Taken, Healed, and Let Go

For my daily Bible reading I am going through the gospel of Luke. Today I read chapter 14, which opens with an account of our Lord healing a certain man, “which had the dropsy.” The dreadful disease of dropsy is characterized by the abnormal collection of fluids in the cavities or tissues of the body. This results in unsightly swelling and no doubt in great discomfort.

In other accounts of the healing miracles of Christ, we read of the sick coming to Him or calling out to Him themselves for healing. Or we read of others asking Christ to heal their sick. But in this incident there is no account that either the man with the dropsy or anyone else asked Christ to heal him. Rather, our Lord took the initiative and healed the man without being asked to do so. Here is the account of the healing:

Luke 14:4 And he took him, and healed him, and let him go.

Let us analyze each verb phrase in this passage. First consider the phrase “and he took him.” All of the miracles of Christ were miracles of salvation. In this case, the man was saved from dropsy. We can learn a great deal about the salvation of God by studying the miracles of Christ. Observe that this salvation occurred when the Lord “took him.” Salvation is more a matter of the Lord taking us to save us than of our taking the Lord as our Saviour.

Then consider the phrase “and healed him.” Whenever we are healed, whether it be by a miraculous intervention, as was the case here, or whether it be by means of nutrition, medicine, surgery, or rest, the Lord is the One Who heals us.

Exodus 15:26  …I am the LORD that healeth thee.

No means of healing sickness can be effective apart from the blessing of God. Although Hezekiah was recovered from his life-threatening sickness by means of a plaister of figs, Hezekiah praised the Lord for the healing (Isaiah 38:15-21). And this not only applies to the healing of the body. It also applies to the healing of the heart and soul.

Psalms 147:3  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Psalms 41:4  I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

This brings us to the phrase “and let him go.” After the Lord took this man and healed him, He let him go. And that is what the Lord does when He heals you. He lets you go. Now the question is: Being let go by the Lord, where and how will you go? Has the Lord healed you from a sickness and restored your strength? Has your heart been broken by grief or loss, and has the Lord healed you by His comforting word? Has your soul been burdened with guilt over sin, and has the Lord healed you through His pardoning mercy and restoring grace? Has your heart been poisoned by anger and bitterness? Has the Lord enabled you to give up that anger and find instead the healing that comes through forgiveness, reconciliation, and acceptance of things you cannot change? Now that you are healed and let go, where and how will you go? Will you go back to sin and foolishness? Or will you go forward following Him? May it be your happy lot to do as blind Bartimæus did when the Lord Jesus healed him and let him go.

Mark 10:52  And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

I close with these sobering words addressed to those whom the Lord has saved and let go:

Psalms 85:7  Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
8  I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Thanksgiving Day in Retrospect

Last week’s meditation was designed to prepare my readers for Thanksgiving Day. This week I would like to share with you some of what I experienced on Thanksgiving Day. For me, this was one of the best I have ever been part of.

The day was spent with our family, who live in this area. The only one missing was our newly acquired Canadian son-in-law, Joshua. He had to work. Thanksgiving Day in Canada is celebrated in October. Having just taken a week off for his honeymoon, he couldn’t afford to take yet another day off.

We all gathered at the home of our daughter Caroline. As dinner was being prepared, some of us enjoyed playing games together. But as things rolled along, the television was turned on to the football game. I sat with my sons-in-law, Kevin and Jared, to try to watch some of the game. But as I did so I began to seethe inwardly. Here we were all together as a family and we were being diverted by the television. I resented those football players charging into the midst of my family and stealing our attention away from one another. I was not amused by the characteristic racket of a football game accompanied by the noisy and often ridiculous commercials. When the ladies announced that dinner was ready, I said in a tone that I am not proud of: “Let’s turn off that television and give thanks to God.” By that point I was upset and it was evident. I emphasized the word God with the intent of placing Him in stark contrast to the American icon of football and television in general. It is not that I think it is a sin to enjoy a football game. But did we have to do it then, on Thanksgiving Day, when we were together as a family? Does television have to invade everything? I then proceeded to explain to all that I had envisioned this to be a day for us to enjoy each other. We are all together on such few occasions, that it seemed to me a shame to let television interfere with this opportunity to interface with each other. When I explained why I was upset about the television, the wishes of the patriarch were understood and respected. The television was turned off never to be heard from again for the rest of our time together. Thanks be to God! In hindsight, I should have calmly explained my position when the game was first turned on. I would have saved myself all that inner turmoil that finally boiled over.

As for the food, the women of my family outdid themselves. It was a rich repast. During dinner we engaged in lively conversation. You get that with the Motts. I think it must be that rich French blood that courses through our veins. Kevin and Jared do not have our gift of gab. Therefore, they quietly ate and endured the rest of us with exemplary Christian patience. Had Joshua been there, he would have been a major participant in the conversation. But then he is also French. After dinner, the grandchildren got to open some presents that Opa and Grandma had brought. Linda and I had purchased a few cheap items from the Dollar Chain and had wrapped them. Each grandchild had a package. And, no, we were not celebrating an alternative Christmas! So don’t even go there. I am fully prepared to bury you with arguments if you try it.

As the ladies cleared away the main courses of the dinner and prepared for dessert, my sons-in-law and I enjoyed a card game called Phase 10. I won every hand leaving Jared not far behind me with Kevin trailing in the rear. For me this was a payback. My sons-in-law and I had recently gone bowling together. Kevin bowled outstandingly. Jared did well, too, but Kevin far outshined us both. Kevin used to bowl in a league. He was glad to find that he had not lost his touch. Kevin’s score so far exceeded mine that the words of Job occur to me as an apt description of my defeat: “I have…defiled my horn in the dust” (Job 16:15). So, needless to say, I was quite enjoying beating him in a game. You see, I stand a chance of winning if it is a game of pure chance. But if the game requires athletic skill, then count me out.

But this is where it really became good. After the dessert, we all gathered around the table for a hymn sing. My wife and I raised our daughters to love music. They all took piano lessons and learned to read music. We are able to harmonize as a family and have sung together ever since we have been a family. I am pleased to report that my grandchildren are learning music as well. They, too, chimed in as we sang. On a couple of songs we adults refrained from singing on the chorus and just listened to the children sing. What a blessing that is! Then we had a time for telling things that we are thankful for. My grandson Ashton said: “I am glad the devil is going to hell because I don’t like him.” I quite agree with you, Ashton. I don’t like him either. My grandson Justin thanked God that he is a child of God and that he will go to heaven someday. My mother expressed thankfulness for how the Lord has been with her throughout all her days. Scarcely restraining the tears, she then pointed to her family as one of her chief blessings adding also the blessing of her church family. My son-in-law Kevin expressed gratitude for the deep friendship that he has with his brother-in-law Jared, to which Jared agreed. I was touched to hear Kevin so openly and unashamedly expressing his affection for his brother-in-law. There is nothing unmanly about men expressing their love for one another. It is such a blessing to see the in-laws in my family getting along so well. Then my little granddaughter Rebekah expressed her thankfulness for cups. Yes, you read it correctly: cups. Now you don’t often hear cups listed when people are counting their blessings. But light was shed on the subject when my grandson Nicklas afterwards prayed. He joined his sister in thanking God for cups. Here were his words to the Almighty: “Thank you for cups to drink out of so we don’t have to sink-drink, because that is disgusting.” Of course, others of us had to subdue a chuckle. But when you think about it, cups are indeed something to be thankful for. Imagine what life would be without them. When my turn came, I thanked God for the wonderful resource for joy and companionship that I have within my own family to offset the hardship and loneliness that often goes with being a minister. We had a time of prayer with some of the grandchildren praying. I prayed what I thought was to be the concluding prayer. But my grandson Brendan expressed a desire to pray at the end. Toward the close of his prayer he thanked God that even though it was dark and rainy outside, we were all inside laughing and that it was sunny in our hearts. That crowned the day! And I believe everyone was truly glad that we had turned off the football game. We did not need the outside world to entertain us after all.

