Tuesday Morning Early Start – Can I Accept Wrong?

Posted on March 31, 2015 by heatonkent

DailyDevotion_1Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! (1 Corinthians 6:6-8)

Can I Accept Wrong?

Freedom has a heavy price tag. It leaves the impression that I have rights in everything I want and everything I do. This is the deceptive nature of freedom that says there are no limits to what I can do or what I am prohibited in doing. Enjoying freedom as a citizen does not allow me to drive as fast as I want or take things without paying for them first. Freedom has limitations.

We have been set free from sin but this does not allow freedom to be according to our passions. Christ has set us free to live within the boundaries of His Father’s will. There are many things we are not at liberty to engage in as people of God. In Corinth the church had a problem of brethren taking one another to law. As people of God this was a shameful thing to consider Christians did not have enough love and respect for one another to work out their problems with themselves. The first lesson is that problems should be worked out among those who love the Lord. If two people love the Lord with all their heart, mind and soul then the basis of their fellowship with Jesus Christ will teach them to sit down and work out whatever legal problem there is. But there is one more step that may be needed.

A circumstance could arise where the legal satisfaction of the parties is not possible. If this is the case the apostle admonishes the brethren to consider giving up their legal pursuit and suffer loss. As an example of this kind of love a debt of $5,000 could be owed and legal justification could be established for such a claim. For whatever reasons the claim cannot be settled to the satisfaction of the parties involved. The wisdom of the Lord declares that it would be better to write off the money rather than harm the cause of Christ. Everything we do should bring glory to God. Dragging our brethren into court to regain an amount of money (or other legal issues) does not give our Father glory and we should walk away from it. Wow. That is tough but it is the right thing to do.

What separates the people of God from the world is how we handle things in life. Our Master is in heaven and He is not partial. Nothing in this world is worth destroying the relationship of the harmony of righteousness between brethren. If it means I must suffer loss or be defrauded to honor my Lord – may I have the heart and willing mind to submit my will to the grace of God.

There is no true holiness without humility. (Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732)

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Ice Cream And Brussels Sprout

Posted on March 30, 2015 by heatonkent

ice creamIce Cream And Brussels Sprout

Obedience is often defined by what I am willing to do rather than what I am asked to do. Allen Dvorak explained this well in an article “Our Perfected High Priest” (Biblical Insights : December 2014) when he writes, “It can be easy to ‘obey’ the command of another if my desire is to do that very thing anyway. The command may be incidental to my behavior; I did what I wanted to do, regardless of the command. I wasn’t necessarily submitting to another’s authority. To illustrate further, the parent who commands his child to eat ice cream is not likely to encounter resistance because the child probably is quite willing to do so anyway. The command to eat some food that the child dislikes is quite another matter. If the child subjects his own desire to that of the parent, he has ‘learned obedience,’ i.e., he has submitted to the authority of another by doing what that person wants. That’s true obedience.” (page 4)

Brother Allen well explains the challenge of obedience to the will of God when we find it easy to do the things we like to do but find it difficult when asked to go against our own will. Jesus said, “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you” (Matthew 5:46)? Loving our enemies would be easy if we liked them. We don’t even like them and yet the Lord commands we love them, bless them, do good to them and pray for them. A deeper lesson of humility is found in our willingness to obey God even when we do not want love our enemy.

I am not fond of brussels sprout anything and if a bowl of peach ice cream is set before me there would be no problem emptying the bowl. The commands of God are not always easy and pleasant (like eating brussels sprouts) but finding the strength to do what He has commanded always (and I stress always) finds a greater joy. That is the most amazing thing about obedience to God: it is always the better plan.

Loving an enemy and praying for them is not an easy command to follow. Found in the grace of God through the experience of forgiving an enemy and praying for them elevates the spirit of the person to a higher level of peace. There are no words to describe it. When Jesus prayed earnestly in the garden to find another way He was seeing the horror of the cross for all it was going to be. Submitting to the will of His Father our Savior found joy immeasurable when the first day of the week unveiled the resurrection. Our struggles to the will of God may be filled with deep anger and resentment at what we are asked to do but nothing will compare with the resurrected spirit of obedience.

