The Heaton File

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood? But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, “Who will show us any good?” Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us. You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4; To the Chief Musician. With Stringed Instruments. A Psalm of David.)

Sleep In Heavenly Peace

The singular desire of all men is peace. From creation man has sought for answers to quiet his troubling spirit. Conflict rages within him and man must find the means to salve the passions that roar within. Sin is the opium given by Satan to answer those desires yet peace is always out of reach. Driven by the mad addiction to find a settled harmony man flings himself headlong into the works of the flesh to experience the euphoria of self-gratification. At the end of every road is emptiness. Lives are crushed under the weight of looking for spiritual slumber in all the wrong places. Miserable, angry, empty and distraught men die with no hope on their lips.

David knew the peace that passed understanding. He fought the demons of the flesh. His most crushing defeat came when thought he would find peace in the adulterous affair with Bathsheba. It brought shame and despair. Eventually it would lead him to destroy the life of one of his noble soldiers bringing the wrath of God upon him and his family. Even in his darkest hour David found peace because he knew the mercy of a loving Father. Reading Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 the psalmist expresses the deepest feelings of the joy of forgiveness. David knew the peace slumber of God’s grace.

Peaceful slumber comes to those who call upon the Lord. Anguish is taken away by the words of prayer. Seeking consolation from the flesh will only bring more suffering but godliness will envelope the spirit with rest. Meditation on the word of God fills the heart with the calming ointment of understand that can only come from the Holy Spirit. The world is filled with those who are seeking answers in sex, drugs, alcohol and living free but finding only guilt and sorrow. Gladness of heart comes from trusting the Lord. David could rest his head each night knowing that his heavenly Shepherd guarded him and guided him in all his ways. No one can bring the blessing of safety but God.

Are you troubled? Are you tired? Give your heart to the Lord and He will supplant your desires with His love. His grace is so big we could never drain the oceans dry from it. Thank you Father for loving me so much.

The Christian has a deep, silent, hidden peace, which the world sees not, like some well in a retired and shady place … What he is when left to himself and to his God; that is his true life. (John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. 5, 1843)

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

The One Truth

It is difficult to accept the idea that truth can reside in one place alone. Living in the land of the free and the brave we have been taught since early childhood the joy of freedom. Rebelling against the tyranny of British rule America has carved its place in history as the seed bed of democracy. At least that is what we have been taught. It is true that we are a country of immense freedoms which paradoxically are leading to our downfall. Every four years we elect a new leader and with the checks and balances of government we live in a democratic society. What is lost in the propaganda of American culture is the kingdom of God is not a democracy but a monarchy ruled by a single King. Jesus told His disciples that He was the only truth, the only way and the only life. He further declared access to the Father was only by one means: Him. This singular body of truth is uncomfortable for democratic minded people to embrace.

The Holy Spirit declares through Paul the character of the kingdom of God as being found in the restricted unity of one. There is only one body. The reference to the body is a further explanation of what Paul wrote in the beginning of his letter when he said the body was the church. In other words there are not many churches with different names, faiths, practices, memberships, goals and purpose. Jesus died for one church and one church alone. He is King of one Kingdom and one Kingdom alone.

There is only one Holy Spirit and one God. This eliminates gods of men or spirits of men who seek wisdom through other means. Jehovah God is one alone. He is identified in the Bible by many names but only those names given in the Bible declare the glory of the one true God. That is the same conclusion about how many Lord’s there are. There is only one Lord and He is Jesus Christ. The unity of the Godhead is one God, one Lord and one Spirit. One. Not two. Not three. Not many. One! This will remove the teachings of most religions in the world.

Faith is not based upon a multiple level of personal whims allowing man to worship God as he chooses. There is only one faith and one faith alone established upon the teachings of one book. The Bible is the only revealed word of God. What is called “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” is a lie because the Bible shows there is only one faith. Why would the Bible declare one faith and then have another faith. Two books are not one but two. One book and one faith means one book and one faith. The Bible rejects any book that does not glorify Jesus Christ as Lord.

