The Unbroken Chain of Evidence - Nehemiah 9:6

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” - Nehemiah 9:6


    Christians are constantly being regarded as “delusional.” But contrary to this popular secular opinion, evolutionists and “Big Bang” theorists represent the epitome of delusion. Nothing created something? Effects without causes? They are very quick to deny ‘design’ in the scheme of creation and life. In fact, they’re quick to deny design . . . period! Unless, of course, we were to receive a radio signal, ala the film, “Contact.” Then the hands go up and they immediately declare unanimously that someone or something had to have “sent” the signal! Suddenly intelligent design has a life of its own.
    One of the most glaringly obvious realities of the universe is the fact that it has a creator.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.- Genesis 1:1.  Honestly, how much more ridiculous does it sound when someone like Stephen Hawking suggests “bubble universes?” I’m not kidding - not a bubble universe but universes! Now there are millions of universes, according to these brainiacs.
    So I ask you - which position demands the most unfounded delusional faith that the human mind can muster; the position of the Creationists or the position of the Evolutionists?
And before you think through your answer consider this: how would like to be convicted of a crime on the veracity of the evidence that evolutionists claims explains it all? How would you like to be convicted on “a theory?” I can hear the prosecutors arguing their case now - “Well, you see, the defendant is a living human being present in the universe and as such ‘could have been - might have been- possibly was’ perpetrator of the crime!” Really?
    No thanks, I’ll stick with God, whose word hasn’t changed since it was given to us as opposed to science which apparently changes . . . daily! And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;” - Hebrews 1:10.

And the Winner Is . . . . - 2 Timothy 4:2

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. - 2 Timothy 4:2

    Didn’t watch the Academy Awards - I never do. With all the anti-Christian rhetoric that represents the Hollywood heart. I don’t want to hear it. But I wish I had watched Matthew McConaughey’s acceptance speech for Best Actor. You see, he gave credit (glory) to God for his successful career! That’s right! You heard it right - he thanked GOD!
    Naturally, all the pundits and rabble-rousers hated his speech. But guess what - Matt is now a Best Actor winner among Hollywood’s elite . . . and he credits God Almighty for his success! I just wonder how they’ll ever manage to “marginalize” Matthew now.
    I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that he had this planned for many a year now. He was just waiting to win the big award. Then he could use that opportunity to preach! Praise God! He waited, knowing that if he’d  “come out” earlier in his career, he may not have had a career! What can the Godless pantheon of Hollywood possibly do to him now?
    Now some would suggest that Matthew was hardly ready to preach "out of season" and that is why he waited for an opportunity like the Academy Awards. But I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and suggest in opposition that perhaps he may have just recently felt the indwelling and conviction of the Holy Spirit.
    I can only hope and pray that Matthew’s gutsy revelation that he attributes all his success to God will inspire others in “tinsel-town” to speak out! “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” - Act 4:31
    Thank you for speaking out boldly, Matthew! May we all aspire to do the same.

The Harvesting - Galatians 6:7

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” - Galatians 6:7

    We all know that to produce a bountiful garden full of delicious and healthy fruits and vegetables we need to condition the soil, plant living seeds, and tend the garden. Did I mention to you that my once beautiful garden boxes are now full of weeds? No matter. The important thing for you and I to remember is that where ever we deliberately act the chances of getting the results we hope for are multiplied by the perseverance we put into that action. Unfortunately the same is true when we fail to act. We still get results with fallow ground; however, they are not the results we counted on. Fallow ground is simply ground we have left to disuse and weeds will find their way into the most sterile ground.
    “Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.” - Job 4:8. Here, Job confesses that he has seen with his own eyes that those who mock God by their actions receive what they deserve. The same is so for the man who fails to honor God. Is our worship lying on fallow ground? We must understand that inactivity is the same as deliberately doing the wrong thing. There are only two ways in the world - the way of God and the way of the world. “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” - Romans 14:23.  Whatever proceeds from us must glorify God. If we know that neglecting something will lead to hurtful results we have a Christian duty to attend to the issue so that it will not result in anything less than that which glorifies our heavenly Father.
    “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” - Hosea 10:12. If we but remember to glorify God everyday our spiritual gardens will never be fallow. They will always be full of God’s majestic bounty.
   

