Whose Job is it Anyways?

As Christians we always seem to be in a battle between right and wrong, and it seems like the wrong is more often than not winning. We have tried every conceivable method that we know how, we have fasted, spent lots of time in prayer, memorized scripture. All it would seem to none avail, because we still struggle with that sin that so easily troubles us. We begin to wonder when will the struggle be over and I begin to live the victorious Christian life? Sometimes we even begin to doubt whether we are saved, or if our sin is so bad that now God is not even listening any more, only waiting for that perfect moment to strike me down with lightning.

To often in these situations our focus has become all about us and how pitiful a sinner we are, and how that we have let God down. We want God to have pity on us and give us instant salvation from this sin that we so suffer from. All the while God just wants us to look to his Son and remember that it is He who has begun a good work in us, and that he will finish it.

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Though it is God who began the work in us and will complete it in us, we too must be obedient to the gospel in our lives. The apostle did not say here, “Ok you guys just wait until God works in you to finish the work.” No he commends them on their partnership in the gospel, while reminding them that there will be tough times but that no matter what persecution or problems come their way God will complete the work he began in them.

Philippians 1:5 “Because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,”

It is our partnership with God’s sovereignty in the sanctification and promotion of the gospel in our lives, which God finds pleasing in his sight. A man who looks at where he is and gives God all of the glory for what has been accomplished, knowing that it was God who will continue to bring him forth to that ultimate perfection when he stands before the Father. Paul lived his life in reverence for God and his all powerful and life changing work, which only he can accomplish in a man’s heart.

Philippians 1:11 “Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ- to the glory and praise of God.”

Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

Philippians 3:9 “And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

Over all it is the Father who works in us to produce the fruit of righteousness, but also it is our duty to be obedient to the rules and regulations that he has put forth in his word. We must not settle for lives of mediocrity, living life in a rut of spiritual fogginess, but we must rise above that into a life which we can mimic the Apostle Paul in saying:

Philippians 1:20-21 “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

It is not about us it is about Christ, and his work in us to the completion and perfect sanctification of the saints in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Some questions on hell I found on a forum

Here are some questions that were on the forum I came across. I thought I would join and answer, so I did. Here are the thoughts and scripture that I based them on, see what you think.

Is Hell real?

I first and foremost believe in the literal interpretation of the bible, that God said it and that settles it. So yes I believe that hell is real.

2Pe 1:20 (KJV)“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”

If its real and exists, does it exist somewhere in the unbound universe of God?

I have heard people say that Hell is in the center of the earth.

Num 16:30-33 “But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.”

Eph 4:9-10 “(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”

1Pe 3:19 “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;”

Rev 9:1-2 “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.”

I would say that hell is in the center of the earth right now, but where the lake of fire will be forever and ever, I don’t know? Speculation would be the only thing we could possibly come up with.

Rev 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Is it a place of "eternal torture" or "eternal torment"?

The bible in the verse just mentioned speaks of torment day and night forever. I think that torture and torment will both be experienced there, they are pretty much the same thing in their definitions I find little difference. I honestly think that men will be haunted by the choices they made, and the guilt of their sins, also the fire is hot, and the worm never quits eating. We see the physical aspect and mental aspect of hell in the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man.

Luke 16:23-26 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

If Hell is real, then Heaven must be real too. What is heaven? What does Jesus mean by Kingdom of God?

Heaven is the absence of sin and the absolute and complete presence of God in all of his glory for all eternity.

Rev 22:3-5 “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

The phrases “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” have been supposed to have a considerable variety of meaning. Some have supposed that they refer to the state of things in heaven; others, to the personal reign of Christ on earth; others, that they mean the church, or the reign of Christ in the hearts of his people. There can be no doubt that there is reference in the words to the condition of things in heaven after this life.
Albert Barnes

I don’t think that we can coin one phrase for the meaning of kingdom of God, we have to read the context of how it is used in a sentence, to gain its full meaning.