Finally there is one hope in one means of salvation. The hope of man is not in this life but that which is to come. Promises of eternal life come from one God, one Lord and one Spirit who promise in one message of faith based upon one book that salvation can only come from one source. The one baptism shows that only through the blood of Jesus Christ cleansing man from sin can there be a singular hope. Water baptism is where man finds the blood of Jesus Christ. Without obedience to the one Lord through the message of the one faith in the cleansing power of the one baptism there can never be the one hope. Salvation is found in the ONE.

What is your choice? You have but one choice. Based upon that one choice eternity awaits.

Man passes away; generations are but shadows; there is nothing stable but truth. (Josiah Quincy, Speech, September 17, 1830)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. (John 16:1-4)

Murder In The Name Of God

As Jesus and the eleven walked to Gethsemane the Lord continued to talk with his disciples. It is difficult to see how they could understand the gravity of the situation and how soon they would witness the death of their Lord. Jesus knew they were not comprehending the depth of events unfolding as He spoke. Judas was bargaining the betrayal as the disciples were walking to the garden where the mob would quickly arrest Jesus leading Him to His death. The Lord tells them they will remember His words later. What a shock it must have been for them when they put all the pieces together.

One thing that must have been troubling to them later was the words of Jesus speaking of their deaths. Of the twelve men who would lead the early church only one seems to have died of natural causes. Church history tells a number of stories of how the apostles died with only one recorded death given by the Holy Spirit. James was killed by Herod in Acts 12. John died on Patmos in old age. The remaining ten suffered unknown deaths but Jesus gives a glimpse of the severity of their deaths. They would be killed by those who thought they were doing the will of God.

Killing in the name of God does not justify murder. The Jews murdered Jesus because they thought they were doing the will of God. Saul of Tarsus persecuted the early church for the same reason until he learned the truth of Jesus. Men will justify their own selfish motives using the name of God to do whatever they want to do. There was a time when the people of God were instructed by the Lord to wipe out a people (Jericho, Ai, Amalekites, etc). Christ came to change the hearts of men with the good news of salvation. Throughout history men have used the name of God to justify the slaughter of millions but this was not God’s will. Today there are those who still try to convince the masses they are doing things in the name of God. The reason for this kind of holocaust is because they do not know God. They do not know Jesus.

It is amazing how many people think they know the mind of God without reading the mind of God – the Bible. The truth of God’s word reveals the character of the Father. Why is it that so many claim to know what God thinks when they have no knowledge of who God is? The early disciples were murdered by those who believed they were doing the will of God. How often people blindly follow a teaching or belief based upon a misapplied understanding of what God believes. It is not about killing others in the name of God. When a man speaks more about God without the word of God in his mouth then it is evident he speaks more of himself than the truth of the Father. Never charge God with truth unless that truth is God.

The church had martyrs throughout the entire Roman Empire before a single book of the New Testament was written. (Fulton J. Sheen, The Woman, 1951)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.’ “Thus says the Lord: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place–of which you say, “It is desolate, without man and without beast”–in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever”– and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the Lord. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says the Lord. ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah: ‘In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.  (Jeremiah 33:9-16)

Worship The Lord Our Righteousness

The weeping prophet of Old Testament scrip remains shut up in prison for his preaching the message of the Lord. Jeremiah’s life is one of turmoil and sadness. He seeks to bring the people back to serving Jehovah but instead they rush headlong into their doom. A dark cloud covers the nation as the northern tribes have been decimated and the Chaldeans threaten the remaining children of Abraham. Jeremiah strongly warns the people of God’s judgment and wrath upon their wickedness. His tones are clear and filled with the fury of the Lord’s displeasure at their rejection of His word. Intermixed with the severity of God’s message is found the love of God for His people.

