Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

Fear God - He will bless!
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself;
and let him be your fear,
and let him be your dread.

And he shall be for a sanctuary;
but for a stone of stumbling and
for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel,
for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 8:13,14 KJV

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Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.

Hosea 3:5 NIV

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Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Malachi 3:16,17 KJV

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Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting”

Micah 5:2

The Lord Jesus had goings forth for his people as their representative before the throne, long before they appeared upon the stage of time. It was “from everlasting” that he signed the compact with his Father, that he would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of his people; it was “from everlasting” that he gave himself up without a murmuring word. That from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot he might sweat great drops of blood, that he might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and crushed beneath the pains of death.

His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting. Pause, my soul, and wonder! Thou hast goings forth in the person of Jesus “from everlasting.” Not only when thou wast born into the world did Christ love thee, but his delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men. Often did he think of them; from everlasting to everlasting he had set his affection upon them.

What! my soul, has he been so long about thy salvation, and will not he accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will he lose me now? What! Has he carried me in his hand, as his precious jewel, and will he now let me slip from between his fingers? Did he choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will he reject me now? Impossible!

I am sure he would not have loved me so long if he had not been a changeless Lover. If he could grow weary of me, he would have been tired of me long before now. If he had not loved me with a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death, he would have turned from me long ago. Oh, joy above all joys, to know that I am his everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to him by his Father or ever the earth was! Everlasting love shall be the pillow for my head this night.

 

[beensetfree]

She Called Out to God



As the man known as "The Mall Rapist" dragged 13-year-old Cassie Chivers down a fire escape, she was able to briefly pull his hand away from her mouth.

In the one breath she had, she didn't scream. She called out to God.

"Jesus, I love you. Jesus, Jesus," Cassie said.

Her words burned into James Perry's memory as much as the gun he held burned into her temple.

Her faith in God helped Cassie escape from Perry's grip before he could do to her what he had done to dozens of girls and women before, she said.

Cassie, now 14, shared the story of her abduction and escape at the Sunday morning service at Saunders Creek Community Church in Edgerton, Wisconsin. Her parents, Charlie and Debbie, are longtime friends of Saunders Creek's pastor, the Rev. Tom Zillman.

Cassie's story can't be told without reference to God and her beliefs. Her faith is what got her through the ordeal, helped her recover and allowed her to forgive the man who abducted her, she said.

Charlie and Debbie Chivers founded the Special Touch Ministry in Waupaca in 1982. The organization ministers to people with disabilities. Cassie and her sisters, Stephany, 17, and Carley, 7, grew up helping their parents help others.

It was on a Special Touch retreat on Feb. 6, 2004, at a Comfort Inn in Madison that Perry tried to abduct Cassie. Cassie had left to run an errand. She said she didn't think anything unusual about the man, Perry, who got on the elevator with her.

"He wasn't walking around with a sign on him that said, 'I'm bad,'" she said.

Perry made small talk with Cassie during the elevator ride. She said she never looked up at him and focused on the snow on his boots. When the elevator door opened, Perry offered for Cassie to go first in what appeared to her as a gentlemanly gesture. But as she stepped out the door, Perry walked up behind her and put his hand over her mouth and a gun to her temple.

"He said, 'If you scream, I'll blow your brains out,'" Cassie said.

Earlier that day, the Chivers family was upset to hear that the body of an abducted Florida girl, Carlie Bruscia, had been found. The news prompted Cassie to ask her father for advice on what to do if she was in a similar situation, not knowing that she would be abducted just hours later.

"My dad said, 'Fight, scream and get away,'" Cassie said.

As Perry dragged her off, Cassie said she thought about what happened to Bruscia. Cassie knew Perry was going to rape her, she said.

"He told me to shut up, but I just kept praying," Cassie said.

At the bottom of the fire escape, Cassie could hear her family and friends talking and laughing through the wall.

"I didn't know if I would see them again," she said.

That is when God told her in her heart that she had to trust Him, that He had it under control, she said.

"I made the decision then and there that I wasn't going to go," Cassie said. "He could shoot me, but that was OK because I would go to heaven."

Perry took Cassie to an alley where, police believe, he was looking for a place to rape her, she said. Down the alley, about 100 feet away, Cassie saw friends who had just arrived at the hotel for the retreat.

Cassie said she doesn't remember what happened next. She remembers every detail of the ordeal except the moment when she broke free from Perry and ran screaming toward her friends.

"I really believe the Holy Spirit pushed me," she said.

She remembers looking back at Perry once as she ran. All she saw was the back of his head.

"At that point, I knew I had won," Cassie said.

The peace of mind that Cassie maintained during the incident helped police identify her abductor. On the surveillance camera, they saw him enter the hotel and then knock snow off his boots. They were the same snowy boots that Cassie had stared at during the ride in the elevator.

The Chivers stayed at the hotel for the rest of the week for their retreat. Right away, they made the decision not to let the incident affect them in a negative way, Cassie said.

"What's the point of worrying about something in your past that you can't control?" Cassie said.

Cassie was Perry's last victim. He was arrested, and in November 2004, he was sentenced to 470 years in prison for child pornography, rape, child sexual assault and kidnapping.

