The Heaton File

A PSALM OF THANKSGIVING. Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. (Psalm 100)

A Time Of Thanksgiving

Two of the most powerful words in any language is “Thank you.” It is a simple phrase yet powerful in its meaning. There is a feeling of gratitude given with an acceptance of grace received. When a kind deed is done followed by the expression of thanks, it creates an atmosphere of peace and harmony. In human language, to offer thanksgiving is the highest compliment shared between two people. The deepest expression of thanksgiving is discovered when the heart opens the portals of heaven to see the love and kindness of the Lord. There is nothing higher, nobler and completely filling as accepting the gifts of a benevolent God who created, formed, and fashioned every part of humanity. Without the blessings of the Lord, life would not exist. It is not by chance the sun rises and sets. The precision of the universe is determined by the counsel of the Creator. Perfection is found in nature from a perfect designer. The breath of life comes from the hand of God. Nothing in the existence of man continues without the will of the One who formed men from the dust of the ground. He is God. Man is a creation. Thanksgiving is the spirit of those who know the difference.

There are abundant reasons for men to give thanks to the Lord. Gladness must fill the hearts of the grateful who see and know the power of God. As the creation and those formed by a greater hand, all men must acknowledge their place in the scheme of God’s design to form man for His glory. The Lord created man to sing the praises of the Creator. A thankful heart sees the thumbprint of God deeply impressed upon his life in every way. There is nothing that exists that is not established by the will of the Father. It is not the Lord God that comes into the presence of men but those who are formed appearing before the might and power of the potter who fashioned them from dust. Thanksgiving leads the soul to know that the Lord, He is God. He made man. There is nothing made by men that rivals the power of God’s creation. Throughout history, men have created great edifices and monuments. The irony is the world is the true wonder and man had nothing to do with its creation. All that men can say of themselves is they are sheep serving the will of the eternal Shepherd. Who can ascend into heaven to challenge the Lord? The greatest feat accomplished by humanity was to put a man on the moon. Big deal. God holds the universe in the palm of His hand. Who deserves more thanksgiving – God or men?

Knowing the power of God brings a man to enter the presence of his Maker with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. There is none so great as the Lord and man must know that. Worship is when the soul stands before the Lord and blesses the holy name of God. The Lord is good because He is goodness. All men should be thankful for the goodness of God. The mercy of the Lord is without end. It is everlasting. His unfailing love continues forever, and His truth has remained the same since the beginning of time. When the soul of man looks at God and sees His goodness, His mercy, and His truth; what else can a man do but express thanksgiving? The psalmist suggests this kind of thanksgiving is best served with a shout of joy and the sound should fill the earth. Happy Thanksgiving. Let God know what you are thankful for. Serve the Lord.

How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! (Isaiah 14:12)

Lucifer

A text without a context is a pretext. This is one of the most fundamental principles of Biblical exegesis. The Bible is written in such a fashion that requires diligent effort to examine the text in the framework of its context allowing the reader to conclude a meaning desired by God. It is impossible to consider the Lord giving humanity a book that could not be understood. The commandments of God are not burdensome or written in some vague language that few people can read and understand. What happens often is the wisdom of man clouds the meaning of scripture to fill some ideal or philosophy he is attracted to. This is the case with the identity of Lucifer in the book of Isaiah. Many believe Satan was a beautiful angel of God named Lucifer who rebelled against the Lord and was cast from Heaven. While this story fills the mind with fanciful images of intrigue and mystery, nothing is further from the truth.

Lucifer is found in one place in scripture. Isaiah is the only writer who refers to someone as the “day star.” Where the connection of the Lucifer of Isaiah and the devil first appeared is unknown. Some believe the correlation of Jesus’ remark to the returning seventy of how the Lord saw Satan falling from heaven connects the Lucifer of Isaiah with the devil. Nothing in the context of the gospel account says anything about Lucifer. Sadly, the label of Lucifer to Satan is an example of how easy the word of God can be distorted to teach something completely foreign to scripture. The context of Isaiah is clearly defined by a previous verse (Isaiah 14:4) that identifies the subject of the text as the king of Babylon. Whether Isaiah is speaking of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, or a reference to the Babylonian empire, it is clear the prophet is not speaking about Satan.

