The Heaton File

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

If any man loveth not the Lord, let him be anathema. Maranatha. (1 Corinthians 16:22 ASV)

It Is Time To Get Serious

The reading for today is from the American Standard Version because of two words: anathema and maranatha. The modern reading of this verse is “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! (ESV)” My spell checker does not like the word ‘maranatha’ because it is of Chaldean origin. Nonetheless it is a very impressive word because it denotes a desire for the judgment of God to come immediately. The word is found only in this text but the idea permeates the writings of the early disciples. John in the Revelation concludes his writing with the proclamation, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Paul impresses upon our minds the basic nature of our relationship with the Father. Either we love Him or we do not. If we do not love the Lord Jesus Christ then what have we? There is no meaning to life. All that man works for is futile. Without Christ there can be no peace. Death is not joyous but fearful. Like Solomon of old the apostle wants to hear the conclusion of the whole matter summed up in the realization that we are created to glorify God and accept His grace.

Loving the Lord is not just a veneer of devotion satisfied by the crumbs of our lives trying to appease an ignorant God. He demands all of our lives. It requires the heart, the soul, the mind and the body and nothing less. The reason Israel was punished with bondage in the stories of the Old Testament is because their love for God was ten miles long and one inch thick. Man cannot be pleasing to God without devotion. Deep love and commitment to the Lord with loyalty is everything required to be a child of God.

Paul suggests that if we do not love the Lord then we should be accursed. Harsh? Maybe. But can we do anything less? Too many folk want to be a nominal Christian and the Holy Spirit says they deserve anathema. Loveless people cannot please the Lord. This is where the rubber meets the road. It requires dedication, devotion, determination and drive to find the true nature of Jesus Christ because He gave up Heaven to die on a cross. A crude vernacular of the day says it like this: either put up or shut up. You know we need to decide whether we are really going to be serious about this thing and quit playing Christianity as if it is a child’s toy and devote ourselves to the greatest gift given to man. Now is the day of salvation. Today is the day to get serious about salvation.

Maranatha. Lord come today so that those of us who love you will all of our hearts will enjoy the blessings of seeing you face to face. Now that is love beyond measure.

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

A Psalm of David. A Contemplation. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32)

The Joy Of Forgiveness

Our psalm for the day is called a “maschil” or “contemplation.” The occasion is not declared but many believe it is part of the penitence psalms following the sin with Bathsheba. The introduction declares the theme of the devotion showing the joy in knowing the forgiveness of God. Whether the sin was as serious as the occasion with Uriah and his wife or telling a lie the principle remains the same. Forgiveness is enjoyed by the godly who seek the mercy of a loving Father. By the grace of God transgressions can be removed and sins hidden. The imputation of the filth of sin is cleansed by the Lord returning man to a state of wholeness. Godly sorrow leads to repentance and prayer is the avenue of redemption when men seek the cover of God’s blessings.  The joy of forgiveness is knowing we can come before the throne of the Almighty and He will hear us, forgive us and give us grace to live with no fear.

Sin is ugly, painful and depressing. David was not a perfect man before Bathsheba and he was not a perfect man after Bathsheba. The shepherd king sinned in many ways and like all of us the measure of his action determined the nature of his sin. Forgiveness is not granted just for the ‘big’ stuff but for everything we do. Some things we do in life have greater consequence and require greater mercy. The common factor between all sin is the joy of knowing God is willing and able to remove our sins from us when we come to Him in a contrite and humble way.

David shares his physical sorrow experienced explaining “day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” Sin has pain and sorrow can be more painful. Joy is found when the sting of sin is removed. Happiness returns when sorrow borne on wings of grief take the form of grace from the hand of God. How wonderful to feel the comfort of forgiveness.

Today is the middle of the week. Reflect on the past few days and how our Father loved us and forgave us of sin. Be resolved this day and the rest of this week to walk more boldly in this world of sin reflecting the light of Jesus Christ feeling the joy that His grace will bless our lives with joy and hope. There is reason to live. He lives and because He lives I can live with joy.

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

The Doctrine Of Two

On the sixth day of creation God created two beings: a man and a woman. He put them in a garden with two trees in its midst. The first law given to man was a two-fold commandment of life and death. Faced with the temptation of Satan Adam and Eve rejected God. Two sons are born to the first couple who represent the struggle of right and wrong. Two sacrifices were given but only one was accepted. Two brothers struggled and the evil one murdered the other. Two generations of people emerged called the sons of God and daughters of men. The flood destroyed all mankind but still the struggle of the two laws remained: righteousness and unrighteousness.

