Innocent

Psa 26:6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:What a marvelous statement to be able to say this in truth. This should be what every person that proclaims Christ is their Savior strives to be. We are seen as innocent in the eyes of God because of the blood of Jesus. Complete innocence will not be achieved until we join the heavenly host. That does not mean we should not give up on this life we live and the innocency that we desire. May we wash our hands in holiness.

ABIDING IN CHRIST

John 15:5; I John 2:28; II John 9

Abide – to dwell, to rest to continue, to stand firm.

I John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

There is a place to abide. We are to abide in Jesus. All of our assurance and hope and every blessing resides in our abiding in Jesus. Abiding in Jesus indicates a close relationship. Our abiding in Him indicates that within His nearness, we have peace and re-assurance of His care for us and He is watching over us. I fear that sometimes He sees every moment of my life, whether it is joy or sorrow. He has experience all that I could ever experience in this life. He knows every step I take and every obstacle that hinders my walk. When I stumble, He is there to steady me. When I fall He picks me up and brushes me off and heals body and mind.

I cannot have confidence in this world and the rule of man. I cannot have confidence in government that they will always want the best for me. I cannot have confidence in fellow man that they will treat me right and never fail me or desert me. My confidence must stay on and with the Lord Jesus. He is always present when I need Him. I have confidence in His return to take me home one day. In His time, at the right time, I shall see Him in the air and hear the trumpet of victory sound and I shall meet my Lord in the Air. What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see, when I look upon His face . . .

My desire is to not be ashamed before God when I stand before Him. Therefore, I must abide. I don’t know when His return is so I must be ready at any time. I have confidence in his return as a thief in the night and because His appearance will not be announced, I must be faithful and true at all times. I must not be drawn away by worldly lusts or desires. I MUST abide in Jesus at all times.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.”

Abiding is fruit-bearing. The place of abiding is in Jesus Christ the Son of God. Some choose to abide in the world, in sports, arts, education, politics, power or prestige. The propensity of some to always gravitate to worldly things is evident in what holds their attention and receives their time. These days of hectic activity of the world, we hardly have time for Jesus, much less abiding in him. Abiding means to spend time with him. We abide in our house that we call our home. This is where we eat, we sleep and basically live our lives. This is the hub of our life. Jesus should be the hub of our life.

With Jesus, we are “in Him.” We should be just as comfortable being in him as we are at home. Abiding in Him means that no matter where we are He is ever-present. Since we are in Him at work, we should be just as faithful in representing Him at work as we are at Church. Where ever we are, if we abide in Christ, we will produce, not just fruit but much fruit. Notice that statement “… for without me ye can do nothing. If we are not producing fruit, maybe we should examine ourselves to see if we are abiding.

II John 1:9  “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”

If we are abiding in Christ, we have an overwhelming desire to abide in His doctrine. Truth is so important in a time of lying and deceit. So many distort and twist the doctrine of Christ in this modern depraved age. The Bible says, “ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” John 8:32. We areresponsible for diligently searching for the truth and finding it. Finding the truth tells of the love we have for Christ.