Should We Remain In Our Current Situation

Often when Christians get saved we try to persuade them to withdraw completely from the society they were once a part of. Lots of parents even try to persuade others that they should pull their kids out of public school, and home school them or private school. Or if they work at a place where non-Christians work, we often try to pull them out of that and tell them to find another job. Sometimes this is not a bad idea, if you work in a strip club, maybe you should consider quitting, but if you work at a Wall-Mart stocking at night with a bunch of non-Christians I don’t see any reason to quit. I even knew a guy once who worked in a Casino, and I would even say that is no reason to quit.

If we pull out all Christians from the non-Christian atmosphere, there will be no place for Christians to influence the world. They will just look like a bunch of fanatics, and there are groups today, that have done just that and pulled out of the world completely, and they are not looked on in a positive light, and they do not draw all people to them. Rather they do the opposite they make a spectacle of themselves.

As Christians we are to be a light to the world, a light on a candle stick not hid under a bush.

This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine

Hide it under a bush go no
I’m gonna let it shin
Hide it under a bush go no
I’m gonna let it shin

Mat 5:14-16 (ESV)"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

We are to be a light unto the world, not have the mentality that we are to separate ourselves from all people who are not Christians. That is the opposite of what Christ did, in fact those are the exact people that he gravitated to and reached out to. As Christians, it is not withdrawing ourselves from the world that shows them we are Christians, it is by our good works that they will give glory to God.

As Christians if we want to make a difference and affect change in the lives of the lost, we need to be around them befriend them, help them out show them the goodness of God. God’s goodness shown through Christians leads men to repentance, and expresses God’s infinite love through us. It is a wonderful concept that God always receives all the glory, and men come to repentance. It is not by our labeling and shunning, or removing and rejecting, but by our love, which we are able to show because of the love that was shown us.

Rom 2:4 (KJV)“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

Paul even confirms this in Corinthians, which he is speaking to the people that they should stay where they were when God saved them, for that is the place in which God has placed him that he should receive the most glory. We each have a task and we each have blessing which the Lord has blessed us with, and he wants us to be intergrated in the world, instructing all men in the paths of righteousness. We are the vessels chosen by the Lord to proclaim the gospel, he didn’t have to choose us, but he blessed us with the honor of being ministers of life. So may we always be mindful of where the Lord has placed us and give thanks, rather than complain, how wonderful it is that the Lord has placed us in a place and opened a door for us to witness just by our actions.

1Co 7:17 (ESV)“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

1Co 7:20 (NIV)“Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.”

1Co 7:22-24 (NIV)“For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.”

May we learn to encourage others who are in the world in their pursuit of God, and holy lives. That the world by their goodness should come to repentance and see the light in you shining like a light on a hill. May we put ourselves into the paths of the lost everywhere, for a witness of Christ to all me in all the world that we can claim the promise of Christ coming.

Mat 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

John i 12,13

The other night I was reading in John and I read John i 12,13. The Lord really began to speak to my heart through these verses, so I wrote a poem about it.

Men before have stove in vain,
To cover their guilty stain;
But all to none avail, to find
To their sins they became more confined;

Till of themselves there was no fight,
It seemed sin had consumed their might;
So righteousness they thought no man could claim,
Because in their strength they strove in vain;

But God who cares not for what man can do,
Sent Christ to die for me and you;
For all who turn to God and believe in his Son,
With God shall be when life's work is done;
All who simply believe in his name,
Will be children of God his heirs h'ell claim;

The transformation that takes place in our heart,
Comes only from God, it alone is his to impart;
It comes not from the will of flesh, blood, or of man's desire,
The cleansing is Christ's alone, by his Spirit a consuming fire;

On that judgment day when before God we stand,
Only by Christ blood will we justification demand;
Then the glories of heaven will Christ impart,
To those who believed and trusted in their hearts;

My desire today is that this gift you recieve,
God made it simple all you must do is believe.

