Posts Tagged "Bible"
The Lamb Is Worthy
As an Old Testament believer, if you wanted to be touched by God, you would bring a lamb to the Temple. There, the priests would carefully inspect and scrutinize it for any spot or blemish. It was not the worshiper who was judged. It was the lamb. Herein lays a fabulous truth. You see, I can be guided by the Father tonight; I can be led by the Father tomorrow. I can expect to receive abundant life. I can look forward to His blessing upon me and upon my family. I can trust He will anoint my head with oil, that He will take care of the predators who are coming out to get me, that He will lead me through the valley of darkness.
I can expect a table set before me: I can expect to truly fellowship with God — not because of my spotlessness, but because the Lamb has been inspected and found perfect. Worthy is the Lamb. I can receive blessing tonight not because I’ve come to church, not because I’ve read fifteen chapters in my Bible, not because I didn’t watch television. I enjoy the blessing of God upon my life solely because of the Lamb. “I lay down My life,” Jesus said. He didn’t say, you better lay down your life if you expect to be blessed.
While it is true that He would call us in discipleship to take up our cross daily and follow Him, my entry into the presence of the Father is not based upon who I am, what I do, or what I failed to do. It is based upon who He is, what He did on the Cross, and in the tomb. The Shepherd became a Lamb that we dumb sheep might know the Shepherd. Worthy indeed is the Lamb! He made it all possible!
“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.“ (John 10:17-18 KJV)
Read MoreFlashlights
Hey guys! What’s up?” I said as three young men came strolling towards me through the darkness. The smell of the Marijuana that they were smoking was nearly overpowering.
“I would like to invite you guys to join me for a Bible study this Sunday afternoon in the gym of the Care Center right behind the Pizza Hut at Washington and Rural. It’s a great place to get those important questions answered like, ‘Where are we going to go when we die,’ and ‘How should we live while we are here.’ What do you think?”
Ivan, Louis, and Raymond were interested. A guy telling them about the Bible was probably the last thing that was on their minds. Less than a block away, police were arresting a group of young men. The sounds of the city night were all around, and church and spiritual things seemed worlds away. However, it is into this world of darkness that we are called, and it is here that the light shines the brightest.
I remember as a young fellow, around 10 years old, that my folks took me to the Oregon Caves at Cave Junction. There was an eerie feeling about the place; cold, damp, and DARK! We continued to go down deeper into the ground until we came to a great big room about the size of the Gold Beach High School gym.
The guide explained all the interesting things about caverns . . . then, he said he wanted to show us something more. Folks, I was already scared; what more could he scare me with?
He proceeded to explain the power of “light.” He was going to shut off the lights . . . Right! It was already too dark! Then, he was going to strike a match and light up the whole room…uh-huh, yeh!
He did. That match illuminated that whole room, I kid you not; you could see every nook and cranny . . . even the far walls of that big room. What “power” that little match had!
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 KJV)
Have a nice day with your “flashlights.”
Read MoreThe Bible is the Book of the Ages
The Bible is the Book of the Ages – It’s Majesty is too grand for hasty observation.
Taking a few minutes each day to read a chapter is a good way to start. But we should also block out extended periods of time for exploring God’s Word and reflecting on what He is saying to us. The importance of spending much time with something of great value and beauty is illustrated by a quote from the National Geographic magazine about Carl Sharsmith, an 81 year old guide in Yosemite National Park.
“Carl was back at his tent quarters after a long afternoon with tourists. His nose was flaked white and red with sunburn; his eyes were watery, partly from age but also from hearing again an old question after a half century of summers in California’s Yosemite National Park. A lady tourist had hit him with a question where it hurt: “I’ve only got an hour to spend at Yosemite,” she declared. “What should I do? Where should I go?”
The old naturalist-interpreter-ranger finally found voice to reply. “Ah, lady, only an hour.” He repeated it slowly. “I suppose that if I had only an hour to spend at Yosemite, I’d just walk over there by the river and sit down and cry.”
A whole lifetime is not long enough to appreciate fully the beauty and learning and value of the Bible. That’s why we must take time to study its truths and make them real in our lives. Consider this:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31 KJV)
Read MoreThe Infallible Bible – Barometer
In September 1938, a man who lived on Long Island was able one day to satisfy a lifelong ambition by purchasing for himself a very fine barometer. When the instrument arrived at his home, he was extremely disappointed to find that the indicating needle appeared to be stuck, pointing to the sector marked “Hurricane.”
After shaking the barometer very vigorously several times, its new owner sat down and wrote a scorching letter to the store from which he had purchased the instrument, and on the following morning, on his way to his office in New York, he mailed the letter. That evening he returned to Long Island, to find not only the barometer missing, but his house also. The barometer’s needle had been right. There was a hurricane!
What the Bible points out is always true. People may think there is something wrong with what the Bible says, and they may write scorching letters to the faithful preachers of God’s Word. Still, the indications and predictions of the Bible will come to pass. Many of those who are angered by the truth will one day discover their grievous error. The storm of God’s final Judgment will strike, and all that they have will be swept into eternal destruction!
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” (Psalms 19:7-11 KJV)
Read MoreAn Outpouring Of God!
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20 KJV)
My heart is full as I write this. I just came from a prayer meeting initiated by the teenagers at our school that started at 12:20 (they skipped lunch and fasted) and went till 2:45 . What a wonderful time as our sophomores, juniors, and seniors poured out their heart to God asking him to give them more of a love for others and more fire and zeal for him. What a blessing as God’s presence came down and I was privileged to see them praise God, shout, run the aisles, and hug each other in an exuberance of love as well as doing some incredible praying during the prayer time. When it came time for class they were so involved in praying to God I doubt if they even had a clue it was time to go to class. I didn’t either till several minutes after class should have started. So I just canceled class, as did some other teachers and let them continue praying. Some things are just more important than others. It has been a long time since I have been in a prayer meeting just like that. When we were done, several of us just sat there totally drained physically while the spiritual part was going “WWWHHHEEEE!!!!!!”. No energy left. I had very little voice left either.
The idea for this prayer meeting started Saturday morning after a rock-a-thon on Friday night. The rock-a-thon went till 3 in the morning then they played some volleyball. After that we sat around and talked for a while. (I was the sponsor for the rock-a-thon). After I said we really needed to leave, they asked if we could read the bible and have a short devotional. I said sure. They got a Bible and God directed me to Psalm 47 and the first couple verses of Psalm 48. Those two verses make a nice chorus and we sang that. While we were singing the Lord came down and really filled the place. It wasn’t a hilarious, jump up and down time. We sat there quietly, basking in the almost overwhelming presence of a loving God. We sang a chorus softly about every 3 to 5 minutes but the rest of time we just sat, cried, and softly told God how much we loved Him. You didn’t want to be loud, it was just a time to be soft and quiet. That is the way that the Spirit was moving. That lasted for an hour then we spent another big section of time talking about spiritual things, praying, and singing. I’m not sure exactly how long that lasted. What I do know is we left the gym at 8:30 am . Exhausted in body, but thrilled in the soul. That night they set the plan up to meet for a prayer meeting Monday at noon . I agreed to join them. They didn’t have to twist my arm.
- Bill, A Christian College Teacher
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