MARCH 31 – Where is your expectation?

MARCH 31 – Where is your expectation?

Psalm 62:5  My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. 

6  He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. 

7  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 

8  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. 

This gives us the thought that our soul should be fixed upon God. A time of silence and pray will bring us to the point that we will give ourselves to the Lord. We will more readily come to an agreement with God and submit ourselves to Him. Why begin our day without Him when His desire to guide us and have us come into an agreement with Him over the day that is here. Notice that our expectation is from God. What is our great hope? To be in the presence of the Lord. What we are hoping for, our expectation comes from God. He is the author of our expectation.

We no surer foundation that God. When we build upon Him and accept His salvation, nothing can shake us loose. We can suffer sorrow and understand that God is with us to succor us. We suffer attacks and know that God is my defense. We will suffer many things in this life but we are secure on the foundation of God. The defense of God is impenetrable. There are none that can come through His defense.

I consider that I have many brethren in the Lord and I love them, but they are not my salvation or glory. They are not my strength or my refuge. They are weak and fallible just like I am. God is my salvation and I glory in Him. He is the rock that gives me strength daily. He is the one I flee to when I need a place of safety.

Does your soul wait upon the Lord? Do you trust Him implicitly?

MARCH 28- My Redeemer Liveth

MARCH 28- My Redeemer Liveth

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Job knew that there was a redeemer. Notice he said my Redeemer. His thoughts were upon his salvation provided by his redeemer. His certainty reveals a great faith before Christ was ever wrapped in human flesh. He knew that Jesus would be born. There was no doubt. Job knew that the Lord would stand one day on the earth.

Job understood the destruction of this body. Job had confidence of the change that would take place with his body. He understood that the old body would decay and pass away. He also realized that he would receive a new body and that body would appear before God. Under this trial he was confident that he would see God.

Job had a remarkable confidence in a living Savior. I am not sure how much he knew but he knew he had a Savior. He knew that his Savior was living at that present time. He knew that his corrupt body would never enter into the presence of God. He also knew that he would have a new body and a new life eternal.

We read of the Savior that died on the cross for our sins. His burial in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. We celebrate his resurrection and ascension. We have more evidence today of a heavenly home than Job ever did. Yet do we exhibit the faith of Job.

Lord, more faith. More faith in your presence. More faith in your security. More faith in your return.

JANUARY 12 – GOD HAS A STRONG HAND

JANUARY 12 – GOD HAS A STRONG HAND

Exodus 13:9 “With a strong hand hath the Lord brought the out of Egypt.”

How often do we remember our life before we were saved? How often do we remember when we were saved and the relief and emotion that we experienced. Have we really considered what it took to deliver us from the bondage of sin?

Therefore when I contemplate what God has done for me through the death of His innocent Son, I realize the “…strong hand” hand of the LORD. This is the strong hand that has delivered me from death and hell. This is the strong hand of John 10:28, 29 which says says no one can pluck them out of my hand, and then re-enforces that with, “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all’ and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. Now that right there is security. Saved and secure.

With a strong hand God keeps me in the salvation of Jesus Christ. With great strength, God led Israel from the clutches of Pharoah. When the chariots were bearing down upon the people at the Red Sea, they were delivered by God’s strong hand. He opened the Red Sea and Israel crossed on dry ground. Pharoah would take advantage of this and cross the Red Sea by the same means. God, by his strong hand, caused the chariot wheels to come off. With His strong hand, he closed the Red Sea and drown the army of Pharoah.

God, with His strong hand can take us through perilous times and perilous places. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me; …:There is comfort because of the strong hand of God. We are safe in the arms of God.

JANUARY 2 THOUGHT

JANUARY 2 – IS ANYTHING TO HARD FOR GOD

Genesis 18:14 asks a question of Abraham, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” We often get wrapped up in our finite world knowing that there are some things beyond our capabilities. Because we know we are human, there are times when we decide things are too hard. Because of this we get discouraged and give up or quit. We lose our dependence upon the Lord and are depending upon man and mans strength that fails and the Psalmist speaks of the failing strength of man. The Psalmist speaks of his strength being in God.