13 August 2005 James Neidholt

Depth of Mercy

Praise God that there is not a measurable depth to his mercy. That it is never ending, ever flowing, and full of grace. A thousand times over should I have been consumed by my Father’s wrath for the sins that I committed against his infinite mercies. Yet I am not consumed and more mercy is ever poured out upon me. In this life I deserve nothing, but through Christ I have gained more than this world could ever impart: peace and happiness, joy and comfort, love and mercy, and a Holy Spirit that speaks and assures me of those great things promised in God’s holy word. The most amazing thing, is that there is mercy out there enough for everyone and God wants to impart it upon all.

I am going to be posting on my site for a while Charles Wesley’s amazing poems and hymns. How they have spoken to my heart, they bring tears to my eyes as he reminds me of the infinite and matchless grace of my Lord and Christ whom I dearly love with all my heart. If you would like to read them for your self you may go to www.cyberhymnal.com and search people for Charles Wesley.

I hope that you are truly blessed and your eyes are opened to some hymn songs that have been long neglected, yet still speak volumes of love, mercy and grace.

"Depth of Mercy"
Charles Wesley

Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

I have spilt His precious blood,
Trampled on the Son of God,
Filled with pangs unspeakable,
I, who yet am not in hell!

I my Master have denied,
I afresh have crucified,
And profaned His hallowed Name,
Put Him to an open shame.

Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my Advocate above!
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.

Jesus, answer from above,
Is not all Thy nature love?
Wilt Thou not the wrong forget,
Permit me to kiss Thy feet?

If I rightly read Thy heart,
If Thou all compassion art,
Bow Thine ear, in mercy bow,
Pardon and accept me now.

Jesus speaks, and pleads His blood!
He disarms the wrath of God;
Now my Father’s mercies move,
Justice lingers into love.

Kindled His relentings are,
Me He now delights to spare,
Cries, “How shall I give thee up?”
Lets the lifted thunder drop.

Lo! I still walk on the ground:
Lo! an Advocate is found:
“Hasten not to cut Him down,
Let this barren soul alone.”

There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.

Pity from Thine eye let fall,
By a look my soul recall;
Now the stone to flesh convert,
Cast a look, and break my heart.

Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.

Imprisonment and Freedom

I can remember the time before the salvation that my precious Savior gave to me freely, aside from what I had become. On the outside I may have appeared to have life, joy, and happiness, but truly on the inside I was a sad depressed individual, with nothing to live for. Life seeming to bear down upon me with full force driving me farther and farther away from reality, into the realm of I really don’t care; it is all about me. Forgetting that there is a reality, but I like many others thought ignorance was bliss.

Isa. 57:21 (KJV)“There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”

I had many people fooled and some thought that I was the exemplar Christian, but God knew. All the while I was dying inside, being eaten up by a cankerous disease that I didn’t quite understand. Though I had heard about the cure growing up, thank God for wonderful parents who took me to church and exposed me to the glorious gospel. I was completely ignorant of the cure, it had no affect on my conscience at all. The gospel was probably repeated in my ears a thousand times yet I had no understanding at all.

Gal. 6:7 (KJV)“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: . . .”

In Christianity it takes more than just faith to become a Christian. I didn’t ever shy from the gospel when it was preached or even feel convicted about it when I was unsaved. The gospel meant nothing to me when I heard it growing up, then one evening all of that changed.

Jam 2:19 (KJV) "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

I was lying in my bed trying to sleep but the sun was just setting so it made it hard to sleep. I was determined to sleep though, because I was tiered and it was my first year pouring concrete with my dad; so I was completely drained. That is when it happened, the unexplainable moving of the Holy Spirit. I became fully aroused from my slumber, with a sense of my sin and my need for God. I sat up in bed and said, “I have never been saved.” The gospel message made full and perfect sense at that moment, and I prayed the worst sinner’s prayer ever and asked Christ into my heart.

