A Question For Today!

Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

In regard to the duties of man according to Ecclesiastes 12:13:

1. Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil:" An excellent measurement, determining if we fear God, is just how much do we hate evil.

2. Matthew 22:36-40 says, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Keeping God's commandments deals with, loving God and our neighbor as ourselves. To many people's dismay, love will be the measurement.

Let's ask ourselves how we are doing in this regard? Do we hate evil, thus fearing God? Are we full of love for God and others?

Everybody be medium!

Chuck Swindoll told the story of a group of neighborhood boys who built a clubhouse out of cardboard. They then decided to have some rules and came up with three:
1. nobody act big
2. nobody act small
3. everybody act medium

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everybody lived life that way. Everybody would be honest, accepting, loving, caring, simple, etc. I'm not sure what you might think of this idea, but I'd like to suggest that we all be medium. Well, if we don't see everybody arrive at that place here on earth, we will see those who enter the gates of heaven, arriving, just being medium. How sweet that will be. See you there?

Awesome Our Lord!

Green the grass. Ripe the bud. Yellow the flower. Blue the sky. Beautiful the butterfly. Risen the Lord! Just how wonderfully awesome is our Lord?

Let's Pray!

When Edward Hale was chaplain of the U.S. Senate, someone asked him, "Do you pray for the senators, Dr Hale?" He replied, "No, I look at the senators and pray for the country." Shall we join in with this approach. Let's pray for our country that we as a nation might turn once again to God. We live in difficult times. Difficult to us, but certainly not to God. Let's Pray!

No Rock Is Going To Do My Praising!

On the Easter just before he died, D. William Sangster painfully printed a short note to his daughter. A deeply spiritual Methodist, he had been spearheading a renewal movement in the British Isles after World War II. Then his ministry, except for prayer, was ended by a disease which progressively paralyzed his body, even his vocal chords. But the last Resurrection Sunday he spent on earth, still able to move his fingers, he wrote: "How terrible to wake up on Easter and have no voice to shout, 'He is risen!' Far worse, to have a voice and not want to shout."
As Jesus rode the little donkey and came to the descent of the mount of Olives, the multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. They said, "Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." Some of the Pharisees from among the crowd told the Master to rebuke his disciples. Jesus answered saying, "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Join me with your voice in shouting, "He is risen!"

God Of The Living!

Luke 20:38, "For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living..." As this spring snow falls, it reminds me that my sins are washed as white as snow, through the shed blood of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is alive and all of creation will bow their knee unto him. We Christians have chosen to do it in the now, but it will come to pass that those who have refused God's son as their Lord and Savior will bow. Scripture tells us in Philippians 2:10-11, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Would you consider bowing to Christ as Savior and Lord? If you do, you will be with the multitudes who will praise Him throughout eternity.

It's Hot!

Someone has said, "Each generation has to find out for itself that the stove is hot." We knew a family whose youngest child was an energized young boy who was into many things. One day his mother found him sitting on one of the stove burners, which he had somehow figured out how to turn on. It was a good thing that he had on a thick diaper. Why is it that we have to experience for ourselves just what will burn us and what won't. There is something that will burn us, and I hope that we don't think we have to experience it for ourselves. That place is Hell! Have a blessed weekend.

We All Fall Down!

Paul Harvey said, "Someday, I hope to enjoy enough of what the world calls success so that if anybody asks me, 'What's the secret of it?' I shall say this: 'I get up when I fall down.'"

The childhood game went something like this, as the children held hands and went around in a circle singing, "Ring around the rosey, pocket full of posey's, ashes, ashes, we all fall down." And it is true that, at times, we all fall down.

Proverbs 24: 16 says, "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked fall into mischief." Aren't we thankful that when we do fall, the Lord is there to help us get up and to continue on? If the Lord uses us in this process with a brother or sister, let's be loving, gentle, and supportive.

Checking Up On Myself!