It is remarkable to read the prophets and see not only the message of judgment upon the people for their sin but to see how much God loves His people. To understand the character of our loving Father we have but to spend time with the prophets. He promises to cleanse the people of their iniquities pardoning them for all they have done. In the cleansing power of God’s love the world will see how great the Lord is to restore joy, praise and honor to His name. The Lord is not vengeful forever. There will come a time that voices will be lifted up in joy and gladness. The voice of the bridegroom and the bride will praise the Lord of Hosts proclaiming His mercy and goodness. Forgiveness. What a joyful sound.

Paul reminds us what was written before was placed upon the hearts of men to see God’s love. How often have we rebelled against the Lord? Can we count the times that sin has gained the victory in our lives? There is nothing we can do to save ourselves and we stand judged before the great I AM with nothing to bring. We do not deserve His mercy. We do not deserve His grace. We do not deserve His love. Yet He gives it to us time and time again. When we bring the sacrifice of praise to the house of the Lord HE FORGIVES US. Why? Because He loves us.

Today is a day of worship. We gather with those of like precious faith to worship. In our songs today think of God’s love. In our prayers today acknowledge the grace of the Lord. Listen to the joy of God’s word as the message of hope fills our hearts. We do not deserve to receive what the Lord will give us today; but He loves us so much He is willing to restore joy to our lives. When we worship the Lord today remember that His name is: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Love is the gentle, tranquil, satisfied acquiescence and adherence of the soul in the contemplation of God … delight in Him because He is God, and because His commandments are good. (John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, IV, 1843)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses. (Exodus 14:21-31)

A Parting Faith

The children of Israel had seen some wondrous things. The plagues wrought by God upon the Egyptian people were devastating. In the final pestilence the smell of fear filled the land as families (including Pharaoh) buried their dead. Their joy was short lived as they approached the Red Sea. Behind them came the whole of the Egyptian army to kill every man, woman and child. Crying out to the Lord the heart of the people was filled with fear. Assured by Moses they would never see the Egyptians again a great and incredible miracle began.  As the prophet stretched out his hand over the sea the Lord caused the waters to go back by a strong east wind that blew all night. The noise must have been deafening. As the sun began to crest over the eastern horizon the eyes of the Israelites were astonished to see the vast waters of the Red Sea parted on the right and left and a path of dry land established in the midst. Nearly two million people were awe struck at a sight not beheld since the days of Noah.

There were a number of miracles that day. The parting of the waters magnified the power of God exponentially. Another great example of faith happened that day. Someone had to be the first one to walk across. They were going to walk on dry land between two mountains of water held in place by an invisible power. The people began to move forward with eyes filled with wonder. It took a lot of faith to step into the Red Sea with the belief that everything was going to be well. Faith moved them through the vastness of the sea knowing no harm would come to them. Looking by faith to deliverance on the other side guided them between the realities of what surrounded them. Their faith delivered them to the shores of deliverance on the other side. Redemption.

It must not be forgotten that after the Israelites past through the waters the Egyptians also came across on dry land. The reasons for their crossing on dry land were different. They did not believe in God yet they walked on dry land. Their reasons for coming into the midst of the sea were not to find deliverance but to kill. In the midst of pursuing their enemies they failed to notice the difficulties they encountered. Their chariots had problems and the army became disorganized. Then it happened. All the water held in place by the hand of God was let loose. No one survived. In one act of God’s final show of righteousness the Lord wiped out Pharaoh’s army. The children of Israel were astonished.

Life is much like standing at the Red Sea. Most people have no desire to see the power of God. Their desires are for themselves and care nothing for the evidence of God. Like the Egyptians who witnessed the plagues by the hand of God their sorrow was short lived. The Hebrews saw the parting of the sea and walked in its midst to find deliverance. Faithful followers of the Lord will step into the sea of life walking on dry land because of the faith in HIM who holds the waters on both sides. It can look terrifying but not to the children of God who look to the distant shore for deliverance. By faith we are carried in the midst of troubled waters to our home on eternity’s shore. The blessing of our salvation will be the destruction of those who do not believe. Like the waters which destroyed the faithless our salvation will come in the final day by the righteous judgment of God.

