The Carpenter's Chapel (7)

Amen.

Thank you Charles.

Blessings

followinghim

 

Here is todays devotional from "Word For Today" - www.ucb.co.uk

When God puts you on hold (1)10 Nov 2006'SO DON'T TRY TO GET OUT OF ANYTHING PREMATURELY...' JAMES 1:4The Bible says, 'To every thing there is a season...' (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV). So no matter how hard you pray, you can't pray your life's seasons away. There are some situations you aren't meant to change; you're just meant to survive! Paul calls these times, '...light affliction, which is...for a moment...' (2 Corinthians 4:17 KJV). When you can't alter your circumstances you must learn to grow through them. In winter, trees take advantage of the season to rebuild their strength and prepare to be fruitful next season. Their sap and substance goes underground. Then in the spring they push their way back up again in the form of new growth. Looking back over your life you'll find that your achievements are seasonal. Growth comes, then struggle, and vice versa. Each season has its purpose. God has a reason for not wanting you to be productive all the time. When He permits winter winds to blow through your life He's preparing you for the coming spring. James writes, 'Consider it a...gift...when tests...come... under pressure, your faith...shows its true colours. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.' One of the issues you'll struggle with, in a waiting period, is the urge to hurry, to make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances. Don't do it! Every situation doesn't call for immediate action. Remember, patience comes from trust, and you can't trust a God you don't know. That's why you need to spend more time getting acquainted with Him through reading His Word and praying.

 

Living Waters

“And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter I shall be” (Zechariah 14:8).
It is interesting that there is no mention of either spring or fall, as such, anywhere in the Bible, though there are several references to summer and winter. The first day of spring is the date of the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, although there is apparently no formal calendric period of either spring pr autumn, and the culturally accepted periods vary from country to country.
In any case, we do know that there have been so-called “seasons” from he very beginning, owing to the earth’s axial tilt. Speaking of the sun, moon, and stars when he created tem, God said to “let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14).
Furthermore, although he great flood produced drastic changes on the earth, it did not change the seasons. God told Noah: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).
There are tremendous changes yet to take place in the earth during the time when Christ returns, as described in the prophetical books. Once again, however, as our text indicates, there will still be summer and winter-and therefore, also spring and fall. “Thou hast made summer and winter” (Psalm 74:17) and apparently so it will always be. Even in the new earth, the wonderful tree of life will “bare twelve manner of fruits, and (yield) her fruit every month” (Revelation 22:2). Different fruits for different months at least implies different seasons. “Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

 

A Stop On The Roman Road

"The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
This wonderful verse has been used by the Holy Spirit countless times to bring a person to the point of salvation, and rightly so. Seldom did the Author of Scripture pack so much into so few words, and seldom is the gospel of salvation more clearly and succinctly presented.
Perhaps the key to this verse and its teaching is the little word but, for marvelous contrasts hinge on it. In fact, pointing out the parallel but contrasting statements has proven to be an effective witnessing tool. Let us consider these individual contrasts:
Fist, wages versus gift: Wages are something that must be earned, while a gift cannot be earned; it is free. The wages of employment follow directly from having done the work, just as the wages of sin follow directly from having done the sin. Similarly, the gift of God follows directly from God's own character. He is a loving, gracious God, who freely showers His gifts on those who will accept them.
Second, sin versus God, or sin versus the sinless one: we might even define sin as the opposite of godliness. Sin is the deed that merits the wages, while God is the being who gives the gift. Sin is a wrong action, attitude, or thought, while God is a person, active and loving. Sin takes; God gives.
Third, death eternal versus life eternal: Conscious existence in separation from God versus conscious existence in communion with God. Sin brings death, surely and permanently; God gives eternal life.
This gift of eternal life is not given capriciously, however; it is based on the work of Jesus Christ, the one who Himself collected the wages of our sin. The sinner who accepts the gift, through Jesus Christ, can hardly fail to recognize Him as Lord.

 

Amen.

Thank you Charles.

Blessings

 

David's Joy

"The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!"
(Psalm 21:1)
Why would any king need to look higher for anything? The king is the top, the ultimate authority, and the benefactor of his subjects. So why should David turn to the Lord to receive blessings and material goods? The answer is that this king was committed to the King of kings. David was a subject of a higher kingdom than his own.
One attribute of the Lord is his strength-that inherent capacity to act upon or affect something. David suggests that God's strength has provided his salvation; changing his own lost and dying state into a state of eternal life. "He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever" (v.4). How could David have accomplished that miracle with resources from within his kingdom? Neither his people, his money, nor his authority could provide it.
David had desires in his heart which only God knew and gave him. The Lord gave him "blessings of goodness" (v.3), "a crown of pure gold on his head" (v.3), "honor and majesty" (v.5), and "made him most blessed for ever" (v.6). No wonder David found joy in the Lord's strength and rejoiced in his saved state. "The king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most high he shall not be moved" (v.7).
How did the Lord accomplish this? Through the agent of His own right hand (v.8). Work requires a force applied through a distance. The Lord truly has to change our position from lost to saved. There has to be a point of decision in time when we agree with God to change our state. Herein is where His power comes into play (God's force on an object, moving it from lost to saved in a moment of real time).
Let us join David as he concludes: "Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power" (v.13).