As we parted for the day, I went away with this recurring thought: This was how Thanksgiving Day was meant to be celebrated. Thank you for taking a little time to visit with the Mott family. Ya’ll come again now!

Psalms 136:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Thanksgiving

Today’s meditation will be a simple one. But some of our biggest problems arise from overlooking the simple matters of our most holy faith.

This coming Thursday our nation will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately, for many, if not most, it will be a day centered on eating and watching football with little, if any, regard given to thanking God. Let me encourage it to be otherwise with you.

First of all, giving thanks to God is just plain a good thing to do.

Psalms 92:1  It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

Since it is a good thing to do, thanksgiving will make your life better. The word better is the comparative form of the word good. So if you add something good to your life, you have made your life better than it was before you added that good thing. This is simple logic, but it is profound in its implications.

Secondly, consider this passage as it relates to our subject.

Colossians 1:11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Observe that the believer who is strengthened with all might according to God’s glorious power is a believer who is giving thanks unto the Father. Now to be strengthened with all might, and that according to God’s glorious power, is to be strong in the greatest way that a human being can be strong. Show me a thankful Christian and I will show you a person of strong character. His body may be weak and sickly and his possessions few, but he is strong. Also notice that God’s strength leads to all patience and longsuffering. A strong believer can suffer patiently for a long time and still be thankful. To suffer patiently is to suffer with calmness and composure, to suffer without losing it, as we say. And he can suffer with all patience, that is, with God’s strength he can suffer with all the patience he will need for as long as he needs it. Furthermore, a believer strengthened with God’s strength can suffer with joyfulness. His sufferings do not take anything away from his joy. His joy is full. And that his joy is full is explained by the fact that while suffering he is giving thanks. For thanksgiving is the companion of joy as the following passages show:

Psalms 95:2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psalms 97:12  Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Isaiah 51:3  For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

Jeremiah 30:19  And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Also consider the following passage as it relates to thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

This verse connects being thankful with letting the peace of God rule in our hearts. Ask yourself this question: Is your heart restless, anxious, or fearful? If so, then the peace of God is not ruling in your heart. If this is the case with your heart, check your thanksgiving. Just how thankful are you, that is, how full of thanks are you? If you are thankful, the peace of God will hold sway in your heart. Because, you see, when you are thankful, you are focused on God and His goodness. This puts whatever troubles you have into perspective; it scales them down in size so that they do not loom so largely over you. When this happens, then God’s peace takes over and calms the heart. In other words, it rules or has the commanding influence in the heart.

So let me close by joining the Psalmist in giving you this exhortation:

Psalms 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Empty Nest

God willing, my last daughter will wed on next Saturday, 14 November. For my wife Linda and me, this is a great turning point. We have had a child in our home for thirty-three years. That is about to end. We now come to that experience that is known as “the empty nest.” So please suffer a father to pour out his heart.

As I muse over the last thirty-three years, I have a lot of mixed feelings. Like most parents I have my share of regrets. If I had it to do over again, there are things I would definitely have done differently. Living day and night with me, you can believe that my daughters have seen my bad side big time. But overall I have to say that I tried to be a good father. To date, all my faults notwithstanding, my girls all love me dearly and respect me highly. The things they say to me in cards for Father’s Day and my birthday often convey their deep appreciation for the lessons I taught them. But more than the cards, I look at the lives they live and that, above all, is the greatest gift that they can give to me. This gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I did something right with those precious lives that God bequeathed to my care.

When my first daughter married, we came home from the wedding only to find a letter from her on our bed. We read the letter and released a flood of tears. The letter expressed her love and appreciation for us and all we had done for her. Of all that she wrote, the only thing that stands out in my memory is the special mention she made of appreciating the model that our marriage had been to her. I once read that one of the greatest gifts you can give to your children is a good marriage. I firmly believe that.

Now that my wife and I face the empty nest together, a good marriage is all the more important. You see, it will just be we in this house most of the time. If we couldn’t stand each other, the empty nest would be a thing to dread. For there will no longer be a child between us. Our daughter will not be here to keep conversation going. No more will we hear the garage door open announcing her arrival home from work. No more will she be a regular presence at our dinner table. No more will we hear the stirrings in her room downstairs. No more will we have the weekly visits from her lover coming to court her and filling our house with their lively conversation and laughter. She will be on her own now living under the authority of the man who will be her husband. Dad will be the number two man in her life. Well, I have been that already, but now it will be even more so. Now she will be bodily removed from my continued surveillance. And Linda and I will return to where we started: just the two of us at the table. We will now face each other with gray hairs, wrinkles, and a wealth of memories good and bad that we did not have when we started. But thank God, we will sit there still in love with each other, more in love than when we began. This will surely help to smooth the transition.

Other parents who have experienced the empty nest speak of it positively, some very positively. And I must say that in one way, Linda and I are looking forward to it. I prayed today that God would give us strength and health for some years to come so that we might enjoy this experience together. Yet in another way, we feel sadness at turning this page in the book of our lives. We have enjoyed our girls. Thanks be to God, none of our children has ever caused us any serious trouble to date. They have been a joy and still are. It is a blessing to watch them as they raise their children. And, of course, the grandchildren are a continual source of great joy. It is as my mother often says: “They are the joy of your old age.” I am blessed to have a family in which we all love one another and enjoy being together. When we are all together I sometimes feel such a sense of blessedness in being the patriarch of this clan. In fact, one of my son-in-laws affectionately calls me patty for patriarch.

Please do not think I am foolishly boasting when I say this, but if ever God has blessed a man on this earth, He has blessed me. The patriarch Jacob expresses my sentiments exactly:

Genesis 32:10  I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant….

Unworthy though I be, I have been the object of unspeakable favours from such a kind and merciful God. Of all the mercies God has extended to this poor sinner, my daughters are among them. When God gave me those girls, He certainly was not dealing with me according to anything I deserve. He could have given me children of Belial that would have been a source of continual sorrow. I deserve as much and worse.

As I muse on these past thirty-three years of raising my daughters, I can honestly say that we have never known the want of anything we have needed. I have relied on the words of Psalm 23:1 and proved them true: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” And it rejoices me no little to know that this same Lord is also the shepherd of my daughters as their faith in and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ attest. I am blessed to watch as He provides for their wants as well. And the good Shepherd will still be taking care of them when I am long gone.