Jesus was challenged about the question of marriage and divorce in Matthew 19. When asked if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason Jesus answered, “No.” Challenged further He stated the will of God in matters of marriage and divorce and His disciples understood clearly what Jesus had said was a difficult decision to be made. “But He said to them, ‘All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it’” (Matthew 19:11-12). This was not ice cream religion. Those who want to enjoy the blessings of God have to decide whether they are willing to be obedient to His will or choose their own desires. To live after the manner of a eunuch for the kingdom of God is the cross some must bear. Many are unwilling to submit to His will.

Growing as a disciple of Christ will bring difficulties in every part of life. Paul reminded Timothy that if anyone desires to live a godly life persecution will be a key ingredient (2 Timothy 3:12). This may come for a change in the manner of dress where modesty is not measured by the world but the yardstick of God’s will. It is easy to dismiss modesty as a choice rather than obedience to the Lord. But there is such a thing as immodesty! It can be the lack of clothing or too much. “Do not let your adornment be merely outward–arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel–rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:3-4). Obedience is when we follow the Lord’s pattern regardless of what the world accepts.

Entertainment is so difficult to keep pure these days. Television, computers, IPads, IPhones are filled with immorality with an ‘easy button.’ Immorality is the norm and without a heart of obedience lives are being destroyed by the plethora of evil desire. If having the internet causes us to sin what profit will it be to stay connected to a conduit of sin and lose our soul? Signing up for cable or satellite television can put many temptations before our eyes that are destructive and to what end? It can be a matter of being obedient to the will of God to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts (James 4:8) or refuse to change our lives. The pattern of obedience seeps into all parts of our lives.

The easy commands of God are easy. It is the hard ones that we struggle with. When our parents told us to eat our vegetables it was for our good. Contrary to our youthful wisdom eating ice cream all day would have been harmful. Which command has God ever asked us to do that we cannot do and that by doing will not bring about our better good? This is where faith comes in. Abraham was told to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. This man of God obeyed in every way he was asked to do because he believed that only good would come from the command of God. He realized in the sacrifice of his son that the Lord would be glorified and that is all that mattered to him. “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense” (Hebrews 11:17-19).

Doing the hard things of God is possible when we look through eyes of promise to what God has in store for us. Our lives are forfeit for Him. Why do we complain about what He has asked us to do for Him when He sent His only begotten Son to a miserable world of men who would abuse and kill His Son? What right do I have to pronounce my complaint to what God has asked of me when I stand before the cross of Jesus with His blood dripping down my face? “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

There is nothing our Lord has asked of us that we cannot do – with His help. After the young man walked away from Jesus being told to sell all he had and give to the poor, the disciples of Jesus were “astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:25-26). This is the key to obedience. Refusing to follow the will of God denies the power of God. Accepting the power of God guides us to do anything asked of us. Joy will be the reward when obedience is measured by the promises of our Savior.

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Monday Morning Coffee Break – The Preaching Of Jesus

Posted on March 30, 2015 by heatonkent

DailyDevotion_1Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. (Luke 4:40-44)

The Preaching Of Jesus

Those few years of Jesus’ ministry must have been the most amazing time in history. A man from Nazareth is healing all manner of diseases, feeding thousands with morsels of food, raising the dead and controlling nature. Beyond the amazement of these miracles would have been His preaching. There are numerous sermons and lectures of Jesus given in scripture but the most intriguing ones are those not recorded. Luke tells us simply “He was preaching.” Talk about a big name preacher. “The Son of God will be delivering the message today” the marquee reads.

The synagogues of Galilee would never be the same. No one had heard the style of teaching this man from Nazareth gave as He crafted the old scriptures to tell a story of redemption through the messiah. Hearts burned within those who sat spell bound at the oratory of Jesus. His speech was clear and demonstrative. The applications were heart rending and compassionate. He moved people to tears. Fervor filled the minds of the devoted. The Father became closer than they had experienced in life. The Son of God showed them a way they had never dreamed of.

Jesus’ voice fell silent two thousand years ago when He breathed His last. Yet His voice resounds in the book we call the Bible. Our place in history affords us to sit at the feet of the greatest preacher in the world and meditate daily upon the grace of God. No other time in history has the word of God been so easily accessible and yet so miserably neglected. If we were to unearth an audio of one of the sermons of Jesus how often would we listen to it? Would we make copies and share it with our friends telling them of the remarkable message contained in the sermon? The only audio we have is found on the printed page and these days in electronic form. Those words are the same.