 

Todays devotional comes from Word for Today at: www.ucb.co.uk

How's your prayer life?27 Nov 2006'PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.' 1 THESSALONIANS 5:17Prayer is not a monologue where one person does all the talking, or a ritual where we must say things in the right order, or a chore to get out of the way like brushing our teeth before going to bed. Jesus rejects this performance-based understanding of prayer: '"...Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace"' (Matthew 6:6 TM). For many, prayer has little to do with the realities of life. They think of it like the National Anthem at a game: a nice opening, but nothing to do with what happens on the field afterwards. Other people treat prayer like a rabbit's foot you pull out and rub when things are tough: 'A prayer a day keeps the devil away.' Paul writes, 'Pray without ceasing.' That doesn't sound like something you do once in a while, or a flare you shoot up during a crisis. Try substituting the word breathe for the word pray: 'breathe without ceasing' - doesn't that sound like a good idea to you? We don't breathe only when we feel like it. Or decide, 'I'm not into oxygen today,' and stop breathing. Or get frustrated and say, 'This isn't getting me anywhere. I'm not going to do it any more.' No, we cling to the breath in our bodies as if it's life. So, just as breathing is an indispensable part of your natural life, prayer is an indispensable part of spiritual life. Without it you die spiritually. So, how's your prayer life?

 

Thank you for that.

 

You're welcome.

 

The Day of the Lord

"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" (I Thessalonians 5:2-3).
Whenever there is a war, or a great calamity, or a great time of suffering, there almost inevitably follows an upsurge of interest in Biblical prophecy with many predictions of the immediate return of Christ.
According to our text however (which immediately follows the glorious description of the "rapture" of all believers into the air to meet the returning Savior), His coming may not be at a time of war and danger, but in one of "peace and safety!" It may well be in a period when "they"-that is, the ungodly world and all of its cohorts-will be proudly boasting of the new world order where they have established worldwide security from further strife and peril. But this system will be built, not on a Biblical foundation acknowledging God as Creator and Redeemer, but on a false foundation of evolutionary humanism and an attempted amalgamation of all world religions.
The euphoria accompanying such a false security will even lull many Christians into a since of complacency. In peaking of His return, therefore, Jesus warned: "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye thin not" (Luke 12:40). His coming will be as a thief comes in the night, when even those who should be alert and watching may have fallen asleep.
"Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:33).
Watchfulness, however, does not mean idleness. "Occupy til I come, He said (Luke 19:13). "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing" (Luke 12:43).

 

Amen.

Thank you Charles.

 

Here is today's devotional from Word For Today which can be found at :
www.ucb.co.uk

Two phases - anticipation and reality!04 Dec 2006'"BUT THE HOUR COMETH, AND NOW IS..."' JOHN 4:23Phase one: anticipation. This woman had lived through five failed marriages, become the talk of the town, and lost her capacity to trust others or respect herself. Then Jesus showed up and said, 'The hour cometh.' What a message: 'Things are about to change. What you're weeping over today you'll rejoice over tomorrow.' God's grace turns the failures of our past into fertilizer. Like a lily springing up in a mud marsh, God offers us: '...beauty for ashes... the garment of praise [in exchange] for the spirit of heaviness...' (see Isaiah 61:3 KJV). Notice, when Christ mentioned this woman's past He wasn't a Pharisee pointing an accusing finger. No, He was the Good Shepherd walking for miles to find one lost sheep; the great Physician pouring healing love into her deepest wounds; and 'the door' that leads out of misery and into the life she always longed for. Phase two: reality. '"...and now is..."' The waiting is over. Anticipation turns to reality and she seizes her moment. When Jesus said, '"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give...shall never thirst..."' (John 4:14 KJV); she replies: '"Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not..."' (John 4:15 KJV). She reaches by faith and receives what He has for her. Then redeemed, recycled and redirected, this woman with a questionable past goes all over town introducing others to Christ. What a story! And what Jesus did for her He'll do for you. What He said to her He says to you: 'Your time has come. Your breakthrough is at hand. Believe it, receive it and walk in it.'