Although my daughters are all now grown and out on their own, there is one thing that will never change: they will always be my babies. Oh, I won’t treat them like that. But in my heart I have that same feeling for them that I had when I first cradled them in my arms. After my father died, I was given a New Testament that his father had given him. I never knew my grandfather, as he died when my dad was only sixteen years of age. My grandfather gave this New Testament to my father on 25 October 1940. It is now in tatters. But in the cover a prayer is inscribed in my grandfather’s beautiful handwriting. This is the prayer that is upon my heart as I send off my last daughter. It is simply this: “God take care of my baby.”

I hope I have not wearied you with my sentiment. I close with tears.

Halloween

This coming Saturday, 31 October, marks the annual celebration of Halloween. The name Halloween is the shortened form of All-Hallow-Even. This day is the eve of All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day, which is observed on 1 November. The first day of November was set aside by the Roman Catholic Church as All Saints’ Day to commemorate all the saints who have no other special day of commemoration. Of course, the New Testament knows nothing of All Saint’s Day. Like Christmas and Easter, this is another attempt by the Roman Catholic Church to mix paganism with Christianity.

During the celebration of Halloween houses, schools, and businesses are decorated with images of ghosts, skeletons, witches, black cats, and jack-o-lanterns with monstrous faces carved in them. Haunted houses and horror films are a popular attraction at this time. Children go trick-or-treating through neighbourhoods often in costumes designed to depict death, horror, witches, or even Satan himself. Adults dressed in costumes also participate in Halloween parties. Why are images of death and the occult so prevalent in connection with this day?

The following quotation taken from Encyclopedia Brittanica regarding the origin of Halloween gives us some insight:

“It (Halloween) long antedates Christianity. The two chief characteristics of ancient Hallowe’en were the lighting of bonfires and the belief that this is the one night in the year during which ghosts and witches are most likely to wander abroad. History shows that the main celebrations of Hallowe’en were purely Druidical, and this is further proved by the fact that in parts of Ireland Oct. 31 is still known as Oidhche Shamhna, ‘Vigil of Saman.’ This is directly connected with the Druidic belief in the calling together of certain wicked souls on Hallowe’en by Saman, lord of death.”

In addition, we cite this quotation taken from The World Book Encyclopedia:

“The Druids, an order of priests in ancient Gaul and Britain, believed that on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people. They thought the cat was sacred and believed that cats had once been human beings but were changed as a punishment for evil deeds. From these Druidic beliefs comes the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats in Halloween festivities.”

It was believed that wearing costumes and masks of harmful spirits was a way to prevent them from inflicting harm. It was also believed that to free oneself from these evil spirits it was necessary to give them a treat. Otherwise, the spirit would cast a spell, a trick. This is the origin of trick or treat. Also on this night animal bones were burned in large fires called bonfires (bone fires) in order to ward off evil spirits. I have also read that there is reason to believe that in ancient times human sacrifices were made in these bonfires.

For practitioners of witchcraft and worshippers of Satan, 31 October is a high and holy day even to this present time. There are documented accounts of animal and human sacrifices offered on this day. Although many people view this as a time of fun and games, it is taken quite seriously by those who are in league with the powers of darkness.

God Almighty also takes the practices of the occult very seriously and gives stern warnings against it. The following passage speaks clearly:

Deuteronomy 18:9  When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire (might this have been a bonfire?), or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13  Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
14  For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

The world of the occult is very real. There are evil spirits who seek to do us harm and we must have no fellowship with them.

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

1 Corinthians 10:20  But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

Satan would like nothing more than for us not to take his world seriously. He would have us think of witches and incantations as play things rather than harsh and destructive realities. Rather than celebrating the world of the occult in fun and games, the Christian should rather resist and reprove such things.

Ephesians 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

And as for all the images of death so prevalent at this time, recall that Satan has the power of death. In that sense he is Saman, the lord of the dead. But our Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver us from the fear of death by destroying Satan.

Hebrews 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Shall we then celebrate the fear of death as is done at Halloween? Ought we not rather to celebrate our Lord’s triumph over Satan and the destruction of his power of death?

From the foregoing it should be obvious that Christians have no business participating in Halloween celebrations. On Halloween night we turn off the porch light to discourage any trick-or-treaters from coming to our door. Do not let your children trick-or-treat or attend Halloween parties. If you have adults living in your home who do not share your convictions and want to attend Halloween parties, do not let them don their costumes in your home. That is your house and you have the responsibility to ban from your home anything that makes light of the kingdom of darkness. I close with this exhortation:

1 Corinthians 16:13  Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

On Reading Many Books, Part 2

We continue our meditation this week regarding the reading of many books. Last week we saw that it is better to read fewer books, digest them well, and retain their information than to overload the brain with more books than it can process. Today I want to impress upon my readers the importance of thought. As you read a book, take time to think about what you are reading. Allow yourself to sit back and reflect on what you read so that you may absorb the information. Here is another excellent quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon taken again from his work entitled Lectures to My Students:

I would impress upon you the truth, that a man who is short of apparatus can make up for it by much thought. Thinking is better than possessing books. Thinking is an exercise of the soul which both develops its powers and educates them....Without thinking, reading cannot benefit the mind, but it may delude the man into the idea that he is growing wise. Books are a sort of idol to some men. As the image with the Roman Catholic is intended to make him think of Christ, and in effect keeps him from Christ, so books are intended to make men think, but are often a hindrance to thought.

That paragraph is profound in its implications. There is no benefit in reading just for the sake of reading or to convince yourself or others that you are intelligent, because you read a lot. In my profession one comes across a great deal to read. It is easy to fall into the practice of reading through things just to say that one has read them. But this is a waste of time if the information is simply run through the brain without any retention. It is better to be selective in what you read. Sometimes you may be able to skim something and discern whether it is worth your time or not. With limited time and energy I need to be selective with respect to what I read. Reading should be done with a view to personal growth, not pacifying everyone who gives you something to read.

Mr. Spurgeon went on to point out that a man who does not have a lot of books can make up for that lack by being a man of thought. If a man is thoughtfully observant of nature, of men, and of himself, he can learn a great deal. The heavens are an open book that declares the glory of God and much can be learned by thinking about them (Psalm 19:1-3). It is worthwhile noting the many lessons Solomon, the wisest man, drew from the study of nature. When reading the book of Proverbs, notice how many times Solomon makes a point by referencing something in nature. When speaking of Solomon's wisdom, Scripture has this to say:

1 Kings 4:32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

In addition to Mr. Spurgeon's words, I found this interesting passage in a book I possess entitled Lord Chesterfield's Letters. Lord Chesterfield wrote:

It signifies nothing to read a thing once, if one does not mind and remember it. It is a sure sign of a little mind to be doing one thing, and at the same time to be either thinking of another, or not thinking at all. One should always think of what one is about; when one is learning, one should not think of play; and when one is at play, one should not think of one's learning. Besides that, if you do not mind your book while you are at it, it will be a double trouble to you, for you must learn it all over again.

Lord Chesterfield's words remind me of a quotation I cited to you in the series of meditations I did on listening. The quote came from an article entitled Improving your Memory.

You can’t remember something if you never learned it, and you can’t learn something — that is, encode it into your brain — if you don’t pay enough attention to it. It takes about eight seconds of intent focus to process a piece of information through your hippocampus and into the appropriate memory center. So, no multitasking when you need to concentrate! If you distract easily, try to receive information in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.