Today is a great day because it is Monday. Look upon today as a wonderful day to use what we shared yesterday in worship to help others heart the message of the preacher Jesus. He has much to share with us. Turn on the audio of His message in your heart this week and invited someone to share it with you. Our faith this week will come from hearing the words of the preacher from Nazareth. And this word will sound forth to the ends of the earth beginning with me.

We must live in the Book. But it is equally necessary, if such results are to be secured, that the Book live in us. “Thou hast words of eternal life,” said Peter to the Master. (Vance Havner)

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Sunday Morning Starters – The Light Of The World

Posted on March 29, 2015 by heatonkent

DailyDevotion_1Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

The Light Of The World

Today is a day of light. When the world was created it began with light. There was no form. It was only a void. Darkness prevailed over the face of the deep. It was a horrible place. There was no joy. There was no life. It was hopeless. God did not start with the firmament or the land. He did not create anything until He made the most important part of creation – light. Once light was given all else could live including man.

Light existed before creation. In His infinite grace the Lord brought light to a place of void. It changed the world by giving it life because light brings life. Without light we could not exist and the planet we live on would have never survived. But light had to be placed on this earth on the first day of the week.

Today is a day of light. When the world was filled with the void of sin God sent His Son to bring the light of His love. Darkness prevailed over the face of the earth as men struggled to find salvation in their own works and the works of the Law. Since the fall of man there was no hope. The form of man’s existence was perilous without God. The day dawned when a light came into the world that would be brighter than any light man had ever seen. Jesus Christ came as the Light of men. Satan took the Son of God and nailed Him to a cross thinking he had achieved the greatest victory. But then Sunday came. The first day of the week. It was early in the morning on the first day of the week. It was the day when the world was void and without form and darkness filled with earth. And then God said, “Let there be LIGHT” and the Son of God came forth from the grave and shed His brilliance of redemption to all men.

As we worship our Lord today remember that today is a day of light. Jesus conquered the darkness for us so that we may dwell in the light. We do not live in the void of hopelessness but in the glory of His light. Darkness does not hover in our lives because the Light of God has shed abroad in our hearts to shine forth. As He is the Light so must we let our light shine before others. We are beacons of God’s light through Jesus Christ. Today is a day of light. Thank you God for such a Light.

One beam in a dark place hath exceeding much refreshment in it. Blessed be His name for shining upon so dark a heart as mine. (Oliver Cromwell 1599-1658, Letters and Speeches, ed. Carlyle)

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Saturday Morning Promises – The Greatest Migration

Posted on March 28, 2015 by heatonkent

DailyDevotion_1Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. (Genesis 10:25-32)

The Greatest Migration

Genealogies are not the most exciting passage to read. You can’t pronounce most of the names and it becomes an endless whom begot whom and who and so forth. But often there are many nuggets of information embedded that make a great story. After the flood the three sons of Noah became having children and grandchildren and the earth was being populated again. Moses tells us in the days of Peleg (sounds like a pirate name) the earth was divided. The end of chapter ten relates the same message of the earth being divided. The story of the tower of Babel is mixed into this genealogy after the Lord confused the languages He scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. What a traffic jam that must have been.

You start with eight people. Three sons are the headwaters of all mankind as the descendants of Ham, Shem and Japheth immigrate to all parts of the world. From these three sons come all the races of mankind, tongues, customs, social orders, nations and locale in the entire world. Using the land of the Middle East as a starting point the people migrated day after day further and further away – reaching the borders of what we know as Europe and Asia and Africa. Someone had the brave idea of building a boat and sailing out into the blue horizon. It is probable that many of the people of Shem crossed over the Asian continent to the North American continent continuing down to the tip of South America. And then there are those folk that found themselves heading out to sea and finding islands to live on. The first people set foot in England or set off for Australia. The islands of the Caribbean were discovered and populated as well New Zealand and the islands of Indonesia. The earth was divided with people.

It is certain God’s hand was in all of this as He protected travelers to fill the earth. Paul reminded the Athenians that God determined the boundaries of the habitation of man and his dwellings. Columbus did not discover America. The Lord populated it with people long before 1492. Some folk stayed in the cold north (not sure why) and many kept going to find warmer climate (thankfully). There was an evolution of man that took place over the generations and today the world has more than six billion people – all over the place.