John 3:8 (ESV) “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

When I think of my salvation experience I think of God’s sovereignty, for I was lying dead in that tomb like Lazarus, then here comes Christ to the tomb, and says to me, “James rise and come forth.” He didn't come to Lazarus tomb and ask if there was anyone in the tomb who would like to be raise from the dead.

John 11:43 “And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”

That is what I like about salvation if it had been up to me, I would never have come to know Christ, and died in my sins. Yet Christ first loved me and set aside an appointed time from before the beginning of the world and came and like the wind bloweth the Spirit blew peace in my heart.

Rom 3:11 (ESV)"no one understands; no one seeks for God."

I really like the words to this song by Charles Wesley “And Can It Be” when I think of my salvation experience:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

Gal. 6:14 (KJV)“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

Who It Is That Calms The Storms

Psalms 107:29 “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”

Mark 4:37-39 “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

I often think about how scared the disciples were at this time? The waves are rising high and slapping against the side of the boat, overcoming the side of the boat. Slowly the boat is moving slower and slower due to the amount of water filling the boat increasing. Disciples with their buckets in hand, are tossing bucket loads of water over the side of the boat, but all in vain for the water continues to fill the boat faster than they can expel it. Fear overcoming them with every wave and crash of lightning, every inch of water that begins to fill the boat, and as the boat moves slower and slower. In fear for their lives being caused by the raging storm drives them to turn to the one who they know and has been proved could calm the storm. Upon approaching him, they find him asleep, without a care about the storms raging about him at all. This I am sure of upsets them that they are fearing for their lives, and doing all they can to stop the boat from sinking, while Christ is sleeping and as they see it, not taking any part in helping stop the boat from sinking. They approach him and awake him, and shake him and arouse him from his sleep rather violently, and said to him, “Master, don’t you care if we perish.” I am sure this bothered Christ, because he has already shown them that he is the son of God, and they probably grew up singing the Psalms as kids, and he didn’t understand why they did not trust that God would calm the waves. Christ arose and proclaimed just as it says in Psalms “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still,” and the wind ceased and the was a great calm.

A lot of times we are just like the disciples, when troubles come we become worried and panic thinking we will be overcome by the waves. Yet all we have to do is turn to our Savior and Master, reach out with our hand and he will calm the storm. Sometimes like in this case he will let the storm rage, and rage, it will seem like there is no end. Then he stretches out his hand and calms the storm brewing in our hearts, and speaks sweet peace to our hearts. A peace that we know come from our Master who cares about us, who knows what cares we have and will not have us to perish, but rather wants to draw us to him.

Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

The Lord is our stronghold in our days of trouble, and he will calm the storms of life when they blow, and the gales arise. He knows us and remembers us always, who put our trust in him. So when the strong winds blow, and life’s troubles seem to find no end, remember the Lord is our strong hold, and the storms of life are under his hand and he will calm them and speak peace to our hearts, if we will turn to him and say Master.

Emotions Can Be Dangerous

I plan to use some hymn songs in my discourse on emotions can be dangerous to the Christian. Emotions are not a bad thing whatsoever, and I am not here to discredit them. We experience good and bad emotions on a daily basis, but it is how we handle those emotions as to how they affect us.

It seems today lots of Christians are driven by emotions, they base everything about Christianity on their emotions. They often look at high or wonderful feelings they had when they got saved, basing their Christianity on those. This makes for a tough road, because we are not always going to feel like that. There will be times when we feel like we are going to leave God, or times it seems he is not present. Christianity is not a bowl-of-cherries, it is rough at times. Robert Robinson says it best in the hymn song “Come Thou Fount”

Let thy grace Lord like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to thee;
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;

In this verse is summed up some of the more sad and depressed days of our Christian walk, when our hearts are wandering. These dark period sometimes are the hardest to deal with, we feel lost and alone, and unable to quench our sin which so easily besets us.

