Word For the Day

  And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him” (Mark 4:21-25 NAS95). At first blush, this passage says some things that are hard for the casual reader to pick up on. The first part is easy enough; you obviously don’t put a lamp under anything. You put a lamp on a stand or table so the light can illuminate the room. The next part is a little more obscure. That is nothing is hidden except to be revealed. You would think the reason you would hide so...

  When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?" And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:16-17 NAS95) The scribes and Pharisees considered themselves to be righteous. They based this on their keeping of the Law of Moses along with other laws/traditions designed to help them better keep the Mosaic Law. Two points concerning this self-righteousness. One, the scribes and Pharisees really didn’t keep the Mosaic Law perfectly. No one could. Two, their self-righteousness excluded them from Jesus’ call to sinners. As long as they saw themselves as righteous, they remained blinded to the truth. Jesus came to call sinners. A critical part of salvation is the need to repent. To repent you must know yo...

 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!  (Romans 11:33 NAS95) The text of Romans 11:33 is a conclusion to what Paul had previously wrote. After he had expounded the doctrines of Salvation, justification, predestination, and other eschatological issues, its as if he is overwhelmed with the majesty of it all.  This is an appropriate response to the glories of Christ. It is indeed humbling to contemplate the divine attributes along with the condescension of Christ. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean wrote Charles Gabriel as he contemplate his salvation. All too often days are filled with the affairs of this life to the neglect of divine contemplation and prayer. That will surely lead to spiritual stagnation. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). There are no shortcuts! Let Pa...

 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment (Philippians 1:12-17 NAS95). Paul had a mission to preach the Gospel at any and all cost. His devotion to Christ and the Gospel was a source of great encouragement to many. No matter in what circumstance he found himself, he would preach the good news of Jesus Christ. For Paul preaching the Gospe...

 Jesus answered them and said, Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled (John 6:26 NAS95). Jesus spoke these words to the people after He had fed five thousand of them with only five loaves of bread and two fish. They saw Jesus as a meal ticket and entirely missed the purpose of the miracle. They wanted food for their stomachs when they needed food for their souls. Today, just like that multitude, many attend church for what they can get. Jesus said He was the Bread of Life. Be careful to seek Jesus and not the things of this world. Friendships, positions, emotional support, orthodoxy as a salve for conviction, a need to be respected in the community and other fleshly desires are no substitute for Christ. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal (John 6:27 NAS95). Remember, Je...

 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me (Philippians 1:6-7 NAS95). What God begins, God completes. This is a good thing. Left to our own strength, we would never remain faithful. Thankfully, we have a helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to Nicodemus, The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8 NAS95). Paul’s confident assertion about the Philippians was based on two things: God’s character and the effects of the Holy Spirit.  Concerning His character the Book of Hebrews says: For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmati...

 The Apostle Paul had a great love for those who were committed to the same goal of glorifying Christ through the proclamation of the Gospel. With that in mind he writes. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11 NAS95). The Philippians were helpful to Paul when he was in prison. All they did for him and the Gospel entrenched in Paul a great love for them. To that end he wanted them to have all they could have of Christ. He desired their love would abound more and more. He knew this increase would come form a deep understanding of who God is. He prayed they would have real knowledge and discernment that would lead to the fruit of righteousness in Christ to the glory of God. ...

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm (Psalms 40:1-2 NAS95). Tribulations and trials are part the Christian walk. Jesus said, “ I n the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b NKJV) . However, w ith trouble comes temptation. Believers often seek comfort from friends and other believers by asking for prayer . However, those p rayer requests, on occasion, sound like complaints. This is not said to condemn anyone or make anyone feel ashamed. Who hasn’t complained about their situation a t one time or another? Everyone is tempted to do just that. It is part of our sinful nature. On the other hand, Jesus prayed, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me , but He immediately followed those words with, yet not My will, but Yo...

Do not judge so that you will not be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces (Matthew 7:1-6). I have heard people flippantly say to others, Judge not lest you be judged, as a way to excuse their sinful behavior. While there is an element of truth in this statement, it misses the mark. Instead of a way to deflect a charge, it is a warning not to be critical of others...