Two people would emerge from the ruins of the early world: the seed of Abraham would be known as the Jews in a world filled with Gentiles. Two laws would be experimented upon to show the power of God’s grace. The Gentiles lived as a law to themselves and the Jews lived under a written law. The two would fail. Salvation could only be found in the one – Jesus Christ. Two people still abound today as Jew and Gentile but all men are one and need the blood of Christ.

Jesus taught the lesson of two in the sermon on the mountain. We must serve God or mammon but not both. There are two places to lay up life’s treasures: earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in or in heaven where there is eternal security. The spirit of man is either an eye filled with light or an eye filled with darkness. A vital teaching of Jesus is showing there are only two paths man will walk: he will either walk in the narrow and difficult way leading to salvation or the wide way leading to destruction. Two groups of people follow these two paths and the majority follows the broad way. Jesus affirms this truth when He says that there are two kinds of people: those who do the will of the Father and those who do not. There are two types of builders in life: those who hear the words of the Lord and follow His command are likened to a wise man building his house on a rock and those who hear the words of God refusing to obey who are likened to a fool building his house on the sand.

Two. It is not much in the numerical system. It follows number one and that is the lesson. There is only one way, one truth and one life. There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all and one choice. Two is the choice we have to make about the one: yes or no. Life is not about number three or four and five or any other number. It is the TWO choices we have about the ONE. There is life and there is death. There is Heaven and there is Hell. Two decisions. One answer. Think about this on this day – TWODAY – (sounds a little like Tuesday).

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” (John 1:43)

Monday With Jesus

There does not seem to be any clear identification of a certain Monday recorded in the life of Jesus but there were more than 1500 Monday’s in His life. It is interesting to note the manner of the gospel writers describing the life of Jesus. Often the writers will say of the ministry of Jesus “the next day” or “the following day.” Mark and John speak of events happening “after two days” or “the same day.” The wedding feast where the Lord began His signs was “on the third day” after his conversation with Nathanael (John 2:1). The final week of Jesus’ life tells of His triumphal entry to Jerusalem (Sunday) and on Monday curses the fig tree (Matthew 21:18) dying on the cross four days later. Jesus did a lot of things on a lot of days which shows He was a man like you and me.

Monday was the second day of the week for the Lord just like it is today (not the same name). For Jesus it was two days removed from Sabbath. During creation the firmament was divided in the midst of the waters on ‘Monday’ and God called the firmament Heaven. Monday. A lot happens on Monday. I wonder what Jesus did on Monday? It would be fun to know what Jesus did on this day of the week. Was Jesus born on a Monday? Maybe it was Joseph or Mary’s birthday. Monday could have been the day when Jesus began His ministry. There is no way to know and it is important for only one reason. The Lord lived and served His Father on Monday.

The second day of the week has become known as a day usually things go wrong. A day to go back to work but after the weekend things just don’t come together. Silly day. But Monday is a great day and a powerful day because it is a day created by God. Jesus had Monday’s but it did not get Him down. He used this day like any other day for the glory of God. It was a day to show the world His Father. As you begin your day today remember the Lord had Monday’s and He glorified God. We can use this day to show others how important yesterday was so we can show them how tomorrow will be a day of promise. We have no promise of another day but today so let’s use today – yes it is a Monday – for a day of victory! Jesus did.

• Kent Heaton

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Worship With Boldness

I like what Adam Clark said about coming to the throne of God ‘boldly’: “All may approach who feel their need of salvation; and they may approach with freedom, confidence, liberty of speech, in opposition to the fear and trembling of the Jewish high priest. Here, nothing is to be feared, provided the heart be right with God, truly sincere, and trusting alone in the sacrificial blood.” It is easy to think of worship in a ho-hum kind of manner but one of the great marvels of our lives should be the realization of how blessed we are to enter the Holy of Holies and stand before the Awesome Lord God. In the days of the Temple the High Priest only went into the Holy of Holies once a year. Some historians suggest that when he entered the Holies a rope was tied around his ankle less some tragedy befall him while serving and the priests had to drag his body out. Imagine how terrifying it would be to enter the Holy.

Worship today is still with reverence and fear but not the kind of trepidation that shrinks the heart away from the Lord. Jesus tore down the veil in His death allowing the avenue of grace to give you and me the blessing of worship today. As we gather on this Lord’s day to praise the Lord let us give thanks we have a High Priest who understands all our needs and wants and allows us to come into the Holy of Holies to commune with His Father. Sing mightily to the Lord. Pray in deep devotion to our God. Drink deeply from the image of the crucified Savior who made our worship possible. Attend carefully to the sermon today to glean the eternal truths of God’s word. Today we enter the Holy of Holies with a new spirit. Praise God.