During this time is when we must be cautious about what we do with our emotions. Sometimes we become eccentric and make all kinds of promises to God, that we won’t do this, and we won’t do that. All kinds of things which we more than likely cannot follow through with. Truthfully if we observe our motives on these promises, it is not that we feel ashamed over God glory. Rather for more selfish reasons do we make these promises, so that we might experience an opposite emotion. One of ecstasy in which we feel like we are on cloud nine almost up there with God.

The problem with this is, our motives were desiring for that very purpose of ecstasy. So when we are up it is only for a little time, then we sin and find ourselves spiraling back down. Only faster and farther than before, because we feel even more wretched than before we broke our promise to God not to sin.

This is called the roller coaster effect of Christianity, a continuous pattern too, if we don’t figure out how to stop it. Christ is not interested in all the things that we promise him, he only wants us to obey his word and know the promises he has given us in scriptures.

God knows that we are unable to fulfill and obey his law perfectly, that is why Christ was sent to die for our sins. The problem still remains after we are saved, sin is still at work in our flesh within us trying to bring forth all kinds of sordid sins; but now we have the Holy Spirit abiding within us to help us to overcome sin.

Does that mean it is ok to sin? God forbid, when we do sin we can go to our Father through Christ blood and get forgiveness of our sin. This still does not answer about emotions though.

Ok let me see if I can put this into words. When we grieve the Holy Spirit by sinning, he returns with convictions, because this living Spirit within us hurts and writhes in pain. This makes us sad, because we have hurt the one we truly love, by committing adultery, with sin. We have hurt this one who quickened us who were dead in trespasses and sins. This conviction is not meant to depress us and drive us into the ditches of despair. They are meant to remind us that we still have a sinful nature so we must keep our focus on Christ or put our focus back on the one we love. So we are also reminded the one who loves us wants us to return to him and draw near to him for forgiveness and strength for healing. Our convictions make us humble and bring us to remembrance of God’s holiness.

We should not mix convictions up with despair, because then we have a pity party. Here are some powerful words by Charles Wesley about the forgiveness found in Christ, and the love that abounds in our hearts.

No condemnation not I dread
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in him my living head
And clothed in righteousness divine
Bold I approach the eternal throne
And claim the crown through Christ my own

Still the small inward voice I hear
That whispers my sins are forgiven
Still the atoning blood is near
That quenched the wrath of hostile heaven
I feel the life his wounds impart
I feel the savior in my heart

By our faith and belief in Christ all condemnation and wrath were quenched by Christ. We have nothing more to fear in our life, for Christ took away the only thing we truly have to fear and that is death and hell. When by faith we accepted Christ, he deposited his Spirit within us, by which he says, “I feel the life his wounds impart, I feel the Savior in my heart.” That is the pain we feel in our heart every time we sin, and with that we should draw to Christ, not our own resolution.

One things if depression has a hold of you, think back on all the wonderful way God has worked in your life, if that doesn’t help think on this great and wonderful promise. Best said by Robert Robinson, “Come Thou Fount”

Oh that day when free from sinning
I shall see thy lovely face
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing thy sovereign grace
Come, my Lord no longer tarry
Take my ransomed soul away
Send thine angle now to carry
Me to realms of endless day

Encouragment to the Celibate or Single

You know I so often find Paul making comments that just make me laugh. I really like the way Paul emphasizes some things. Like where he encourages other to imitate of boast in him. I think this one make me laugh the most truly. I will highlight what I think is so funny.

1Co 7:28 (ESV) “But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.”

I love the what Paul says about having a wife, and I think it is even more funny he says I would spare you that. I will have to agree with Paul about the women, I think women are a lot of trouble. They want all of your time, not to say all I emphasize all of your money. LOL. I am glad that Paul put this warning in to help remind us single guys of women, and to spare us of all that trouble. Keeps life so much simpler.