There are clear warnings against corrupting the word of God. In the Law of Moses, it was forbidden to add or take away from the Law. The apostle John warns in the Revelation not to add to or take away from his book. This principle is an abiding doctrine of God’s word that should not be tampered with by the philosophies of men. What is striking is how many things people believe and hold dear that is not found in the Bible. There is a long list of misguided and uninformed teachings readily accepted by most people. The following is a list of common doctrines never found in scripture: the Pope, a star over the manger of Jesus, wise men visiting Jesus at His birth, salvation by grace alone, salvation by faith alone, salvation by works alone, the names of almost every Protestant church, the early church using instruments of music; and a host of beliefs never found in the Bible too numerous to number.

Lucifer is not Satan. The lesson is a wake-up call for true disciples of Christ to be diligent about what they believe and practice that is NOT found in the word of God. What is forgotten is the danger of going beyond the word or denying the word. Will the Lord hold a man guiltless who adds to His book or refuses to acknowledge His word? It has an eternal consequence. If you find you believe in something you cannot find in scripture, you must reject it. You must let others know what they believe cannot be proven by scripture. When honest hearts follow the Bible and the Bible alone, the religious world will be turned upside down. Let’s start a revolution. Teach only what the Bible teaches. Believe only what the Bible says. Accept only what the word of God declares. Shall we?

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6)

He Was Told What To Do

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus is one of the great stories of grace. Paul will later admit that he considered himself the chief of sinners among men. He tried to destroy the early church with every means given to him. Men and women were dragged off to prison. Paul persecuted the followers of Jesus to the death, punishing them in every synagogue and compelling the disciples to blaspheme. On the way to Damascus to bring bound any he would find of the church, the Lord appeared to Saul and warned him against the purpose of his mission. A light shone around him and a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Trembling and astonished, he asked the Lord what He wanted him to do. The Lord told Saul to go into Damascus and he would be told what he must do. He obeys and is led to the house of Judas where he remains three days without sight neither eating nor drinking.

There was a disciple of Christ living in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord comes to Ananias and tells him to go to the house of Judas and talk to Saul of Tarsus. At first fearful of why Saul had come to Damascus, Ananias is reassured by the Lord that his mission to speak with Saul is a divine calling and the persecutor of the church will become a chosen vessel of God before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. Obedient to the divine will, Ananias finds Saul in the house and tells him he would be a witness for Christ to all men. Then Ananias tells Saul to arise and be baptized to wash away his sins. Saul is obedient to the word spoken by Ananias and becomes one of the most influential preachers of the first century.

Saul of Tarsus would become known as Paul the apostle. He would author many letters the early church would use as a foundation to establish the kingdom of God among men. His missionary journeys would open the borders of the church to foreign lands reaching even to Rome itself. The work of Paul is foundational to much of the New Testament doctrine of Christ. His story of conversion is one of the greatest stories of grace. It would be difficult to find many early saints who would have thought Saul of Tarsus would become an apostle named Paul.

When Saul was approaching Damascus, God had a plan for him. The Lord appeared to him and told him he must go into the city and wait for someone to tell him what he must do. God could have told Saul at that moment what he had to do. Jesus could have appeared to Saul and like Nicodemus explained everything Saul needed to know about being a Christian. The Holy Spirit could have miraculously filled the heart of Saul with the power of the gospel. That was not the plan of God. Saul was told to go into the city and he would be told what to do. No angel told him. A man came and opened the word of truth and Saul obeyed. He was not coerced into going into the city. There was never a time he was forced to be baptized for the remission of his sins. Saul was told what to do and he obeyed the word of the Lord. Through his obedience, Saul of Tarsus became a Christian.

The pattern of faith comes from hearing the word of God is the fundamental character of conversion. The Treasurer of Ethiopia had a man called Phillip to come and open the word of God to him. Peter was sent to Cornelius and his household to tell him words by which he and his household would be saved. The avenue of words is how the gospel works. Saul was not saved on the road to Damascus. His salvation did not come until three days later when Ananias came and spoke words to him. The Ethiopian eunuch, Cornelius, and his household, and Saul of Tarsus were told words whereby they could be saved. They all obeyed the word of God because they believed and accepted the word as truth. No one forced them to obey the word. They were told what to do and with honest hearts, obeyed. Salvation comes through the teaching of God’s word. No angel will appear to tell you what you must do. Jesus will not come and speak to you in some small still voice. The Bible is the word of God given to you to read, understand, and obey. If you do not obey the word, you will not be saved. Like Saul, you must go into the city and be told what to do. Without faith in the word of God and obedience to the will of God, there can be no joy and no remission of sins.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not, therefore, be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years, the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 45:3-8)

