It is certainly easier to ignore or condone sin than to forgive it. Doubtless, that is why the world adopts this stance.  Those who ignore or condone sin need make no judgment about the sinner.  Those who forgive hold him guilty, rebuke him, call him to repentance, and on confession of sin, promise never to bring up the matter again.  Forgivers, in contrast to condoners, become deeply involved with the sinner – at every point of his sin.  They seek to do him good at great cost to themselves.  Forgiving is not easy; it costs.

From Forgiven to Forgiving by Jay Adams

In this blog a lot of emphasis is put on reading the Bible. This is emphasized because ….faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).  Faith does not come by experience.  Experience (testings or trials) simply reveals whether or not we have faith. 

W.E. Vine defines faith as “a firm persuasion or conviction brought about by hearing.”  In order to be firmly persuaded about something, one must have understanding.  The Holy Spirit will give understanding and conviction from the Scriptures concerning man’s alienation from God, sin’s penalty, God’s mercy and His unspeakable gift of forgiveness and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

There are different kinds of faith.  The type of faith you have depends upon what you are listening to.  Saving faith comes from the doctrine of Christ as revealed in the Scripture.  Saving faith is based upon the merit of Christ and nothing else.  I need no other argument, I need no other plea.  It is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me.  Church tradition often gets in the way of the simple gospel message.

Superstition can be mistaken for faith.  Superstition can be biblical information without understanding.   Athletes often have Bible verses and crosses tattooed on their bodies, but the absence  of spiritual understanding is displayed by profane and immoral life styles.  Do those wearing crosses understand what took place upon the cross or are the crosses worn simply as a talisman or a lucky token to ward off defeat and misfortune?

Just reading or hearing the Bible is not enough.  There are those who spend their entire life in the Christian religion but without understanding.  A holy grail, church tradition, or some religious object somehow infused with mysterious power becomes the objective, and not the person of Christ.  The Lord Jesus challenged the Pharisees concerning this very thing saying; Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.  And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.  John 5:39-40

Do you lack understanding?

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.  And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?  And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation?  for his life is taken from the earth.

And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this?  of himself, or of some other man?  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.        Acts 8:26-38 KJV

Note: True Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

…….let the word of Christ dwell in you richly……

A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart.  Proverbs 18:2 NKJV

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.  Proverbs 4:20-22

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money).

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.  Matthew 6:24-34

Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6&7

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

Refrain:
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

Living for Jesus, wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy Name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.

Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,
My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.

Thomas O. Chisholm – 1917

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;          Colossians 1:10

……..Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…..

I had surgery recently.  In the aftermath, there was a brief period where I experienced extreme frustration and pain. As I began to ask the Lord to remove the pain, the Lord directed my thoughts instead to Philippians 4:13; I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me……..He did……and so did I.

Cease listening to instruction, my son, And you will stray from the words of knowledge.  Proverbs 19:27 NKJV

Heard today on the radio:

In order to lead the orchestra, you must turn your back on the crowd.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. James 4:8

The title to this article Drawing Near is the name of a devotional book by John MacArthur that I use regularly.  I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging daily devotional book.   

I like it so much that I keep some copies on hand to give to those who want to grow spiritually, to give to those who may be sincerely looking for answers to spiritual questions, and to give to new believers.  

Are you trying to disciple a new believer?  Many who are interested in learning the Bible often do not know where to start.  This devotional will get you into the Scriptures.  Just look up the references included in each daily lesson and study them out.  Sometimes the daily devotionals stand alone and sometimes they build on previous ones while pursuing a certain theme or doctrine.  If you want to get into the Scriptures, this book is a handy tool for doing just that.  Drawing Near is a great tool for discipleship.  

Drawing Near is available on the gty.org bookstore website for around $15.00.  You can also find them online @ Amazon and there are often used ones advertised at a reduced price plus shipping.

You can also access this devotional online through your computer or cell phone.  Just go to gty.org, click on devotionals, and then on Drawing Near.  The neat thing about reading online is that you can just click on the Scripture references in the devotional and the verses will appear onscreen without having to look each one up.  If you are traveling or you do everything online this is a great tool.

An old high school friend told me after using Drawing Near, that he had been using a daily devotional written by a well known author that often left him feeling warm and fuzzy.  Referring to John MacArthur he said; I like this guy, he takes the skin off.

A church lady, that was experiencing physical difficulties and having trouble sleeping, rejoiced over this devotional saying; I use it now at bedtime and I am able to sleep!

Another lady who lived with and helped care for her elderly parents, after losing them both within a short period of time said; this book got me through the winter, without it I don’t know what I would have done.

…..Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…….

Drawing Near will help you do just that!