Reading must be accompanied with thought to be profitable. And this brings us to that very important word in Scripture, the word meditate.

Meditate - To muse over or reflect upon; to consider, study, ponder.

It is obvious that meditation requires thought, focusing the mind upon a given subject. When Paul instructed Timothy to "give attendance to reading," he also instructed him to meditate in order to profit from his reading.

1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

No amount of reading is a substitute for meditation, for careful thought. Recall that last time we pointed out the importance of mastering one book above all other books, that book being the Holy Bible. Today's point about combining thought with reading applies here as well. It is not enough to simply read the Bible. You must also think about what you read; you need to meditate upon it. It is by this means that you will derive the greatest benefit from the time you spend in the Scriptures. The following passage powerfully drives this point home.

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

I for one am not a fan of programs for reading through the entire Bible in a year. I find it better to read less and think about what you read, than to consume more chapters just to satisfy a deadline. Granted, one should strive to read the whole Bible. But one should also strive to understand what is being read. And that understanding comes from careful thought or meditation.

Psalms 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

So read something in the Bible each day. Then think about it throughout the rest of your waking hours and your life will become more prosperous in the ways that count.

And as for mastering this one book, the Holy Bible, I can do no better than to close with the advise of Solomon, the wisest of men:

Ecclesiastes 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

On Reading Many Books, Part 1

Benjamin Franklin said: "Read much, but not many books." I consider this very sage advice and I would like to expand upon it.

In this series of meditations I will cite several quotes from a book by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled Lectures to My Students. These quotes will be taken from the chapter entitled To Workers With Slender Apparatus. This lecture was addressed to ministers who do not have a large library of books. The essence of Mr. Spurgeon's advice to such men is that a man can read too many books, that it is better to have fewer books that are well-read and well-digested, and that reading is no substitute for thought. My experience confirms the truth of Mr. Spurgeon's words. Consider this first quote:

Little learning and much pride come of hasty reading. Books may be piled on the brain till it cannot work. Some men are disabled from thinking by putting meditation away for the sake of much reading. They gorge themselves with book-matter, and become mentally dyspeptic. Books on the brain cause disease. Get the book into the brain, and you will grow.

By the way, the word dyspeptic means indigestion. Just as one cannot well digest too much food, neither can one generally well digest too many books. It is better to read less, to think about what you read, and to absorb and retain it or, as Mr. Spurgeon said, get it into the brain; than to read more than the mind can process. This advice is especially relevant in our day when we are bombarded with so much to read. We are hit with the information highway of the internet, blogs, emails, postal mailings, handouts at meetings, magazines, and books ad infinitum.

I love this next quote about a single book well-read:

There is very much sound sense in the remark of a writer in the Quarterly Review many years back. "Give us the one dear book, cheaply picked from the stall by the price of the dinner, thumbed and dog-eared, cracked in the back and broken in the corner, noted on the fly-leaf and scrawled on the margin, sullied and scorched, torn and worn, smoothed in the pocket and grimed on the hearth, damped by the grass and dusted among the cinders, over which you have dreamed in the grove and dozed before the embers, but read again, again, and again, from cover to cover. It is by this one book, and its three or four single successors, that more real cultivation has been imparted than by all the myriads which bear down the mile-long, bulging, bending shelves of the Bodleian."

The Bodleian is the research library of the University of Oxford, which is surely a mammoth collection of books. More will be gotten from that one well-worn, well-read book than from volume after volume that has been read, but not retained. I know from my experience that I have a few books that I have referred to again and again, whereas most of the rest are much less opened. I also find that rereading a valuable book is extremely profitable. I pick up so much the second time around that I missed the first time.

Of course all of this most especially applies to the one book that it is most important for us to absorb and retain, that is, the Book of Books, the Holy Bible. Of all the books in your collection, this one should be read, marked, prayed over, thought about, and read again and again. The pages should be wrinkled, worn, and soiled from much turning. In time the cover should be frayed from being handled. Thoroughly acquainting yourself with that one book above any other and applying its teaching in your life will make you spiritually mighty, like Apollos, of whom it is written that he "was mighty in the scriptures" (Acts 18:24). Mr. Spurgeon put it this way:

You know the old proverb, "Cave ab homine unius libri - Beware of the man of one book. He is a terrible antagonist. A man who has his Bible at his fingers' ends and in his heart's core is a champion in our Israel; you cannot compete with him: you may have an armoury of weapons, but his scriptural knowledge will overcome you; for it is a sword like that of Goliath, of which David said, "There is none like it."

To which I can but say, "Amen and amen!" More about this next time, if the Lord will.

The Inspiration of the Scriptures, Part 4

Today will mark the conclusion of this series of meditations on the inspiration of the Scriptures. Let us return to a consideration of 2 Timothy 3:16 as there is one word in that passage that I want to emphasize.

2 Timothy 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

We showed before that the words “all scripture” cannot be limited, as many believe, to the original autographs of the Scripture. In the preceding verse Paul made mention of “the holy scriptures” that Timothy had known from a child. Recall that this could not have been referring to the original writings of the Old Testament, but rather to copies of those writings. Yet those copies are called “the holy scriptures.” Then in the very next verse Paul teaches that “all scripture,” which would include the Holy Scriptures that Timothy had, “is given by inspiration of God.”

Furthermore, consider the following passages that mention the Scriptures:

Acts 17:1  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2  And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,…

Acts 17:10  And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Acts 18:28  For he (Apollos) mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Now all these different persons and places did not have the original autographs of the Scriptures. Clearly Paul preached from copies, the Bereans searched copies, and Apollos taught from copies. Yet these copies are called by the Holy Spirit, “the scriptures.” And, remember, “all scripture is given by inspiration of God,” which would include the Scriptures mentioned in these passages.

Our Lord commanded men to “search the scriptures” (John 5:39). If he were commanding men to search the originals, then none of us today could obey that commandment because the originals no longer exist to be searched! It should be clear that when the Bible speaks of the Scriptures, it is speaking of something that men have access to, something that exists that they can see and read.

Now the thing that I want to drive home today is that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” If this statement refers only to the original autographs of the Scripture, then Paul should have said “all scripture was given by inspiration of God,” for that would indeed be the case. Rather, he wrote that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” If the book you read is the Holy Scripture, and we have shown that the Holy Scripture includes copies and translations of the text, then the Scripture you are reading is given by inspiration of God. The expression “given by inspiration of God” describes the A.V. 1611 Bible you have right now. It is given by inspiration of God.

The process of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures indeed refers to the giving of the words of God to the original writers of Scripture.

2 Peter 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

To be sure, this part of the process of inspiration is not still going on. God is not still moving men to give forth His words. The body of divine revelation is complete.

Hebrews 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,…

The verb phrase hath spoken is present perfect tense, referring to a completed or perfected action. In the generation of our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles, God gave us the word He intends for us to have in its entirety. We seek no additional divine revelation. But God has promised the preservation and transmission of those words He has spoken in copies and translations. And these copies and translations are as much His words as when they first fell from His holy lips. Therefore, these copies and translations are given by inspiration of God. So while the inspiration of the Scriptures includes the original communication of the words of God to men, it is by no means limited to that. The inspiration of the Scriptures also includes the processes of copying and translating those words.