 

Todays devotional comes from Word for Today, which can be found at:

www.ucb.co.uk

A word to teachers (1)05 Dec 2006'YOU, HOWEVER, KNOW ALL ABOUT MY TEACHING, MY WAY OF LIFE...' 2 TIMOTHY 3:10If you want your teaching to have impact, you must do these three things: 1) Know your students. And that takes commitment and time. This is where we lose a lot of teachers. There's no magic formula. Good teaching has a price tag: you've got to be willing to pour out your life for others. If your students have to trip you up on your way out of class in order to have a moment with you, you're not going to reach them. People don't care how much you know, until they first know how much you care. 2) Earn the right to be heard. Walk out on the street and tell the first guy you meet that you know what his problem is - and he'll probably give you a bit of his mind he can't afford to lose. Even if you know what his problem is, you won't get through to him. Credibility must precede communication. And our celebrity society has never figured that out. You must win a hearing! 3) Be willing to become vulnerable. It's the broken who become masters at mending. Don't be afraid to let people know what you're struggling with, and what you've struggled with through the years. People tend to see us in terms of where we are now, rather than in light of where we've come from and what we've been through. They didn't see the process. So tell them about the God you know personally, and what He's brought you through. That'll impact them every time! Want to be a teacher who 'gets through?' Practice these principles.

 

John 4 Revisited

Sorry, but I had experienced some computer problems. I would like to revisit what I posted on John 4 (The Woman at the Well), after I read FollowingHim's post because this is so vitally important to us. If you have a copy of the movie "Gospel of John" who will note that when the actress that played this woman asked (Jesus) about why He asked her, being a Samiritan woman; the camera looked at the hem of the garment that the actor that played Jesus was wearing. Around the hem was a blue stripe and this was something the Jews did to distinguish themselves from, well, Samaritans especially.
The narrative says that Jews, "have no dealings with the Samaritans," this is perhaps one of the great understatements found in God's Word. And the feeling was mutual. The Lord Jesus not only would speak to her, but, as we see, waited for her to show up. Here is one married five times, outside of Israel, having absolutely no merit whatsoever, yet Jesus reaches out to her. Brethren, this is perhaps THE best example in the Bible if you need to answer someone who thinks that they cannot come to the Lord Jesus, because they feel that the have done so much evil that they think that God cannot forgive them. God still cares for that sinner. What one CANNOT be forgiven of is to live one's life through and die, rejecting God's provision for eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Jesus comes to a city of Samaria to Jacob's well and waits there. Being the sixth hour (noon), the well was deserted as a woman approached. Jesus began the conversation by asking her for a drink. She recognized Jesus as a Jew (He was not like the pictures of Jesus of Catholic origin) and immediately questioned why He was even speaking to her, a Samaritan. Jesus responds with three things to attract her attention.
First, He states that she need to know "the gift of God." This we know is in reference to the free gift of salvation (Eph. 2:8-9).
Second, she needs to realize to whom she is speaking.
(As for us, if we only had the spiritual sight to realize how many times we have talked with :angels unawares" Heb 13:2). She doesn't have a clue that she is speaking to the creator of the universe!
Third, she needs to taste "living water." Of these three "baits" she takes the third, living water. He did not speak of sin, but focused upon her thirst, offering living water. As with Nicodemus, this woman responded to the spiritual question with earthly terms. "Where' His bucket?" she thought. How are you going to get this "living water"? She wondered. "Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us this well?
Her interest is peaked, though she is skeptical of how this Jewish man could have something greater than the Patriarch Jacob. As previously stated, the Samaritans accepted only the first five Books of the Bible written by Moses (the Pentateuch). Jesus could have discussed the Jewish and Samaritan claims of Jacob, but He keeps focused on her greater need, a well of water that brings everlasting life. Now she is really curious about what she has to say, she asks to have "this water."
However, Jesus knows that she is not ready to trust Him, so He must first reveal her need for salvation. "Go call thy husband" followed by "thou hast had five husbands" causes the woman to perceive that Jesus is more than a normal man. She is getting closer, but still skirts the issue as she tries to change the subject. She declares Him to be prophet and wants to discuss "religion." Like many today, she thinks that the location ("this mountain...Jerusalem") is the difference of their "religions." today people think that whether it's Rome, Mecca, or Jerusalem, it's all the same thing. They say whether it's Jehovah, Budda or Allah it's all the same! But God says, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." (Isa. 45:22; The phrase "none else" is used of God 10 times.) Also, notice he reference to Mount Gerizim.
Jesus directs the conversation back to the main issue, her need to seek God. The Samaritans had a copy-cat religion with a rival temple and priests, yet they did not know what they worshipped. Jesus declares "Salvation is of the Jews." He did not begin His conversation with this statement, but now she is willing to hear it. The Bible and the Saviour Himself came by the Jews. The key is not worshipping God in relation to some religious shrine, but rather worshipping "the Father in spirit and in truth." Dr. Greene says "To worship 'in spirit' is to worship from the heart - not in form, not a carnal worship consisting of ceremonies, offerings, sacrifices, feasts and keeping of days. To worship 'in truth' means to worship by and through the one way to God. We do not worship today through sacrifices of lambs, doves, bullocks; we worship God through truth." (p.223) We too must worship God on His terms: "in spirit and in truth."
Jesus has offered her "living water" and then revealed to her that He knew her secret sins. He told her that true worship involved more than buildings or sacrifices; true worship is in spirit and in truth. Now she has no more questions or excuses and she wants to know about the Messiah and Jesus is ready to reveal Himself to her. In 4:26 is one of the clearest declarations of Jesus' claim to be the Messiah. (Compare Mk. 14:62)
It is important to realize that Jesus did not claim to be a good man or a good teacher, He claimed to be God. To make Jesus to be anything less than God is not the truth. When a ruler addressed Jesus as "Good Master" Jesus rebuked him saying: "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but One, that is, God." (Mark 10:18). The Samaritan woman's response is not recorded, but her actions reveal her faith. She immediately went out to find others to meet the Saviour.
Would to God that all of us would follow her example!