At Perry's sentencing, Cassie, her father and Perry's other victims got a chance to confront him. When Charlie was talking to Perry, he referred to when Perry was taking Cassie down the fire escape and she was able to remove his hand from her mouth for a moment.

Charlie said, "She didn't use that breath to scream," and Perry finished the sentence.

"James Perry said, 'She used that breath to cry out to God,'" Cassie recalled.

In her statement, Cassie told Perry that she forgave him.

"Even though you hurt my family, I forgive you," she told him.

 

[beensetfree]

The Fear of the Lord brings Wisdom and Life!
For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great. What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 25:11-13 KJV

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If thou seekest her (Wisdom) as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 2:4-6 KJV

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Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

Proverbs 9:9-11 NIV

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If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

James 1:5,6 NLT

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Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.”

1 Kings 17:16

See the faithfulness of divine love. You observe that this woman had daily necessities. She had herself and her son to feed in a time of famine; and now, in addition, the prophet Elijah was to be fed too. But though the need was threefold, yet the supply of meal wasted not, for she had a constant supply. Each day she made calls upon the barrel, but yet each day it remained the same. You, dear reader, have daily necessities, and because they come so frequently, you are apt to fear that the barrel of meal will one day be empty, and the cruse of oil will fail you.

Rest assured that, according to the Word of God, this shall not be the case. Each day, though it bring its trouble, shall bring its help; and though you should live to outnumber the years of Methuselah, and though your needs should be as many as the sands of the seashore, yet shall God's grace and mercy last through all your necessities, and you shall never know a real lack. For three long years, in this widow's days, the heavens never saw a cloud, and the stars never wept a holy tear of dew upon the wicked earth: famine, and desolation, and death, made the land a howling wilderness, but this woman never was hungry, but always joyful in abundance.

So shall it be with you. You shall see the sinner's hope perish, for he trusts his native strength; you shall see the proud Pharisee's confidence totter, for he builds his hope upon the sand; you shall see even your own schemes blasted and withered, but you yourself shall find that your place of defence shall be the munition of rocks: “Your bread shall be given you, and your water shall be sure.” Better have God for your guardian, than the Bank of England for your possession. You might spend the wealth of the Indies, but the infinite riches of God you can never exhaust.

 

[beensetfree]

Worshipping God Or Worshipping The Gifts?


Does it seem that more and more attention is being focused on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and less and less on the fruits of the Spirit?

New Apostolic Reformation
The New Apostolic Reformation that is sweeping across the world has made many people re-think the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There is suddenly a new focus on gifts and it’s moved from God dispensing gifts as He purposes, to trying to acquire these gifts either by baptism, the laying on of hands, or even learning how to use their gift in a class. The most troubling part however is the latter…where there are classes that teach you how to receive the gift of divine healing, and this, despite the fact that God does the healing and He chooses whom to heal and whom He will work through.

Of course, God still does use people as a means to heal some, but it not by their power but by God’s Spirit, and it must not be in accordance to the will of man as they suppose; it must be according the will of God. Instead, what we see is they’re trying to heal everyone that they come in contact with, whether they believe or not. There is no mention that I’ve seen where people are told they must repent and believe, which is the very gospel Jesus brought (Mark 1:14-15).

Rather, they are praying for man’s will to be done on earth and in heaven, rather than praying and working for God’s will to be done on earth as it already is being done in heaven (Matt 6:10). Prayer is not trying to get our will done on earth, but God’s will done on earth. Our wills are marred by sin; God’s will is always perfect and best for us (Rom 8:28).

The Giver
Over the years, I’ve had some very interesting conversations with believers who speak about their gifts of the Holy Spirit as evidence that they are saved, but a select few have become almost obsessed with their gifts, almost flaunting them before others, but this was one of the problems with the church at Corinth. Members were ranking themselves over others because they were coveting the “best gifts” and felt superior to others because they had been given certain gifts that others hadn’t, but the point is they didn’t acquire these gifts so they had no reason to boast.

The Bible teaches that “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Cor 12:11), so it’s not up to the individual to boast that they have such and such a gift, but they ought to give glory to God Who gave these gifts at it pleased Him and not them. Not long ago, one man asked if I had been baptized in the Spirit and spoke in tongues, adding, “If you have not spoken in tongues you have never been saved.” I asked the man for chapter and verse to back up his statement but he never did answer me back. Besides, God alone knows the heart (1 Sam 16:7).

Fruits of the Spirit
Jesus once said that they will know you by your fruits (Matt 7:15-20). Never did Jesus or any of the other apostles indicate we will know them by their gifts. Even Satan can bring certain powers of darkness but that doesn’t mean he’s “filled with the Spirit,” so why the emphasis on gifts and not fruits? Because gifts can bring attention and draw large numbers of people (i.e. the Last Reformation), but this is just the opposite of the way Jesus’ ministry worked. After healing someone, Jesus would often say, “Tell no man” (Matt 8:4, Mark 7:36).