Have faith in the ONE who made the worlds and gave us HIS Son to die for us. Walk on dry land to the home which HE has prepared for us. Trust in HIS power to deliver. Walk through the midst of the Red Sea. Now that is a great story.

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:11-12)

Take A Good Look At Your Knees

The stories we like to tell about what we plan to do when we meet God are remarkable. People say they want to ask the Lord why He allowed suffering and pain. Some are conflicted with the abuse of children planning on discussing such with God. It seems everyone has a plan on how they are going to interrogate Jehovah God Almighty when they get to Heaven. There are so many worldly and earthly concepts of what it will be like in that day that find no foundation in scripture. It is almost like God owes us and when we finish with what we want to do and understand that the Lord God will then be so gracious to allow us to enter Heaven. Included with these worldly notions are streets of literal gold and living in mansions where we get to meet our neighbors and have picnics on eternity’s shores. Nothing is further from the truth.

Take a good look at your knees. That is about all you are going to see when we ‘stand’ before the Creator of this world and Awesome God. There will be no arguments with God about why this and why that. No one will stroll up to the pearly gates and have long talks with the men and women of old. We will not be there for a family reunion where we dine on fried chicken with our parents, siblings, wives, children, aunts and uncles. There will not be one religious group in this corner and another in that corner and each believing they are the only ones there. In fact most people will never see Heaven.

Paul declares plainly that coming in the presence of God will be a humbling experience for every person – every soul. All men will be bowing down before the I AM. Rich men, poor men, great men, small men, presidents, dictators, righteous, unrighteous and all those who lived on the face of the earth. Everyone you know and everyone I know will be there. Every person you see today will be there. And we will all have one thing in common – our knees will be bowing and our tongues will be confessing. When the sentence of judgment is passed most will be cast into outer darkness. Only the few will continue to see the radiance of a loving Father as eternal life begins.

The truth of it is we have no idea how incredibly awesome it will be to be in the presence of God. Moses could barely contain the passing glory of the I AM and we expect to do ….. what? Every knee is the story. Every tongue is the story. Knees will be bowed and tongues confessing. Glory to God. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. Amen.

The imagery of the heavens as being two thousand millions light-years in diameter is awesome when compare to the tiny earth, but trivial when compared to the imagery of the “hand that measured the heavens.” (Fulton J. Sheen, Old Errors and New Labels, 1931)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies. (Psalm 108:12-13)

Through God We Can

There is a power within us that often remains untapped. It is strength beyond anything man can imagine yet we all possess it. Inner strength resides within each of us waiting to be brought forth by the clarion call of trust in God. Striving against the wiles of the devil is a struggle daily settling upon our hearts. The reason so many fall to the seduction of Satan is a failure to seek the only source of rebellion against the darts of the evil one. The power of God will help us rebel against the onslaught of wickedness seeking to destroy us. Trusting in men is useless and vain. There is no wisdom or knowledge in man that will help us overcome the devil. Satan can only be defeated by the power of God.

David knew the power of God in a very real way. Goliath was unstoppable. The army of Israel shrunk in fear for over a month at the railings of the warrior from Gath. When David stepped into the valley of Elah to face Goliath he knew that God was his helper. The valiant courage of David was fortified with the knowledge that the Lord would fight for him defeating all his enemies. The young shepherd boy also knew he could not win over Goliath without his own trust in the power of God. Victory came in simple trusting faith. There are many Goliath’s in our lives that we can never overcome without the power of God. Trusting in man is futile. Trusting in God is victorious.

Paul proclaimed his trust in the Lord when we writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He knew the power of God in life to overcome everything. He calmly writes of his impending death in his letter to Timothy. His heart was filled with a valiant spirit of trust that whether to live or die it was gain for Christ. This spirit should not be lost on any of God’s people today. We can do mighty things through God if we will be trust Him. Whatever we do, whatever we gain, God must have all the glory because He is the one who will deliver us.