Let us get back to the question, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” For those that dwell in faith and prayer, there is nothing too hard for the Lord. The New Testament says “faith of a mustard seed,” and that describes how little faith we exercise. We need to pray that God will increase our faith and then go out and exercise our faith by telling others the gospel of Jesus Christ. Have a blest day today.

HOW MANY HUSBANDS/WIVES???

William Andrew Dillard

 Parson to Person

HOW MANY HUSBANDS/WIVES???
An experience common to modern man is that of occasional wondering just who it is that is staring back at him in the mirror. One preacher said that each time he wants to look into the mirror; some old man beats him there. Once while visiting an old friend in the hospital whom I had not seen in many years, he said, “I know I look different, and some things have changed, but I am still the guy you knew years ago.” Such is the often amazement of the aging process. In response to a question to one man by his wife: “will you love me when I am old and gray,” came the reply, “certainly; I have already loved you through six other colors!” On a more serious note, medical science tells us that with the exception of brain cells, every cell in the human body dies and is replaced every seven years, and it is the oxidation of cells creating imperfect replacements that accounts for the aging process. Hummm, every seven years! No wonder then that my wife has had eight husbands, and I have enjoyed eight wives! But alas, when brain cells die, they are not replaced. Could that mean there is a lot of short-circuiting going on between the ears? We are indeed a changing people in a changing world.
But, hold on, and rejoice! Our Creator/Savior is the same yesterday, today, and forever! So unchangeable also are His promises! The universal laws of sin and death are also unchangeable in the world of men. As the operation of those laws cause the human body to spiral downward into the clutches of death, so do they cause the very planet and all therein to spiral downward. It is called the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the most provable law of science. But something else is potentially going on. Potentially, that is, to those who may not know the Lord personally in the free pardon of sin, but reality in those who do. In Holy Writ it is so stated: “. . .but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” 2 Cor. 4:16. This is shouting ground! This is the ultimate defiance of the Second Law of Thermodynamics! It is the essence of everlasting life in the here and now that shall continue to be enjoyed in eternity.
It is a blessing to enjoy the multiple spouses all in one person that the aging process produces, but it is an exponentially greater blessing to know the eternal presence of spiritual life in Christ, and the exciting, invigorating hope it produces.

SOURCE OR FACILITATOR?

William Andrew Dillard

HEBREW HONEYCOMB
SOURCE OR FACILITATOR?
From the inspired pages of antiquity there comes powerful, spiritual lessons for individuals and churches in today’s Christian world. Consider the symbolism of the candlestick, It is chief among the many objects used to identify and illustrate the Lord’s New Testament Church. It was the instrument of light in the Holy Place of the wilderness tabernacle and later the Old Testament Temple. Among misunderstandings about the candlestick is that it is a light source. Now hold on! Think with me!
The candlestick of Bible times references the Jewish menorah. But the menorah (candlestick) was not a light source as many presume. Rather it was a light facilitator. That is, it was especially constructed for the purpose of facilitating the flow of oil through its pipes to the terminal bowls where it was ignited. It was the fire then produced by the combustible oil that created the light. The portable construction of the candlestick allowed positioning for light in specific places. In like manner, the Lord’s church, metaphorically called a candlestick, is not of itself a light producer. It is a facilitator of God’s light of truth to a lost, dark, sinful world of condemned men. The light it can only offer is the light (truthful content) of God’s Word, and its effects in life. The church supports the veracity of the Holy Word, by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that has resided within and upon it since Pentecost. Additionally, it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to give understanding through the Word to saved men, and to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. As men repent of sin and are enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the Word, they are not to obscure that light, but to be joined to the candlestick thus becoming a part of the great conduit/facilitator of truth and light.
In the first half of the last century, light in homes was furnished by burning oil in glass lamps. Sometimes that process blackened the chimneys of the lamps requiring them to be cleaned frequently. That process ignored, the lamp ceased to be an acceptable facilitator of light. Sometimes, the appearance of men to others is that of a dimmed light; a life that needs the cleaning of repentance and forgiveness. Christians are not light sources. But the question remains: how are they as facilitators? How bright or dimmed is the light of the candlestick? God help us all to be clean, excellent facilitators of the heavenly light!

