Endurance or Indulgence?

 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

True or False:

-This has never happened to anyone else; False.

-There is no way out of this temptation; False.

-I can entice myself in my weakest temptation and still deny myself; False.

-I can search the Scriptures to help me, BEFORE and AFTER my temptation; TRUE.

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 2 Peter 1:3

-Jesus is the answer.  He is my Rescuer and Deliverer, and He has made a way of escape for me; TRUE.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Whenever I read 1 Cor. 10:13, the first person I think of is Joseph.  In Genesis 39 we read of how Potiphar's wife tempted Joseph to lie with her. This woman had set her eye on Joseph and literally threw herself at him.  When she first approached Joseph with such a scandalous request, he told her no.  He also reminded her that by doing such a wickedness that he would sin against God.  Joseph thought this situation had been dealt with, but the bible tells us in verse 10 of Genesis 39, that Potiphar's wife enticed Joseph daily!  She eventually even had the audacity to grab a hold of Joseph when there were no other men in the house.  What did Joseph do?  "...he fled and got him out." He RAN!

Sometimes the only way to escape temptation is to run.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, "Paul pointed to the One on whom the Corinthians could rely. The temptations that seized the Corinthians were like those that the people had always faced. They could be met and endured by depending on God, who is faithful.  Part of the Corinthian problem was that some in the face of temptation were not looking for a way by endurance, but a way in for indulgence." Walvoord & Zuck

Which brings me to another example.

"At a market, a little boy stood by a candy display, looking as if he was going to take some without paying. A clerk watched the boy and finally said, 'Looks like you're trying to take some candy.' The boy answered, 'Mister, I'm trying to NOT take any.'"  Anonymous

This may be a cute example of temptation, but it also shows that the longer you look at your temptation, the greater that temptation becomes!

It's our choice.

We can be like the little boy in the candy store and keep our temptation ever before us, or we can be like Joseph and RUN.

The way of escape isn't necessarily an easy way...

    but it's available...

        But that's just me!

If You Knew, What Would You Change?

"My times are in thy hand:" Psalm 31:15a

I saw a commercial the other day that was centered around a song called, 'Live Like You Were Dying,' by Tim McGraw, 2004.  It speaks of a young man who had heard heart-stopping news; he was dying.  So, what did he choose to do? Rather than sit home and have a pity party, he went out and did all the things he wanted to do to enjoy the time he had left.  He made sure that he, 'Loved deeper, spoke sweeter, gave forgiveness to the one he'd been denying, and then said, 'I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.'"

It really made me think.  What would I change in my life right now, if I was given the news that my life is ending?

I think the answer for the wicked would be to go out and live a life of wild, sinful activities; but for the saved, I think we would put things into better perspective and perhaps clean up and confess the sins that might have taken residence in our hearts for far too long.  Maybe we would treat our family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ with more love and forgiveness.  Maybe we would speak up for the cause of Christ more.

Or are we already living in such a way that brings honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ?  Am I already living in such a way that I would change nothing if I were told I would die tomorrow?

I would hope that would be true.

I began to search the Scriptures to see if there were any instances where God directly told someone that they would die on such a such day and how they would die.  

Hezekiah was such a man.  In 2 Kings 20:1 and Isaiah 38:1, Isaiah went to Hezekiah and told him to set his house in order because he was going to die.  When hearing such news, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and began to pray, and because he prayed and wept bitterly to the Lord, God heard his prayers and gave him 15 more years of life.

In Jeremiah 28:16 we are told of a false prophet by the name of Hananiah.  He was not a prophet sent from God, and he taught rebellion against the LORD.  His days were cut short, and he died that same year.

King Saul was told in 1 Samuel 28:19 that not only would he be with the Lord to morrow, but his sons also. It came to pass, just as God had told King Saul; He and his sons died the next day in the battle on Mount Gilboa against the Philistines.

Some people are given the opportunity to kind of know when they are reaching the end of their life through a slow sickness perhaps, and then there are others who die tragically by car accidents, storms in nature, or by the hand of evil people with no warning at all.

I think if we are really honest with ourselves, if we knew the exact date and time we were going to be called home, there would be things we would remove from our lives and things we would add to our lives; mostly those things that are of an eternal value and not an earthly value.

Erma Bombeck once said, 'When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything You gave me."'