Therefore, the A.V. 1611 that you hold in your hands, the book that you read, study, believe, and obey is given to you by the inspiration of God. That very book that you bought or that was given to you by family or friends, you possess by the inspiration of God. It is the superintending providence of God, called inspiration, that secures to you His words, the Holy Scriptures. Prize this gift. Treat it with reverence. Love it. Read it. Study it. Believe it. Obey it. And your daily experience will confirm this glorious fact: “All Scripture," including that which you have in the A.V. 1611, "is given by inspiration of God.”

The Inspiration of the Scriptures, Part 3

I have some additional thoughts that I wish to impart respecting the inspiration of the Scriptures. Today, I would like to drive home the fact that the Holy Scriptures are not limited to the original languages in which they were first written. Note this fascinating passage:

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is made manifest and made known “by the scriptures of the prophets.” If we had no scriptures of the prophets, we would have no gospel.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

The gospel was promised by God’s prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Without these Holy Scriptures, how we know we had the gospel? It is by these scriptures of the prophets that the gospel is preached. The very gospel or glad tidings is that the promise God made to the fathers has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Paul pointed this out in his sermon in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia.

Acts 13:32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Notice that Paul cites the promise made unto the fathers by quoting the “scriptures of the prophets.” Here is an example of the gospel being made known “by the scriptures of the prophets.” It is by comparing the scriptures of the prophets to the life and work of the Lord Jesus Christ that the gospel is preached. One sees this again and again in the gospel sermons recorded in the book of Acts.

Now the fascinating thing that I want to point out to you from Romans 16:25-26, is that this gospel that is made known by the scriptures of the prophets is “made known to all nations.” Now the only way this can happen is if those scriptures of the prophets are translated into the languages of those nations. This argues that other nations of other languages can, and indeed do, have the scriptures of the prophets. Otherwise, how could the gospel, which is preached by the scriptures of the prophets. be made known to them? The scriptures of the prophets are not limited to the language in which they were originally written. They can be translated and still be the scriptures of the prophets. If they are not the scriptures of the prophets, then the gospel can not be made known by them. And observe that this has happened according to the commandment of the everlasting God. It is the express commandment of God that His word be translated into other languages rather than being kept confined to the original languages in which it was first recorded.

That the same word of God can be communicated in different languages was proved on the day of Pentecost by the gift of tongues (Acts 2:4-11). Every man present that day heard the same message proclaimed “in his own language.” Now we no longer have this special gift of tongues as they did then. But this incident proves that the pure words of God can be communicated in different languages. God the Holy Spirit is not limited to any language in giving forth the word of God. He was involved in the original giving of the words of God by the prophets in the language in which they wrote. And He is involved in the translation of those words of God. So when you read the Old Testament in the A.V. 1611, you are reading the very scriptures of the prophets by which the gospel is made known. You do not need to resort to the original languages to have the scriptures of the prophets. You can know what David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets wrote just by reading your English Bible. And seeing those prophecies fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, you behold the glad tidings, the very gospel of God. Blessed be His holy name! God willing, we shall have more to say about this next time.

The Inspiration of the Scriptures, Part 2

This week I continue to present edited excerpts of my response to the pastor who had questions regarding the inspiration of the A.V. 1611. Having called the A.V. “God’s purified, inspired word for an English-speaking world,” I wrote:

And that brings me to this point: God Himself tells us that His words go through a purification process.

Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Observe that this passage connects the purification process with the preservation of God’s words. There is a reason for this process. You see, even when the New Testament was in the process of being delivered, the word of God was already being corrupted.

2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

According to this verse there was a lot of corrupting going on since many were doing it. Since corruptions manage to get into the text of God’s word, a purification process is necessary to get them out. And Psalm 12:6-7 clearly teaches God uses more than one purification in the process. This could explain the several English translations leading up to the A.V. To be sure, God could do the purifying all at once. But that is not how He has chosen to do it. You will have to ask Him why this is the case. I just accept what He said about it. And for the reasons I have already cited, I accept the A.V. 1611 as the seven-times purified words of God.

Now the question arises as to what English-speaking Christians had before they had the A.V.? This question is really akin to the question: What do Christians, who do not speak English, do for a Bible? For example, I have a copy of Luther’s translation of the Bible in German, which I have read with the exception of the Apocrypha inserted between the testaments. It is written in the old German Buchstabe. I can attest that it does not measure up to the A.V. is all respects. In fact, I once had a correspondence with a German preacher regarding the subject of divine sovereignty. One of my main proof texts in the English, Psalm 76:10, is so off in Luther’s German Bible that I could not use it to prove my point. To make my point, I simply translated the verse from the A.V. into German and left it to God to do with it what He would believing that I was giving this man the word of God in German. I have looked at other German translations and they do not even measure up to Luther. So what are Germans to do? The same could be said for many other languages. My take on it is that when the German Bible says the same thing in German as the A.V., then that much of it is God’s pure word and God can use it. I find it interesting that God did not use Germany as He used England in spreading the gospel throughout this earth. Could that have something to do with the respective Bibles of those countries?

While addressing this question of the English-speaking Christians before the advent of the A.V., let me pose another question. Both questions will be answered in my reply. The afore-mentioned preacher, who was contending for the Geneva, asked me this: If the Geneva Version was the word of God in English, then what about the prohibition to add to the word or to take away from the word (REV 22:18-19)? Did the A.V. add to or take away? Good question! First, one need not have the entire Bible in order to have the word of God. A single word from the mouth of God is as much His word as all the words He has spoken put together. For example, the patriarch Abraham most certainly had the word of God, even though he did not have the entire revelation of God as it stood complete after the ministry of the apostles of Jesus Christ. If all I had access to was the gospel of John, I would have the word of God and would be responsible for the knowledge I gain from that much of the divine revelation. Therefore, if I were to simply print one book of the Bible or a few verses of the Bible on a tract, I would still be giving out the word of God. I am giving out the word of God when I cite various passages in a sermon, but I am by no means quoting every single word God ever said. See my point? In other words, if only a portion of the word of God is given out, this does not mean that the word of God itself has necessarily been taken from or added to. Adding to or taking from refers to tampering with the pure text itself so as to make it say what one wants it to say. An example of the crime described in REV 22:18-19 would be the modern versions deleting the word firstborn from Matthew 1:25 or leaving 1John 5:7 out of the text. Secondly, the A.V. is the book that God has most abundantly used to produce the effect that He says His word produces, as I showed above. It is for this reason that I judge all versions against this one. I cannot base my judgments on a Bible I have never read. I do not know either Hebrew or Greek. To be able to read the Bible with clear understanding in those languages would require mammoth effort. Being a student of foreign languages, I know whereof I speak. Furthermore, I have never read where God requires me to know those languages in order to know His word. Believing the A.V. to be the pure words of God in English, I conclude that any version that says the same things that the A.V. says, has that much of the word of God in it. Insofar as the Geneva says what the A.V. says, it is God’s pure, inspired word. And God blesses His word and it accomplishes His purposes (Isaiah 55:11). It may well be that because the English-speaking believers were faithful to the stock of the divine revelation that they had, God gave them His complete revelation in a thoroughly purified form. Any portions that they did not have, God, who preserved them, could bring them forward to the translators just as the word of God was brought forward in Josiah’s day after it had been tucked away in the temple (2 Kings 22:8). The Scriptures teach that God gives increased knowledge to those who are faithful with the knowledge that they have (Matthew 13:12; Proverbs 1:5; 2:1-7).