Parson to Person

William Andrew Dillard

THREE REQUISITES FOR YOUR LIFE

Ask a group of people, almost any people, to prioritize the important requisites of life, and the answers received will not be a surprise. People prize education, wealth, fame, and the human concept of immortality. It is as a noted professor of sociology in a large northern university is reported to have said to a group of male students. “Get a good education, a good job, and a good wife. Those having these requisites possess the wellspring of life.” Well, this writer does not belittle these requisites by no means. They are good, and they are important, but it is obvious that many who have an abundance of these things are most unhappy. Material things do not satisfy the spiritual need of people, and a loving mate cannot substitute for that either. Think about it!
Mankind was created by the Creator/God of heaven and earth. He was created to live in harmony with God, and he was placed on the earth to make good decision for material creation as its lord. Boy, did sin ever interfere with that!!!
With sin came condemnation and death to the delight of the Destroyer. However, there are three things he had not counted on and could not foresee. In short those are love, blood, and the Word. Thinking surely he had won the creation when he successfully caused the sin and fall of Adam and Eve, which incorporated sin into the species inherently, how Satan must have rejoiced, but it was to be short-lived.
Enter, the manifested love of God per John 3:16. God would redeem His created beings by becoming one of them and succeeding where the first Adam failed. Moreover that love would extend into longsuffering through the ages. But it was the gift of God’s love that did the trick. The Lord Jesus came into the world to die for sinners. He could do so because He alone was qualified.
Additionally, He gave the Holy Spirit to this sphere of creation to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment by which His unspeakable gift might be freely given to “whomsoever.” But that is not the end of the story. He made it possible for a remnant of the race to actually accomplish in spiritual maturity the purpose of their creation through His perfect Word.
So here it is, plain and simple: three requisites for your life. They are the Love that sought us, the Blood that bought us, and the Word that taught us to sanctification of life. The good news is that all three of them are accessed through the channel of faith. How great is God!??!

WHERE TO START

William Andrew Dillard

Parson to Person
Sometimes the question is asked, “Where should I start reading in the Bible?” Well, for the initial reader, I really would not recommend the genealogy chapters, although they are important. There are better places to “wade in” to the Word. For instance, if one likes suspense, adventure, romance, and a general all around thriller, there could be no better than Genesis.
However if one wants to be spellbound by the enormous faithfulness of God to His faithful people, the first few chapters of Daniel fills the bill. If one wants poetry and praise, look into the Psalms. For those enamored with knowledge, understanding and wisdom, Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are the books to read.
The great blessings of faithfulness, and curse of infidelity are impressive in Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. War in conquest and defeat are the offerings of Joshua, Judges, and the books of Samuel. The Chronicles and Kings yield up much history of the ruling dynasties of Israel and of Judah, while the prophets’ books lay bare their burdens of condemnation of sin, and of hope in the end.
The gospels relate much of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the Old Covenant and the foundation of the New Covenant underscoring the terrible, but altogether loving sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son for all who would trust in Him.
Acts speaks of the empowerment of the Lord’s church and its initial mission efforts into all the world. The apostolic epistles are filled with doctrines that are to govern the Lord’s people throughout this age, and Revelation reveals the final victorious Christ Jesus together with events leading up to His displayed supremacy, and the final abode of His people in a new creation of which New Jerusalem is the focal point. Incidentally, since understanding Revelation depends on a good understanding of all the rest of the Bible, I usually do not recommend it for the initial reader, but I never dissuade anyone from reading it as much as they like.
So, Perhaps I have helped some along the way to choose an introduction to the eternal Word. It is prayed that all men might come to realize that mastery of the Bible as much as possible is the most important thing they will ever do. The “where to start” question is a thrill. It means someone is going to be exposed to life altering Holy Writ to their benefit and to the glory of God. Have you read any of the Word lately?

