The Steadfast Love of the Lord

The Steadfast Love of the Lord 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion", says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him" (Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV). 

The love of the Lord for us is an everlasting love (Psalms 100:4-5). His faithful love for us is so abundant and overflowing that it is difficult to utter words that can adequately describe it (Psalms 36:5; 1 John 4:16-19; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Hebrews 5:7-9). Without the enduring love of the Lord, we would be without hope of a better day (John 3:16; Romans 5:8-10; Hebrews 5:8-9; 1 John 3:1-3; John 14:1-3). He never stops loving us even when through the weakness of the flesh we give him reason to do so. There is nothing that can separate us from his love (Romans 8:35-39). Psalms 100:5 proclaims in no uncertain terms that the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you have wrought for those who take refuge in you" (Psalms 31:19). What would we be and what would our life be like without the goodness and steadfast love of the Lord surrounding us every moment of every day? So long as we continue to walk each day with him, his enduring love showers us with mercy, kindness, care, forgiveness, comfort, and peace (Psalms 86:15; 2 Corinthians 1:3; 1 Peter 5:6-7; Titus 3:4-5; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 4:6-7). 

Never forget that that with the enduring, steadfast love of the Lord reigning supreme in our life will enable us to walk confidently down the pathway of life knowing that in His hands we are safe from all harm. There is a version of the song, God Is So Good To Me, that begins, "I've had some bad days and I've had some hills to climb, I've had some sad days and then a weary mind, But when I look about and think these things out, All the good days outweigh the bad and I can't complain." 

Life without a fearless trust in the Lord that allows us to embrace His goodness and feel His steadfast love surrounding us would be difficult and dreary. We never know how the Lord is going to bless us His love for all who take refuge in Him, bless us He will! With our hope firmly set in Him, we can with calmness and peacefulness of soul pillow our heads in sleep each night and when we arise in the morning do so rejoicing that we have been granted the privilege of seeing another sunrise. We don't know what the day will bring forth but we do know that because of His steadfast love and His mercies that never cease, with our hope in Him, He will lead us safely through the day (Psalms 23; Isaiah 40:28-31). 

"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust (Psalms 103:13-14). 

Charles Hicks

 

 

 

 

Laying Our Burdens Down

Laying Our Burdens Down

 

And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them (Revelation 14:13) 

I love the message that springs forth from one of our great old songs that proclaims in no uncertain terms, "no tears, no tears up there, no tears in heaven will be known." I don't know about you, but as for me, this pilgrimage of life has been and really still is a grand, exciting adventure. I have experienced a lot of happiness, joy and peace of mind. This journey has also at times been one of sadness, pain and heartache making it a troublesome journey. I venture to say that as you reflect on your life, you will nod your head and say, Amen.

 I love this life and want to stay here as long as possible even though my physical body being burdened groans more and more with each passing day causing me to think often of being absent from this body and being at home with the Lord where there will be no tears, no burdens to bear, no sorrow, pain or heartache (2 Corinthians 5:1-9, Revelation 21:1-5). I know that this world is not my permanent abiding place and neither is it yours (Hebrews 9:27, Philippians 3:12-14, 20).

 Heaven is the final resting place for the faithful child of God. Thoughts of heaven are full of joy bringing comfort and peace to our weary soul.  Listen to the beautiful words of Jesus found in John 14:1-3. "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

 One day our old physical body will be finished, we will lay it down and move out to that radiant dwelling place prepared for us. Hear Paul as he says in Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." That my friends is the Christians view of death. To be absent from this earthly body and be at home with the Lord is a day to anticipate with great joy (2 Cor. 5:7-9)

 Once there was a time in my life when it seemed as if time moved so slowly. It seemed to take forever to go from one birthday to another one and from one Christmas to another Christmas was an eternity. Years ago, I often heard my children as they anxiously looked forward to some event still days ahead say, "I just can't wait" and truth be known, I have said the same thing and I suspect all of this is probably true for you also. What I am trying to say in a feeble way is that this is the way we should feel about heaven—Just can't wait. Yes, as I stated in the beginning of this message, this pilgrimage has been an exciting adventure but like a wanderer home from his travels, my soul thrills at the thought of going home to my eternal dwelling place. How do you feel about all this?

 I leave you with these words from Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

 Charles Hicks

Look What You Made Me Do

Look What You Made Me Do 

Genesis 3:12--"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat." 

