This is PART 2 of the 3 PART Series titled “Loving One Another”.
Loving One Another (I John 3:11-20) – Part 2 2. Causes to Love (I John 3:13-15) I John 3:13-15, “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” Cain had a bitter hatred for his own brother because of Abel’s ’righteousness. It is godliness that infuriates the wicked (Proverbs 29:27). As people become more ungodly, those who are good will be called evil and those who are called evil will be called good (Isaiah 5:20). When these conditions occur, that society is in serious sorrow. How can a person know if they have been saved and have passed from death unto life The answer according to John is love for the brethren. The word "brethren" has reference to the spiritual brotherhood. Love is not the cause of our passing over into life; it is the proof that we have passed from death to life. John came back to this point again because this matter is so important. Christians grow when they love other believers. Churches thrive when the people love one another instead of fussing, feuding, and fighting with one another. When you love the brethren, you will love your church and you will enjoy going to church. It is difficult to love others in the church, to really know them, and get close to them when you are not faithful to the services. It is one thing to like other believers, but it is another matter to actually love other Christians. Hatred is a very serious matter because hatred is not satisfied with controlling a small part of your heart. It wants, and takes, almost complete control of a person’s heart, mind, body, and soul. When hate grips a person, they do not think rationally at all. The person is consumed by their hate. Common sense gets blurred, biased, and bizarre. Hating a believer makes a person no different than Osama Bin Laden, Charles Manson, or Adolf Hitler in God’s approximation. That is alarming and crushing. Those who are branded by repeated hateful attitudes toward others and who habitually harbor murderous feelings, give proof of an unbelieving heart. We must remember that Jesus was hated by the world long before we came on the scene. Therefore, we should not be surprised when the world and worldly people hate us. The more you love and honor God, the more you expose the evil of those who do not. The more you expose the evil of those who dishonor God, the more they’ll hate you. They’ll hate you because of who you love, because of who you resemble. They hated Jesus and they’ll hate those who are like Jesus. The very core of Christ's message is one of love. God loved so much that He gave His all. Those saved have experienced that love fully, and now, God desires that they turn around to show others that love as well. Love isn't common in our world. Hearing of someone giving of themselves stands out in a world of selfish pursuit. So, when someone shows love, others notice. As Christians, our very existence should be to show love to those around us. PRAYER: Lord, I know the power of Your love can impact someone today so, help me take the time to show it to someone today. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for reading PART 2 of the 3 PART Series titled “Loving One Another”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 3. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
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This is PART 1 of the 3 PART Series titled “Loving One Another”.
Loving One Another (I John 3:11-20) – Part 1 1. Christlike Love (I John 3:11-12) I John 3:11-12, “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.” Here in these verses, John’s main emphasis is one of the most needed things in the world and the church, which is love. The love spoken of here is the unconditional, self-sacrificing love which God has shown to man. This is the very thing that Christians are to have for one another. This message suggests that while others are loving us, we are to be loving them. In I John 3:11, John said that we have an obligation to love one another. This obligation was laid down from the beginning. John probably had reference to John 13:34, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” This word “love” which means “we are to continually love others with a self-sacrificing love.” It is the same kind of love that God has for us. When the ministry of the Lord Jesus was nearing its end on earth, He shared with the disciples the key, distinguishing mark of a Christian. It was not someone who wore a cross around his or her neck. It was not someone who went to church. The mark was love for the brethren. I John 3:12, on the other hand, suggests that Cain had a love unlike that we are to have. Cain’s love for his brother Abel had conditions in it. Cain’s love for his brother dried up once he discovered that his brother was so much different from himself. Cain discovered that Abel’s deeds were righteous and his own deeds were evil. Cain’s love was a wrong love because it was not strong enough to let his brother take a few steps ahead of him. In our loving one another, we must be sure that we have a right love. This kind of love is unconditional. Cain killed his brother because he was angry at God for refusing his offering to the Lord and was jealous that Abel’s offering was accepted. It was accepted because it was offered in obedience and faith (Hebrews 11:4). Cain wanted to worship God on his own terms and did not follow the instructions of his father on how to offer a proper blood sacrifice to the Lord. Cain’s offering was a bloodless one. Cain was not any different than people today who worship God on their terms. They leave Jesus out of their lives. They depend on works, to get them to Heaven or gain merit with God, but all to no avail. Without personally accepting Christ’s sacrifice for sins, a person is of the wicked one (John 8:44). Love does not persecute the righteous. A person who truly loves his brother will not persecute him. Love means that we will not even dislike another person. We love them, care for them, and reach out to them. We want their fellowship in Christ, longing for them to experience all the richness of life and for them to know all the fulness of Christ and His love. PRAYER: Lord, I see that love for others and for You does not come easily to me. That kind of love isn’t in me on my own. I’m asking You today to pour that kind of love into my life. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for reading PART 1 of the 3 PART Series titled “Loving One Another”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 2. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Are You A Burden Bearer?…Carrying Someone’s Burden (Galatians 6:2)
Galatians 6:2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” There is no shortage of people in need. Have you ever been so busy in life that you missed the opportunity to do something big in the life of another? We all need help and we are all helpers—that’s part of being human. But what does it look like to help each other well? The people who help best are people who both need help and give help—being able to share their burdens and to bear the burdens of others. In many cities in the Middle East, carriages or carts were not allowed to enter the city gates, so porters usually had to carry heavy loads on their backs. These men were often chosen from among the poor and were forced to spend long days and nights in back-breaking labor. Often, two porters would walk side-by-side and take turns relieving each other. So when Jesus told those who were “heavy-laden” to come to Him for rest-it was a clear illustration of an everyday struggle (Matthew 11:28). When Paul encouraged the Galatian church to “bear one another’s burdens,” (Galatians 6:2), it was more than a spiritual truth-it was a way for Christians to practically live out their faith. Walking alongside someone who is going through hardship means making time for that person, maybe at a child’s ball game, or at church, or over coffee, or during a small group meeting. It means having conversations that go beneath the surface, hearing what’s on his or her heart, and praying for and together with the person. As people who are needed, we can ask to hear our friend’s story. The better you know other people, the more you enjoy, appreciate, pray with, and love them. And the more you love them, the more they will invite you into their lives in times of hardship. Problems are complex, and there will be times when limits to our human gifts, abilities, and experience create the need for co-helpers. Maybe today you can do something to help lighten someone’s load. Think of someone who is hurting in your church or your community, and think of a way you can do something practical that will help them. Bearing other’s burdens is sometimes more than kind words and sweet notes. It’s rolling up your sleeves and doing something positive to affect their lives. If we are not willing to help others with their problems, then we have no one to whom we can minister. I want to encourage you today to be sensitive to the needs of others who are around you. When you go to church, go to work, or even spend time with your family and friends, ask the Holy Spirit to help you see when people are carrying too much by themselves. If you discern that they are burdened, go to them and ask, How can I pray for you today? What is happening in your life? God may use you to bring real relief and freedom into someone’s situation. Perhaps just providing a listening ear is all that is needed to help that person get through his or her dilemma. On the other hand, if an overwhelming problem, weakness, habit, or sin is pressing down on your life, you need to be humble enough to say, “Hey, I need someone to pray with me! This is too much for me to do completely by myself!” It may be difficult for you to open your heart and reveal your need, but it will be far more difficult for you to carry it alone until you eventually become emotionally devastated by that burden. As brothers and sisters in the Lord, we need to do everything we can to step deeply into people’s lives in order to encourage and refresh them spiritually and to help them get through their problems. When we see someone struggling, we must be bold enough to ask that person how we can help! When we work together as a Body in this way, every need will be addressed and met! 1. Have there been situations in your life when you thought you might break under the weight you were trying to carry by yourself? When that happened, did anyone come to you and ask how he or she might help or pray for your needs? 2. Have you ever gone to others to see how you could help them through the situations they were enduring? Or have you been too self-consumed to remember that other people have needs too? 3. Do you know of individuals you should check on today to see what you can do to help them through a situation they are facing? In what ways can you be a strength or an encouragement to them? Prayer, Lord, I am asking You to help me be sensitive to the needs of other people. Help me to stop being so self-consumed with my own concerns that I am negligent in recognizing the needs of people around me who need help and prayer. Holy Spirit, help me see through the masks people tend to wear to cover up what is really happening in their lives. Give me the wisdom to know how to approach people who need strength and encouragement. I pray this in Jesus’ name! Amen. If this post has blessed you in any way, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Three Men and Their Foolish Choices (II Corinthians 6:2)