I doubt He’d have taken a selfie of Himself and the patient and then post it YouTube. Sadly, many who are charismatic don’t understand that “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose” (1 Cor 12:18), and not what they chose. God decides who receives certain gifts of the Holy Spirit, not us! One example is the Last Reformation which teaches or trains students how to heal, but can we be trained to heal or does God choose to heal whom He wills? On one website, they offer classes for healing as they “provide instruction and practical training in healing the sick” [1], however this is contrary to Scripture and the way God works by His Spirit, as it says, “God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul” (Acts 19:11), and not as some claim that they are the ones doing the extraordinary miracles.

When they attend these classes and focus on the gift of healing, it’s as if Jesus rebukes them from over 2,000 years ago, saying, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah” (Matt 6:14). It wasn’t the apostles who actually did the healing, and never once did they attend a healing class (or a kick start). They understood that “God had done through them among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:12), and not them by themselves.
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign.

Confusion
Years ago I went to one church that was charismatic and the entire service was nothing but the preacher trying to preach while about a dozen or more spoke in tongues. There was no one to interpret, so it was a mass of confusion trying to hear the preacher. As I sat there, it almost appeared that they were worshiping the gifts more than the Gift Giver, and instead of worshiping God, they were worshipping the tongue…their tongue! I thought, “Why don’t they just erect a giant tongue and place that on the altar?” We know that God is not the author of confusion, so it was hard to tell whether God was even present. I couldn’t tell whether His Spirit was there or not. There was so much activity and speaking that it was like attending a sporting event. Dozens were speaking at the same time so nothing could be understood, and why didn’t they ever mention Jesus or preach out of the Bible?

Conclusion
How will they know we are Jesus’ disciples? Is it by our gifts or our speaking in tongues or being baptized in water? No, Jesus said, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt 7:16a), not by their gifts. You will not know them by their gifts or by their miracles or by their tongues. Jesus said it is by their fruits that you will know them, not by their gifts, but also it will be by our love for one another that others will know we are His disciples (John 13:34-45). For some reason, we want to flaunt the gifts of the Spirit in front of others (or on You Tube) while ignoring the fruits of the Spirit, and it’s almost as if we’re worshipping the gifts and not the Gift Giver.

Where is Jesus in all this? Oh that’s right…speaking and teaching about Jesus doesn’t get as many page views or sell as many books as seeking miraculous gifts, but is He not to be the main focus of worship? Why then do we come dangerously close to worshiping the gifts rather than the good God Who dispensed these gifts, and as He sees fit, not we? It’s far too easy to rob glory from God and put the focus on the person with gifts, but that’s not a good thing to do at all because God will not share His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8).

 

[beensetfree]

Children - The Heritage of the Lord
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Acts 2:38,39 NIV

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"For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants"

Isaiah 44:3 NASB

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Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

Psalm 128:1-3 KJV

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Rescue me from the power of my enemies.

Their mouths are full of lies;
they swear to tell the truth, but they lie.

May our sons flourish in their youth
like well-nurtured plants.
May our daughters be like graceful pillars,
carved to beautify a palace.

Psalm 144:11b,12 NLT

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Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“He is precious.”

1 Peter 2:7

As all the rivers run into the sea, so all delights centre in our Beloved. The glances of his eyes outshine the sun: the beauties of his face are fairer than the choicest flowers: no fragrance is like the breath of his mouth. Gems of the mine, and pearls from the sea, are worthless things when measured by his preciousness. Peter tells us that Jesus is precious, but he did not and could not tell us how precious, nor could any of us compute the value of God's unspeakable gift. Words cannot set forth the preciousness of the Lord Jesus to his people, nor fully tell how essential he is to their satisfaction and happiness.

Believer, have you not found in the midst of plenty a sore famine if your Lord has been absent? The sun was shining, but Christ had hidden himself, and all the world was black to you; or it was night, and since the bright and morning star was gone, no other star could yield you so much as a ray of light. What a howling wilderness is this world without our Lord! If once he hideth himself from us, withered are the flowers of our garden; our pleasant fruits decay; the birds suspend their songs, and a tempest overturns our hopes. All earth's candles cannot make daylight if the Sun of Righteousness be eclipsed. He is the soul of our soul, the light of our light, the life of our life.

Dear reader, what wouldst thou do in the world without him, when thou wakest up and lookest forward to the day's battle? What wouldst thou do at night, when thou comest home jaded and weary, if there were no door of fellowship between thee and Christ? Blessed be his name, he will not suffer us to try our lot without him, for Jesus never forsakes his own. Yet, let the thought of what life would be without him enhance his preciousness.

 

[beensetfree]

Why Failure Is The Best Teacher


Why do we learn more from our failures than from our successes?
1000 Failures
There are a select few men and women in history that didn’t allow failure to be final. Instead of failure being a period, they made it a comma by pressing forward. One such man was the remarkable Thomas A. Edison. If anyone knew about failure, it was him, but those failures didn’t defeat the man, but drove the man to find new ways to make things work (whatever they might be, and there were many!). Mr. Edison would rebuff one negative comment after another, once saying, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” That perseverance eventually led to the phonograph, motion picture cameras, and a practical electric lightbulb that would eventually light the cities of America…and the world. Even without Edison, someone else would have eventually come up with these ideas, but probably not all his inventions, and probably not as many as he had, largely in part to Edison’s perseverance.