Look what you made me do! How often do we hear this statement? Long ago in the Garden of Eden the first man and woman sinned. Eve had her excuse: "The devil made me do it". Adam had his excuse: "The woman made me do it" (Genesis 3). Later, we find Aaron building a golden calf and with the people of God, bowing down before it and he had his excuse: "The people made me do it" (Exodus 32:21-24) In 1 Samuel 15 we find King Saul sinning and again his excuse: "The people made me do it". The practice of blaming someone else for what we do began a long time ago and it continues even now in our present age. 

We must be careful that we do not place ourselves in compromising situations where worldly living, lust, and self gratification are indulged in (Romans 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:22, Romans 12:21, James 4:7, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 1 John 2:15-17).). If we, for whatever reasons, choose to participate in activities where sinful conduct or questionable activity is taking place, make no mistake about it, it is very likely that the day will come when we too will say: "Look what they made me do" in an effort to justify ourselves. 

The great tragedy of this is that countless numbers of people will one day stand before God in judgment unprepared (Acts 17:30-31). I do not pretend to know exactly what will take place on that great day or how the judgment will be conducted but I can say with certainty that it is an appointment that has been made for us and we will keep it. Having said this, I can envision vast numbers of people attempting to shift the responsibility for being unprepared to others. It might be directed at a preacher or teacher who did not teach the truth according to God's word (Matt. 15:8-9, 2 John 9, Gal. 1:6-9, 1 John 4:1). Others will have placed themselves in compromising situations thereby attempting to shift blame to someone else (1 Thess. 5:21-22). Still others may try to shift blame to parents who did not set the right example before them and did not train them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4, Prov. 22:6). Yes, the excuses will go on and on but they all come down to one thing: "Look what you made me do". Excuses may be offered but all of them will avail nothing. It still remains that each one of us as individuals will eventually answer for ourselves (2 Cor. 5:10, Romans 14:12; Eccl. 12:13-14; 2 Tim. 2:15). 

Charles Hicks

 

Tips on selling a used car

Used Cars and Troubled Souls

It’s an aggravating and frustrating thing to try to sell a used car yourself. The problem, of course, is that those who might consider buying your car always look at it with a far more critical eye than you do. Things that you've long ignored simply will not please a prospective buyer. That spot on the upholstery where the kids spilled a milk shake suddenly shows up like a black eye. And that slight roar that comes from the rusted out muffler now sounds like a semi truck. The worn tires, the squeaky brakes, and the dull paint - everything looks and sounds worse when you know that someone else is viewing it with a critical eye.  Finally you lower your price, and end up selling your car for a lot less than you had hoped to receive.

We wonder how many folks may suffer a similar disappointment in the final judgment. So many things that have long been ignored will then be exposed to the Lord's scrutinizing view. Maybe you've known for a long time that you should do something about that bad habit, the vile language, the uncontrolled temper, the immoral deeds - but you just kept putting it off. Perhaps you were the one who had all those good intentions about worshipping more regularly, or studying your Bible more diligently. Or was it you who had been planning for years to speak to your neighbor about the Lord?

In the final judgment it will be the Lord who is looking - at us!  Will we end up receiving far less than we had hoped for?

- by Greg Gwin

 

I feel like a hypocrite every time I go to church

Repairs Needed

Jim Corley met his friend, Alex, at the dealership where Alex worked.

"Jim, I feel like a hypocrite every time I go to church because I fail to
live for Christ so often."

"Alex, what do you call this part of the dealership?" Jim asked, nodding to
the area outside his cubicle.

"You mean the showroom?"

"Yes. And what's behind the showroom, past the parts counter?"

"The service department," Alex said confidently.

"What if I told you I didn't want to bring my car to the service department
because it was running rough," Jim asked.

"That would be crazy! That's the whole point of service departments - to fix
cars that aren't running right."

"You're absolutely right," Jim replied. "Now, let's get back to our initial
conversation. Instead of thinking of church as a showroom where image is
everything, start thinking of it as God's service department. Helping people
get back in running order with God is what the church is all about." *

We are all in need of repairs, "for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

But God loves us and wants to "fix us" - from the inside out. The finished
product will resemble His glorious Son. "But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into
the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2
Corinthians 3:18).

In order to cleanse us and make us whole, God sent His one and only Son
Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).

God will cleanse, make whole, and give eternal life to those who place their
faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

When we rise from the waters of baptism in the new birth, God adds us to the
church, His family (Acts 2:41). In God's family, we find encouragement,
correction, forgiveness, and other components of a needed support system to
keep us "running" well.