II Corinthians 6:2, “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Every choice and decision we make we have to live with. Some of the choices and decisions we make are not so costly. However, when it comes to life and death and where we will spend eternity, it should be a decision one takes very seriously. Life is not only fleeting (short) but it is also fragile. 1. Felix Said - "Not Right Now" Acts 24:24-25, “And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Rather than accepting Christ as his Lord and Saviour, Felix chose to put it off and wait for a more convenient time. This man chose not to receive, but reject, your Christ. What a mistake he made! This foolish choice to procrastinate would become a fatal one. Deceitful people often have a way of manipulating their way around authorities. However, no one will ever be able to cheat death and the judgment. The wicked like to think that if they can avoid the Bible in this life that they are home free. Not so! “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Divine judgment awaits the sinner after his death. Men must answer to God for how they have lived here on earth. Those who die without Christ have no hope at the judgment. 2. Festus Said - "Not At All," Acts 26:24, “And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” Festus’ main problem was that he never intended to hear Paul’s answer. Festus revealed how foolish he was when he opened his mouth and charged Paul with madness. Rather than getting right with God, Festus wanted to gain some personal glory with the new governor. He may have impressed his audience, however, he revealed his ignorance of God’s character. 3. Agrippa Said - "Almost" Acts 26:28, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Agrippa came so close to accepting Christ as his Lord and Saviour, however, he too rejected Him. This proves that one can come so close and still not accept Him. Almost is good, but it’s not good enough. Those who continue to choose to grieve away the Holy Spirit; if they continue to reject the Gospel and become hard hearted; if they go unprepared into eternity, the day of salvation for them will be gone forever and no mercy will be found. God does not design to pardon men beyond the grave. There is no forgiveness for your sins after you are dead. Those who are not pardoned in this life must be unpardoned forever in an eternal Hell. If you are a Christian, the opportunity to serve Christ and tell others is now. Don't throw your opportunities away. Now is the acceptable time to serve the Lord. Make your time count for Christ. Prayer, Father, may I live a life of Your guiding light, love, and lowliness that others would want to call upon Jesus for salvation without any hesitation. In Jesus' name, Amen! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatian 5:22-23)
Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” In John 15 Jesus taught and preached concerning bearing fruit. Jesus used the illustration of a vineyard to tell us how to allow the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit. In this passage God is the husbandman (John 15:1), Jesus is the vine (John 15:1, 5), and we are the branches (John 15:5). Without the vine the branch can do nothing (John 15:4-5). Just as the branch needs the life of the vine every day, we need the Holy Spirit of God every day. The fruit of the Spirit (not fruits) is like a cluster of grace. It has all of these in the one cluster. A fruit tree, such as an apple tree, produces several apples but only apples. The Holy Spirit is the Source of all spiritual fruit in our lives. Picture one tree producing nine different kinds of fruit. Example: Apples, Oranges, Pear, Bananas, Peaches, Cherries, Plums, Grapes, Strawberries. The fruit of the Spirit has nine components: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23a). The fruit of the Spirit has three groups. 1. Love, joy, and peace are qualities which appear in our relationship with God. 2. Longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness, are qualities which appear in our relationship with others. 3. Faith, meekness, and temperance are qualities which appear in our relationship with ourselves. By yielding to the Lord we become fruitful. As Christians, we are called to bear fruit. That means we are to produce the fruit of the Spirit in increasing abundance over the course of our faith walk. All the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit must be present in our lives if we are allowing the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in us. The fruit of the Spirit is for the benefit of others. Within each of us there is an abundant harvest of fruit to minister to those we encounter. All around us are people who desperately need love, joy, peace, gentleness, someone to be patient with them, be good to them, and so on. The fruit of the Spirit enables us to meet the basic human needs God has instilled in every human being. Question to Consider: Can you think of one person who manifests the character of Jesus Christ so much that when you are with him or her, you feel as if you have been with Jesus? Point to Ponder: Write down some ways the Lord is using you to display His fruit in your life. Prayer: Lord, thank You for sowing Your Spirit and Word into my life. Help me yield to the divine seed You have planted inside me. I know that Your life resides in me, longing to be released, so today I make the choice to let Your Spirit start working mightily inside me. Thank You for the life of God that is flowing up from my spirit right now, producing the life and the nature of Jesus Christ in me. In Jesus name, AMEN! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Compassion…the Christian’s Duty (Jude 22)