Christ on the Cross Wednesday

LORD, REMEMBER ME! A SINNER'S CRY

William Andrew Dillard

The multiple facets of life which men choose to follow amazes the keen observer. Some are meek and humble; others are haughty and proud; some are weak and fearful; others are bold and aggressive; some are quick to inquire while others already know it all; some are consumed with power and authority while others are content to fulfill their tasks of life, leaving the authority worries to others, It goes on! Here is a graphic illustration. Think with me about it!
Once upon a time on a hill far away were raised three cruel crosses. Upon these were men, still alive, badly beaten and abused, whose fate was to die in intense agony for crimes allegedly committed. The cross on one end contained a convicted thief. The cross on the other end also contained a convicted thief and/or robber or insurrectionist.
The cross in the middle contained the unrecognizable figure who without sin admitted the sins of the entire world upon Himself: Our altogether lovely, Wonderful, Precious Savior: Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. He was unrecognizable because the heavily wielded, Roman cat of nine-tails has laid upon his flesh to expose His bones. His beard had been pulled off His face with its flesh. His vestige was marred more than any man (Psalm 22, Isa. 52), and interestingly enough, a brief dialogue of the three dying men occurred.
The thief on one end of the three-cross line spoke sarcastically to the man on the middle cross. “If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” Luke 23:39. He neither knew nor cared that the greatest single event in all of human history was occurring, and he was also a part of that monumental scene. He thoughts were not of the world beyond in which he would soon find himself, or that he was beside the resurrection and the life who could pardon his wicked soul of the sins for which he was dying. How typical of the world of sinful men.
On the other side of the middle cross the second thief rebuked the first, saying, “Doest not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.” Luke 23:40-41 It was then that he turned his head to the middle cross and said, “Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Jesus said, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Let it then be shouted to the darkest regions of the universe: Jesus is Lord, and there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
I want to be remembered by the Man of the Middle /Cross, and I am, and I shall be.
Men in every generation should follow the undeniably successful attitude of the second thief. It is just this simple, and there is no plan “B.” In repentance from sin, and singular trust in the Savior, let prayers ascend, “Lord, remember me!”

Strength

When I am faithful and praying, I am strong in Christ.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 – KJB

Church Members

Floating members make a sinking church.

CONTENTMENT

Proverbs 15:16; Philippians 4:11; Hebrews 13:5

1. To be content in life brings a great amount of peace. Let us define contentment from Websters’ 1828 dictionary. 1. Contentment; a resting or satisfaction of mind without disquiet; acquiescence. Contentment, without external honor, is humility. Godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 2. Gratification

Contentment is not laziness. Never suffer under that mistaken thought. Contentment is satisfaction with where we are at in life, work, marriage and our relationship with God. It includes the idea of happiness. This does not preclude improvement in all areas of our life. The truth is that without improvement we will lose our contentment. Contentment does not mean that we are satisfied with where we are at but indicates we are striving for betterment without being worried by external influences and wickedness.

Proverbs states this very clearly. “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.” Proverbs 15:16 KJB. Be content with what we have and we will have great peace of mind. We must establish proper priorities that Jesus has given us in His Word. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt. 6:33 KJB. When we pursue proper things that Jesus says to pursue we will dwell in contentment.

What does it mean to be in want? Paul says to the Philippian brethren, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11 KJB. Whether rich or poor, contentment should be our companion. Riches do not make us a better person. Being poor does not make us a bad person. Contentment will make us a pleasing person. Contentment demonstrates that our priorities in life are right. It indicates that we have made Christ the focus and center of our life. We are pursuing the greatest, the most important thing in life and that is a loving relationship with our marvelous Savior, Jesus Christ. Are we content with Jesus Christ? When we have Christ, we have all we need.

Our problem is our eyes. We see the things of the world and desire becomes covetousness. We want and design to get. We see our neighbors and their toys and desire to have what they have. This tears or rips our focus from God and His Son Jesus Christ and the world becomes more important to us than our Savior. Hebrews says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5 KJB. A short definition of “conversation” is appropriate. Webster 1828 dictionary. 1. General course of manners, behavior, deportment, especially as it respects morals. Be ye holy in all manner of conversation. I Peter I:15, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” KJB Our way of living, our holy life should usher in contentment that overcomes all the pleasures of this world, preparing us for the world to come and the Holiness of God and His Son Jesus Christ that resides there. Praise God that He brings contentment into our lives.

Christ’s Love

John 13:1; Romans 8:35; I John 3:16

Love is such a wonderful subject that too many people pass over the other tremendous attributes and characteristics of Jesus Christ. We do want to speak about His magnificent love in this devotion. We find an unfathomable passion in this great love of Jesus.