WORDS WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE!

William Andrew Dillard

HEBREW HONEYCOMB
WORDS WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE!
The ancient patriarch, Job, was both a wise and righteous man. The book that bears his name is astounding from a variety of viewpoints. In the height of his misery, and with the added torment of his not so wise friends, he lamented a longing to have an audience with his Creator that he might lay out his case before Him. To his astonishment, he was accorded such a unique hearing. The initial question put to him by the Creator was: “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” Job 38:2. Words without knowledge. Words without knowledge! Think what this means!

The importance of specific understanding of words is essential in the correct conveyance of ideas. However, the weakness of words in their specific language, and the propensity of many people to use them as labels to which a variety of ideas may be attached may defeat their purpose in the minds of some even though it does not diminish the power of their original purpose. For all of his understanding, Job had this problem. A host of folks who have a lesser measure of wisdom than Job still have that problem. 

With split infinitives, dangling modifiers, misplaced adjectives intermingled with colloquialisms and idioms, making English a barrister’s paradise, how much more perilous could it be for precise ideas to be exchanged? Please patiently consider this with me.

A typical example is the term, “Christian.” Who or what is a Christian? To a religious world largely influenced by Protestantism and it’s universal, invisible church doctrine, it is anyone who confesses Jesus as the Son of God. Protestantism’s mother, the Roman church allows that anyone who does not have Catholic baptism is a heretic, hence, not Christian. In both of these bodies of religion they understand that the basic idea of “Christian” is tied to the church: But Catholicism believes itself to be the universal, visible church, and Protestantism believes in a universal invisible church. True Baptists are not, nor have they ever been a part of either.

Still, through the power of Protestant influence, hyper-evangelism, and their propensity to use words as labels, darkening counsel without the knowledge of them, many Baptist churches have unwittingly fallen into great weakness, attributing to all who profess initial faith in God as a “Christian,” when they have done nothing more, and often not as much, than Old Testament folks did. 

Please consider that the term “Christian” designates one who is anointed with the Spirit that anointed Jesus at His baptism and the first church on the day of Pentecost. These have been buried with Christ, and raised again to walk in “newness of life” in the New Covenant body of Jesus, the house of God, the Pillar and ground of the truth: His church. To ascribe that term to those not so doing is to pervert New Testament teachings and inject a weakness into the body of Christ that, in time, will be its undoing. If we will use words, let us by all means know what they mean etymologically, and contextually. Ministers have a heavy responsibility to enlighten counsel, not darken it.

Eyes of Servants

Psalm 123:2

“Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us,” Psalm 123:2.

 

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Recently, I was watching a top rated college football team run its fast-paced hurry up offense. Every play the team would quickly get to the line and prepare to run the called play. Once the defense lined up and the coaches on the sidelines could see how they were defending, the team would look to the sidelines for the coach’s call. At once, every player’s head would turn toward the sideline and his eyes would dial in on the signal the coach was giving. He would patiently wait until the play was called, and then he would execute it to the best of his ability.

In today’s Psalm we read “as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters.” The writer uses this illustration to show us how we should have our eyes fixed on God awaiting the instructions He has for us. Just as servants are subject to the direction of their master, we are subject to the direction of our Lord. The same way a “maiden” or female servant focuses on the “hand of her mistress.”

It is the Lord who meets our every need, and it is the Lord who should guide our lives. We are called to be His servants. As His people, our eyes should be focused on Him at all times so that we will be ready when He directs us. Because of His authority He has the right to direct His earthly servants.

 

JUST ASKING

Are your eyes focused on your Heavenly Master awaiting His direction.

Nathan Rogers