A Bad Mix - Psalm 106:35 -36

“But they mingled with the Gentiles and learned their works; they served their idols, which became a snare to them.” - Psalm 106:35-36

    Peer pressure, worldly influence, “go along to get along;” these are all modern expressions referring to ‘mingling’, learning’, and ‘serving,’ in the broader context of the psalmist’s accusation as laid out in Psalm 106. Since we are God’s ‘chosen’ (or ‘elect’) we too are faced with the dire warnings of mingling, learning, and serving the carnal world.
“Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods.” - Judges 3:5-6.  We are few and they are many. How far have we as Reformed Christians stumbled down this slippery slope? And to what end?
    What stands out in the psalm is the fact that the Canaanites and their ilk were already in the world serving their idols when God’s chosen people came along. The command to God’s beloved was simple: “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” - 2 Corinthians 6:17. However, the chosen people mingled with them, learned their ways, and began to serve their gods!
    Many will argue that Christ’s “Great Commission” ( Matthew 28:19-20) prevents the chosen people from separating themselves from the Gentiles. But it was God’s people who failed to follow the Great Commission when they encountered the unbelievers. Instead - “Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.” - Judges 2:11-12.  This is the embodiment of mingling, learning, and serving strange gods. We first mingle (or mix) with the unbelievers; we then learn their wicked ways; we then follow in the cloven hoof-prints which lead to the ‘snare’ of spiritual destruction. It is like a physician who goes to cure a disease then becomes infected himself!
    It is a difficult task indeed for a Reformed Christian to compete with the allure and attractions of the world. The audience is sparse and more often than not antagonistic to the “hearing of the Word.” But spread the Word we must, and in so doing reject the entrapments which beckon us to mingle, to learn, and to serve the modern idols.
May the Holy Spirit fortify us in out daily struggle to reject the carnal world and to speak boldly about the salvation that is in Jesus Christ.

God, Gracious and Merciful - Nehemiah 9:31

“Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; for You are God, gracious and merciful.” - Nehemiah 9:31.

We have so very much to be grateful for: our lives, our families, the providence God has shown us, the salvation that is ours through Jesus Christ - the list is endless. And to what do we owe these great and wonderful bounties in our lives? What have we done to deserve all that we are or have? Truth be told, we don’t deserve any of the wonderful blessings God has provided for us. God’s grace is unmerited, otherwise it wouldn’t be grace but just compensation for what we have done. It comes to us only because of the great love God has for us.
In Nehemiah’s time the wall surrounding Jerusalem was rebuilt. Upon it’s completion there began seven days of a public reading of the Book of the Law and the people gave thanks to God for all the grace He had bestowed upon them. They recalled God’s mercy to them despite their failings of faith. God is still merciful to us today despite our failings of faith.
“But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath;” - Psalm 78:38.
Our present world is quite possibly the worst representation of mankind ever presented to God. Murder, adultery, infanticide, homosexuality, idol worship; there simply is no sin that we have not taken to a hellish degree. That God doesn’t consume us in His righteous fiery rage is purely by His grace and mercy! “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.” - Lamentations 3:22.
God is patient with us despite our glowering insolence toward Him. Such patience can be born of love alone. Paul expresses this very idea in his letter to the Ephesians - “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” - Ephesians 1:3-5. As God loves, so should we love. His grace and mercy surround us each and every day. Our love for God and our fellow men and women separates us from those who disdain His love, grace, and mercy.
May we always be thankful to our Heavenly Father who loves us and sheds His grace and mercy upon us for no other reason than His own good pleasure.