What makes this a great story is to put yourself in the shoes of those first people who headed north, south, east or west. It would be generations later before many would reach the further parts of the globe but God guided their hand. These people knew of the true God but for most rejected it for gods of themselves. He worked within the nations to show Him His power. Moses tells us how we got here. That is a great story.

The world is just a scaffolding up which souls climb to the kingdom of Heaven. (Fulton J. Sheen, The Life of All Living, 1929)

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Friday Morning Reflections – Time To To To Work

Posted on March 27, 2015 by heatonkent

DailyDevotion_1Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

The soul of a lazy desires, and nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. (Proverbs 13:4)

Time To Go To Work

As a point of emphasis, I excluded the words added by the textual students in the passage of today. The beginning of the proverb reads “The soul of a lazy [man] desires, and [has] nothing.” Generally these words are added to help the reading and give a sense of the passage. Seldom will it take away the truth of the scripture but sometimes reading it without filler words lends itself to more understanding.

Lazy folk have a lot of desires and that is about all they have. They want and have not. They wish and receive not. Their needs are great and their rewards are empty. The wise man simply says those too lazy to work or be diligent in life have desires – but nothing. There is in nature the law of contrast that with every action there is a reaction. The action of doing nothing has a reaction of nothing being done. Throughout the wisdom literature the admonition to diligence is repeated over and over again. The slothful hand will gain nothing. Consider the ant and see her industry you lazy man. Poverty comes from those who refuse to be diligent. Playing all day will not get the grass mowed or the supper fixed. Simple lessons about God’s plan for man to be honest in his labors.

The soul of the diligent will be made rich – not necessarily in the monetary way (in most cases that is how it is done though). Riches comes from enjoying the bounty of the harvest. There is nothing more refreshing than sitting down at the supper table enjoying a fine meal knowing the meal came from working hands. We have gotten away from growing our own gardens because if we want corn we go buy a can an open it. Before the advent of the supermarket if you wanted corn you had to grow it. If you did not grow it you did not eat it. In many ways if you did not plow you did not eat. Life was based on what you put into it – W. O. R. K.

The lesson will always be timeless. We need to work to enjoy the bounty. As children of God we are especially designed to be good workers. No Christian should ever be thought of as lazy. The New Testament teaches the importance of industry and being good workers. As we begin to close this week out let’s refresh ourselves to work harder next week. Let our light shine before others that they may see our good works working hard at work! The bed is good for sleeping but two feet on the floor is good for industry. Enjoy Friday. Be rich. Work hard.

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Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Why Men Are Lost

Posted on March 26, 2015 by heatonkent

DailyDevotion_1Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8)

Why Men Are Lost

Ultimately the reason men are lost is because they reject the grace of God. But Paul points out two specific reasons why men will be lost in the judgment of the Lord. The conclusion outlines how men will be saved. The basic need for man is to believe in God. Coming to know God is found in the invisible features of God found in the world about us. In Paul’s letter to Rome he illustrates the manner the Creator has revealed Himself to man through the agency of nature. No man can use the excuse they could not know God because His thumbprint is everywhere.

Man cannot know the character of God through the natural word but it will lead him to seek God. This helps to answer the question of how a man can be saved. He cannot obey the gospel if he does not know God first. Coming to this knowledge then he will learn of the Son of God through the gospel. Believing in God does not guarantee the acceptance of the story of Jesus. The only way God has revealed the story of His Son to man is through the written word. God can be known through creation but Jesus can only be known through the revealed message. When a man learns of Jesus and believes He is the Son of God then he will find salvation. It is through the written word that one finds the truth the God they found in creation is also Jesus Christ.

Men reject salvation because they will not believe in God and even accepting the knowledge of God will reject the story of His Son. Salvation will only come to those who embrace the knowledge of a powerful Creator who reveals Himself through the written word so that all men can come to the knowledge of His Son and redemption through His blood. Written upon the pages of holy scrip the message of God’s grace, mercy and love is evident because of Christ’s love for all men to die for them. The conclusion: no one will have an excuse in the day God judges all men.

I never beheld them (the heavens filled with stars) that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God. I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist – but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say “there is no God.” (Abraham Lincoln)

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Instrumental Music: Is It Legalism?

Posted on March 25, 2015 by heatonkent

music (1)Instrumental Music: Is It Legalism?