Failure Leads to Success
Failure can be final or failure can be the launching pad to success. Failure can be a period or it can be a comma. It is up to you what you do with failure. If inventors were quick to give up after failure, half the inventions we have today would’ve come later, having been invented by someone else, but repeated failure does not deter the determined person because they know that failures can lead to eventual success…if, that is, they persevere. There is no chance for success when someone quits. Christ followers know that even “though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand” (Psalm 37:24). That’s because “The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145:14), as “The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous” (Psalm 146:8).

Success Leads to Failure
One thing that I’ve noticed is that there are times when someone has reached a point of great success, but then that success begins to go to their head, and what was once a person striving for success is someone coasting on what’s been done, but when that happens, pride can kick in, and pride can be the cause of a fall. Pride is invisible. It can sneak up on you unknowingly. That’s why the Bible teaches that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18), so pride precedes a fall, almost as if it causes the fall, so just as failure can lead to success, success can lead to failure.

Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Success can easily become a source of self-pride, and pride has a way of distorting our self-worth. We can believe we’re more important than we actually are because of what we’ve done, but God resists the proud and only extends His grace to the humble (James 4:6), so success can lead to pride, pride can lead to an overestimation of a person’s worth, and this overestimation of a person’s worth causes them to be lifted up with pride, but the higher someone thinks they are above others, the farther they can fall, so “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” (Prov 11:1). This is based upon Jesus’ teaching where He said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:12).

Failure is not Final
When the Vietnam War was in its waning years, and just before the draft was ended, I was going to enlist because it appeared I’d be drafted anyway. My draft status was 1-A, and I was told I would be next, so I went down to the Navy and tried to enlist. I passed all the requirements and even the vision test…until I took the test for colorblindness. When I got to that part, I failed, and my desire to be a naval electronics technician was ended. Can you image me in a rocket silo or on a nuclear submarine, and they tell me to push a button of a certain color?

Naturally, you can see why it wouldn’t work. The Navy wanted to reassign me but I told them I was going to try to enlist in the Army, but by the time I was going to enlist, the announcement was made that the U.S. was going to withdraw from Vietnam and the draft had ended. What if I had not been colorblind and had been sent to Vietnam and then the Tet Offensive exploded near the end of the war? What appeared to be failure in joining the Navy may well have kept me out of the Vietnam War…perhaps even saving my life. Who knows?

Conclusion
I can’t think of anyone that hasn’t failed at least at something. The only exception is Jesus Christ who failed at nothing, including living a sinless life and giving His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). When Jesus died on the cross, it appeared that He had failed His mission, and the disciples thought it was over too, but what was an apparent defeat was the ultimate victory…victory over sin, victory over this world, and victory over death. Jesus conquered the grave because He was sinless, and because He was sinless, the grave couldn’t hold Him (Acts 2:24). “God raised him on the third day and made him to appear not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead” (Acts 10:40-41).

After Jesus death on the cross, the disciples were disillusioned, at least until they saw Jesus in the flesh, and Jesus told the doubting Thomas, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). This is why the angel told the women, “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay” (Matt 28:6).

 

[beensetfree]

Take it to the Lord in prayer...
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Matthew 5:43-45 NIV

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And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.

"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

Matthew 21:21,22 NASB

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And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ?

Mark 11:17 NIV

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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.

May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."

Psalm 122:6,7 NIV

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house.”

Psalm 36:8

Sheba's queen was amazed at the sumptuousness of Solomon's table. She lost all heart when she saw the provision of a single day; and she marvelled equally at the company of servants who were feasted at the royal board. But what is this to the hospitalities of the God of grace? Ten thousand thousand of his people are daily fed; hungry and thirsty, they bring large appetites with them to the banquet, but not one of them returns unsatisfied; there is enough for each, enough for all, enough for evermore.

Though the host that feed at Jehovah's table is countless as the stars of heaven, yet each one has his portion of meat. Think how much grace one saint requires, so much that nothing but the Infinite could supply him for one day; and yet the Lord spreads his table, not for one, but many saints, not for one day, but for many years; not for many years only, but for generation after generation. Observe the full feasting spoken of in the text, the guests at mercy's banquet are satisfied, nay, more “abundantly satisfied;” and that not with ordinary fare, but with fatness, the peculiar fatness of God's own house; and such feasting is guaranteed by a faithful promise to all those children of men who put their trust under the shadow of Jehovah's wings.

I once thought if I might but get the broken meat at God's back door of grace I should be satisfied; like the woman who said, “The dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's table;” but no child of God is ever served with scraps and leavings; like Mephibosheth, they all eat from the king's own table. In matters of grace, we all have Benjamin's mess—we all have ten times more than we could have expected, and though our necessities are great, yet are we often amazed at the marvellous plenty of grace which God gives us experimentally to enjoy.

 

[beensetfree]

What The Bible Says About Wealth Or Money


God gives us the ability to have wealth, so the question is, “What will we do with it?” Here is what the Bible says about wealth in order to make us think about what we should do with what God has given us.