Sent By God

Joseph’s life is an extraordinary series of events that would crush the hearts of most men yet for the favored son of Jacob, he had a resilient spirit of faith. At the age of seventeen, the brothers of Joseph sold him into a world of slavery. Bound as a prisoner and no longer treated with great favors, Joseph was taken to Egypt where he was sold in the slave market to an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh. Life was harsh at first but changed for the better as the Lord blessed Joseph and the house of Potiphar. In time, Joseph was made overseer of the house. He enjoyed a respite from the hard circumstances of a slave until Potiphar’s wife began to cast longing eyes upon the handsome Hebrew slave. She tried to seduce Joseph but was rebuffed. This did not dissuade her until a day came when she tried to force herself upon Joseph. He ran from her but left his garment in her hand. Humiliated by the slave, Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of trying to rape her. Angered by the accusation, Potiphar threw Joseph into the king’s prison.

As a young man in his late teens or early twenties, Joseph must have reeled from the terrible circumstances that seemed to plague him. He had unjustly been abused by his brothers, treated like a slave, sold on the open market as nothing more than a piece of human flesh and when everything seemed to be getting better for him, he stood accused of trying to seduce the wife of Pharaoh’s captain of the guard. As he sat in the king’s prison it would be easy for Joseph to give up and curse God. He had tried to serve the Lord with all faithfulness, but every turn was against him. Languishing in prison did not lend itself to help the young man see his path in life. Joseph had experienced the joy of overcoming the plight of a slave in Potiphar’s house as he was elevated to one of authority but now his life came crashing down upon him again.

Prison was a difficult world. Joseph once again picked himself up, trusted the Lord, and did the best he could do. His earlier experience in Potiphar’s house was confirmed again. The Lord blessed him in his prison work and the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. Life for Joseph was better, but he was still an inmate falsely charged with no end in sight of his sentence. Sometime later, Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker offended the king and placed them in prison. Joseph was a caring man and noticed the new prisoners were upset. After learning they had had troubling dreams, Joseph interpreted the dreams for the men. The butler would be restored to his duties, but the baker would be hanged. When the butler was released from prison, Joseph implored him to seek the mercy of Pharaoh and find a way to get Joseph out of prison. It would be two years before Joseph would be remembered and through another series of divine events with Pharaoh having troubling dreams, Joseph is released and elevated to a ruler of Egypt under Pharaoh. When the famine came upon the world, the brothers of Joseph came to Egypt to buy grain. They could not know the man they spoke with was their brother. In time, Joseph revealed himself to the brothers and the family has reunited again with Jacob seeing the face of his beloved son.

It was twenty-two years from the time Joseph was sold into slavery until he was revealed to his brothers. They had treated young Joseph cruelly and terribly. Joseph had every right of human wisdom to hate and despise his brothers and to be angry with God. When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he revealed an important characteristic of his faith that saw him through the impossible years of Egyptian slavery. Joseph believed everything in his life was in the purpose of God. He tells the brothers that while they sold him out of hatred, it was God’s plan to send the young Hebrew to Egypt to save the world. They thought he was dead, but Joseph would save their lives. God sent Joseph to Egypt, not the brothers.

The kernel of faith where a man trusts in the will of God to move and direct his life is a story of Biblical proportion. Joseph maintained his faith in God without reservation. The Lord blessed Joseph because Joseph trusted in God. To think a seventeen-year-old would possess that kind of faith is not remarkable; it is something established in him by his parents. The life of Joseph is the power of believing that I am here with a purpose and as a child of God I want the Lord to use my life for His glory. Overlooked and forgotten is the power of a godly life in a community, on the job, in a congregation, and the light that shines in the world as a faithful and devoted servant of the Most High God. When death comes and life is fading away, may it be said of our lives that God put us in this world to lead others to Christ. You did not send me – God did.

