Praying Pint

 

I am not sure who wrote this. I wish I would have written it down.

But this is the misery, the devil doth labour by all means as to keep out other things that are good, so to keep out of the heart, as much as in him lies, the thoughts of passing from this life into another world; for he knows, if he can but keep them from the serious thoughts of death, he shall the more easily keep them in their sins, and so from closing with Jesus Christ; as Job saith, ‘Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.’ Which makes them say to God, ‘Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways (Job 21:14). Because there is no fear of death and judgment to come, therefore they do put off God and his ways, and spend their days in their sins, and in a moment, that is, before they are aware, go down to the grave (Job 21:17). And thus it fared also with the man spoken of in Luke 12:20. The man, instead of thinking of death, he thought how he might make his barns bigger. But, in the midst of his business in the world, he lost his soul before he was aware, supposing that death had been many years off. But God said unto him, ‘Thou fool,’ thou troublest thyself about things of this life, thou puttest off the thoughts of departing this world, when this night thy soul shall be taken from thee; or, this night, they, that is, the devil, will fetch away thy soul from thee. And here it comes to pass, men’s not being exercised with the thoughts of departing this life, that they are, so unexpectedly to themselves and their neighbours, taken away from the pleasures and profits, yea, and all the enjoyments they busy themselves withal while they live in this world. And hence it is again, that you have some in your towns and cities that are so suddenly taken away

 

 

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

–Psalm 34:3

The unique mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. What does the local church do to carry out this mission?

Acts 2 describes the activities of the early church: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. . . . Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (vv. 42, 46–47).

Notice that the early church was “praising God” (v. 47). One activity of the local church is to worship God. Psalm 34:3 says, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” The purpose of worshiping together is to magnify God. To magnify something means to make it look bigger. But is it possible to make God bigger? Remember, size is a matter of perspective. For example, if you look up at the sky holding a nickel in front of your eye, that tiny nickel can block out the entire sun. In the same way, if we focus on the problems we are bombarded with every day, those problems can block out our view of God. So there needs to be a time each week when we come together with other Christians to magnify God. When we lay aside the concerns that are blocking our view of God and turn our focus back to Him, He regains His proper place and proper size in our lives. That is the purpose of worship.

The local church also comes together for instruction. Acts 2:42 says the early Christians “devot[ed] themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” Today, we don’t have any apostles to teach us, but their teaching has been deposited in the Bible. And God has given every church a pastor to teach the Word of God. Ephesians 4:11 says, “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.” In Greek, “pastors and teachers” is one word: pastor-teachers. The pastor’s primary job is to teach the Word of God. Yes, we are to read and study God’s Word for ourselves, but that’s no substitute for sitting under the instruction of somebody who has been gifted by God to proclaim the truth of His Word. (D. Jeremiah)

 

Psalms 100:1-4  A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

 

Our Lord would have all his people rich in high and happy thoughts concerning his blessed person. Jesus is not content that his brethren should think meanly of him; it is his pleasure that his espoused ones should be delighted with his beauty. We are not to regard him as a bare necessary, like to bread and water, but as a luxurious delicacy, as a rare and ravishing delight. To this end he has revealed himself as the “pearl of great price” in its peerless beauty, as the “bundle of myrrh” in its refreshing fragrance, as the “rose of Sharon” in its lasting perfume, as the “lily” in its spotless purity.

As a help to high thoughts of Christ, remember the estimation that Christ is had in beyond the skies, where things are measured by the right standard. Think how God esteems the Only Begotten, his unspeakable gift to us. Consider what the angels think of him, as they count it their highest honour to veil their faces at his feet. Consider what the blood-washed think of him, as day without night they sing his well deserved praises. High thoughts of Christ will enable us to act consistently with our relations towards him. The more loftily we see Christ enthroned, and the more lowly we are when bowing before the foot of the throne, the more truly shall we be prepared to act our part towards him. Our Lord Jesus desires us to think well of him, that we may submit cheerfully to his authority. High thoughts of him increase our love. Love and esteem go together. Therefore, believer, think much of your Master’s excellencies. Study him in his primeval glory, before he took upon himself your nature! Think of the mighty love which drew him from his throne to die upon the cross! Admire him as he conquers all the powers of hell! See him risen, crowned, glorified! Bow before him as the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the mighty God, for only thus will your love to him be what it should. (Spurgeon)

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To intentionally choose to continually grow and mature our entire lifetime in our understanding and knowledge of God’s Word will just begin to scratch the surface of God’s grace, mercy, love, and the worthiness of Jesus Christ.  Thus, we do well to strive to honor and glorify Him in all of our thoughts, words, and actions more and more every waking moment of our lives.

