the New Moons and the set feasts, as it is written in the Law of the Lord.”

God established a worship schedule for Israel that included annual feasts, weekly Sabbaths, and daily sacrifices. It was important for the people to gather on Passover to celebrate, but it was not enough. It was necessary to meet on the Sabbath, but it was not enough. For them to carry on a healthy relationship with God, they needed to start the morning with offering and end the day with sacrifice.

I recently heard a man declare he did not need to go to church because it wasn’t Christmas. I think most Christians would agree, going to church once a year is not enough to carry on a healthy walk with God. Unfortunately, many of the same Christians treat their relationship with God as though it were a weekly exercise. The only time their Bibles are opened is at church on Sunday morning. Just as Israel needed daily attention to their relationship with God, we need to give daily attention to ours.

I have found the most helpful habit to develop is to have morning devotions. I purposefully rise early, grab a cup of tea and sit down with my Bible. Taking a few minutes to read through the Word and think upon the things that I have read, helps to give me clear direction on how to honor the Lord with my life. This time also provides strength for what the Bible calls “the inner man.” The more time we take to feed on the Word, the more strength we will have to face the opposition of the day, and to impact others for the Kingdom of God.

Take time this morning to offer the sacrifice of time and spend it in the Word of God.

Pastor Jim

 

Fair-Minded

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Acts 17:11
“. . . more fair-minded. . . “

Paul and his companions were traveling throughout Greece. They had been in Philippi, Thessalonica, and would soon be in Athens. These were all very prominent cities. Philippi was the foremost city in the region of Macedonia, and Athens remained the scholastic capital of the Empire. Berea, on the other hand, was a small town, which in the large scale of things, was pretty insignificant. No one would be impressed with someone from Berea. They were not known for their universities, trade, or monuments.

While the world may not have been particularly impressed with the Bereans, Scripture certainly was. Luke takes the time to write concerning the character of these Christians. He speaks of their fair-mindedness; the King James uses the word, noble. These folks were considered nobility by the Apostles.

What is it that caught the attention of the Apostles? It was the fact that they were open to the Word of God, trusted it as the final authority on who God was and how to please Him. We read that they received the Word with readiness. This means, when their Bibles were open, they were expecting to hear from God. I imagine a scene where they have Bibles open in one hand and notepad and pen the other. They knew the Bible to be the Word of God, and anticipated that God wanted to instruct them when it was taught.

We also read, they searched the Scripture to determine if the Apostles’ teaching was true. The real authority in their lives was the Word of God. Too often, Christians will allow the church or church leaders, to be their authority and will believe anything  declared from a pulpit. The Bereans only accepted what was taught if it was consistent with the teachings of Scripture. This saved them from being caught up in the wild winds of false doctrine that could sweep through the church. Other Christians will allow culture to be their final authority and behave consistent with the world in which they live. Their practices are no different than the unbelievers that surround them; never taking time to look into the Word of God and examine what their marriage, family life, work attitude, recreational activities, and speech should be like. When we live like that, we are far from the nobility found in the Bereans.

Let’s determine that the Word of God becomes the final authority for our lives and our living. Search It daily and live accordingly. May it be said of each of us, the we are “more fair-minded.”

Pastor Jim

 

Always Burning

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Leviticus 6:13
“A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”

IMG_1482The Old Testament offerings served a duel purpose. First, they were designed to provide a way for man to have relationship with God. Second, they were designed as types or illustrations of a relationship between man and God through Christ. Paul wrote that these things were written for our “example” (Romans 15:4). An understanding of the Old Testament offerings, helps to illustrate the similarity of those offerings to a healthy relationship with Christ. The burnt offering is a picture of a life fully devoted to the Lord. This offering was brought to the priest morning and night, and completely consumed upon the altar.

Jesus explained, if we want to experience abundant life, it is not found in attempting to save our lives, by holding things back from the Lord. It is in the complete surrender of all to God. The Rich Young Ruler went away sad because he was unwilling to give all to Christ (Mark 10:17-22). By contrast, Paul celebrated that his life was being poured out as an offering on the altar of the Lord (Philippians 2:17).

It interests me that the flames of the altar were always lit, and the burnt offerings were sacrificed twice daily. Every morning and every evening, the air would be filled with the sweet aroma of the burnt offering. One way to ensure you have a healthy and growing relationship with God, is to offer yourself to Him daily. As the morning awakens, it is a good thing to get alone with the Lord and His Word. Start with prayer, and offer yourself to Him for the day. Take your schedule and lay it at His feet, asking for His guiding hand, and leave enough room for Him to redirect, as He sees fit; to use you to impact others for Christ.

When the day comes to an end, it is a good idea to lay the events of the day back on the altar. We often begin our day with great expectations, only to find that we have failed in one way or another. Take the time to confess sin, cry out for His merciful pardon, and sustaining grace.

Pastor Jim