A young boy walked into a drugstore and asked to use the telephone. He asked the operator to give him a certain number: "Hello, Dr. Anderson ... do you want to hire a boy to cut the grass and run errands for you? Oh, you already have a boy? Are you completely satisfied with the boy you have? OK then, good bye, Doctor."
As the boy thanked the druggist, the druggist said: "Just a minute, Son.... If you are looking for work, I could use a boy like you."
"Thank you, sir, but I have a job," the boy replied.
"But didn't I just hear you trying to get a job from Dr. Anderson?"
"No, sir," said the boy, "you see, I'm the boy who is working for Dr. Anderson. I was just checking up on myself."
Perhaps, we should be as concerned with our work performance, as this young boy was. Oh well, just thinking out loud.

Faithful?

In Luke 16:10-12 , Jesus says, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mannon who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?" So being faithful involves three things. First, we must be faithful in the little things. Second, we must be faithful with money to be able to receive the true riches. Third, we must be faithful in another man's if we want to have our own. It sounds simple enough, but few seem to acquire faithfulness. There are no short cuts, it must be as Jesus said or it won't be. We won't be faithful in the big things until we learn to be faithful in the little things. Our being faithful with money starts with the little as well. When we learn this lesson, God's reward is what Jesus calls the true riches. Could these true riches be compossed of the revelation of God's word to our souls? Then being faithful with another man's precedes us getting our own. Perhaps it is talking about our being faithful on the job, in the home as we grow up, or with another man's wife or family. The question is, are we faithful in these three things? You tell me!

Lying Spirits!

I John 4:1 says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: ..." There are many lying spirits in life that are trying to pass themselves off as the voice of God, and many brothers and sisters are falling for these deceiving voices. We should carefully check out those things that we hear with God's word and with those who are in authority in the body of Christ. Let's not think that everything we hear is of God, for there are many voices out there vying for our attention. May the Lord keep each of us true to Him and what he is saying.

Sunrise Or Sunset?

It appears that every season of life has a sunrise and a sunset. A time for something to start and a time for something to end. As is said in Ecclesiastes 3: 1, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." The natural seasons aren't difficult to distinguish, but the spiritual seasons seem far more difficult. Jesus rebuked some folks in Matthew 16: 3 because they could discern the face of the sky, but couldn't discern the signs of the times. What season are we in at this time? I hope that we can discern the signs of the times in our lives as well as in the whole of life.
Nothing is more frustrating than to be planting only to find out that we should be plucking up that which is planted. Or to be laughing in life only to find out that we should be weeping. It's always a bother when mourning to find out that we are supposed to be dancing and rejoicing. A season to get, a season to lose, or a season to keep, verses a time to cast away. Perhaps a time to tear verses a time to sew, or a speaking time verses a silent time. God know what season or time it is in our lives. Let's listen to him closely to see if the sun is going up or the sun is setting or perhaps somewhere in between.

Their Counsel Brought To Nought!

Psalm 33: 10-12 says, "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance."

Folks who are getting all lathered up because of the counsel of the wicked, need to look at, and perhaps memorize, the above verses. The Lord will cause the plans and schemes of the wicked to come to nothing, for it is his counsel, and his alone, which will stand forever. For blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and blessed is the people whom God has chosen for his own inheritance.

Two Things (or more if necessary)!

The writer of Proverbs 30: 7-9 says, "Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither proverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."

Are there some things that we would like to see happen in our lives? I for one relate to the writer of this passage, for I too, hate lies and vanity. I also have an accute awareness of the power of riches to corrupt, and the lack of adequate finances which can cause panic as well as other problems. Well, whatever we would like to see in our lives before we die, we can rest assured that if we ask in Christ name in accordance with his word, our Heavenly Father will work on our behalf.

Is Your Tail Wagging?

An easterner who walked into a western saloon was amazed to see a dog sitting at a table playing poker with three men. He asked, "Can that dog really play cards?" One of the men answered, "Yeah, but he ain't much of a player. Whenever he gets a good hand he wags his tail."

We who know Christ as Savior and Lord hold the best hand of all. Perhaps it would be good for us to have some emotion about it so that others could see that we hold a good hand. They just might ask us why we are so upbeat about life, and if they don't ask, we could always tell them!

The End Is Not Yet!

When asked what the sign of his coming would be and what is the sign of the end of the world, Jesus answered this way in Matthew 24:4-8, "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." The end is not yet, but can it be far away? I think not, what about you?