 

 

Gal 5:16-17  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

 Galatians 5:25    If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

 Galatians 6:8     For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

 Romans 8:4-5     in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

 Romans 8:12-14    So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

 1 Peter 1:22      Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

 1 Peter 4:6    For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

 Jude 1:19-21    It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.  But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,  keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

How do we recognize what is heavenly and what is worldly within the moments of each day?

 Worldly (Fruits of sin):  lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – not content, complacency and neglect of God’s Word, joyless, worry, fear, anger, tossed to and fro with every new doctrine, without peace, restless, unkind, unhelpful, blind to the needs of others, not displaying love to others, judgmental, quick to anger, self-indulged, deaf to the leading of the Holy Spirit, void of God’s Word, always chasing after something new, gossiping, lacking self-control, sharp tongue, selfish ambition, envy, disobedient,  ……….

Heavenly (Fruits of the Holy Spirit): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Complacency, neglect, fleshly desires, and busyness are real threats to the hearts and minds of each of us. 

“Without the renewed mind, we will distort the Scriptures to avoid their radical commands for self-denial, and love, and purity, and supreme satisfaction in Christ alone.” — (John Piper)

“Sanctification begins with spiritually renewing the mind, that is, changing how we think.” –  (John MacArthur)

“Most of all, let the Word of God fill you and renew your mind every day. When our minds are on Christ, Satan has little room to maneuver.” — (Billy Graham)

“Satan’s target is your mind, and his weapons are lies. So fill your mind with the Word of God.” (John Broger)

“You are commanded to put aside the sinful practices of your old self, to be changed by a renewing of the mind, and to put on Christlike practices of your new self. Memorizing God’s Word is foundational to that process.” (John Broger) 

Rom 12:1-2  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
Colossians 3:15

Nicky Cruz, saved from a New York gang, attended Bible college and struggled with his future. Each night he would pray, “Please show me what to do next.” One night while lying on the floor and praying, Nicky sensed a calm come into his heart. He felt the Lord’s presence, as though Christ was saying, “Nicky, my son, don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten you…. I have plans for you.” From that moment, Nicky knew the Lord wanted him to become an evangelist, a role he has been fulfilling for nearly sixty years.

When we come to Christ, we have peace with God. Then when we make difficult decisions, we have peace from God to help us. Whenever there are two or more options, when all other things are equal and we don’t know what to do, we can pray! As we pray, we often sense an inner conviction in our heart. The Lord whispers to us saying, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

If you’re facing a dilemma or decision today, ask God to whisper His wisdom to your heart as part of His matchless guidance. (D. Jeremiah)

With fear and trembling we must rely upon God for guidance in the inner depths.

 

 Romans 8:29    For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

 Hebrews 12:2-3    looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

 1 Peter 4:2   so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God

No one can dispute that our world is challenging, difficult, and dark. Yet this is precisely the time that God has appointed us to communicate Christ to others by whatever means necessary. God reaches people for His kingdom through you and me. He calls us to trust Him and say, “Lord, here I am. Use me.”

Your God is intimately acquainted with you and wants to reveal your part in what He is doing on the earth. But perhaps you are fearful to answer His call because you’ve never experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in ministering to others. Or you’ve not yet discovered the spiritual gift He tailor-made for you.  If so, ask Him, “What gift, or gifts, are mine to use for Your glory? How can I strengthen the body of Christ? And in what ways am I to be a witness of Your saving grace to the lost?” Then, boldly step out in faith.

When believers actively use their spiritual gifts, the Bible goes from theoretical to practical, accompanied by joyfully terrifying times of relying solely on the Holy Spirit’s power to accomplish His purposes. And in those God-ordained moments, He fills His people with joy, exuberance, and nearly boundless energy because they are His hands and feet in a world that desperately needs Jesus.

Did Jesus love? Yes. Was Jesus a servant? Yes. Did Jesus seek the lost? Yes. As Christ-followers, we must also be and do these things “because as He is, so are we in this world.”  (Hibbs)

 

 

And you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

“Are you saved?” I suppose this question is asked thousands of times each day, and often both the questioner and the questioned don’t think about what it means. To be “saved” tells us there is some danger, some peril, to be rescued from. It doesn’t make sense to speak of being “saved” from nothing. If a lifeguard asks a struggling swimmer, “can I rescue you?” it makes sense. If a lifeguard asks a swimmer in no trouble if they want to be rescued, the question seems out of place.

When it comes to religious or spiritual salvation, what are people saved from? What endangers humanity so much that God would send His Son to rescue them?

