Finding gems in God's Word
Some will be serving “trick & treaters” tonight, but some will stop to honor Martin Luther for his decision to write 95 theses and nail them to the WittenburgCastleDoor. Read about it here: https://thisdayofhistory.com/2024/10/30/on-october-31-1517-martin-luther-and-the-dawn-of-the-protestant-reformation/
3 John A Balm in Gilead
The Apostle John is writing to a personal friend, Gaius. His words to him remind us of this hymn: There is a Balm in Gilead. “Sometimes I feel discouraged,And deep I feel the pain In prayers the Holy Spirit revives my soul again” So it is when we need that balm that heals, a friend sends us words of encouragement.
John has learned from others that Gaius is living according to the truth. In fact, John records this phrase twice! How encouraging to know that Gaius “ demonstrates faithfulness by whatever he does for the brothers” and even more so in that he demonstrates that to complete strangers! What a great compliment to receive and how encouraged Gaius must have been at receiving this letter from a dear close friend.
Today, who needs this word of encouragement? Who needs the words of that great hymn: There is a Balm in Gilead? Remember this stanza as you wade through today’s many appointments: “If you can’t pray like Peter,If you can’t be like Paul. Go home and tell your neighbor, He died to save us all.”
Be an encourager today to someone, pray for them, and send them gracious words that are a balm. You are where you are today to edify and lift someone up.
Jude 1 The Believer’s Protection
How does one encourage those who are suffering untold persecution physically, spiritually, or even emotionally. The first words of Jude give the believer in Christ enormous words from God as to how they are loved and protected from the evil one. Jude reminds his readers and us in turn: you are called, wrapped in the love of the Father and kept until the time of your departure. Each of these descriptions are words of encouragement in times of distress as these readers were.
It is the Holy Spirit who calls us out of darkness into glorious light of salvation.He speaks to our heart words that tell us that from eternity past our names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. God calls and we answer, yes Lord.
Secondly, Jude tells the reader that they are like a precious present wrapped not in paper and ribbon, but in the wrappings of the love of God. Wrapped has the connotation of being protected from the weapons of the evil one who seeks to kill and destroy.
Thirdly, Jude says they are kept safe both physically and spiritually until one’s death date arrives. The evil one may seek to end our lives early but nothing will happen to us until God chooses that departure date.
Be encouraged today as you ponder these words of Jude who loved Jesus just as you do.
Psalm 118 Enduring!
Our world is awash in turmoil with wars and rumors of wars. There are problems with the church and its people with fightings within and without. Yet, in the midst of this the psalmist reminds us that God is the same today as He was yesterday and will be in the future. One of the marks of God is his enduring love for His people. How enduring is your love for God and His creatures? Enduring means everlasting, “continuous existence, perpetual, everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity.”
The psalmist gives glowing praise to the Father: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his loyal love endures.” Stop today and ponder that thought and meditate on it for your daily walk. Be encouraged and share this thought with another.
2 Cor 13 Examination Time
As long as we were students, we faced the ultimate exam to test our understanding of the material the master had taught. In our personal examination often are we ready to exam others before ourselves. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they should first examine themselves before taking the exam from the Lord or anyone else. Self examination often reveals more about our spiritual walk than any other word or deed outside of ourselves. Where do you need to do a self examination? What questions are needed to see where you are spiritually? We can easily say, I have been in the Word each day. But, that is a deed and does not reveal what is in the heart. The point Paul is making is this: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (Guzik)
Remember the words of Jeremiah: The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it? God knows and He has given each believer the indwelling Holy Spirit who will fulfill the words of 2 Tim 3:16: “teaching, rebuking,correcting, and training in righteousness.” In this way, He becomes our inward examination and reveals where we need cleansing or encouraging.
So where do you need to do a self-exam today?