Jesus exhorts His disciples not to worry. Why? When we trust in the Lord there is nothing to worry about. Sickness? Financial uncertainty? World events? Personal conflicts? We can do valiant things with God. We can overcome. We can have the victory. We can slay the giants that stand against us. He will take away our fears. He will give us hope. He will assure our hearts that all is well. He will fight our battles. He will give us victory. Oh the mighty things we can do when we let the Lord be our guide.

Faith is to pray without doubting, without weariness, without faintness; entertaining no jealousies or suspicions of God, but being confident of God’s hearing us, and of His return to us. (Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living, 1650)

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Trash Lessons

During my early morning walks I cannot help but notice the amount of trash that is on the side of the road. My three-mile walk takes me through neighborhoods and along a major road mostly with sidewalks. Dotting the landscape are cups, wrappers, cigarette cartons, cans, bottles, paper in many forms and some items from an alien planet. It does not seem as obvious driving by in an automobile. Walking reveals the trash tucked within the grass or lying in the gutters along the roads. How does this trash wind up alongside the road? There could be a 1% chance some of this is by accident but the sad reality is the trash is left on the side of the road by people. I have witnessed drivers throw their trash out the windows of automobiles in a flippant uncaring act. The Oscar Madison mentality that pervades our society is a lack of respect for life and disrespect for themselves. But there is a deeper problem.

Life is not defined by trash on the side of the road but it becomes a tell. A man will go into the store and buy an Icee. When he finishes he throws the plastic cup out the window. Finishing a quick family lunch from McDonalds the driver gathers all the trash and drops it on the road as they wait for the light to change. Cigarettes are flipped out the window by the thousands along with wrappers of every description. Companies spend millions every year cleaning up the trash we leave behind. The deeper problem is the selfish nature of man. He cares for no one but himself. Life is about his needs and his needs alone. No one can tell him what to do and how to do it. He is his own master, his own god serving to his end alone. Man worships man.

Jesus told the multitudes in His sermon on the mountain that most people will take the broad and easy way of life. This popular way is about man serving himself and finding no barriers to what he can do and no consequences to what he has done. Life is care-free and easy. Without the restrictions of a higher law, life becomes a fun filled frolic experience of seeing who can go the fastest and have the most pleasure. Casting life out the window there is no responsibility. What they fail to realize is the trash must be picked up one day. There is a day of reckoning. Sadly most people do not believe there is a day coming when an accounting is required.

Most people will spend eternity in Hell because they spent their lives ‘throwing trash out the window’ … in other words (not in a literal sense) they lived for the moment. Life is not about the moment but about the eternity. Only few will find joy in death. The narrow way is difficult now but it will bring the blessings of life in death for those who pursue it. Don’t throw your life away seeking the things of this world.

Pleasures are but shadows, which hold no longer than the sunshine of my fortunes. (Arthur Warwick, Spare Minutes, 1637)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples. (Matthew 26:30-35)

False Courage

Peter is a great study of character. He is impetuous, self-assured, impulsive and on occasion right. The man we are introduced to in the gospel accounts is not the same man we find in his epistles. Growth comes to Peter during that transition. His self-confidence is his downfall as evident in the final hours of Jesus’ life. During the Passover feast Jesus washes the disciple’s feet explaining how they should be servants to one another. The revealing of a traitor among them confuses them still unaware of the sudden death of Jesus that looms ahead. Using Zechariah as a backdrop for the garden message Jesus tells the eleven how they would desert him as sheep scattered in time of crisis. Peter immediately separates himself from his fellow apostles declaring while they would abandon Christ he would never do such a thing. Warned by Jesus of his own personal failure Peter again affirms he was willing to die for Jesus if necessary. Hollow words. False courage.