• Kent Heaton

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:1-10)

The Wee Little Giant

Who does not like the story of Zacchaeus? The wonderful song that tells the story rings in the ears of children across the land. It seems amazing that because he was vertically challenged a grown man would climb up a tree to see Jesus. A short man. The Holy Spirit impresses us with the value of the story because he was a small man. Unable to see Jesus he remembers a sycamore tree up the road that would give him an advantage to at least see Jesus.

As a tax collector he would have been a wealthy man with fine clothing. Imagine the surprise from others as he begins climbing a tree. Some must have laughed and others thought Mr. Z had lost his mind. Fellow business partners might have considered reevaluating their arrangement with a crazed man climbing trees. Undaunted Zacchaeus climbed the tree.

The crowd draws closer. In the midst is the man of the hour. Zacchaeus is only able to see Jesus but what a joy it would be to speak to him. As the Lord passes under where Zacchaeus is perched on a limb a remarkable thing happens. The Teacher stops and looks up at this tree climbing tax collector and calls him by name imploring him to come down so they may dine together that day. A smile breaks across his face. Hurriedly he scampers down the tree in a most undignified manner and rushes to the Lord. The two men go into the home nearby and Zacchaeus is a changed man. Jesus took time to spend with him – a tax collector – hated by his fellow Jews and loathed by the Romans. Salvation came to his home.

This is a great story for many reasons. God loves small people. He even loves small rich people. What I like about the Z Man is that he had a desire to see Jesus and took some unusual steps to bring that about. I wish we had more people today seeking Jesus. I doubt Zacchaeus knew how it was all going to turn out. He may have thought like many who are standing on the side of the road watching a parade go by that he would even have a chance to be acknowledged by Jesus. The real joy of this story is that Jesus has time to talk to people in trees. There were usually a lot of people around Jesus but only one humble enough to climb a tree. Jesus loved Zacchaeus for that. Sometimes I need to get on my knees and climb a tree. The Lord loves tree climbers.

The tax collector was willing to do whatever it took to see the Lord. I must be willing to do all God has commanded me to see the Lord. Joy came to the house of Zacchaeus because he did something unusual for a man of his stature; and it was not about his vertical size but the giant heart he had inside. Because Jesus came into his house the tax collector repented and made changes in his life. When Jesus comes into my life I must repent and make changes. That is when joy comes.

Thanks Zacchaeus. You are my hero – you little man you. Is that a great story or what?

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. (Proverbs 21:10)

It Is All About Me

There is a philosophy of life that says, “Live life with all its gusto and when death comes slide into the grave clutching all the fun you can have.” Disciples of this fun filled frolic philosophy of living spend as many hours possible in the grand fulfillment of pleasure. Let’s not kid ourselves. Sin is fun. Otherwise what is the great attraction? For many a job is nothing more than a momentary pause to gain support for what happens after hours, weekends and holidays. Others have no desire to work spending their days pursuing a drug fix, another bottle to drown their sorrows and sexual pleasures to cover their miserable existence. Some are rebels living on the edge of society doing whatever they desire with no consideration of others. Crime is based on the need of a wicked heart taking from others for self-gratification. There is no concern for the life of the neighbor, store clerk and often family member. Life is one big party so let’s have all the fun we can.

The sad reality of this life is that most people follow this doctrine. There are those who take it to a higher level than others but the majority of people in the world live for the moment and live for the pleasure. Why is pornography so prevalent? Why are drugs the scourge of society? The news is filled with the murder of the innocent slaughtered in move houses and churches. Evil is no worse today than fifty years ago or two hundred years ago. It’s been around for a long time and man has embraced every tentacle of it. Evil is a desired need that fills the moment with the greatest pleasure.

Mankind has remained in a drunken state of evil since the expulsion from the garden. And to what end? Here is the sad and prominent reality: none! Every age in the history of man has proven the lust of the flesh, pride of life and lust of the eye is nothing more than empty promises lost in the miserable pursuit of pleasure that only brings unhappiness, pain and suffering. The soul of the wicked desires evil and cares for no one but himself. Sad. Tragic. Pointless.

And now you know why Jesus came.

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. (Romans 11:22)

God Is Love And Judgment

We can look at the world around us and see the thumbprint of the Creator everywhere. Design testifies to the majesty of creation. The order of the universe portrays on an expansive canvas the brush strokes of omniscient artist. No one is with excuse to deny the presence of God in the world about us. To know the character of God we must turn to the revelation of His word. Without the Bible man would only see the Lord but not know Him. Contained within those sixty-six volumes of holy writ is the eternal DNA of the Almighty.