For me the question is: What Bible has God given to me? I am not responsible to answer for what God has done or does with other people in other times and climes. That is His business. He can give them whatever He wants, as much as He wants, for as long as He wants, to accomplish what He wants. My calling is to follow Him and to do that I need His direction. For my part, I am satisfied that I have that direction in the A.V. 1611. I seek no more.

Finally, the entire issue revolves around whether there is an absolute, final authority to which appeal can be made and against which all others can be weighed. The A.V. unmistakably bears God’s seal as being that authority by virtue of the use God has made of it and its fruits. It bears the insignia that God Himself described in the Book that proves it to be the Book God wants us to have in our language. A faithful adherence to the A.V. will confirm this fact abundantly.

The Inspiration of the Scriptures, Part 1

I recently had some questions posed to me by a pastor who had some problems with ministers such as I myself, who say that the Authorized or King James Version of 1611 is an inspired translation of the word of God. I will not list what his issues were. Suffice it to say that some of them were addressed in my response. For today’s meditation, I am going to give you edited excerpts of my response to him in the hope that they may confirm your faith in the inspiration of the Bible you read and believe, the A.V. 1611. Following are the excerpts from my letter.

First of all, any position any man takes regarding the inspiration of the Scriptures, he takes based on a Bible he has in his hand. For example, men quote 2 Timothy 3:16 as proof that only the original autographs of Scripture were inspired. But notice. They take this position regarding a book they never saw and they never read based on a statement in a book they did see and read. But when I read the A.V. 1611 I note that its words on the page I am reading call themselves the Scriptures or the words of God. Therefore, I read them as just that, the Scriptures and the words of God. And when those Scriptures say of themselves that they are given by inspiration of God, I take them at face value. I read those very words on the page in English as given to me by inspiration of God. I receive the words on the pages of an A.V. 1611 as the very word of God, and not as the word of men about the word of God. These are not merely the words of the A.V. translators. They are the words of God. And receiving these words as they are in truth, the word of God, they work effectually in me and in those to whom I preach them when they also receive them that way (1Thessalonians 2:13). It all boils down to this: Do I have the inspired words of God in the A.V. 1611? If not, then what do I have? Is it only a translation of the inspired words? Does translation destroy inspiration? Because words are translated, do they cease to be the words of the speaker who spoke them? When Pilate’s writing was placed on the cross in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (John 19:20-22), were they not all equally his words?

As for the A.V. 1611 that I hold in my hand and read, I have found no provable error or contradiction in it. Wherever it can be verified historically and scientifically, I find that it is always telling me the truth. When I look at the history of its usage, I find that it bears the fruits of the word of God in glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14), in evangelism (Colossians 1:5-6), and in Christian growth (1 Peter 2:2). I find its verses effective in resisting Satan (Ephesians 6:17). The effects of the words of wisdom are clearly outlined in Proverbs 8:1-21. I see these effects flowing from the A.V. 1611. The Bible I read has, to my knowledge, never deceived me or let me down. I have absolutely no reason to doubt that it is the very words of God to me.

As for the so-called revisions of the A.V. 1611, I would refer you to an article written by David Reagan entitled KJV 1611 “The Myth of Early Revisions.” You can google that title and it will appear. I think Mr. Reagan fairly deals with this issue. An update in spelling or a correction of a typographical error is not the same as a revision or a new translation. Updating the spelling of the A.V. and correcting its typographical errors are quite a different process than the translators were engaged in when they originally put out the A.V. Updating spelling and correcting typos of an existing work are not translating that work.

You raise the issue of the Geneva Bible. I had this issue raised with me many years ago by a pastor in Louisiana who wanted to argue for the superiority of the Geneva Version. One of his objections to the A.V. 1611 was the usage of the word Easter in Acts 12:4. Apparently the Geneva Version he had used the word Passover. I have in my possession a valuable work entitled English Hexapla. It contains the following versions of the New Testament side by side: Wycliffe - 1380, Tyndale - 1534, Cranmer - 1539, Geneva – 1557, Rheims - 1582, Authorized – 1611. I am very blessed to have this gem in my library. I pointed out to him that the Geneva Version that I had also used the word Easter in Acts 12:4. That pretty well shot his argument.

Now let’s address the issue of the inspiration of the Scriptures. Here is the proof text:

2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

First off, notice that Timothy had known the holy scriptures from a child, which argues that he had been exposed to them. Now it is obvious that whatever Timothy was exposed to, it had to have been copies. After all, he could not have read the original autograph of Moses’ law as that was put in the ark of the covenant and no one was allowed to even look into the ark (1 Samuel 6:19). Besides, Timothy’s father was a Greek (Acts 16:1). There is no way the Jews would have allowed any original autographs of their sacred writings to be in the home of a Greek. So Timothy obviously came to know the holy scriptures from copies. And, yet, notice! This is critical. Whatever Timothy had been exposed to and had come to know, was called in verse 15 the holy scriptures. Then in the very next verse Paul clearly states that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” Would not all scripture include the holy scriptures that Timothy had? Obviously it would. Therefore, it follows that the holy scriptures that Timothy had access to were given by inspiration of God since all scripture is so given. From this we may conclude that the process of inspiration of the scriptures not only includes the writing of the original autographs by their authors, but also the transmission of those writings in copies. And considering the promise of Christ that His gospel would be published among all nations (Mark 13:10), this process includes translating as well. That word publish is interesting considering its modern usage. Might the Holy Spirit have been anticipating something?

In 1588 England defeated the Spanish armada and went on to become the major sea-power of the world. England set up colonies around the globe so that it was said: “The sun never sets on the British flag.” Then God gave His purified text in 1611. And where Britain went, the A.V. 1611 went. And following from these two events English has become the international language of this earth. The A.V. is God’s purified, inspired word for an English speaking world.

I will let this suffice for today. God willing, I will continue this in our next meditation.

Power in Unity, Part 2

In our last meditation we wrote about the power of unity as it pertains to persons working together such as families, churches, companies, athletic teams, armies, etc. Today I wish to apply this principle to individuals.

In order for us to perform effectively, we need to be united within ourselves. The following passage makes this point quite clear:

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

True to form, let’s define a couple of key terms in this passage.

Waver – Of persons, their sentiments, etc.: To exhibit doubt or indecision; to change or vary; to fluctuate or vacillate (between); to falter in resolution or allegiance; to show signs of giving way.

Double-minded - Having two minds; undecided or wavering in mind.

The thoughts of a double-minded man bounce around from thing to thing. He lacks focus. He has trouble making up his mind and settling on a course of action. He is not united within himself. Instead of controlling his thoughts, he allows circumstances and impulses to toss his mind to and fro like the wind tosses a wave of the sea. His mind is always moving in first one direction and then in another. And having such a wavering mind, he is unstable in all his ways. Unstable things and people lack strength. They cannot be relied on. You see, there is power in unity. When one is not united within himself, he lacks personal power; he is unstable. And this instability effects all his ways, as James said.