The Council of Trent (1543-1563) settled the question of the use of instrumental music in worship by affirming it was approved by God. This was much the insistence of Emperor Ferdinand and had it not been for the Council and the emperor’s influence instrumental music would have been abolished. The use of an instrument was first introduced in the six hundreds but remained a point of contention and disagreement for the next nine hundred years. Today, it is becoming more of an oddity if any church does not have instruments of music in their worship – including the church of the Lord.

It should not come as a surprise the influence of the religious world and secularism of society has crept into the thinking of those who claim New Testament discipleship. Satan has been hammering on the temple of God for two thousand years. He will not stop until he is able to change the worship of God to a worship of man. In the “religious world” he has done a masterful job. The next few decades will see more and more churches of Christ embrace to use of instruments of music. Many of those who held firm a few years ago the absence of authority for such will soon relax their views in favor of an open discussion of it as an approved means of worship.

There is more and more a cry for separatism from so-called legalism to accept in better faith some tenets of doctrine. Proponents of instrumental music use the same tired arguments denominations have used for years. “Where does it say in scripture not to use the instrument” is very common. Some will even be so bold to suggest since it was used in the Old Testament and the Revelation that this would allow it to be used today. Deep studies will be conducted on the use of the word ‘psallo’ and when finished prove beyond a shadow of a doubt the early church used every instrument known to man allowing its use today. The cry is for leniency and latitude to allow a fresh discussion of whether we should ban instruments of music.

The root of the problem comes from those who are proving their arguments with feelings and social provocations than the word of God. It has become a debate about legalism. The word “legalism” is used with such ease and tossed about as a bad word. It suggests salvation by works. Binding too many laws upon adherents becomes a legalistic form of worship rather than an open and free approach to a deeper evolution into the mind of God.

What is legalism? It is defined as “strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.” Often critics of scripture offer up the legalism argument to show how that worship to God is not based upon “law keeping” but love, grace, mercy and understanding. The Pharisees took legalism to a whole new level but this was not to suggest that God did not base His law on legalism.

There is a need for commandment keeping. King David was a legalist. He writes, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether” (Psalms 19:7-9). He mentions the LAW of the Lord, the TESTIMONY of the Lord, the STATUTES of the Lord, the COMMANDMENTS of the Lord and the JUDGMENTS of the Lord. David understood that faithfulness to the Lord was not just in commandment keeping. Later the prophet Hosea would rebuke the people because they thought by commandment keeping they could be right with God. The Lord declares, “For I desire mercy (steadfast love – ESV) and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). Did this mean God did not require sacrifice and burnt offerings? No! He wanted them to obey Him and He wanted them to obey Him from the heart. One does not exclude the other.

There is nothing in the teaching of the early disciples that suggests there was any use of an instrument of music. The Jews had lots of instruments. Moses in the Law declared the use of instruments. The psalms are filled with the use of instruments. Remember the first Christians on the Day of Pentecost were DEVOUT Jews who when they became followers of Christ – never – used an instrument of music in worship. If anyone would have known the commandment of the Lord it would have been those first Christians. They never used an instrument because they understood the use of an instrument as not part of this new devotion to the Lord.

The early Christians for over six hundred years did not use an instrument. From the pens of many of the early church fathers and protestant authors came the rejection of instruments of music in worship (Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, Clement of Alexandria, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, Adam Clarke, John Wesley, and Martin Luther to name a few). And now in our time people have become more devoted in the knowledge of the will of God to declare instrumental music as accepted. The real problem lies in the need to find scripture to back up their claims. Where can one find in the New Testament church anything close to teaching the use of instruments of music? It does not exist. Yet people are being drawn to the persuasive arguments of those who have not studied the depths of God’s word to find their authority but rather the shallow veneer of public opinion and need.

No matter how man tries to answer the questions of faith and practice there is only one way to establish truth: what is commanded by God in His word, what is found in harmony with pattern of the early church and how we are to implement these patterns within the realm of inference. The ‘New Hermeneutic’ of modern philosophy does not change the manner the early disciples addressed doctrine. Acts 15 is the story of Jewish Christians trying to bind circumcision on the believers. The manner by which an answer was established is seen in Peter’s conclusion (necessary inference), Barnabas and Paul’s testimony (apostolic example) and the conclusion by James (the commandment of the Lord). The three prong approach must still be used today or false doctrine will be allowed in the body of Christ.