Well Paul is not specifically talking about women, but about the whole marriage situation period. How that if you are married you have to care for your wife and your wife for you, and you will have to please each other and nurture the relationship constantly. Me I am one of the lucky few, for how long I can’t really tell, hopefully for a long time. I can’t be bothered with women, to much trouble. I can take my time in the evening and study the things of the Lord more fully and for as long as I please, then go to bed or do something else. No one governing my time, I am free pretty much to do as I please.

1Co 7:34-35 (ESV) “And his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.”

I think Paul confirms my point, that a married mans interest are divided between his wife and the Lord, while the virgin or unmarried can give undivided attention to the Lord. That is where I am at, and I think I would truly like to stay there, but if the right one comes along. I will have to divide my time, and wisely. I won’t rule out the possibility at all.

If you are single, I would encourage you to use the time of your singleness wisely and give Christ your undivided attention and devotion. Learn to understand that intimacy with God first and complete and total love and devotion to the Lord, then persue a relationship. I often think if I could learn how to love the Lord completely, then how easy would it be to love a wife whom I can see and touch with my hands. I encourage you to grow.

This was my small little thought on some of the funnier parts of the bible, or at least as I see it. Nothing really profound.

God bless.

Shackled

I can't really gaurentee what I was thinking when I wrote this. I am interested to see what it means to you though. Please give me feed back.

A heart that shackled in chain
Unable to express what in chamber
Deep doth hide
Hidden, its eyes do cover
When the glorious light
Do but for a while pass by
Hiding what shackles won’t show
For fear of that retribution
That what his fears
In shadows doth hide
If revealed would only lead
To another lock and chain
Only to cover more and more
Of the true self for fear of hurt
That should finally lead
To the depths of a prison
Where no light doth shine
And darkness and dank
Shall consume him till
Nothing remains but
A ball of chains and locks

James N. March 10, 2005

Instant Results I Don't Think So

Often in our Christian walk we want and do expect instant results, I think this is due in our part to a lack of patience and of course society says if you want it get it now. Why though when we don’t seem to get it instantly do we decide to give up, or find something else to go for, something which we can easily obtain? We often take this mentality into Christianity too, expecting once we get saved to begin perfect lives, and for it to be as comfortable as possible here on this earth. We often buy a book, or go to a seminar expecting to find the answer to all of lives problems. The only problem is, we overlook the one who says he gives us peace and not as we can find in this world.

Joh 14:27 (ESV) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Joh 16:33 (ESV) “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

So why is it we have turned Christianity into something so commercialized? The problem I think has to do with a lack of bible knowledge. I know I think that bible study is a recurring theme in almost everything that I write, but I believe that it is one of the most important things in Christianity. Especially today when it seem like apostasy is running ramped, and false doctrine is common throughout the church. We must get back to the basics of the bible, and what the scriptures say, if we are going to grow as Christians and see results.

So how fast do we see results as Christians? Well you can’t put a time or a calendar day on how God works; he has his timing and his ways in which he works. I was reading in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy the other day, which the Old Testament is my favorite side of the bible. I do neglect it the most; because the New Testament is shorter and there is so much there that I don’t understand. My favorite books in the Old Testament are Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Don’t ask me why, but I just can’t read them enough, and I know that we are not suppose to get lost in genealogy, but I just love to read who begat who. I’m crazy I know, so sue me.

Well I was struggling with this whole mortification thing, and the feelings that I wrote about in the previous article. So I prayed to the Lord to help me understand why sometimes it seems I just don’t progress in holiness. I will admit that it is my fault due to neglect and weakness, never placing the blame on God. Yet it seems no matter how hard I strive I am just swimming against the current. Well I began reading Deuteronomy, and the Lord showed me a wonderful scripture that lifted my spirits.