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)

The Cost Of Indifference

Martin Niemoller was a minister of a church during the turbulent years of Germany in the 1930s. Adolf Hitler had risen to power and was taking the nation toward a world war that would kill millions. Niemoller was arrested and killed in one of the many death camps. Before he died, he wrote: “In Germany, they first came for the Communist, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionist, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. And then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

Indifference can be a costly experience. Failing to speak up at the right time can bring serious consequences. No one would fail to warn a young child of impending danger if they were engaged in something that would harm them. If they were walking too close to a cliff, a concerned parent would warn them of the dangers. Playing with fire could have catastrophic results if care is not given to teach a child the dangers. The natural response of humanity is to help their fellowman avoid danger. There are many dangers in life that can bring death and destruction but there is nothing as great as the consequence of sin. While the natural response for one human being to another in times of danger is to rescue them, this is not the case in spiritual matters.

Paul wrote to the Romans reminding them that all men sin. This is an incredible statement. What this suggests is that every human being on the face of the earth is in peril, danger, and the threat of eternal damnation. Without the blood of Jesus, most people will live full lives on earth and die with no hope. What can be more tragic is the number of people standing around these lost souls saying absolutely nothing. The price of indifference is eternal. It is not an easy life to be a follower of Jesus Christ. He requires cross-bearing. It will cost a full life of dedication and service to the will of God with no quarter given. Gaining the whole world is not just a problem for those who do not obey the gospel. Too many of God’s children are so busy gaining the world they have little time to share the word of truth with others.

The price of indifference is explained by Jesus when He said, “Is anything worth more than your soul?” What is the exchange rate for a soul? It becomes easy to live in a world cushioned by the casual pursuits of life, liberty, and happiness when souls are doomed to perdition. The modern religious climate within the church leaves the work of the gospel to paid professionals who themselves become so engaged in the affairs of their job that little is done to reach the lost. What becomes of the effort of the church is to have a sense of shame to let others know there is only one way, one truth, and one life. The Bible is no longer discussed as this might offend someone. Friends will never know the person they enjoy spending time with is a devoted Christian because they will never divulge that part of their life. Indifference to others is costing many lives to the consequences of eternal darkness. Maybe it is time for the Lord to take away the work of the church from this country and give it to a people who will stand up for truth and let their voice be heard. When we become indifferent to indifference we cannot make a difference. The light fades. Salt is good for nothing but to be trodden upon. Souls are lost. All because I did not speak up.

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)

Coming Out Of The Darkness

Nocturnal creatures are animals that are active during the night finding prey through physical traits such as sight, hearing, or smell. Owls are efficient hunters under the cover of darkness with their eyesight. Many animals live in the darkness like bats and the night is a prime hunting time for large cats. God created these animals to adapt to the cloak of darkness and to do so in an efficient way of surviving. The highest of all creatures was not made for the nocturnal world. It must have been an incredibly dark world in the days of Adam and Eve as they were the only people on earth for a time. Until the advent of electricity, the world was a dark place at night with only oil lamps or fires lighting the cities. A new term called “night pollution” is coined to show the impact of the progress of humanity against the backdrop of animals that rely on the darkness for survival.

Adam was not created to live in the dark. Eventually, he understood the principle of fire and was able to cook his food and light his way. God did not make man live in a dark world. The energies of man were focused during the daylight hours and night was a time of rest. Through the centuries man has adapted his needs to dispel the darkness but at the end of the day, man does not rule the night, he only invades it for a short time. There is a special fear of darkness that pervades the soul of man. Without the aid of a light source, it is difficult to navigate through the darkness because the vision of man hinders his ability to see through the darkness. He becomes disoriented, confused, and afraid. Darkness has that overwhelming dread of the unknown. A child lost at night is filled with terror. The morning brings relief because it brings light.

God did not create man to live in the darkness and this is especially true of the spiritual nature of man. It is not hard to convince a man lost in a cave of darkness because he feels the fear and knows the dangers. What is most difficult to do is to convince someone of the spiritual world of darkness that overwhelms them. All men will come under the power of darkness. The only man who never allowed the darkness of sin to overcome Him was Jesus Christ. He was the Light because He was never the darkness and He never allowed the darkness to enter him. That is not the case with humanity. Everybody who has lived and remains on the earth of the age of understanding will suffer the terror of the darkness. A man must see the darkness to know how dreadful a place the darkness is. There is no hope in the darkness. Futility is the only measure of a man lost in the darkness. He stumbles and falls and can never find his way because he was not created to be in the darkness. If he remains in darkness all his life and dies in the darkness he will remain in darkness in eternity. The terror of the eternal darkness is so much greater than any darkness man has ever experienced. But there is good news.