True Treasures
With those who have trusted in Christ, they look at life from a different perspective…an eternal perspective. Christ followers shouldn’t live with their eyes focused on this world, but on the world to come. With this same foresight, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21). Besides, “what can a man give in return for his soul” (Mark 8:37).

All the wealth is the world will be worthless on the Day of Judgment if one is found outside of Christ. Contrary to the way the Jews associated wealth with righteousness, the Bible teaches that “godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content” (1 Tim 6:7-8). This is why were admonished, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5). For many of us, contentment in life is based upon money, rather than on the Lord our God Who has promised to never leave us or forsake us. The late Dr. Adrian Rogers once said, “Money talks…to me it mostly says, “Goodbye,” but the Lord is with us forever.




Helping the Helpless
Our church has an outreach to the homeless. We work through the local Salvation Army, and they distribute blankets, coats, toiletries, and other basic necessities for those who have become homeless, for one reason or another. A few people I know have remarked, “They’ve made their own bed, so let them sleep in it,” but homelessness is not always the person’s fault. We give special attention to the homeless mothers who sometimes have to get out of a home because there’s been domestic or sexual violence. Of course there are more people there than we can help, but just because we can’t help everyone doesn’t mean we can’t help someone.

We know that “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him” (Prov 14:31), and many of these single mothers have been oppressed by their husband or live-in boyfriend. In speaking of the great need to help those who can’t help themselves, Jesus, in speaking in hyperbole, said, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33), so His word is to “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

Who’s Your Master?
In speaking of how money can control our hearts, Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt 6:24), so how can you tell who has your heart? For one thing, look at your checkbook ledger or credit card statements. The Apostle Paul reminds us that, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The danger of riches or wealth is that instead of owning them, they can end up owning you…or at least, your heart.

What might happen is instead of having great possessions, possessions will have us! Truly, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity” (Eccl 5:10). Instead of trusting in God, we can trust in money, but “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf” (Prov 11:28). That’s why we must “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”(Luke 23:15).

Deceitfulness of Riches
Those with clinched fists cannot receive back from God because they don’t have open hands. It is as Solomon wrote, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Prov 11:24-25), so there is a danger for “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim 6:9-10). Small wonder that Jesus said, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:23), so the best biblical advice I can give you to prevent that from happening is to “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (Prov 3:9-10).

Conclusion
I believe a lot of our financial anxieties would be solved if we would earnestly “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness [because then] all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33). Even John the Baptist had enough wisdom to tell the Roman soldiers what they must do, and that is to “not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14). That is still sterling advice today. Those who treasure tomorrow will be laying up treasures in heaven, however, they look forward not to their treasures in heaven, but look forward to seeing the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the God-Man from heaven. That is their greatest treasure.

 

[beensetfree]

Crucified with Christ
Look on the Crucified One...

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 2:20 NASB

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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.

Galatians 6:14 KJV

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:22-24 NIV

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty.”

Proverbs 18:12

It is an old and common saying, that “coming events cast their shadows before them;” the wise man teaches us that a haughty heart is the prophetic prelude of evil. Pride is as safely the sign of destruction as the change of mercury in the weather-glass is the sign of rain; and far more infallibly so than that. When men have ridden the high horse, destruction has always overtaken them.

Let David's aching heart show that there is an eclipse of a man's glory when he dotes upon his own greatness. 2 Sam. 24:10. See Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty builder of Babylon, creeping on the earth, devouring grass like oxen, until his nails had grown like bird's claws, and his hair like eagle's feathers. Dan. 4:33. Pride made the boaster a beast, as once before it made an angel a devil. God hates high looks, and never fails to bring them down. All the arrows of God are aimed at proud hearts.

O Christian, is thine heart haughty this evening? For pride can get into the Christian's heart as well as into the sinner's; it can delude him into dreaming that he is “rich and increased in goods, and hath need of nothing.” Art thou glorying in thy graces or thy talents? Art thou proud of thyself, that thou hast had holy frames and sweet experiences? Mark thee, reader, there is a destruction coming to thee also. Thy flaunting poppies of self-conceit will be pulled up by the roots, thy mushroom graces will wither in the burning heat, and thy self-sufficiency shall become as straw for the dunghill.

If we forget to live at the foot of the cross in deepest lowliness of spirit, God will not forget to make us smart under his rod. A destruction will come to thee, O unduly exalted believer, the destruction of thy joys and of thy comforts, though there can be no destruction of thy soul. Wherefore, “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

 

[beensetfree]

Does God Do Bad? Depends on What You Mean


Does God do “bad?” It depends on what you mean by “bad.” The Bible teaches that God does not do what we would call moral evil. But yet at the same time, the Bible does teach that God makes stuff happen that we would call “bad” in a broad sense. When talking about a subject like this, language is everything.

The Bible has several specific words for moral evil. They include the Hebrew words resha‘ (wickedness), pesha‘ (transgression), ‘awon and ‘awen (iniquity), and ḥaṭa’ (sin), along with the Greek word poneros (evil). However, Hebrew also has a broad word ra‘ that means “bad,” roughly parallel to the Greek word kakos. Ra‘ can mean “bad behavior” or “evil.” But ra‘ can also mean bad events or times that have nothing to do with the morality of any behavior. Let’s take a look at some revealing examples of how this common but multifaceted Hebrew word for “bad” can be used.

