Standing Alone

It is human to stand with the crowd; it is divine to stand alone. It is man-like to follow the people, to drift with the tide; it is God-like to follow a principle, to stem the tide. It is natural to compromise conscience and follow the social and religious fashion for the sake of gain or pleasure; it is divine to sacrifice both on the altar of truth and duty.

“No man stood with me, but all men forsook me,” (2 Timothy 4:16)wrote the battle-scarred apostle, in describing the events that took place, as Paul stood up to the attacks of powerful Alexander the coppersmith, who welded the support of the Roman world. God’s absolute, revealed Truth has been out of fashion since man changed his robe of fadeless light for a garment of faded leaves.

Noah built and voyaged alone. His neighbors laughed at his strangeness and perished in style. Abraham wandered and worshipped alone. Sodomites smiled at the simple shepherd, followed the world’s fashion, and fed the flames.

Daniel dined and prayed alone. Elijah sacrificed and witnessed alone. Jeremiah prophesied and wept alone. Jesus loved and died alone.

And of the lonely way His disciples should walk, Jesus said, “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14 Of their treatment by the many who walk in the broad way, He said, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world….Therefore the world hateth you.” John 15:19

The redeemed children of Israel in the wilderness praised Abraham and persecuted Moses. The people of God in the days of the kings praised Moses and persecuted the prophets. The court of Caiphas, the high priest, praised the prophets and persecuted Jesus. The church of the popes praised the Saviour and persecuted the saints.

And multitudes now, both in the church and the world, applaud the courage and fortitude of the patriarchs and prophets, the apostles and martyrs, but condemn as stubbornness or foolishness the same faithfulness in standing for truth today.

WANTED! Men and women, young and old, who will obey all scripture at the cost of fortune and friends and life itself. “Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.” Hebrews 13:12-13

–Copied and edited

SHARING

Thanksgiving In America

How different it must be today than it was when the Pilgrims first gave thanks to God for their survival! Would they see any similarity to the spirit of present day observance with the way it was back then?

Modern day thanksgiving is hardly about survival, but more about feasting, family, and football. It is not about people clinging to and nurturing one another, for the most part, but often about people temporarily laying aside their petty differences and ‘sacrificing’ their own plans to get together and get along for a few hours at best. I’m sure each of you could relate experiences that you know of that tell the story of how different our thanksgiving holiday is now, from the way it was in the beginning.

From God’s point of view, Thanksgiving Day, no doubt, is quite different now than it was with the Pilgrims. Then, God heard utterances from the depths of human hearts, who had lost many friends and family members due to the rigors of their pilgrim life, but who were profoundly grateful for God’s providence and care in having spared them. They felt they owed God everything. Today, while there are some who lift up praises to God, there may be many or more who regard not God.

God has a message for those lifting up their hearts and voices to Him today: “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Psalm 50:14-15  As we see so much changing around us, so much indifference to God, God’s challenge to us is to remain unchanged and to rather draw closer unto Him. “PAY THY VOWS UNTO HIM.” Every Christian can remember the awakenings and impressions of God’s Word, compelling them to take up their cross and follow Him, by faith in God’s will and way. But have any let these things slip unto going one’s own will and way? To abandon God’s call, will result in God not answering our call. DO NOT ERR!

God is still Sovereign over all the universe! He is still the God of His Word, the God of righteousness and the God of judgment. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess to Him! God also has a message for those who acknowledge Him not: “But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.” Psalm 50:16,17,21

Are you prepared to meet God? It is not a question of “if,” but just a question of “when.” “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found.”

SHARING

The Big One

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Since Christ died for all, God is for the flourishing of true Christianity, unto reaching out unto all for whom Christ died. 1 Timothy 2:6 Thus, God is well pleased by our prayers for our rulers, so that they might do those things that will be favorable towards Christians living a quiet and peaceable life. 1 Timothy 2:3

~We pray for God to give us health and opportunity to work and provide for our own (areas we have no real power over)
~We pray for deliverance from tragedies (things happening beyond our control)
~We pray for deliverance from temptations (Satan’s power, greater than our own)
~We pray for God to keep us, to guide us, to enable us, and a host of other things, for we know “it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps”

But God wants us to see how important it is for us to pray for our social and political climate that will permit us to live as Christians, in order to get the gospel out to all men. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write to Timothy, that this needs to be done “first of all.” 1 Timothy 2:1

God is well pleased when we mature in our thinking to the point where our prayers embrace His purposes as supreme above all else, 1 Timothy 2:3. Through lack of maturity, one’s prayer can be no more than the lusts of the flesh, with selfishness as the objective.

