The Devotional - 1002 - A Treasury

The Devotional – 1002 – A Treasury

Who is it that would turn down a treasury of gold and silver? A fool might, yet even if the fool did not, he or she would not use it for the Glory of God. The world we live in has a system of gold, silver and precious stones; these commodities are in high demand by the wise man and the fool. One brief look at the world around us, quickly reminds us of the “good and evil intent” produced in the hunt for earthly treasure.

Comments and Challenges:

The apostle James writes in his epistle: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. Your murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war (battle). Yet you do not have because do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, (you miss the mark) that you may spend the (spoil) on your (selfish) pleasures. James 4:1-3 Words in brackets are added from various definitions.

James has a lot to say about the wisdom of earthly riches in his epistle and the Jew of the past is no different than today’s Jew. Again the gentile of the past is no different that the gentile of the today. The entire world is in pursuit pleasure. Even when we acknowledge the LORD Jesus as our hope and claim faith in Him for Justification and Sanctification in this life our pursuit glorification and in eternity’s treasure is missing the mark. If the LORD agrees I intend to study out the epistle of James and share whatever comes forth. But first; a few observations about “A Treasury”.

There are two platforms for “treasure” in scripture, one is of the earth and the other is of eternity. Notice if you will that Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel explains that earthly treasure is infected with worry and labor (Matthew 6:25-34), just before His discussion of worry and labor, He offers His listeners and readers a choice to store up treasures. (Matthew 6:19-21); actually this is more than an offer of choice, it is a “command”. Now, here me on this… it is important.

The “beatitudes” as we call them are the Words of Christ delivered to those who were following Him and also to His chosen disciples. The question we might consider is this. Of what platform of gold silver and precious stone was Jesus focused on? Our natural instinct is to run from subjects like this but bear with me. The beatitudes are directed at the “kingdom of heaven” and not on the domain of darkness. Matthew 5:1-12.  Believers in Jesus Christ are the “Salt and the Light” Therefore the Salt (Word) sown to the earth, has no Light, only physical work, it is simply a treasury of self-worth and nothing more, Philippians 1:15-18.

Christ Jesus fulfils the Law, it is His Righteous in us that produces gold, silver and precious stone worthy for the heavenly treasure. If we are using our own effort to obtain a treasury it will be expended in an earthly way to man’s glory, this then often results in murderous and adulterous acts of the heart; Matthew 5:17-30. Jesus continues his discourse about treasure, the use of it and the effects on man’s ability to control his treasure. In a partial conclusions Jesus speaks of the human spirit; Matthew 6:22-23. If your human spirit is good, it will produce good; but he also says that we have a double minded human nature: Matthew 6:24.

This will end our devotion for today, it is my hope to shorten these messages up so our time is spent more wisely. We will pick up with the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1) tomorrow and continue preparing our heart for the study of the epistle of James

The Devotional - 1001 - Abiding in the Word

The Devotional – 1001 – Abiding in The Word is abiding in Christ

Have you taken a walk lately? A nice sunny and soft wind swept moment in time when the experience of peace is present with every step of the way! The Psalmist expresses this experience of a sincere Spiritual connection with “Almighty God” and we should pay attention. Many believers in Jesus Christ today are distracted by well-intended leadership who soften the Gospel of God with plush entertainment, rather than the “good Word of the Living God”. Well here is what the Psalmist says. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD”. Psalm 119:1 

Comments and Challenges:

Confidence, hope and spiritual evidence in the believers life is found in what God thinks of him or her and then believing God. What I mean is this: “Blessed are the undefiled in the way” this is the picture God has of us who believe in Christ Jesus. Believing then is connecting by faith what God has ordained and not what we intend to prove with our conduct of worship during any sort of churchy moment in time.

Blessed is the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. This statement is the same statement of “law” that Jesus says in the words “follow Me” that He expresses to His disciples at least twenty times in the four gospels. If we intend to be Disciples of Christ, we must be willing to follow Him which is the “undefiled way or the Spiritual connection that He provides”.

Well you may be thinking in that His words to His disciple relate to His earthly ministry and what has that to do with today’s contemporary advancement of worship? The words “follow Me” do not need to be foreign in today’s gospel message since there is a another command or law of Jesus; and these words are seldom heard in today’s gospel messages which are the words “abide in Me”

• John 15:4 KJV - Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
• John 15:6 KJV - If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned .
• John 15:7 KJV - If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

So I do not challenge us to a walk in the park that is full of entertainment and distraction. (Any unbelieving person and unfaithful child of God can do that). My comment and my challenge is for us to stop playing the harlot with the Living Word of God and begin to understand that it is the will of Christ our God to KNOW that we are “Blessed” in His sight, and that by the Law of God we are “undefiled” if we know this, we should walk; following and abiding in HIM.

The Devotional - 1530 - God Knows His Chldren

The Devotional – 1530 – God Knows His Children

Psalm 139:1-8 – A Psalm of David. O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Comments and Challenges  

Many children today run the pathways of life and their parents have no knowledge of what their child or children are doing. Then when something happens and the child is accused as the one who is the cause; the common replies are: “My child would never do or think of such things”; “They are only children, what do you expect!”; or this one… “Children are not accountable, so leave my child out of it!”. Of course there are many more excuses that parents give for their lack of “knowing” their child. 