Darkness was not the design of man when God created him. Adam and Eve were created to walk in the light with their Maker. He warned them not to take of the forbidden fruit because the penalty was darkness. From that time forth, men tried to get out of the darkness but could never find the right path. When Jesus came, He came as the Light of the world to bring light to all men. Instead of believing He was the light, men loved the darkness and killed the Son of God. The resurrection of Jesus happened on the first day of the week in the early morning when the light was returning to the earth. Spiritually the resurrection of Jesus brought light to the darkness of humanity. This same light has shown brightly for two thousand years but most people desire to live in darkness. They walk in the darkness saying they can see. How dark is the darkness.

One of the greatest joys of being a Christian is to know that Jesus has brought the soul out of the power of darkness into a kingdom of light. This is the light of love and the sunshine of redemption through his blood. Those who walk in the light have been forgiven of the darkness that infused their lives for so long. The path is clear in the light. There is no fear in the light. Life is a joyful walk in the glory of God. The heart is filled with peace and joy in the light. There are many who walk in the light and the joy of fellowship is the family of those who live in the light. Jesus is the Light and in Him is life because there is light. Coming out of the darkness is the happiest day in the life of a light-walker. Let the light shine in your life so that others can see the light of Christ.

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. (Revelation 6:9)

Killed For The Word Of God

Righteousness has always faced persecution. There is never a time in the history of mankind the conflict between right and wrong has not met on the battlefield of oppression. The character of evil must suppress the nature of goodness because it brings a sense of justification that if the righteous souls are taken away the immoral values are vindicated. It seems incredulous that a person can be killed only because of what they believe and hold dear. There is no justification for murder on any level but it becomes most heinous when a government sanctions the wholesale slaughter of thousands of citizens based upon what they believe. During the days of the Roman emperors Nero and Domitian, untold numbers of godly, law-abiding citizens and productive citizens of the Roman Empire were killed because they believed Jesus Christ was the Son of God. They had committed no crimes against society or led a rebellion against the government. For all practical purposes, those who were killed were ideal citizens with high moral codes who showed love for others, obeyed the laws of the land, and sought to live peaceful lives in a dark world.  And they were killed for the word of God.

Ideology is a threat to those who believe their existence is threatened by a moral compass that does not align with the carnal nature of man. Christians were being martyred on the altars of hatred, prejudice, fear, and envy. The foundation of the New Testament church was built upon the needs of every man to make them a better person in character, personality, and individuality to change the community to be a place of prosperity and peace. Slaves were obedient to their masters and masters honored their slaves. Citizens subjected themselves to the laws of the land as long as those laws did not countermand the will of God. Families were places of love where the father guided the home with an eternal eye, mothers nurtured their children in the grace of the Lord and children were subject to their parents with respect and honor. Christians were the noblest in the workplace as they knew their master was Jesus Christ. Everything the New Testament church brought to the society was for the betterment and expanse for the peace of the nation.

The reality became a harsh and cruel testimony to the empire of Rome as it persecuted the noblest citizens of its realm. These were people who believed in the word of God and died defending their faith. They were willing to believe in a force larger than the brutal Roman sword. Nothing could dissuade their allegiance to a king greater than the Caesars. The faith of the early Christians is testimony to the will of righteous men and women accepting their deaths for the cause of Jesus Christ. It would be easy for some to deny their faith to spare their lives but their hearts would condemn them with eternal guilt. Dying for the word of God comes from a mind that knows that life is not about the here and now but the joy of what death can bring. To die for the word of God is to believe with all the heart the revealed message of Jesus Christ is an eternal reward. Nothing could change the minds of the faithful. So here is the question: are you willing to die for the word? Am I willing to die for the word?

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory; but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. (A Psalm of David When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah. Psalm 63)

Having A Passion For God

Distress and trouble will drive the heart to seek a closer union with God and David finds himself in need of his Lord more than ever. He has been driven to the wilderness by a calamity of some type. His psalm seems to point to a time when Absalom was rebelling against his father as the psalm refers to David as a king. Trouble surrounded David after his sin with Bathsheba but he never lost his love and zeal for God. Some were seeking to kill David. He knew he possessed the protection of the Lord as he prayed for deliverance from his enemies. What makes the plea of his psalm so powerful is the passion David has for God. The troubles he endured only highlighted how much he loved the Lord and needed the presence of God in his life. Trials did not drive the king away from God but drew him closer.