One thing the Bible says God’s people are rescued from sin. When the angel Gabriel told Joseph that Mary was chosen of God to miraculously conceive and bear the Messiah, the angel gave him specific instructions concerning His name: And you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. 1 John 3:5 explains: you know He was manifested to take away our sins. Jesus came to rescue us from sin.

We need to be saved from our sins. Our sin puts us in great danger. It is our sin that separates us from God, distorting and defacing His image in us. It makes us guilty before His court of justice. Sin ruins our relationships among other people. In one sense, the very root of sin is selfishness. That self-seeking, self-willed desire infects every aspect of man’s being and world in one way or another.

Before his career in politics, Abraham Lincoln was a prominent citizen of Springfield, Illinois. One day, his neighbors heard Lincoln’s children screaming in the street. Alarmed, one of the neighbors rushed out of his house, and found Lincoln there with his two sons, both of whom were crying uncontrollably. “Whatever is the matter with those boys, Mr. Lincoln?” he asked. “Just what’s the matter with the whole world,” answered Lincoln, with a note of sorrow in his voice. “I’ve got three walnuts, and each boy wants two of them.”

Lincoln’s remark has the ring of truth about it. The source of almost every evil in the world is self-willed desire. God’s plan is to change our hearts from self-interest and to give us access to the power we need to defeat sin. Jesus came to rescue us from sin and the tyranny of self will by His plan of grace.

Have you received God’s grace today, to make you less of a self-willed person? Go to Jesus and ask for His grace. You don’t deserve it, but grace is given without looking to our deserving. Through Him we have received grace (Romans 1:5). He can save you from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, and ultimately, from the presence of sin. (Guzik)

 

 

The Bible is a veritable mine of information on the fact of God’s faithfulness. More than 4,000 years ago He said: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22). Every year furnishes us with fresh evidence that He has not gone back on His Word. In Genesis 15:13-14God declared to Abraham: “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and ill-treated four hundred years. But – afterwards they will come out with great possessions.” Did that happen? Exodus 12:41 says: “At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt.” The prophet Isaiah predicted that a virgin should conceive and bear a son whose name would be Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). Centuries later the prediction came to pass. In Galatians 4:4 we read: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman –.” I wish I had the space to take you through the pages of Scripture and show you how faithful God has been to His Word. But you have a Bible for yourself; study it. Read it to know God. It is absolutely imperative that we who live in an age when unfaithfulness abounds, should acquaint ourselves with the fact of God’s faithfulness. This is the basis of our confidence in Him. And this is why the Bible fairly bulges with this great and gripping truth. The more of God’s truth we pack into our souls, the better equipped we are for the road that lies ahead.

Gracious and loving Father, the more I learn about Your nature and character the more I want to know. Just these glimpses I am getting set my soul on fire to know You more intimately. Take me deeper, dear Lord. (Hughes)

 

 

Heb 9:16-28   For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.  Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,  so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

There is a strange power about the very name of blood, and the sight of it is always affecting. A kind heart cannot bear to see a sparrow bleed, and unless familiarized by use, turns away with horror at the slaughter of a beast. As to the blood of men, it is a consecrated thing: it is murder to shed it in wrath, it is a dreadful crime to squander it in war. Is this solemnity occasioned by the fact that the blood is the life, and the pouring of it forth the token of death? We think so. When we rise to contemplate the blood of the Son of God, our awe is yet more increased, and we shudder as we think of the guilt of sin, and the terrible penalty which the Sin-bearer endured. Blood, always precious, is priceless when it streams from Immanuel’s side. The blood of Jesus seals the covenant of grace, and makes it for ever sure. Covenants of old were made by sacrifice, and the everlasting covenant was ratified in the same manner. Oh, the delight of being saved upon the sure foundation of divine engagements which cannot be dishonoured! Salvation by the works of the law is a frail and broken vessel whose shipwreck is sure; but the covenant vessel fears no storms, for the blood ensures the whole. The blood of Jesus made his testament valid. Wills are of no power unless the testators die. In this light the soldier’s spear is a blessed aid to faith, since it proved our Lord to be really dead. Doubts upon that matter there can be none, and we may boldly appropriate the legacies which he has left for his people. Happy they who see their title to heavenly blessings assured to them by a dying Saviour. But has this blood no voice to us? Does it not bid us sanctify ourselves unto him by whom we have been redeemed? Does it not call us to newness of life, and incite us to entire consecration to the Lord? O that the power of the blood might be known, and felt in us this day! (Spurgeon)

 

Isa 26:3-4  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Psalms 85:8    Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

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

 John 16:33     I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

 Philippians 4:7    And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Isaiah 31:1     Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!

 Psalms 9:10     And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

 Jeremiah 17:7-8   “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”