ON WHAT TRACK ARE OUR PRAYERS? Are they in pursuit of really living for God? Are they minded for God’s will to be done in our decisions? Are they fostered by the wisdom that one’s own personal interests will best be served, by first seeking to serve God? Matthew 6:33 God sees and responds to the objective of our prayers, in determining how He answers our prayers. The secret to answered prayer is to want what God wants us to want, to ask for what God sees we need, and to desire to reach what God would have us to attain.

We need to counter the mystery of iniquity, the anti-christ tides, with real and fervent prayers for our leaders not to cave in to those things which oppose Christianity.

SHARING

Faith Of Our Brothers

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17

Hardly anything carries as much weight as an action of Christian friendship, under the government of charity, unto effecting Christian results. As we sing the song(s) “Faith Of Our Fathers (Mothers)” reflecting in gratitude what their faith conveyed to us, consider also that hardly anything measures up to the impact of the “faith of our brothers and sisters” in Christ.

What to do, is conceived in the heart where charity never faileth. How to do it, is fostered through selfless submission to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Choosing the nature of what we say or do is all important: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 Our approach must be positive to effect a positive response.

For the most part, people think wrongly because they are not thinking right. Obviously, the best remedy is to minister right thinking in an offering made in an acceptable way unto them. Just a word fitly spoken, in a non-offensive, caring presentation, may very well become key to bring the overall picture into focus. Most of the time, people know what their problems and difficulties are, but they may be one piece short on a positive input. A fitting word can turn a person’s thinking around completely!

The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) knew all about his problems. But it wasn’t until he began to think constructively about what he could do to make things right (Luke 15:17-19) that he arose and returned home. Inflaming guilt won’t mend a broken life, but inspiring faith will start the healing.

Christ majored in looking beyond the fault to see the need. He could have pinned any one to the wall with His discerning omniscience. “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” Psalm 130:3 “But He came not into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17 It is bitter to have someone down on you, but it is refreshing to the spirit to have the ways of righteousness recommended with the highest regard. It is difficult to help someone up by pushing them down. The best way is to provide that by which they can use to pull themselves up.

Who is sufficient for these things? In this day of super-sensitivity and abounding offense, the call is urgent for those who will lead the way by exampleship. Those who willingly choose to shoulder responsibility, are influential ones for the cause of Christ.

“Who is willing to consecrate his service, this day, unto the Lord?” 1 Chronicles 29:5b

SHARING

Resigned To God’s Care & Keeping

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34

We will reference Jacob’s experience to illustrate Christ’s teaching, regarding living by faith, one day at a time.

Genesis 25:29-34 records the event of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage. Hebrews 12:16-17 says this was due to Esau being a profane person, that he lacked respect for the spiritual privileges and opportunities that this birthright conveyed. As Genesis 25:34 states: “thus Esau despised his birthright.”

So, Jacob became the rightful heir of the birthright blessing. But when it came time for Isaac to bestow the birthright blessing, Esau was going to step in and claim it. Genesis 27 records how their mother, Rebekah, stepped in and made sure that Jacob received the birthright blessing instead of Esau. Though the means she devised to do this was marred by human imperfection, nevertheless it secured the birthright unto Jacob, the rightful heir, just as God had foretold, as stated in Romans 9. Esau’s response to all of this was: “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay Jacob.” Genesis 27:41

Those words were told to Rebekah, who then intreated Isaac to send Jacob away to her brother, Laban’s place, to find Jacob a wife, as well as to abide there until Esau’s anger was abated. So, Jacob set out for Padan-aram.

But the time came when God commanded Jacob to return to his father’s house, in the land of Canaan, Genesis 31:3. And as far as Jacob knew, Esau still intended to kill him.

In Genesis 32, we find Jacob fearing the worst, making contingency plans for the worst case scenario, and praying to God for deliverance. God made Jacob a cripple, rather than a giant, thus unable to stand up to Esau, and this left Jacob with no other recourse but to be totally dependent upon God to preserve him.

As Jacob realized his situation was now out of his hands, and he fully resigned himself to being in God’s hands, he found the needed peace, strength, and assurance: “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Genesis 32:30

SHARING