I guess the reason that I like the Old Testament so much, is that I find it so relevant to my own Christian walk. I see God’s faithfulness in the Old T. and how it correlates to my own life, I see how God led the children of Israel and how it correlates to my own life. Well with no more adieu here is my verse.

Deu 7:22 (ESV) “The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.”

This is the verse that really spoke to me about instant success in the Christian faith. Things are not instant, God promised the Israelites the promise land, but not all at once. It would be done little by little, and this is what I correlate with sanctification. The LORD your God will clear away these sins little by little, so that we may give him the glory and praise for what he has done. We might also become prideful and boast of our holiness if it occurred all at once, or become complacent and not fight the good fight, because what are we fighting for we have obtained perfect holiness.
Praise God for his patience with us that he does not consume us, and that he loves us and has a will for our lives, to bring us to perfect sanctification upon our arrival to heaven.

Confusion in Emotions

All to often Christians are confused about emotions, whether they are telling us one thing, and the Holy Spirit is telling us another. For a long while I have struggled with this, and still struggle with it, but am becoming able to distinguish. I know in my past I have become so depressed, letting my emotions rule my life because of some sin that I have committed, that I would get down on myself, and tell myself that I was a completely wicked and horrible sinner, and that there was absolutely nothing good in me. Like John Owen said "every thought of unbelief would be atheism, should it grow to its head." Well that is what it became to me, I would think that there is no way that I could be saved, which intern would turn to all kinds of other thought, and ultimately atheistic thoughts.

Reading verses in Romans, only made my depression worse bringing me lower. If we are dead with Christ, and no longer live to sin, how is it that I continue to sin. It was a perpetual mystery, and my Christian walk became a continual roller coaster of ups and downs. I prayed and asked the Lord to help me with this depression, a depression I did not understand. How was I to obey a law, that I could not perfectly obey, to become holy as the Lord is holy.

That happened to be the time that I studied about God having two wills in the law. At that point I began to realize more and more, that what I was allowing to drive me to depression, was meant to draw me to Christ. I like many other Christians, was turning religion into legalism, I was trying to completely and perfectly obey the law. Then when I was unable to obey the law it would depress me, and I would feel like a horrible wicked sinner. So I would then strive harder, only leading me back down, hence the roller coaster. I began to tack on a form of ascetism, denying myself other things, thinking that it would help. But all was in vain. All I could do was think what is wrong with me?

When I wrote about God's will and the law, the picture became clear to me of what I had done. I was becoming legalistic, trying to prove myself righteous, rather than drawing to Christ. That is why we have conviction, is to show us the areas that are wrong in our lives, to draw us to Christ for strength and forgiveness

Christ knows that we are imperfect beings incapable of obeying his law completely, that is why he gave his life for us so that we could find refuge and a place to find that peace which we were unable in ourselves to find. That is why we have conviction, to show and remind us of our weakness in our flesh and making us fly to Christ for forgiveness and strength for the battle.

I would say, that probably the number one reason for depression in the Christian faith is a lack of understanding of scripture, of the joy and peace that we obtained in Christ. Rather we turn to a form of legalism in our lives and our churches, to form rules and regulations what constitutes a good holy Christian. While inside we hate it or become unable of ourselves to live up to the expectations. That is where Christians get their bad names, because when someone comes into the congregation that looks different that our regulations then we shun them. Christians have forgotten that with Christ there is freedom. As Christians we must get back to the fact that we are not perfect nor will be until we get to heaven, this in no way gives us a license or liberty to sin, so we must draw closer to the Lord with every conviction and find relief and strength from Christ to overcome sin. For with every sin that through Christ we find release, the more sanctified Christ makes us, for Christ works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure.

So if you struggle with depression from sin, it is ok, you have only to draw to Christ to find relief and strength. Also remember that the conviction is not to depress us but to draw us close to Christ with a broken and contrite heart, then we will find peace and joy. The conviction is meant to draw us to Christ, not to bring us to the point of depression.