In order to be effective in accomplishing a task, we need to be focused on that task. Distractions interfere with accomplishment. This brings us back to what I preached about last Sunday with respect to growing in knowledge. In order to acquire knowledge, we need to concentrate on what we are trying to learn. Note the definition of concentrate.

Concentrate – To bring to or towards a common centre; to collect or gather as at a centre; to cause to converge or meet at one point or place.

When we concentrate with our minds we cause our thoughts to focus on one thing. We are uniting our thoughts around one task. If we are concentrating when we pray to God, read the Bible, or listen to a sermon, we are focusing our mind on that activity alone and we are not allowing our thoughts to wander from it. We are not concentrating if we are distracted by noise, emotions, or impulses. Such distractions must be eliminated or at least ignored if we are to concentrate. The uniting of our thoughts gives us the power to accomplish the task before us. It is the power of unity in action.

Let me again give you a quote I cited once before in a meditation I did on listening. This quote comes from an article entitled Improving Your Memory: Tips and Techniques for Memory Enhancement. This article can be found by going to www.helpguide.org and typing in the title. Here’s the quote:

New information enters your brain along pathways between neurons in the appropriate area of the brain. The key to encoding information into your memory is concentration; unless you focus on information intently, it goes “in one ear and out the other.” This is why teachers are always nagging students to pay attention! If you’ve concentrated well enough to encode new information in your brain, the hippocampus sends a signal to store the information as long-term memory.

While a double-minded man is unstable, the man who is not double-minded is effective. An excellent example of such a man is found in the following passage:

1 Chronicles 12:33 Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.

These warriors from the tribe of Zebulun were expert at what they did. An army of expert soldiers is a powerful force to be reckoned with. And critical to their expertise was the fact that they were “not of double heart.” Their thoughts and intents were focused on the task at hand. Each warrior was united within himself and focused upon his task. And together they were all focused on the same objective. This is the power of unity.

So unity of heart is essential to being effective in performing any task. It gives us personal power for performance. But nowhere is this more essential than in the task of serving God. You cannot serve God effectively without being united within yourself. Your thoughts and intents must all be focused on one end and that is to become what God wants you to be and so to glorify Him in all things. This being so, we can better appreciate the following prayer found in the Psalms:

Psalms 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Was the apostle Paul a powerful man? Consider how powerfully his life and ministry impact us even to this day. But Paul was also a man unified within himself as his own testimony bears out:

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus..

“This one thing I do.” How is that for being focused? That is why Paul was so effective.

Once you make the decision to become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to remain focused on that alone. You need a united heart centered on that goal. Let everything else in your life be arranged around that single purpose. Let there be no looking back or being distracted from that aim. I close with the following passages:

Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Deuteronomy 5:32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Power in Unity, Part 1

I have just emerged from a six-week marathon, as I called it, of busyness. I am hoping that things will slow down now and I can return to my more normal activities, one of which is sending you these meditations.

I have been rereading the excellent work by Gail Riplinger entitled In Awe of Thy Word. I was impressed by the following comments she made regarding the power of unity. This quotation is found on pages 488-489 of her book:

The multiplying of languages by God at Babel was the result of sin. There is power in unity. God said, “they have all one language…and now nothing will be restrained from them” (Gen. 11:6). There is unity and power for good when we have one Bible and one final authority. The devil tries to dispel that power by creating numerous conflicting editions. The wicked speak with multiplied “mouths” (i.e. Jer. 44:25, Lam. 3:46. Dan. 6:22, Titus 1:11). The men (plural) of God speak with “one mouth” (singular) (Rom. 15:6). In I Kings 22:13 “the prophets declare…with one mouth.” Luke 1:70 says, “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets.” Acts 3:18 repeats, “the mouth of all his prophets.”

To this I will add Paul’s admonition, which Gail Riplinger also cited:

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

There is power in unity both for good and for evil. Matthew Henry made the following comment respecting the power in unity:

As in a bundle of rods, they may be of different lengths and different strength; but, when they are tied together by one bond, they are stronger than any, even than the thickest and strongest was of itself.

As I am sure all of you can attest, unity is essential to the effective operation of anything, whether it be a marriage, a family, a company, an athletic team, a kingdom, or an army. Have you ever tried to coach or manage a group of people that did not work together as a team? If you have, then you know what I am talking about. Our Lord Himself taught this principle.

Matthew 12:25 …Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

Even Satan’s kingdom understands and acts on the principle of power in unity. That is why Satan works overtime to bring division in a church. He knows that by this means he can weaken the church and thus more easily destroy it. Satan’s kingdom also manifests unity in its opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ and His people.

Revelation 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Psalms 83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

Under other circumstances, these various nations might have been warring against each other. But when it came to opposing God’s Israel, they displayed amazing unity. They united together so as to mount a more powerful campaign against God’s people. Thanks be to God, as in the case of the enterprise at Babel, God intervenes and blocks Satan’s efforts. Otherwise, this world would long since have become the unchallenged domain of Satan in which the cause of God could not survive.

This principle of power in unity explains why church members are constantly called to unity in the New Testament. I could cite numerous such exhortations. A church that is united in the truth of Christ with every member yielding to the single authority of the same Bible is a formidable force for good in this earth. A unified church is effective in prayer, has a bold witness with great power, and great grace is upon it, as the following example demonstrates:

Acts 4:23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Observe in this passage that Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were united together against the Lord’s Christ. Their attempt to destroy the Lord’s Christ failed miserably as God by the death of His Christ redeemed His elect and then God raised Him from the dead. And now the forces of evil were uniting against the followers of Christ. Peter and John had just been released from the Jewish court having been threatened and commanded not to teach or preach in the name of Jesus. Undaunted by the threat, Peter and John returned to the disciples, who joined together in one accord to call upon God to bless their witness. God so empowered this body of believers that the effect of their bold witness is felt to this good day. Yes, believers, there is power in unity. I shall have more to say about this in another meditation, God willing. I close today with the words of Paul to the Philippians. Observe that a unified church is powerful. It is “in nothing terrified.”

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

Yield Yourselves

At long last I now have a new computer. I wish to thank all of you that responded to my inquiry as to the readers of my blog. I was quite surprised to learn of how many there are of you that read and profit from these meditations. Therefore, I am encouraged to continue with this project. But please be advised that the next six weeks are going to be quite hectic for me. I have three trips that I will be taking, a big weekend with the church here, and a wedding to perform. So do not look for these meditations to be very regular during this period of time.

For my daily Bible reading I have been going through the book of 2 Chronicles. Today I came across this passage that I would like to make some comments on:

2 Chronicles 30:8 Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.

May I suggest that you read 2 Chronicles 30 to get the setting of what I wish to present. The words I have cited were found in the letters that King Hezekiah and his princes sent “throughout all Israel and Judah” calling the people to come “to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jersualem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written.” Prior to this, their fathers had been rebellious against God and, as a result, had been given up to desolation. In calling the people to come to keep the passover at Jerusalem, the people were called to yield themselves to God.

Yield – To surrender, give way, submit.