The meaning “evil” fits the majority of the 310 uses of the noun ra‘, starting with its debut in Genesis 2:9 with the tree of the knowledge of good and “bad.” “Knowing good and bad” was the temptation made by the serpent that led to the moral fall of humankind (Genesis 3:5). God sees that the thinking of the human heart in Noah’s day was “only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5), and even after the flood, God declares that the inclination of the human heart is “evil” from their youth (Genesis 8:21).
Job is described as a man who “feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1, 1:8, 2:3). Seven times we are told that Israel relapsed and “did evil” in the book of Judges. Twenty-seven kings are said to have done “evil” in the sight of the Lord. David confesses that he has done “evil” in Psalm 51:4. And in Genesis 13:13, we are told that the men of Sodom were “wicked,” which is then further explained as “major-league sinners against YHWH.”

But sometimes the word for “bad” does not refer to moral evil. It can refer to “bad” news (Exodus 33:4). “Badness of appearance” means “ugly” in the case of the cows in Pharaoh’s dream in Genesis 41:3. “Bad” refers to yucky figs in Jeremiah 24:2, and to “bad” sores in Job 2:7. There is “bad” water at Jericho in 2 Kings 2:19, and in 2 Kings 4:41, Elisha throws flour into a poisoned pot of stew, and there was no longer “bad” (harm) in the pot.

Bad can even mean “sad” in verses like Nehemiah 2:2, where the Persian king asks Nehemiah, “Why is your face bad?” The Greek translation reads “evil,” but the Latin renders it “sad.” Ecclesiastes 1:13 says, “It is an unhappy business God has given to humans to be busy with.” Ecclesiastes 7:3 says, “By sadness of face the heart is made glad.” Ecclesiastes 8:9 says, “One rules over another, to the other’s hurt.” Proverbs 25:20 speaks of “one who sings songs to a heavy heart.” And in Genesis 40:7, Joseph asks his fellow prisoners, “Why are your faces bad (= sad)?”


A number of the uses of the word “bad” are expressions of opinion. In Genesis 24:50, Laban cannot say whether the marriage deal for his sister Rebecca is “bad or good.” In Genesis 28:8, we have the first example where “bad in the eyes of” means “not pleasing;” here we have the verb form “to be bad,” which is used 105 times in the Hebrew Bible. When God had mercy on Nineveh, it was “displeasing” to Jonah (Jonah 4:1). Likewise, “it was bad” to Abraham when Sarah tells him to cast out Hagar (Genesis 21:11). “It was bad” to Samuel when the people demanded a king (1 Samuel 8:6). And Joshua says to the people, “If it seems evil to you to serve YHWH, choose you this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). All of these examples seem to involve expressions of opinion on what is pleasing or not, rather than strict moral verdicts.

But which is which is not always clear. It is surprising that 2 Samuel 11:27 simply says that David’s adultery and cover-up murder “was bad in the eyes of YHWH” rather than using stronger, unambiguous language. What Onan did in Genesis 38:9-10 was also “bad” in the eyes of YHWH, but the moral issue seems to be why he did it, to deprive his brother of offspring, which was apparently “bad” enough for God to permanently strike him down.
Habakkuk 1:13 declares that God’s eyes are “too pure to behold evil (ra‘),” and Zephaniah 3:5 says that the Lord “does no wrong (‘awelah).” But God does bring bad occurrences that are not morally evil and that are not inconsistent with God’s character.

God declares in Isaiah 45:7, “I make shalom (well-being), and I create ra‘ (harm).” Job asks his wife, “Shall we receive good from the Lord, and not receive bad?” (Job 2:10) Elijah prays, “O Lord my God, have you brought bad upon this widow?” (1 Kings 17:20) In Ruth 1:21, Naomi laments that the Almighty has “brought bad” upon her. In Numbers 11:11, faced with a rebellion, Moses asks God, “Why have you done bad to your servant?” And Joshua warns Israel that if they renege on their covenant, God will “do you harm” (Joshua 24:20).
Think about the implications of all these translation options to a familiar verse like Psalm 23:4 – “I will fear no bad.” We can take these words as confidence not merely in the face of attack by evil, but by any form of bad.

The broad range of meaning for this generic Hebrew word “bad” (ra‘) should lead us to exercise caution when we run into the word “evil” in our Bibles. If you have Strong’s or Young’s concordance, check and see whether the generic word is being used, or a specific word for what we would call moral evil. God does not do moral evil, but God can unleash “bad,” which may be consequences for sin, but may be simply part of the brokenness of the created world cursed by human sin.
And God gives us a vision in Revelation 21:1-5 of a future world where “bad” shall exist no more, in any of its forms.

 

[beensetfree]

Fear God! He will hear, and remember and bless!
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself;
and let him be your fear,
and let him be your dread.

And he shall be for a sanctuary;
but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock
of offence to both the houses of Israel,
for a gin and for a snare
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.