I don't think I would want to know my time of death...

    but in the meantime, may my time not be wasted on myself...

        but on others, all for the glory of God...

            But that's just me!

" The nearer we live to God while we live, the more ready will be to dwell forever in His presence when we die." J.C. Ryle

Children

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Psalm 127: 3

When a criminal kills a pregnant woman, he is charged with two deaths.  Why, then, can women kill their own babies and not commit a crime?  

Because the crime has been legalized by a sin-sick society.  A society that is just as pagan as the society that used to burn their children as a sacrifice to the pagan God, Molech. (Deuteronomy 12:31, 18:10-12, Leviticus 18:21, 20:2-5)

I don't normally write about Politics, or our government, but when I read the headline in the News this morning, 'Democratic Governor Maura Healey of Massachusetts signs Bill allowing abortions up to birth,' I became sick.  A picture showed this governor surrounded by women applauding this decision; a group of women who have a total lack of instinctive family love or normal human warmth.  Women who have been given over to a reprobate mind, according to Romans 1:31.  A type of woman who identifies the wickedness in the last days, according to 2 Timothy 3:3.  

Even animals have more natural affection towards their children than some women in our society have today.

Society and women today...

     have forgotten that children are a gift from God....

          They don't just belong to the parents; they come from God....

             But that's just me!

🎵Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, THEY ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT, Jesus loves the little children of the world! 🎵

"Children are the touchstone of ourselves; when we see how we react to children, we see how we react to God." Oswald Chambers

Power-Washed

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

I didn't really notice the condition of our front porch until I opened our front door the other day to retrieve an Amazon package that had been delivered. (We generally use our side door to enter and exit our home.)  The wood was faded to gray with moss growing on most of the boards.  Years of weathered decay was finally becoming evident because of its lack of use.  At first, my husband wanted to replace all of the boards, but I asked him if I could try to power-wash it first.  With his 'Okay,' and with his assistance to get the power-washer all set up and ready to use, I began to power-wash the porch.  As I washed each board, an incredible thing began to happen.  The gray weathered dirt and moss began to peel off like old paint, and what it revealed underneath was beautiful, new wood.  Untouched and untainted by time. 

As I was watching this transformation I was reminded of a great transformation that takes place when a sinful heart turns to Christ for Salvation.  Of course, a sin-sick heart is a heart full of decay. It's not just on the surface; a sinful heart must be replaced with a new one. It needs to be replaced by Christ Alone.

For the believer, each time we confess our sin, Jesus promises to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness; not just on the surface, but thoroughly cleansed!  Untouched and untainted by sin.

Black hearts turn white as snow.

I wish I could show you 'before and after' pictures of my front porch.  The difference really is amazing.

How much more so, the results of a sinner's soul...

    Being washed clean...

        By the blood of Christ...?

            But that's just me!

  

Reflex

"And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the Ark of God."

2 Samuel 6:6-7

The first time David tried to move the Ark of God, it didn't go so well.  He chose to move it by his own way instead of the meticulous instructions made by God Himself.  No doubt David had good intentions, but good intentions are not the same thing as obedience; it was a costly mistake.

The Ark of God represented the presence of a Holy God; it was to be revered.

It's been said by some who have read these verses that Uzzah's death had been unfair.  Even David was displeased because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah, (verse 8), but sinful man cannot touch a Holy God.  Uzzah's reaction to the Ark falling from off of the cart was probably just a reflex; but God doesn't need man's help.

Webster defines reflex as an automatic and often inborn response to a stimulus that typically involves a nerve impulse passing inward from a receptor of a spinal cord and then passing outward from the spinal cord to an effector such as a muscle or gland without reaching the level of consciousness and often without passing to the brain.

In other words, Uzzah's response to the Ark of God falling off the cart, was an action performed without even thinking.

The more and more I thought about Uzzah's response to the falling Ark, the more and more I saw myself.

I immediately thought about the mechanics of worship.  

We all know the drill-

We get up on Sunday morning, put on our Sunday clothes, go to church, sing hymns, pray, listen to the preaching, come home, put on our every day clothes, eat lunch, do things around the house, and then do it all again for the evening service.

All by reflex.

All by mechanics.

All without thinking.

Just like moving the Ark, God has an intended way of worship.  Do I worship God as He deserves, or am I in a 'reflex mode' of worship that no longer has any thought behind it?

No reflex...

    No mechanics...