For the people to come up to Jerusalem to keep this feast would be an act of surrender, of submission to God. By their yielding themselves to God, the Lord would turn away the fierceness of His wrath from them. It is interesting to note that yielding to God is placed in contrast to being stiffnecked.

Stiffnecked – Obstinate, stubborn, inflexible, haughty.

Their fathers had been stiffnecked. As a result, God had been at war with them and had brought them to desolation.

The verse we are considering connects yielding to God with entering His sanctuary and serving Him. Under the Old Testament that meant coming up to the temple of God in Jersusalem to observe the passover according to the instructions of the law. For us today who live under the New Testament it means coming to the church of God, the assembly of the saints, to keep the ordinances given to the church to observe in the New Testament. You see, coming to church should be an act of surrendering ourselves to God, of submission to His will. To fail to do this is an act of stubbornness. If the attitude of surrender is missing from our service, then it will not be acceptable to God. When speaking of the service of ministering to the saints, Paul commended the believers in Macedonia (2 Corinthians 8:1-6). They had given abundantly to minister to the saints and they had done so with abundant joy. The key to this joyful service can be found in the attitude with which they approached it.

2 Corinthians 8:5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

You see, service to God begins with the surrender of ourselves to Him. Yielding ourselves to the Lord our God comes first. Only then will we find joy in His service. Nobody, who enters into the service of God begrudgingly, enjoys it. Such service brings no delight to God and no joy to the soul.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

So when you come to church, do so with the attitude of one who is surrendering himself to God. It is according to our sinful nature to be rebels. If you are stiffnecked and rebel against God, you are going to have a battle with Him. And He will win! He is a lot stronger than you are. So the best thing to do is give up the fight.

Are you in a state of desolation today? Examine yourself for some area of your life in which you are being stiffnecked. Yield yourself to God and enter into His sanctuary and serve Him. Do this and you will find that instead of the misery of desolation, you will experience great joy as did those souls in Hezekiah’s day, who yielded themselves to God, entered His sanctuary, and served Him.

2 Chronicles 30:25 And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced.

26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.

Reason for No Blogs

I have been without my own computer for about a month and a half. I have a new one, but it has yet to be installed in my study owing to circumstances that cannot be controlled. Therefore, I have not been posting any meditations.

In addition, I have had a suspicion that the blog is not read by that many people. It has been several weeks since I posted a meditation, yet only four people have commented about not receiving them. This only confirms my suspicion.

Please understand that I am not offended by this. I realize that people are bombarded with e-mails and other information to sift through. With so much stuff to sort through, my blog can easily become just one more thing to read. If it becomes burdensome to read, then the benefit of it is greatly reduced. My ministry got on well before the blog and can get on well without it.

Now my suspicion may not be correct. One way to find out is if you let me know you read the meditations on my blog and would like to continue receiving them. Of course, if few people are reading the blog, I will receive few replys. And with that I will have my answer.

God be praised for any blessing my blog has been to you up to now. And, blog or no blog, may our Lord Jesus Christ be praised.

The Eternal Destiny of Our Loved Ones

All Christians have loved ones who show no Scriptural evidence of being eternally saved. Our loved ones may be good people, as men judge goodness, but yet show no love for the Lord Jesus Christ, His word, His church, or His service. We may have tried to witness to them only to find them indifferent, resistant, or downright hostile to our efforts. They love us and we love them. We may have or have had a close relationship with them. But we wonder where they go when they die. For some, this causes great distress. I, too, have had loved ones, dearly loved ones, who have passed on. I do not know whether they are in heaven or hell. Yet I do not worry about this. Let me tell you why.

First of all, only God knows the hearts of all men.

1 Kings 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

Observe how Solomon in this prayer emphasizes that only God knows the hearts of all the children of men. We judge men by what they outwardly manifest in words and deeds. That is all we have to go on. But God, and only God, can see into someone’s heart. And it is in the heart that God begins His work of grace. If God has given a person a new heart, He sees that heart even though we may not. That changed heart can be within even though it may scarcely manifest itself without. Have you ever met someone that even though they were generally very worldly and ignorant of spiritual things, they showed at times what seemed to be a glimmer of spirituality? Maybe that glimmer was a little ray of light from an enlightened heart shooting out from beneath mounds of years of rebellion, resistance to past abuses, accumulated fears, and God knows what all. Or maybe it wasn’t a glimmer of spirituality at all. How do you know? You don’t! Only God knows.

Then our Saviour gave us the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). The parable presents a field with wheat and tares growing together. The wheat represents the children of the kingdom and the tares represent the children of the wicked one. The servants suggested to the householder that they go and gather the tares from among the wheat. But the householder rejected that suggestion. Let’s read what the householder said.

Matthew 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Our Lord then went on to explain that the harvest is the end of the world. It is at that time that the wheat and tares will be finally separated. If we try to distinguish them now, then we are apt to mistake wheat for tares. You see, sometimes the children of the kingdom can act so much like the children of the wicked one, that we might assume they are the children of the wicked one. So from this I think it wise to defer this judgment unto the harvest.

And then let us remember that we are still in this world very much caught up in the relationships and affections of this world. That is why it grieves us so much to think of our loved ones not being eternally saved. Have you ever noticed that you do not grieve so much over the unsaved loved ones of others? After all, how much sleep do you lose grieving over Esau, or Judas Iscariot, or the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah being in hell? That is because you do not have the natural affection for them that you have for your own. Consider these words of our Lord Jesus:

Luke 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Our earthly family relationships in this world result from the marriage of men and women. At least that is the Biblical norm for these relationships. But the marital relationship of this world does not carry over into the next world. We will not be related to one another there as we are here. Every child of God will be equally my brother in that world, whether or not he was my father, my spouse, my child, my brother, or my cousin in the flesh in this world. We get a glimpse into this relationship in the relationship we have with our brothers and sisters in the church, even though we have no tie to them by our earthly family. So when we get to the other world, we will not be related as we are here. Our relationships and affections will be totally transformed and we will view everyone saved or unsaved with the mind and affections of the glorified Son of God. Indeed, we will be like Him!

God is absolutely just in all that He does. If he sends one of my loved ones to hell, He is just in doing so. For that matter, if He sends me to hell He is just in doing so. And considering how completely I will be conformed to the image of the just God in that great day of His judgment, I am confident that I will have absolutely no problem with anything He does with any soul in that day. I’ll just be shouting “Allelujah” that I am on His side in the judgment (Revelation 19:1-4).

Lastly, let us ever remember that eternal salvation is by grace and not by works of righteousness that we or our loved ones have done (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:4-5). The salvation of a soul was determined in God’s election of grace. It was secured in the death of Christ for the elect by the grace of God. And it is applied by the Holy Spirit to the elect in regeneration by God’s effectual grace. Nothing but nothing that we do or fail to do has any effect on God’s saving grace. I have preached funerals of people I did not know. I had no evidence that these people were children of God. In these cases I preach the same gospel of grace that I preach over the most devout believers. I tell people that if God wants to save this soul, his bad works will not prevent God from saving him. And if God does not want to save this soul, his good works will not make God save him. Salvation is all of grace and none of works. On such occasions I refer to this verse:

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord (not you, not I, but the Lord) knoweth them that are his.

Well may we rest all of our concerns for our loved ones on this sure foundation. Did this meditation bless you?