Jude 22, “And of some have compassion, making a difference.” Compassion gets involved with others. People struggle today to get involved with other people. If people have any kind of relationship with one another, for many, it is through their phones or I-pads instead of having eye contact with people. We are becoming more isolated from others. A few years ago, Snoopy, the beagle in the Charlie Brown cartoons, had his left leg broken. Hundreds wrote letters to Snoopy or sent sympathy cards. Perched on top of his dog house one day and staring at his huge cast, Snoopy began to philosophize about his plight. "My body blames my foot for not being able to go places. My foot says it was my head's fault, and my head blames my eyes. My eyes say my feet are clumsy, and my right foot says not to blame him for what my left foot did." Snoopy looks out at his audience and confesses, "I don't say anything because I don't want to get involved." This attitude does not belong among God's people. We are to be concerned and involved in serving Jesus Christ. The watchword of society today is "privacy." This is true even of Christians. People want to be left alone or given their space. Commitments have become short term, even in marriage. We are adopting the unwritten regulation observed in elevators, "Absolutely no eye contact, talking, smiling, or relating without the written permission from the management." Our role model is becoming the Lone Ranger, mask and all. This kind of life of isolation is not what God intended for us who know Jesus Christ as Saviour. We are not to be turtles in a shell. We are to get involved in blessing others and reaching them for Christ. You won't do this in your shell. Involvement is a word of “ministry”. Webster says, "Involvement means to draw in as a participant, relate closely, to connect or include." We are to be involved with God, family, Christians, and reaching the lost for the Lord Jesus Christ. James 1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The word "visit" means more than going by a house and saying "Hello." This word has the idea of getting involved in the lives of others, providing for them, helping them out, and caring for them if they cannot care for themselves. It is a word of giving and sacrifice. It is important that we have a genuine concern for other people. When we do, it will lead us to have compassion on them and desire God’s best for their life. This is not a natural reaction of the flesh, but it is a quality that needs to be manifested in our life if we are going to be all that God wants us to be. A person without compassion will embrace callousness and never be close to God. We need to have compassion like Jesus and have a genuine heart of love that desires to help other people. George Washington Carver said, “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” Prayer: Lord, I desire so much to be compassionate. Use me as a vessel of compassion to a world in need. I want to be aware of those in need. Please let me see those around me that are in need of hope. Compel me to listen to them, to hear their needs. Let me be what others need, Lord. In Jesus name Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Finding Confident Hope (Psalm 42:5)
Psalm 42:5, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” It has been said that man can live forty days without food, three days without water, and eight minutes without air, but only one second without hope. A scientific experiment by Duke University proved this to be true. A group of behavioral scientists put some rats in a tank of water and observed them to see how long they would survive before drowning. The average time was 17 minutes. The scientists repeated the experiment; but this time they rescued the rats just before the point of drowning, dried them off, and returned them to their cages. Then they fed the creatures, let them play for a few days, and repeated the drowning experiment. This time, the average survival time for these rats increased from 17 minutes to 36 hours. The scientists explained this by saying the second time around, the rats had hope. They believed that they could survive this hardship because they had done so before. It is very difficult to remain hopeful when you are depressed and everything you do seems doomed to fail. You can, however, overcome this situation with the Word of God. 1. Believe that God is greater than your circumstances and any problems that are weighing you down. Accept the victory in His holy name (Romans 8:37). Our hope is not in favorable circumstances, but in the God who brings these circumstances together. This hope gives us confidence that regardless of what challenges the next moment holds in store, we can survive because God has come through before. Rather than barely getting by in life’s difficult circumstances, Christ’s followers are overwhelming conquerors. That is because Jesus won the victory for us through His death on the cross. Because of His victory, we