        Just true worship...

            But that's just me!

"Uzzah made a decision in a moment to disregard God's command and to do what seemed right to him. Even decisions made in a moment matter to God." Guzik

Half-Truth

"A half-truth is a deceptive statement that contains some true facts but leaves out crucial context or mixes in falsehoods to mislead people." Webster

I thought what was said was true. I had no reason not to believe what I had heard;

But then I heard the rest of the story.

Disappointment and heartache set in.  A relationship built on trust will now always be questionable.

I reached for my bible to see who else had been hurt by a half-truth.

"Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee."  Words of Abraham to Sarah, his wife because he feared Pharaoh.  

Genesis 12:13

"And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah." Genesis 20:2

Abraham spoke this same half-truth twice.  This lie hurt his wife, Pharaoh, Abimelech and Abraham himself.  His testimony was ruined before worldly leaders, and trust was severed with his wife.

Was Sarah Abraham's sister?

Yes.  But it was a half-truth.  They shared a father but had different mothers.  Abraham's lie put Sarah's life in danger and proved that Abraham feared man more than he trusted that God would take care of them.

"And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD." 1 Samuel 15:13  

Saul failed to completely obey God's command to destroy the Amalekites and all their livestock.  When Samuel confronted Saul concerning Saul's half-hearted obedience, (which really is disobedience) Saul spoke a half-truth.  Yes, Saul did go into battle and destroy most things, but he hid the fact that he intentionally spared King Agag and the best of the sheep and the cattle to keep for himself.

Why did Saul tell Samuel a half-truth?  Because he feared the people.  (1 Samuel 15:24)

Saul was rejected by God to be king, because of his disobedience.

"For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Words of the serpent to Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Genesis 3:5

This is probably the greatest half-truth of them all.  It caused Eve to ignorantly sin against God, and it caused Adam to willfully sin against God.  It was the fall that affected all mankind.

This half-truth revealed that yes, they would gain knowledge of good and evil, but Satan deceived them by not revealing the consequences of their disobedience against God:

Sin, shame and spiritual death.

We have all spoken half-truths.  If we think we haven't, we are just deceiving ourselves, but it was brought to my attention because of the hurt a half-truth caused me.  

Half-truths and secrets hurt; but they won't always be hidden and they won't always be secret.

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:14

"For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad." Words of Jesus, Luke 8:17

"For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops." Words of Jesus, Luke 12:2-3

"A half-truth masquerading as a whole truth becomes a complete untruth." J.I Packer

Charles Spurgeon, "Often warned that doctrinal errors and spiritual compromises rarely enter the church as naked lies; instead, they come dressed in the language of partial biblical truths to deceive believers."  

Friend...

    a half-truth is nothing but a whole lie...

        But that's just me!

Acknowledge Him

 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

The ladies in my bible study are beginning a new theme this month: Walking By Faith.  It's off to a great start!  Even though our first verses we are studying have been studied multiple times before, God showed me something new today.  I love that when it happens.  God's Word is alive!  This is what He showed me today...

vs 5-Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

•Trust in Who?

-The LORD!

•With what?

-ALL my heart!  It must be all or nothing.  There is no middle ground when it comes to trust.

 I can't try to make sense of something with my own understanding.  His ways are not my ways!  I must seek God's Word.

vs 6-In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

•In ALL.

-Every circumstance, every situation, in every trial, fear, joy and happiness.

•Acknowledge.

-To recognize the rights, authority or status of, to express gratitude or obligation for, to take notice of, to recognize as genuine or valid.

In other words, I must surrender to God's Will knowing that He is in control, He has the right to be in control, and He will never do me wrong, cause me harm or steer me in the wrong direction.  He always wants what is best for me.

But I did notice something new this morning, something I had not seen before.

•Paths

-Plural.

-Not 'path.' 

-PATHS.

For some reason, I had always read it as 'path.'  As if my life is one journey, one road.  It's not.  My life is made up of many decisions that lead me in different directions.  Some paths I remain on, some I leave.

Some paths are familiar, some are new, but this one thing is clear:  God promises that if I hand over the reins of my life, if I hand over the roadmap of 'my plans' and surrender to His will, He promises to direct my course.

He makes no mistakes...

    He will plan and lead me according to the purpose He has for me...

        He will not only direct my paths...He will clear the way for me...

            But that's just me!