Consumed By God? - Psalm 63:1

“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water..” - Psalm 63:1

    Are we consumed with God? A rather simple question it seems, but looks can be deceiving. Let’s first give definition to the word, “consumed.” Merriman-Webster says to “consume” means to “absorb the attention of.” When we think of our relationship with God is being absorbed in our attention to Him the first thing that comes to our minds? Again, let us examine this definition more closely.
    We can say that we are absorbed in a book or movie when outside distractions fail to grasp our attention. The book or film can be said to have “absorbed our attention.” Much the same can be said of relationships. When we are attracted to another by virtue of common interests or goals or even by a romantic connection we are often absorbed into that relationship to the exclusion of others. So much so, in fact, that we are often remiss in our daily duties or even other relationships. We are, in effect, consumed by the relationship.
    “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” - Psalm 84:2. The psalmist establishes that he is consumed by the Lord. This is not a momentary desire or inclination; it is a preoccupation with the things of God, a veritable passion for the Lord! Is our devotion to God  worthy to be called zealous? Passionate?
    Unless we devote our attention and energies to an endeavor we will often come up short of our intentions because we have failed to give that endeavor its proper priority in our lives. Half-measures seldom produce a fullness of result. So it is with our devotion to God. When our daily activities require our fullest attention then God must still be in the back of our minds where we can call upon Him in prayer and supplication at a moment’s notice. This is what it means to be consumed by God.
    “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.” - Psalm 42:1. Our zeal for God must be greater than anything else in our lives regardless of worldly priority. Nothing should come before our Creator, our Sustainer, our Lord and our Savior. This is the essence of being consumed by God.
    May the fullness of our devotion be in our hearts and minds and souls always.



                           

Slain In the Spirit and the Damage Done - 1 Corinthians 14:33

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” -
 1 Corinthians 14:33.

    A lie is a lie no matter where it is told. And it becomes an especially heinous lie when it is told in a church and given approval by the minister. Enter those whose lie entertains the idea of being ‘lost’ or ‘slain’ in the Spirit. Let’s be brief on the scriptural validity of such a notion: there is none! The stumbling and falling, the nonsensical gibberish, the rolling of the eyeballs back in their sockets - none of the symptoms of being “slain in the Spirit” have the support of holy Scripture . . . none of them! Nor do they bear the signature of the Holy Spirit! This is just another reason why the proper interpretation of scripture is of the utmost importance.
    Paul expressly tells us - “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,” - Ephesians 5:18. The Apostle is contrasting the stumbling confusion associated with over-indulging in alcoholic spirits with the actual effects of being “filled by the Holy Spirit.” They are not the same nor are the effects the same therefore there will be no muddled ramblings or inability to ‘keep one’s feet’ when filled by the Spirit. In fact, just the opposite is true - “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” - Galatians 5:22-23.  Self-control is what Paul says the Holy Spirit will enrich us with, not falling down or babbling incoherently. The Holy Spirit leads us, guides us, directs us, and works to perfect us. He does not confuse or entangle us with mystical delusions.
    Why, some might ask, is the potential for damage to the believer so great for merely desiring an ecstatic ‘spiritual’ experience? After all, if it makes them feel closer to God what harm can there be? The harm is phenomenal! Peter tells us - “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; “ - 1 Peter 1:13. Here he was speaking directly to the people regarding the revelation of their salvation through Jesus Christ., telling them to prepare themselves, to remain sober, and to be assured of that salvation. Herein lies the profound danger of, and perhaps the greatest reason so many Christians seek a “spiritual experience” - it is because they do not have the assurance of their salvation.  They feel they need more. They feel they need more than scriptural support for assurance and that is why they go outside the bible.    There is only one thing outside of the word of God: Satan. And Peter goes on to warn us of the Liar’s formidable weaponry, “Be sober, be vigilant; because  your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” - 1 Peter 5:8. The devil is always prepared to move into spiritual vacuums left by our lack of assurance or faith. As 1st Corinthians tells us, “God is not the author of confusion . . . but of peace.” And that peace comes by way of our assurance that we have indeed been saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
    May we always rest in the assurance and the peace provided by the Holy Spirit.