now have salvation and the presence of the Holy Spirit living in us, supplying the power for us to be more than conquerors through life’s struggles. The present distress is only temporary! Our present suffering is nothing compared to the glory that will someday be ours. 2. Lay your concerns before the Father in earnest and specific prayer. Pour out all of your problems before Him. You will be amazed at the results (Psalm 55:22). When you are in deep distress, cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you. David had learned this valuable lesson through his experience. When he began his prayer, he was carrying the full weight of his trouble on his own shoulders. When he gave it to God, God granted him glorious peace and confidence. Whenever you hear about God answering someone’s prayer, whenever you see Him provide for their needs and satisfy their desires, it should give you hope that He will do the same in your life. If we are wise, we will heed David’s advice to cast our burdens on the Lord. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for cast (shalak) is also used of breaking the chains or ropes that hold a person captive. When we choose to bear our own burdens, they become chains that keep us in bondage to fear, dread, and worry. But when we give our burdens to the Lord, we are set free to live in the realm of peace and faith. God does not want us to carry the unbearable load of our afflictions. Again and again in Scripture, He invites us to throw them off and allow Him to bear them for us. But we have to trust God enough to commit our trouble to Him. When we fully trust God with our problems, our fears and anxiety will wondrously vanish, and the precious peace of God will reign in their place. Like David, we will be filled with confidence in God and will experience His sustaining and victorious power (II Corinthians 4:13-14). 3. Believe steadfastly that God can and will achieve something glorious through this dark period in your life (Romans 8:28). Many people go through life without hope. Their hopelessness is seen in their negative outlook. Others have grown impatient and given up hope. They don’t believe they will ever see God come through for them. Then there are those who are full of hope. They see every blessing in their lives and in the lives of others as reason for hope in God. These people are confident that they will make it through their hardships because they’ve seen God do it before. Which person do you want to be? Make a conscience effort to turn your eyes away from yourself to see the world in need. God has a purpose for all things. Our confidence is not in our own ability, but in God. We are assured that all things will work together for good. God is still on the throne and He is still in control. Prayer: Father, I thank You for Your patience with me. I so easily close my ears to Your voice and listen to the voice of my circumstances, others who are not your children, and the voice of the Accuser. When I do this, I put my soul in turmoil. From the moment I wake to the moment I lay my head down to rest, may I place all of my hope in You alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Beware of Deception (Matthew 24:4-5)
Matthew 24:4-5, “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.” Iraq is one of the most heavily mined nations in the world. As of early 2003, it was estimated that there were over 10 million mines in its ground. Heavy use of planting mines began during the 1960s and 1970s. During that period, the central Iraqi government attempted to subdue Kurdish demands for autonomy through the use of mine warfare. Then with the Iran-Iraq war and the two Gulf Wars with the United States, planting of mines spiraled out of control. During the first Gulf War, 20 U.S. soldiers died as a result of land mines. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, there were no loses due to land mines. However, after the cessation of conflict with the regular Iraqi army in April 2003, the U.S. found itself engaged in a guerrilla war against terrorists. The terrorists started making booby traps and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). These IEDs have accounted for a majority of those killed in Iraq. The IEDs are hidden in everything from rusty oil drums, to plastic toys, to dead animals, to heaps of rotting refuse. "A bomb can be hidden anywhere," said Captain Jean-Pierre Brown of Hampton Roads, Virginia, a fire control officer with the First Armored Division who lost a friend in a roadside blast. "I have come to hate garbage in a whole new way," Brown said. "Everywhere else in the world, litter is unsightly and garbage smells. But in Iraq, it kills." The world is a "minefield" of deceptive, garbage philosophies and religions. There is only one safe place and that is found in Jesus Christ. This first major sign is really an important warning. Toward the end of this present age, religious deception will be openly practiced and taught on the earth. Christ is so concerned that His followers be aware of the coming worldwide spiritual deception that He repeats His warning two more times Matthew 24:11, 24 in Matthew 24. There will not be a few, but many false messiahs. The false messiahs actually claim, "I am Christ, the Messiah”. They will not be the false prophets and teachers mentioned later. They will be persons who claim to be the Messiah. The false messiahs "shall deceive many." Not a few, but many will believe and follow the false messiahs, believing they are the way, the truth, and the life. The evils, deceptions, sorrows, tragedies, conflicts, and