Passion is an intense or overpowering feeling such as love and joy or even hatred and anger. David’s passion for God was a very strong emotion of dependence, devotion, and dedication to the Lord. He declares that God is his God and there can and will be no other. His love for God is singular, focused with a laser intensity that is not soon shaken. He had an earnest desire to seek the Lord early with a craving for divine communion. As a body thirst for nourishment, the king of Israel had a thirst for the Divine. His whole body longed for the presence of God as a man needs water in a parched and weary land. The world was a desert and the Lord was the only hope of salvation. David knew the power of worship as he had engaged the Lord in the sanctuary gazing upon the power and glory of God. There was a deep passion for the word of the Lord.

When David looked at his God, he saw an unfailing love that was more filling than life itself. His passion drew him to sing praises to God with his mouth proclaiming the joys of salvation. All that David was and all that he could become would be found in how he praised God for His enduring mercy and grace. He would praise the Lord with joyful lips. His nights were spent thinking about the Lord, meditating on holy things throughout the night. David was consumed by his love for God. His passion was real and demonstrative. He clung to the garments of God as a weary child seeks the protection of their father. Nestled under the shadow of the Lord’s wings, David felt secure, safe, and satisfied. David had a passion for God.

Many wanted to destroy the king but his trust was in the Lord. He did not fear what men could do to him. His faith was in the Lord because of his intense passion for the presence of God in his life. The only thing David could see was his love for God. It drove him, directed him, and declared his loyalty to the one true God. Worship to David was a passion. Faith in the Lord was his passion. Obedience to the word of the Lord became his passion. The king let everyone know where his passion lay.

The Christian has so much to be thankful for and to acknowledge the many blessings found in Christ. What is lacking in so many lives of God’s people is a passion for Him. They become churchgoers but not God lovers. Many profess to love God but never fall in love with Him. David’s passion is a zeal based on knowledge and a heart filled with the word of God. The more you know about God the more you fall in love with Him. And when a man falls deeper in love with God his passion grows and grows to where he becomes like David. O God, you are my God!

Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:34-35)

I Am The Bread

The human body is an incredible creation. It is designed in a perfect way to accomplish remarkable tasks that no human wisdom can recreate. The psalmist David declared the body a wonderfully complex testimony of the marvelous workmanship of its Creator. Adam was formed from the dust of the ground and woman was created from the rib of Adam. Made in the image of the Divine, Adam and Eve possessed a physical body that was dependent upon nourishment to survive. Even in the garden, man was a mortal being. The placement of the Tree of Life was to allow man to live forever but sin destroyed that promise. Satan deceived Eve to believe she would not die when in fact the sentence of physical death was already upon her. God had told them if they ate of the forbidden fruit they would die but He was speaking about spiritual death. As a penalty for their rebellion, Adam and Eve were cast from the garden and away from the Tree of Life.

Adam lived for 930 years and died. His long life is attributed to a basic part of the human anatomy that required a man to nourish his body with bread and water. These are the basic elements of life necessary for the body to function. Bread is often used as a common name of food. God designed the body in such a manner requiring a constant diet of nutrients that must be maintained daily. If a man does not take bread into his body he will die. He can go for long periods without food but with each day he grows weaker and weaker leading to death. One of the constants of life that is necessary for all men is the need for food and water. Man cannot live without bread (food). That is the way God designed the body and there is nothing men can do to change that. Bread is the source of life.

The children of Israel numbered nearly two million souls when they left Egypt. In the forty years of wandering their main complaint was the lack of food. God provided everything the Hebrews needed to survive. He gave them manna from heaven, water from the rock on more than one occasion, and brought in quail to satisfy the hunger of the people. They still complained. No one died from hunger because the Lord gave them everything they needed to survive the harsh conditions of the wilderness. What they murmured and complained about was they were not satisfied with the bread given to them by God. He gave them enough food and water to sustain them but this was not enough. They did not bring the manna or find the water to quench their thirst. The manna, water, and quail came as a gift of God through His grace and love for the people. God showed His power in bringing the Israelites the bread of life to satisfy their needs. As Creator, He knew the body needed to be sustained with bread and He provided everything they needed to survive. The people turned away and rejected the gift of God. If they would have accepted the gift of God they would live.