The personality of God is simple: He is a God of extreme goodness and a God of punishing judgment. Throughout the revelation of scripture we see expressions of mercy, grace, love, compassion filling the pages as man rebels, rejects and fights against God. Many names in the history of the Bible story show how much God loves man. It is not man that saves man but God that saves man. Reading the word should remind us of how much God loves us in our frail state. We fail but He does not fail us. Our sins are multiplied but His grace is more. Deserving punishment we gain mercy. Our God is an amazing Lord of LOVE.

There is another side of God many people do not believe in. Our God is a consuming God. It is easy to embrace the goodness of God but difficult to accept He is a severe God. The Bible clearly shows that the word of Lord is true and when men reject God He will reject them. Consider the severity of God: the flood destroyed every human save eight; judgment was rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah in total annihilation; Nadab and Abihu were not guiltless; Israel was punished with destruction and bondage for rejecting the One True God. The list could go on. David, a man after God’s own heart – was punished because of sin. Behold the severity of the Lord.

One day Jesus Christ will return and the world will end in a giant conflagration. The goodness and severity of God will be evidenced a final time. Many will hear the words, “Depart from me” and the few will embrace the song of salvation when He says, “Enter in.” Behold the nature of the Lord God we serve. He loves us beyond anything we can understand. In His love He will also punish if we rebel against Him. He is a Righteous God. His word is true.

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God the Lord, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. [Selah]

Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

But to the wicked God says: What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes. Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God. (Psalm 50

I Am God Your God

There is much I would like to know about Asaph. He is one of the writers of the psalms and his testimony in Psalm 50 is remarkable for its trumpet call of God’s nature and our frailty. He begins by declaring God as the MIGHTY ONE without comparison to anything in this world. Creation cries out for the majesty of His wondrous works. The voice of the Lord shrieks through the heavens in judgment on those who refuse to worship Him. There is none like Him.

How can we compare to the Almighty? We make sacrifice but what is that to him? He owns everything. Nothing we have is truly ours. All the animals are His. The land is His. The sky is His. Our breath comes from Him and when we die it returns to Him. Every star has His name on it and He has a name for every star. Each molecule of our life is dependent upon the mercy of God. Who do we think we are? “I am God, your God,” declares our Maker.

Do the wicked think they escape the notice of the Maker? How foolish to think we can pull the wool over His eyes. We commit vile things in life and hope no one knows. GOD KNOWS. He sees all, hears all, understands everything we do and when the night is the darkest it is but midday sun for Him. We have to stop thinking that God is like us because there is no comparison by which to measure how tiny we are. We are small. He made us small so we can see how great He is. Thank you Asaph for reminding me of how great my God is. Oh God how large your ocean and tiny my boat. Thank you God for loving me.

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him … Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (Isaiah 43:7; 1 Corinthians 10:31)

A Simple Rule Of Life

We like things simple. Instructions are better received when they are less complicated and easy to follow. Living as a child of God in a world as messed up as we live can be hard to decide what the best course of action is. We may be unsure of how long is long and how short is short and whether this is really something I should do or not do. Opinions muddle the clarity of the issue with views that are sometimes more cultural than Biblical. Preachers strain to define the proper readings of scripture. Elders are challenged with impressing upon the flock the need for separation from the world. It just gets complicated. But is it really?

When we realize why we were created it will give us the answers of how to live. Isaiah declares the purpose for the creation of man is to glorify the Creator. Our whole existence is measured by the worship we give Him who created us. The heavens testify to God’s glory as well as our bodies declare the wonderful design of an omniscient Lord. How can we not acknowledge Jehovah God Almighty as our Lord in everything we do? He holds our breath in His hand. Let that sink in for a moment. The universe with all the stars and planets are held within the span of God’s hand. We are but dust in His presence. Are you ready to glorify?

Understanding who we are and what we are brings the simple answers to life. Everything we do is for God’s glory measured by God’s word. We do not give God glory by our will but seek to define what the glory of the Lord is from the revealed word. Here is the practical application. The clothes I wear should glorify God. Dressing like the world with the noticeable lack of clothing does not give glory to Jesus Christ. Engaging in the lusts of the world may be fun but it is far from the character found in scripture as the personality of God’s child. Neglecting service with the church is not glorifying God but exalting the feeble pursuits of a world passing away. Can I say what I am doing glorifies God? We have to be honest with ourselves. Don’t worry about being honest with God because He already knows the answer. Sadly, so often we measure righteousness by our standards and not His.

A simple rule of life? Spend more time in the BOOK and you will know what glorifies God. Live each day with the promise that what you say, what you do and how you present yourself will only give glory to God. To Him be praise, honor and glory.