Yet I remember (but of course, by the world standard of age, I am an antique) my days of growing up that my parents knew “always” what I was up too, both the good and the bad and I remember that I was never up to any “good” and therein is the problem. I WAS NEVER UP TO DOING GOOD. Before becoming a teenager, I lied, cheated on school work and beat up on my brothers. Awe! Go ahead and say it; “Jesse you were a jerk of the kid”. I was not alone in this; was I. If you think about it? “SO WERE YOU”.

In those days however, parents took the position that their children were “bad to the bone” and were always ready to comprehend the downward path of each child. In today’s parental watch care the parent abides in this “enlightened” society that children can do no wrong and that somehow it is the fault of the neighborhood, the school or some other entity that can absorb the blame. OH! BAH HUMBUG! And in your heart of hearts you know that the parental progress of raising children today falls flat; even that it is a slap in the face of our “all present, all knowing and all caring Creator.

Now I know that for the most part, everyone who reads these devotionals are mindful of the things I have just said, (some would say that I am preaching to the choir) be careful with that one, since I am in the choir! Therefore there is an underlying power that works in the heart of all of us; one that continually says this. “And the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” – Genesis 3:4-5. This then is the reason behind our upbringing. Oh do you see a “loophole” in that the devil made me do it?

I would hope not, the devil is only the “originator” of evil; in other words he is responsible for letting evil into the world; but he is not responsible for our personal actions of living without respect of God or for our obedience to parents. The choice to do well and the choice to do bad is the choice of every individual who has a normal upbringing and at any point we can and often do go the wrong way. Well a lot said here and yet everything said is subject to the Word of God, is it not! And this is my point really!

Our mind and soul needs the Word of God, as much as our lungs need 18 to 21 percent of oxygen to sustain a healthy life and live physically. Can I dare say that this same percentage need applies to our mind and soul too? Well, yes I can! What would be the percentage of the “God breathed Word” do we know, or teach to our children, as God knows us? 

Are we inhaling and exhaling holiness? What then is the percentage of divine principals that God knows his children and that He knows our going in and going out, could we have? Are we starving our soul and fainting in the day of trouble – Matthew 6:34, or are we like the drunk who knows what to do, but fails to do it – Ephesians 5:18.

Psalm 139:23-24 – Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Devotional - 1529 - The Doing Soul

The Devotional – 1529 – The Doer

Psalm 119 – The Psalm is a wonderful platform for the study and meditation on the Word of God. Having the desire to move from the Psalm to other parts of the Holy Word of God I notice that it is not long before I come running back to it. The Psalm provides for me; strong confidence in the LORD God, also from this platform I find much joy in His Word. I believe that this is important for all of us. While it may not be Psalm 119 for you, you do need a section of the Word of God that can take up residence in your soul. The apostle James who is the half-brother of Jesus (they both have the same mother) has this to say about the Spiritual needs that all children of God need for endurance as a saint of the Living God. James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. Now there is a context to this one verse which talks to us about being doers of the word and not hears of the Word and that will be our subject. James 1:21-27.

Comments and Challenges  

The control room of a submarine reminds me of the “mind and soul” of a saint of God. Say what? Well this may not be worth repeating so let me continue. The control room is by the way the operating platform to command the men and the machine to have one performing purpose. Therefore the mind and soul of a saint is the operational platform of the child of God to live out all aspects of life in Christ. Did you get it?

Okay maybe you did not understand and this would certainly be true for those who have never been in a military surrounding. Each of us operates daily from our mind. For a basic example; from the mind we decide to do normal chores or go to work. We make decisions that expend our resources, or save our resources. We plan and we carry out those plans to the best of our ability. All of this is an exercise of our mind and will, but not necessarily of the soul.. 

Back to the submarine; the men must control the machine and the machine must perform for the men without this inner-action the submarine would be useless and the mission of the men would fall short of the mark intended. This in military language is a FAILED MISSION.

Believers in Jesus Christ; God’s Children; God’s Saints or any other term like “Christians” especially in the United States of America are living a FAILED MISSION. We are failing to be “doers” of the Word of God. We hear the Word, we read the Word and we talk of the Word, but we do not “do the Word.  We fail to use or transfer the Word to our SOUL and churches across this land are living a FAILED MISSION. 

I do not have time to go into it today, but it is my hope to encourage all of us to “do the will of God” and to stop being a “believer in name only”. This would mean for some of our churches to lay aside the filthiness of “entertainment” and to once again pick up the Word of the Living God and plant the Word in the hearts of men and women. Today churches are filled with “hearers” who have an abundance of puffed up knowledge, who are deceiving one another with the clanging symbol and without love. 1 Corinthians 13.

Yes we need our mind to do things, but we also need the implanted Word of God to enable us to do things under the perfect law of liberty and not the imperfect lawlessness and motionless or idleness of soul.