Jesus showed the power of the Father when He fed more than five thousand people from five barley loaves and two small fish. When the immense crowd of hungry souls was filled there were twelve baskets left over with the fragments of the five barley loaves. It was one of the most incredible miracles Jesus performed to show the power of God. He understood the physical needs of the people. Looking upon the thousands of people following Him to hear His teaching, He knew they needed to be fed. Through the power of the Finger of God, Jesus gave them what they needed. Leaving the multitudes, Jesus went up into the mountain by Himself and later went to Capernaum. The people followed Him the next day because they were hungry again. They forgot the miracle of the day before and could only see the need to fill their bodies. Jesus warned the people the physical body would perish and the greater need was to fill the soul. When the people hungered in the wilderness, food came by the gift of God. What the multitude should have seen the day before was the testimony that Jesus was the Son of God, the long-promised Christ. As the bread of God came down from heaven to feed the people, Jesus was the bread of life from the Father to give the world spiritual nourishment.

The body cannot live without bread and water. Without proper nourishment, the body will die. A greater need for man is not the sustaining of the physical body because even if a man lives to be 930 years old, he will die. Jesus is the bread of life because those who come to Him will never hunger and never die. The Hebrews learned the dependence of God’s grace in the wilderness that without the gift of God, they would die. Jesus uses the same story to show His life will be given for all men to live. He becomes the Bread of Life because through Jesus man will never die. Everlasting life is offered to those who take the Bread of Life and allow the spiritual nutrients of God’s grace to feed their souls and sustain their lives. Jesus said, “I AM the bread of life.” Come to the table of God and partake of eternal life.

For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

The Noble Thessalonians

Paul’s visit to Thessalonica was filled with great expectations and hope. His first preaching trip had confined his travel to Asia-Minor but now on his second trip, the Holy Spirit had brought the missionary group into Macedonia. The work in Philippi was met with great success with the conversion of Lydia and her household along with the jailor of the city and his family. Arriving in Thessalonica, Paul went to the synagogue and for three Sabbaths taught the gospel of Christ. Some of the Jews were persuaded and also a great many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women. But the Jews who did not believe caused a riot against Paul and his company causing the group to leave under cover of darkness. The people of the next city, Berea, were more open-minded than the Thessalonians receiving the word of God more readily.

Luke’s history of the church includes a commendation of the Bereans as being nobler than those of Thessalonica because they received the word with all readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to find out if the teachings of Paul were true. This creates a contrast between the people of Thessalonica and Berea because one was more accepting of the word than the other. This would change in time as Paul wrote his letter to the church of the Thessalonians while he was in Corinth. Commending the brethren of Thessalonica, Paul says they received the word of God not as human wisdom but the divine word of God. The hearts of the Thessalonians were open to the teaching of Paul only as it was examined in truth to be according to scripture. They would not accept Paul’s teaching or any other man’s doctrine as the word of men. If what was being taught did not agree with the word of God, it was rejected. Hearing the word spoken by honest men was examined in light of the will of the Father only.

An open mind to accept the teachings of God as the word of God moves men to action. The reception of the Thessalonians was not just an intellectual exercise but a life-changing moment. Many hear sermon after sermon who believe what is being taught is the truth but never take any action to change their lives. The Thessalonians not only examined the preaching in accordance with the word of God but they allowed the word to change their lives. That is the real character of allowing the gospel to effectively change the lives of those who hear the word. Paul’s desire for the brethren at Thessalonica was to abound more and more in their knowledge of the truth. His thankfulness of the Macedonian church was because the gospel had changed the lives of the people. That is the test of discipleship. Hearing alone will not save. It requires a belief the word of God is a moving and active force to recreate in the minds of men a need to be different.

The Thessalonians heard the word of God and received it on the value that was placed before them as the divine word and not the word of men. If they rejected the preaching of the gospel, they would reject God, not man. Preachers must be held accountable to preach the pure word but brethren must be held to higher accountability to act upon the word preached as the word of God and not the word of men. Listening to the gospel creates faith but faith without works is dead. Hearing the word and not doing the word is dead. The Thessalonian brethren were faithful to follow the teaching of Paul because it was the word of God. Can we do any less when the word is spoken? Welcome the gospel for what it is and act upon it. It is the word of God.