2 Cor 12 Contentment
Our world is awash in trials and tribulations, persecutions and other traumas. Recently a pastor in Laos was murdered. Another church was burned as well as the church members’ crops destroyed. We read this from afar and our hearts hurt for these who lost so much. In our own country, a devastating hurricane has destroyed much, and many are without resources. Our own bodies are failing in so many ways. It seems that we are being bombarded front and back. Paul is telling the Corinthians and us to stand strong, be content. That is the hardest thing to do when you are feeling downhearted.
Contentment is a choice we must make, and it is a 24/7 decision. Paul wisely tells us that it is for the sake of Christ that we choose to be content, and we can say we can be content when we face these challenges.
So what challenges are you facing today? Are you weak? Has someone insulted your faith? Is your life full of troubles (family, finances etc.)? Are you being persecuted? No matter what can you step apart from these and say you are content and can face these for the sake of Christ?
2 Cor 11 Paul loved the Corinthian church and its people, but like many then and today, the love between them had become strained. We see this in churches and in marriages today. How do we keep the love fresh? We purposely spend time with one another and we encourage one another. It is in the absence of these that our love grows cold and we lose our first love as the Ephesians had, and now the Corinthians had done the same.
Paul charged the Corinthians: “But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus different from the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough!” In fact, the Apostle John told the early churches that they were too falling for those false teachers who had sought to infiltrate the church.
Beloved reader, we must be on guard for the evil one will seek to usurp our love for Christ. Spend time in the ‘Word, spend time in prayer for those you love, spend time encouraging one another as the days are growing colder.
2 Cor 10 Be the Same
One of the charges made by unbelievers is that Christians are wishy-washy, they stand strong sometimes and other times they are weak or they give in.
These are strong charges but they also lead others to think we are hypocrites rather than being steadfast and single minded. We must guard against this in our everyday walk as the world is watching. The Corinthians were charging Paul of this as they say: some who consider us to be behaving according to human standards. In other words, they were saying Paul was meek when he was with them, but bold when he only wrote them letters. (I who am meek when present among you, but am full of courage toward you when away!) So Paul took this chapter to speak to that charge. “If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should reflect on this again: Just as he himself belongs to Christ, so too do we.”
It is one of the hardest things to hear from unbelievers and believers alike: you are a hypocrite. Jesus warned against such hypocrisy: Matt ch 5: “let your yea be yea” Again James echoed that same phrase: “But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment..”
Today, the world is watching and listening. How do they see and hear you? May we reflect Christ in word and deed.
Psalm 115-116 Give God Honor
Listen you people of the land; return to Me says the Lord so that I can bless you. Instead, they follow the gods of the land and not He who is in heaven. These have no life, ears but cannot hear, eyes but cannot see. Why would you bow down to them? These are questions I ask of my family member who bows down to Buddha but not the Everlasting God Almighty, ruler of heaven and earth. She responds; what is good for you is good, what is good for me, is good. Or the other family member who says, the OT is just history but is not relevant to today. The God of the OT is not like the God of the NT. The God of the OT is revengeful and the God of the NT is peaceful and loving. I reject the OT because of that.
Perhaps you can relate to these pictures. So how do we respond? First we see the truth of 2 Cor 4:4 “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so they cannot see the glorious image of Christ.”
Pray beloved, pray for the scales to fall from their eyes so they can see and then can proclaim as the psalmist: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name bring honor,for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness.” [Ps 115:1]
2 Cor 9 Repetitive words
How often do we hear a parent repeat an instruction until the recipient blocks their ears to hear. Sometimes we fall into this trap and repeat and repeat our instructions and then wonder why someone does not respond! They have literally turned a deaf ear to our words! Paul didn’t want to fall into that trap, but it seems that he has because he notes: “But I am sending these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be empty in this case, so that you may be ready just as I kept telling them.“ [ 2 Cor 9:3] Paul is saying, I have been broadcasting your obedience, so don’t let me down. That is a subtle warning to remind them that they were eager, but He reminded them that eagerness is only as good as one’s preparation. He is asking; are they now prepared to share their gift with the collectors?
Lesson for us is your actions speak louder than your words and my words fall far from the mark if my listeners do not obey.