Isaiah 8:13,14 KJV

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Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.

Hosea 3:5 NIV

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Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Malachi 3:16,17 KJV

________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith that
saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“And the evening and the morning were the first day.”

Genesis 1:5

The evening was “darkness” and the morning was “light,” and yet the two together are called by the name that is given to the light alone! This is somewhat remarkable, but it has an exact analogy in spiritual experience. In every believer there is darkness and light, and yet he is not to be named a sinner because there is sin in him, but he is to be named a saint because he possesses some degree of holiness.

This will be a most comforting thought to those who are mourning their infirmities, and who ask, “Can I be a child of God while there is so much darkness in me?” Yes; for you, like the day, take not your name from the evening, but from the morning; and you are spoken of in the word of God as if you were even now perfectly holy as you will be soon. You are called the child of light, though there is darkness in you still. You are named after what is the predominating quality in the sight of God, which will one day be the only principle remaining. Observe that the evening comes first. Naturally we are darkness first in order of time, and the gloom is often first in our mournful apprehension, driving us to cry out in deep humiliation, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

The place of the morning is second, it dawns when grace overcomes nature. It is a blessed aphorism of John Bunyan, “That which is last, lasts for ever.” That which is first, yields in due season to the last; but nothing comes after the last. So that though you are naturally darkness, when once you become light in the Lord, there is no evening to follow; “thy sun shall no more go down.” The first day in this life is an evening and a morning; but the second day, when we shall be with God, for ever, shall be a day with no evening, but one, sacred, high, eternal noon.

 

[beensetfree]

Take it to the Lord in prayer...
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Matthew 5:43-45 NIV

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And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.

"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

Matthew 21:21,22 NASB

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And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ?

Mark 11:17 NIV

__________________

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.

May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."

Psalm 122:6,7 NIV

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house.”

Psalm 36:8

Sheba's queen was amazed at the sumptuousness of Solomon's table. She lost all heart when she saw the provision of a single day; and she marvelled equally at the company of servants who were feasted at the royal board. But what is this to the hospitalities of the God of grace? Ten thousand thousand of his people are daily fed; hungry and thirsty, they bring large appetites with them to the banquet, but not one of them returns unsatisfied; there is enough for each, enough for all, enough for evermore.

Though the host that feed at Jehovah's table is countless as the stars of heaven, yet each one has his portion of meat. Think how much grace one saint requires, so much that nothing but the Infinite could supply him for one day; and yet the Lord spreads his table, not for one, but many saints, not for one day, but for many years; not for many years only, but for generation after generation. Observe the full feasting spoken of in the text, the guests at mercy's banquet are satisfied, nay, more “abundantly satisfied;” and that not with ordinary fare, but with fatness, the peculiar fatness of God's own house; and such feasting is guaranteed by a faithful promise to all those children of men who put their trust under the shadow of Jehovah's wings.

I once thought if I might but get the broken meat at God's back door of grace I should be satisfied; like the woman who said, “The dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's table;” but no child of God is ever served with scraps and leavings; like Mephibosheth, they all eat from the king's own table. In matters of grace, we all have Benjamin's mess—we all have ten times more than we could have expected, and though our necessities are great, yet are we often amazed at the marvellous plenty of grace which God gives us experimentally to enjoy.

 

[beensetfree]

Hebrews—Enter God’s Rest. Don’t Put God to the Test.

One of my biggest spiritual problems is forgetting about what God has done for me in the past when facing trials in the present. I am not alone. Perhaps you face the same struggle. The Israelites certainly did, and the author of Hebrews wants to make sure the Christian to whom he is writing will not make the same mistake Israel did in the wilderness. And so, the writer of Hebrews goes from comparing Jesus and angels in chapters 1 and 2 to comparing Jesus and Moses in chapter 3.

He also compares his church community with Israel (chapters 3 and 4). The aim of Hebrews 3:1-4:13 could be encapsulated in the following terms: Enter God’s rest. Don’t put God to the test.
Israel had seen God mightily at work through Moses, whom the writer of Hebrews compares to Jesus. Moses is a servant who is faithful in all of God’s house while Jesus is God’s Son who is faithful over all God’s house (Hebrews 3:1-6). Moses was certainly one of the greatest saints of old. God demonstrated his great faithfulness to Israel through the faithful leadership of Moses, who led them out of Egypt on the way to the Promised Land.

The writer references the incident of God’s chosen people’s unbelief recorded in Exodus 17, which is also referenced in Psalm 95. The people became thirsty in the wilderness and began grumbling against Moses, and ultimately against God: “But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’” (Exodus 17:3; NRSV) Moses cried out to God out of fear that the people were about to stone him (Exodus 17:4). The people even tested God with the words, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7; NRSV).

While God provided water for them, their hardness of heart led God to declare that they would not enter their envisioned rest in the Promised Land (See Psalm 95:11; see also Hebrews 3;11). How striking to the heart it is that though they had witnessed God’s faithfulness for forty years, still they did not believe him in the present day trial. Even though they had seen God at work, they did not know God’s ways, but hardened their hearts (Hebrews 3:9-10). It was almost as if they were challenging God: what have you done for us lately? How often have I done the same?!