The debate about instrumental music is only a part of the tide coming in over the body of Christ with false doctrine. Few would suggest that the churches of Christ would ever teach that baptism is not necessary for salvation. But just wait. If you want to know where the church in many places is headed just visit your friendly-next-door denomination and what they are doing and teaching will be the norm in the church of Christ in just a few decades. Consider the manner many churches of Christ today follow after recreation, family life centers, unwed mother homes, etc. The issue of instrument music has invaded numerous church of Christ because of a lack of doctrinal purity to the word of God. Based on the same arguments of music the plan of salvation will be watered down to where the only thing you have to do to go to Heaven is wake up in the morning. And that may not require both eyes.

Hosea proclaimed, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6). We can be too legalistic. That goes without saying. The warning comes when the pendulum swings on the wings of compromise and we reject legalism in every form. Jesus told the woman at the well that worship is according to SPIRIT and TRUTH. You cannot have one without the other. Commandments are necessary. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith” (1 John 5:2-4).

“The distemper has invaded the churches in what goes for gospel music. It would be bad enough if jazz had remained in the night clubs amidst the darkness of heathenism … But when the church borrows both the language and the livery of Sodom, it is time to hang our heads in shame” (Vance Havner)

 

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Wednesday Morning Meditation – A Psalm Of Action

Posted on March 25, 2015 by heatonkent

DailyDevotion_1Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

A Psalm of David When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah.

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. (Psalm 63)

A Psalm Of Action

David was a man of action. Faith to the shepherd king was not just an idea – it was his life. Notice the language of action in his words: EARLY will I SEEK you; David THIRSTS and LONGS for the Lord. He LOOKS for the presence of God to see the power and glory of God.

His lips PRAISE and BLESS the Lord. His hands are LIFTED UP, his soul is SATISFIED and his mouth PRAISES the Lord with JOYFUL LIPS.

He REMEMBERS, MEDITATES and REJOICES in the knowledge of God. His soul FOLLOWS CLOSE behind his Lord.

Having a faith filled with action his enemies will not harm him nor despair him. His faith will cause REJOICING in his life because he serves a God that will deliver him on any occasion.

We must be people of action in our faith. James reminds us that faith without works is dead and this shows how important the two need each other. Our faith must be manifest toward God in these powerful words of David. SEEK Him; THIRST for Him; LONG for the Lord in your life.

Through faith man experiences the meaning of the world; through action he is to give to it a meaning. (Leo Baeck, Essence of Judaism, 1922)

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Tuesday Morning Early Start – Who Is My Neighbor

Posted on March 24, 2015 by heatonkent

DailyDevotion_1Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Who Is My Neighbor

The judgment scene of Matthew 25 is overpowering. In clear details the Lord opens the book on the plans of His Father for the judging of all men. The throne scene with all the nations gathered before Him is awesome. Divided like sheep and goats all mankind is put into a group of saved and a group of lost. On the right side are the humble sheep who will hear the immortal words of “come you blessed of my Father.” Trembling in fear those on the left as defiant goats will be pierced with the trumpet of “depart from Me, you cursed.” No one reading this scene will be able to miss the immediate feeling of awe as all those who have lived since Adam until the day the Lord returns will be gathered in mass in one place before a throne of judgment.

It is easy to read this text with the message of the judgment lingering in our thoughts and miss the whole point of the text. This passage is a scene of judgment. But the separation of sheep and goats is not based on whether a person has been baptized into Christ or not. It is not whether they believe in God or His Son. A parting of sheep and goats will not be based upon how faithful a disciple has been in attendance, prayer, knowledge of the Bible or singing the right songs. Matthew 25 – the vivid portrait of judgment – is based upon our relationship with others. Everything we have just mentioned is important and necessary but that is not the text of this passage. Jesus tells His disciples that benevolence or care for others is the reason for salvation or damnation.

This passage is a strong message from the Father about how we are to treat others. If we are like the Priest and Levite in the story of the Samaritan then we will not find salvation. Isn’t that an amazing story from Jesus? Of all the things we think about in the judgment what Jesus talks about here is seldom pointed out – yet it is the main thrust of the message. So what can we do to help others this week? Notice in the text that it is more about what we are doing than what we are saying. Read the text again and take note of those who did – and those who did not. Let’s be those who are doers of the word showing our faith by our works. It is that important.

The love of our neighbor is the only door out of the dungeon of self. (George MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons, 1st Series, 1869)

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