"Bring Christ your broken life
So marred by sin.
He will create anew
Make whole again."
-- Thomas O. Chisholm

Remember, the church is not a showroom; it's God's service department. Come
to Christ and into His church so that He can make you whole.

-- David A. Sargent

* Source: Choice Contemporary Stories and Illustrations For Preachers,
Teachers, and Writers, Craig Brian Larson as quoted by www.ministry127.com.

What does the Bible say about marriage, divorce, and remarriage?

Jesus’ Law on Marriage

We continue our study of false doctrines concerning divorce and remarriage:
 
3} THE SIN OF ADULTERY IS WASHED AWAY AT BAPTISM, AND THE MARRIAGE IS SANCTIFIED.
 
Arguments are offered as follows:
 
A) All past sins are forgiven at baptism, and since sanctification occurs at that point, one may remain married regardless of previous unscriptural divorces.
B) Adultery is just a one-time act, and if it occurred before baptism, it is forgiven as is any other sin.
C) When we force people to separate in order to obey the gospel, it requires them to live a celibate life, which is more than can be expected. It inflicts hardship on children and, we are told, would be contrary to the loving nature of God.
 
THE TRUTH IS: (point by point)
 
A) At baptism all past sins are forgiven that we have repented of (Acts 2:38). If unscripturally divorced and remarried people may remain married after baptism, may the drunk continue his drinking, the idolater his false worship, etc. Study 1 Cor. 6:9-11 carefully.
B) In Matt. 19:9, "committeth adultery" is in the present tense in the original Greek, denoting continuing action.
C) When God requires unscripturally married people to separate, it is possible to do so (Matt. 19:12) and is the kind of sacrifice that Jesus said we may have to make (Luke 14:26). We wonder why folks who make this argument never consider these hardships when they divorce to fulfill their own desires, but are unwilling to do so to fulfill God’s will. God's love is seen in His own marriage law, and note that He has required separation in the past (Ezra 10:10,11).
 
Continue to study with us ...

- by Greg Gwin

 

Rorie Woods beehives Springfield, Massachusetts

"A Sting Operation"

With the Associated Press story of Rorie Woods being arrested is a photo of her wearing an unusual hat, one that covered her entire head and face. It's the garb typically worn by beekeepers who want to protect themselves while they tend to their hives. Woods put this on just before deliberately opening several hives to release swarms of honeybees.

Deputies had arrived at the Springfield, Massachusetts home of Woods on the morning of October 12 to serve eviction papers. Soon after their arrival, Woods drove up with a trailer loaded with beehives. She reportedly began shaking the hives and broke the cover off one, which led to swarms of bees. Several officers were stung, including three who are allergic to beestings.

Now Woods is facing multiple assault and battery charges for her misguided actions. Had any of the deputies suffered fatal reactions to their beestings, she would also be facing murder charges. Thankfully, nothing more than a few whelps resulted from her malicious deed.

I'm not allergic to beestings, but I know from experience how painful they can be. Honeybees are not the worst; that distinction probably should go to hornets (though yellowjacket wasps pack quite a wallop). No stings are pleasant, though, and we understandably go out of our way to avoid them.

Interestingly, God uses the pain of beestings to illustrate warnings that were issued to His people. In Isaiah 7:18 we find this warning of punishment to come: "And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the farthest parts of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria." God wasn't talking about actual flies and bees, but of the armies of Egypt and Assyria who would be agents of pain for His rebellious people. These powerful foes would not destroy Israel and Judah but would serve as warnings against continued sinfulness.

Years earlier the image of a hornet was used, but in a positive way for God's people: "I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow" (Joshua 24:12). How did Israel conquer the land of Canaan? Not by their own power, but by the "hornet" God sent before them. Again, a powerful sting was inflicted on God's enemies.

The most dreaded sting of all comes not from a flying insect, but from death. 1 Corinthians 15:54,55 shows how God has mastered man's greatest foe: "So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?'" Jesus has removed the powerful, painful punch that death carried.

A bee flew into a car as a father and his young son drove down the road. The son was allergic to bee stings, so the father reached out and trapped the bee in his hand – then let it loose. "Dad," the boy cried, "why did you let it go? You know how allergic I am to beestings!" The father opened his hand and showed his son the stinger in his hand. The bee was now powerless to hurt his son.

Jesus has taken the sting of death for us all. "… that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14,15).

Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you'd like to discuss these ideas further.

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Copyright, 2022, Timothy D. Hall