After Jesus created all that was to be created in the world, and man had been formed from the dust of the earth, and woman taken from his side, Jesus knew that his work was not done. He, knowing that man would sin, had because of the deep love for the Father, offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of man that would be committed. We see the forecast of such a sacrifice in Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” He already knew. He already knew that Adam would sin, yet the love for the father compelled Him. He already knew that as a baby His parents would have to flee to Egypt because of the wicked obsession of a King. He already knew that His people and the Pharisees and Sadducees would reject Him, yet He would be a sacrifice for them. He already knew that a traitor would betray Him after three intimate years of sharing beds, teachings, tears, and breaking bread together. He already knew that Peter would weaken and deny Him during the most difficult time of distress and threat to the very life of Jesus. The depth of this love is revealed in the garden of Gethsemane when He prayed, “not my will but thy will be done” while facing the terrible agony of lashes and death on the cross. YET HE LOVED.

This is a love so deep and so intense that we cannot fathom this kind of love. There is nothing in this world that separate us from the love of Christ. Here is what Romans 8:35 says “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Where human love fails, falters and flees, Christ’s love continues. There is not one person so vile that Jesus does not love them and desire that they trust Him unto salvation. It is a love that will not stop, quit, or leave a believer. One should read the prayer that Jesus prayed to God on behalf of those disciples that followed Him. His love for them is evident in the words of prayer that He offered on their behalf. As unfaithful as we are, as rebellious as we are, as stiff-necked as we are, YET HE LOVES US.

In this world today, love is measured by what we are willing to do for someone else. Let me tell you about the love of God. I John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is Love. I John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us, God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” Love comes from God. We could not love if God was not love. I John 3:16 ‘Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” If we do not love, God’s Word condemns us. How do we demonstrate the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ, by the love we have for the brethren, and the love we have for the lost. Does our love for God compel us to reach out to the lost and tell them about the dangers of hell and the love of Jesus? No? YET HE STILL LOVES US

Abiding In Christ

John 15:5; I John 2:28; II John 9

Abide – to dwell, to rest to continue, to stand firm.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.”

Abiding is fruit-bearing. The place of abiding is in Jesus Christ the Son of God. Some choose to abide in the world, in sports, arts, education, politics, power or prestige. The propensity of some to always gravitate to worldly things is evident in what holds their attention and receives their time. These days of hectic activity of the world, we hardly have time for Jesus, much less abiding in him. Abiding means to spend time with him. We abide in our house that we call our home. This is where we eat, we sleep and basically live our lives. This is the hub of our life. Jesus should be the hub of our life.

With Jesus, we are “in Him.” We should be just as comfortable being in him as we are at home. Abiding in Him means that no matter where we are He is ever-present. Since we are in Him at work, we should be just as faithful in representing Him at work as we are at Church. Where ever we are, if we abide in Christ, we will produce, not just fruit but much fruit. Notice that statement “… for without me ye can do nothing. If we are not producing fruit, maybe we should examine ourselves to see if we are abiding.

II John 1:9  “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”

If we are abiding in Christ, we have an overwhelming desire to abide in His doctrine. Truth is so important in a time of lying and deceit. So many distort and twist the doctrine of Christ in this modern depraved age. The Bible says, “ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” John 8:32. We areresponsible for diligently searching for the truth and finding it. Finding the truth tells of the love we have for Christ.

I John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

My desire is to not be ashamed before God when I stand before Him. Therefore, I must abide. I don’t know when His return is so I must be ready at any time. I have confidence in his return as a thief in the night and because His appearance will not be announced, I must be faithful and true at all times. I must not be drawn away by worldly lusts or desires. I MUST abide in Jesus at all times.

Pressing

Philippians 3:14
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

The picture of pressing toward the mark is taken from the Olympic games. Having been a runner, I understand the effort that is called “finish line kick.” It has the idea of zoning out every distraction to concentrate on the finish line. Cheering crowds, other runners, even the sound of their footsteps close by are not allowed to draw the runner’s attention from the task at hand — finishing the race. Our “mark,” our goal, our finish line is to be like the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 10). How are you doing in your race?