The author of Hebrews turns from recounting the wilderness wanderings and unbelief of the people Israel to accounting for his church’s relationship with God. Having experienced deliverance from spiritual bondage under Jesus, who is greater than Moses, are they now going to test God, questioning God’s faithfulness, and as a result, die in the spiritual wilderness of unbelief? The risks and rewards are far greater for how we respond to Jesus, who is far greater than Moses. Here’s the author of Hebrews:

Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. As it is said,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? But with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12-19; NRSV).​

We are not alone in our faith struggle, as evident from this passage. They say that misery loves company. If that is true for you, perhaps you can take comfort from knowing what your fellow believers have faced in the past and continue to face in the present. However, we don’t encourage one another best simply by suffering together, but in meeting together in the midst of our shared suffering in view of our future hope (See Hebrews 10:24-25).


The author of Hebrews seeks to instill hope in his believing community by instructing them in God’s providential care for their lives. Confidence in God’s sovereign loving purposes, which include disciplining them as spiritual children through their trials, is what will sustain them. So, too, the triumphant examples before them of Jesus and other believers who have been tested, tried, refined and victorious, are intended to encourage them on their way (Hebrew 12:1-13; see also Hebrews 11). The Christians to whom the author pens this epistle have already experienced persecution. Some have been imprisoned, while others have lost property (Hebrews 10:34). The shedding of their own blood might even await them (See Hebrews 12:3-4). But they are not alone. The great cloud of witnesses, Jesus, and his Father have not abandoned them (Hebrews 12:1-13).


We need to learn from various examples what to do, as well as what not to do. Just as we can and must learn what to do from the good examples of Jesus and the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 11-12), so we need to learn what not to do from the poor examples of the generation leaving Egypt for the Promised Land of Canaan. Otherwise, we will not enter God’s rest.

Now, in case you are wondering, we need to provide an answer concerning the nature of God’s rest to which we are called to enter. Surely, it is not limited to entrance to the land of Canaan. God has been resting since the creation of the world (Genesis 2:2-3). The generation that grew up under Moses and Joshua in the wilderness entered the temporal rest in Canaan, but not their parents’ generation—except for Joshua and Caleb (Deuteronomy 1:34-40). Psalm 95, from which the author of Hebrews quotes, is referring to a future, eternal rest. Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 point to Psalm 95 in referring to the final rest in God’s eternal Promised Land. Thus, as F. F. Bruce argues, entering God’s rest was not limited to entrance in “the earthly Canaan.”[1]


While different forms of rest are in view, faith is essential to each kind of rest. The rebels rejected Moses. As a result, they did not enter God’s temporal rest in Canaan. Those who reject Christ and turn back from him will not enter God’s ultimate rest (See Hebrews 3:12, cf. vs. 19).[2] Entering God’s ultimate rest of eternal life involves enduring faith, not simply hearing God’s word. Hebrews 4:2 states, “For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened” (4:2; NRSV). Bruce writes in this context: “The practical implication is clear: it is not the hearing of the gospel by itself that brings final salvation, but its appropriation by faith; and if that faith is a genuine faith, it will be a persistent faith.”[3]


Enduring faith in God’s sovereign, providential care is essential to entering God’s rest, according to Hebrews. We need to remember what God has said and done for us, and do what he calls us to do in faith, knowing that he is faithful to his promise that we will enter God’s rest. We need to make sure we have a hard time forgetting God’s faithfulness and promised blessing. It will help us not to have a hard heart TODAY as we hear God’s voice. In contrast to the wilderness generation under Moses, we prepare to enter God’s rest rather than put God to the test when we examine our hearts, encourage one another in view of what we have seen God do and believe God will do, and embrace God’s word through faith and obedience.

In closing, I wish to draw attention to a conversation from a few days ago with one of the couples at the Overseas Ministries Study Center here in New Haven, CT. The encouraging though challenging conversation helped me to examine my heart. The couple are missionaries from Africa here on sabbatical (several months of needed Sabbath rest). In passing, this couple shared matter-of-factly with me about not always having food to eat but finding fulfillment in God’s kingdom advancing among the people committed to their care in the land of their missional sojourn. Someone else shared with me of how another missionary from Africa only eats once a day so that those he shepherds may also have daily bread to eat.

What a far cry from the Israelites wandering about in the desert grumbling over water! What a far cry from me wandering about today, often in the wilderness of my own making! The single-minded focus on Jesus by faith that I have found among these Christians here at OMSC from overseas, who like their Lord find deep satisfaction and nourishment in doing their Father’s will (See John 4:34), is deeply challenging and comforting.

They trust God and have seen the Almighty at work in miraculous ways in the past and are confident that God will fulfill Jesus’ purposes for them in the future. I find their example in the face of numerous trials and dangers not mentioned here humbling, and a great cure for grumbling. Their courageous example is encouraging and helps me move toward embracing God’s word through faith and obedience. May their example, and the example of Jesus and the great cloud of witnesses, encourage us on our journey to enter God’s rest rather than put God to the test.