The rest of the story is well known. Shocked by the sudden arrest of Jesus by a huge mob the disciples flee. Fearing for their lives they go into hiding. Peter stays on the fringe of the events of the night trying to understand what is happening. Asked three times if he was a disciple of Jesus he denies his Lord with a final denial of cursing. Jesus looks into the eyes of Peter and the emboldened disciple who proclaimed his courage hours before now flees weeping in sorrow at his debacle. Hollow words. False courage.

Peter would recover and go on to preach the message of a risen Savior to a world darkened by sin. His words are recorded first in Luke’s account of the beginning of the church. The ministry of Peter would be the focus of the first part of the Acts and two of his epistles would be preserved for prosperity. He was a changed man.

Jesus is a master teacher. He is filled with compassion, love and forgiveness. It was clear that Peter and the ten had no idea what was about to happen when He warned them of the events coming that night. His heart must have ached as Peter proudly boasted of his courage. Jesus knew better. Peter was a fickle man of great courage who needed greater courage to learn how to overcome his capricious nature. “I will never stumble” he bragged. Jesus did not rebuke him. He gently loved him and allowed the events of the next few days to mold his character.

So often we are not unlike Peter. It is easy to become smug in our courage as a Christian having the same boldness. Courage is a valuable part of our arsenal to defeat the wiles of the devil but taking stock of ourselves is where true valor begins. We need Christ to be strong. Peter tried to have courage apart from Christ. Little did he know how much he would need the Lord to be strong. Fighting the battle of sin cannot be done with hallow words of self-righteous faith. Sin can only be defeated through the power of God and Him alone! Prayer is the weapon of choice. The Word must be embedded in our lives deeply from hours of meditation. Fellowship with saints emboldens us with the necessary courage to fight together against Satan. Without the help of the Lord we will fail as Peter did.

Faith comes from the deliberation of the word of God. Without the grace of the Lord in our hearts we ring hallow in our courage. The power is the Word.

If you see a Bible that is falling apart, it probably belongs to someone who isn’t. (Vance Havner)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. (Genesis 8:20-21)

Altar Worship

The last year was an incredible journey for Noah. No man has ever witnessed what he and his family lived through. First the terrible news of what was to become of the earth. Then the task of building an ark to house all the animals that were to be saved from the flood. The day of judgment arrived and gathering all the animals Noah joined his family in the ark of safety as the rains began to fall. Waters from the deep began to surge forward and in time the massive barge of gopher wood rose. All the people outside died. After forty days and nights the rains ceased but it would be more than eleven months before Noah and his family would stand on dry ground again.

Noah had seen firsthand the goodness and severity of God. He and his family had been blessed by the goodness of God because they believed in the promises. Every living being outside the ark learned the word of the Lord was true and perished in the flood. Only eight people stood on the earth. What a marvel that must have been to them. The first thing Noah did was not gather food, build a house or plant a garden. He built an altar. It was time to worship God.

Catastrophic events remind us of the power and grace of the Lord. Noah was a man of worship before the flood and it was only natural to worship his God first when he left the ark. People of God have a natural tendency to worship Him no matter the circumstances. Worship takes first place in their lives. There were a lot of things Noah needed to do in providing for his family. He realized that first things were first. Worship came before anything. People of God are like that.

Today is a day of worship. What we do today is to put God first in our lives. There is nothing we can do today that is more important than worshipping the ONE who saved us by His grace and demonstrates His wrath upon those who do not believe. We have so many opportunities to worship God as a collective group. It is sad that so many of God’s children try to do as little as they can. When Noah offered sacrifices to God the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Let our worship today be a sweet smelling incense to the Lord God Almighty and let us join with the saints in everything we have opportunity to be a part of today. Worship.

Faith is the light of time; it alone grasps the truth without seeing it; it touches what it does not feel; it sees this world as though it existed not, beholding quite other things than those which are visible. (J. P. De Caussade, Abandonment, 1880)