 

AMEN. Thank you Charles.

Blessings

followinghim

 

Feeding On Truth

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed" (Psalm 37:3).

Although there are many promises in Scripture to the effect that the Lord will provide material sustenance to those who are faithful to Him (Matthew 6:33), this particular verse evidently refers to an even more blessed promise. The word translated "verily" is better rendered by "truth," so the latter part of the verse could best be given as: "thou shalt be fed on the truth." That is, the spiritual life of the one who trusts in Christ will be fed and sustained by truth.
In contrast, the unbeliever feeds on that which is not true. The one "Who hath formed a god" for himself will soon taste bitterness on his tongue. "He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" (Isaiah 44:10,20).
Those who trust in human deliverance will be like Israel depending on Egypt and Assyria. "Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation" (Hosea 12:1). The diet of false prophets is more bitter still. "Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall" (Jeremiah 23:15).
Wind and ash, wormwood and gall; such is the spiritual food of those who reject the truth of the word of God.
To the believer, however, the Scriptures are as much a daily need for the soul as bread for the body. As Job said long ago: "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12). Moses testified as follows: "And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3).

 

Amen. Thank you Charles.

Something we all need to be reminded of.

Blessings

followinghim

 

This devotional comes from Every Day with Jesus by Selwyn Hughes and can be found in his one year devotional entitled "Walking in His Ways" dated for the 15th December:

Text: Revelation 15:1-4

Besides worship, another suport system which Christians enjoy is that sybolised by the three flying angels. The word "angel" as you know means "messenger", and the message conveyed here is threefold.

The first angel speaks of salvation by grace -"the eternal gospel". The second angel speaks of Babylon, which stands for a world system that is in rebellion against God. The third angel brings a powerful challenge and proclaims that hose who identify with Babylon will share its fate. Just as the Lamb standing with the 144,000 on Mount Zion represented the support system of worship, so the flying angels represent the power of preaching and proclamation. After all, what is preaching? It was defined by one great Welsh preacher, Dr Cynddylan Jones, in this way: "Preaching is the act in which the gospel of God is proclaimed, the downfall of all that resist Him is announced, and the call to repent is encouraged".

In a world preoccupied with wars, teaties, alliances and scandals, the need for sound preaching is greater than ever. Some might think that with so much in the world demanding our attention, there is little time left for preaching. We must make time for it. In a new millennium our need is not for clever talks on current events but a renaissance of good Bible-based preaching. Though we need to take note of what our politicians and statesmen are saying, our greater need is to hear regularly from God.

Prayer: Father, thank you for the many faithful preachers You have set in Your Church who tell us what You have to say about what is happening, and remind us of Your eternal plans. May their number increase. Amen.

 

Diligence

"But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Joshua 22:5).
This exhortation by Joshua to the tribes that would be living east of the Jordan, away from the tabernacle and most of their brethren, is still of relevance today-especially to those whose ministry requires them to live far away from some central place of Christian teaching and fellowship. It is given in six parts, each beginning with an infinitive ("to..."), and expresses a key aspect of our relation to God.
We should give diligent heed to:
"Do the commandment and the law." That is, be careful to obey the word of God.
"Love the Lord thy God." This, according to Christ, is "the first and great commandment" (Matthew 2:37-38).
We must give first priority to the worship of God.
"Walk in all His ways" The day-to-day words and deeds of the believer should always be consistent with the nature of God, whether or not there are specific references governing each one In Scripture. Our behavior should be characteristic of the ways of God.
"Keep His commandments." The essential meaning of the Hebrew word here for "keep" is to guard! We are to defend His word against its enemies, fighting the war of God.
"Cleave unto Him." We should stay in such close communion with Him that we can always know and follow the will of God.
"Serve Him." As we are faithful in the foregoing duties, we are then able, wholeheartedly, to serve His name and to do the work of God.

 

AMEN.

Thank you Charles.

God Bless you.

followinghim