animosities of those days will exceed all others the world has ever known. As the number of deceivers grows, so will the number of vulnerable people who desperately look for answers to the overwhelming calamities that torment them (II Peter 2;1-3; II Timothy 3:13). The world will begin to disintegrate, suffering will become unbearable, and sin will reach its maximum potential. The moral and spiritual influence of the church will be gone, and even more significantly, the restraining power of the Holy Spirit will be removed (II Thessalonians 2:7). The world's systems and institutions will start to self-destruct from unbridled wickedness. To take advantage of that desperate situation, an abundance of false and cleverly deceptive messiahs will arise, each claiming, “I am the Christ”. Their spurious gospels will mislead many, as they promise to deliver men from their problems and troubles. The epitome of that false group will be the Antichrist, the ultimate false messiah and deceiver. As Jesus Christ was righteousness incarnate, the Antichrist will be evil incarnate. Often we do not see problems in our own lives, although we can be quite skilled at detecting the problems of others. This tendency to judge others while giving ourselves a pass can lead to both a harsh spirit toward others and a tolerance of sin in our own lives. As the prophet Jeremiah reminds us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 19:7). If we are depending on our ability to evaluate ourselves, we are heading for trouble. Instead we need an absolute standard of truth that is reliable against which we can measure ourselves. That standard is the Word of God. It is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). To properly judge ourselves we must truly be diligent students of the Bible and apply what we read to our lives. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). This statement is full of truth. To be “pure in heart” is to have a clean heart. To have a clean heart is to be blessed. It is also to have an undivided heart, which is able to clearly see God. With nothing else competing with God for attention, God is able to lead, encourage, teach, and convict this kind of Christian. If the Christian’s foundation is strong, then the rest of the building will stand firm. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to keep a discerning heart that I may not be deceived. Help me to walk closer with You that I may grow closer in discerning Your purpose for my life. In Jesus name, AMEN! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Giving Up More…Only to Gain Less (Mark 8:36-37)
Mark 8:36-37, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” American evangelist, Peter Cartwright, was preaching from Mark 8:36-37 in 1818 at a Presbyterian Church in Nashville. It was a beautiful October evening, and the church was packed. Just as Cartwright shouted the words, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” in walked General Andrew Jackson who was staying nearby. Jackson (who didn't come to Christ until late in life) was a fiery-tempered, hard-drinking, horse-racing, duel-fighting hero. Instantly a buzz swept over the congregation and heads turned. The host pastor, Rev. Mac, excitedly pulled Cartwright's coattail and whispered, "General Jackson has come in." Cartwright roared back, "Who is General Jackson? Who is General Jackson?" He then declared that if the General didn't get his soul converted, he would spend eternity in Hell. Rev. Mac was horrified, and the next morning rose at the crack of dawn to apologize to the General. But later in the day, Cartwright and Jackson met each other on the street. Reaching out his hand, General Jackson said, "Cartwright, you are a man after my own heart. I am surprised at Mr. Mac, to think I would be offended at you. No, sir; I told him I highly approved of your independence. A minister of Jesus Christ ought to love everybody and fear no mortal man. I told Mr. Mac that if I had a few thousand such independent, fearless officers as you are, and a well-drilled army, I could take old England." A fear of God will inspire you to share the Gospel and lose your fear of men. These two verses about the soul of man are some of the greatest verses in the Bible to show the importance of salvation. Mark 8:36-37 stresses the incomparable value of the soul, worth more than the whole world. If one should forfeit his soul and die, there is nothing with which he could hope to reclaim it. The loss would be irrevocable. The story of a rich farmer is recorded in the Bible. He had a very good year. His crops produced well, so well that he did not have room for them. So he decided to build bigger buildings to hold his crops and then he decided to celebrate his earthly success by drinking up a storm and engaging in merry making. Jesus called the man a "fool" because he thought of profit only in terms of earthly things and fleshly pleasure and did not value things spiritually. Rather suddenly on the night of his celebration, he died and in death revealed he had made no profit in the matter of spiritual things. Jesus puts the matter in financial terms. Paraphrasing, Jesus essentially said, ‘For what profit is it if a man shall become the richest man in the world, but lose his own soul?’ If it were possible for one man to own the entire world, what would be his gain in losing his soul? The devil had in effect offered Jesus the same ‘bargain’ in offering Him all the kingdoms of this world on the mount of temptation. Only a foolish person would sell his soul to the devil for the gain he can give. Nevertheless, men do it all the time. Many are giving up far more to gain far less! As missionary C. T. Studd wrote, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” So don’t let the pleasures this world has to offer replace the true meaning of life. It all boils down to this: for which world are we living? No one has ever possessed all the world, although many people have tried. Nimrod tried to possess it. Nebuchadnezzar tried. Napoleon tried. All failed. The Antichrist will try to gain the whole world and will, indeed, rule a global empire for a few short, shaky years. But then his rickety empire will fall apart under the judgment of God, and he himself, laden down with sins, will be plunged headlong into a lost eternity. No man can gain the whole world. But what if he could? All the pleasure and wealth and power and fame are nothing compared with his soul. Everything fades and passes away. In reality, a person possesses something but only for a short time. A man may choose money and property instead of helping to meet the needs of the world. But money and property can be held only for a short time. A man may choose position and power instead of giving his life where it would do the most good. But position and power are held only for a short time. A woman may choose freedom and pleasure instead of home and family. But freedom and pleasure last only for a short time. A person may choose the world and comfort instead of God and His church. But the world and comfort do not satisfy, and they last only for a short time. No earthly gain will compensate for a lost soul. There is nothing in this world that can be exchanged for the soul, because the soul is of more value than anything in the world. The price of the soul is so great that all the things of the world put together do not equal its value. There is not enough money in the world ten times over which can compensate the loss of one’s eternal soul. To live for self and fortune while losing one’s soul is not only foolish, but fatal. The greatest danger known to man is the danger of losing one’s soul. This is the greatest loss ever to come upon a person. Many are bankrupt spiritually because they did not profit spiritually. In all their life they paid no attention to the need of profiting spiritually. They did not take care of this business, either by choice or by neglect. Profiting spiritually is the most important profiting of life. You will guarantee a profit when you receive Jesus as Saviour. PRAYER: Father, I thank You for sending Jesus, Who shed His blood on the cross, died in my place for my sins, and rose again the third day, that I would have eternal life. Help me, to share the Gospel message with others. In Jesus name, AMEN. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com God Has a Bigger Shovel (Luke 6:38)
Luke 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” This principle is universal. A person who has a generous spirit will bring back even more than what they gave. This certainly is true in respect to giving to God. He will also give back more than we give to Him. While traveling during a rainy day, an elderly woman had a flat tire. As her car sat on the side of the road, she was approached by a young man. The young man said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan." After he changed her tire she rolled the window down and asked him how much she owed him. Bryan never thought twice about asking for money, even though he could have used some financial help. Changing a tire was not a job to him; it was a matter of helping someone in need. He told the woman that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed. "And when you do," he added, "think of me." Bryan waited until the woman started her car and drove off. A few miles down the road the woman saw a small diner and she went in to grab a bite to eat. Her waitress had a sweet smile, one that couldn't be erased, even though she had been on her feet all day. The woman noticed that the waitress was pregnant. She wondered how someone who seemingly had so little could be so generous and kind to a stranger. After she finished her meal, she remembered Bryan and she gave the waitress a $100 bill. While the waitress went to get change, the woman slipped quietly out the door. When the waitress came back to the table, she noticed something written on a napkin. When she picked it up to read it, she noticed four $100 bills that had been left underneath it. There were tears in the waitress's eyes when she read what the woman had written: "You don't owe me anything. I've been there, too. Somebody nice helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: don't let this chain of love end with you." That night when the waitress got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the woman had written. How could the woman have known how much she and her husband needed that money? With the baby due in a month, she knew how worried her husband was. As he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered softly, "Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan." Bryan was the young man that changed the tire. Prayer: Father in Heaven, when You sent Jesus to this world, You gave us heaven’s best. While there is certainly no way I could ever out give You, I can honor You by demonstrating a Christlike behavior to others. In Jesus name, Amen! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com |
AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship with Christ. Archives
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