The Purpose Of Work

Posted on January 24, 2025 by heatonkent

He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding. (Proverbs 12:11)

The Purpose Of Work

Living in the Garden of Eden was a life of paradise, but it still required work. God placed the man and woman in the garden and told them to tend and keep it. What tending and maintaining the garden entailed is not mentioned, but the Lord created man to be a productive and busy creation. After the fall of man, the provisions of paradise were removed, and man had to work by the sweat of his brow. Part of the penalty for disobedience was for Adam to labor over a cursed ground with thorns and thistles. To eat bread, Adam would have to work in the heat of the day and produce the good ground to grow crops and then harvest them. In the Garden of Eden, everything was provided. After the fall of man, the world would labor until the day of death to produce a bounty to live by.

Moses describes some of the early pioneers of the workforce. Jabal was the father of those who lived in tents and had livestock. Jubal, his brother, created musical instruments like the harp and flute. Tubal-Cain became an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. Learning to work in metallurgy was a dangerous profession showing the earliest men in history used iron for tools and other implements. Work has always been the plight of man to receive anything. The days of God providing everything were taken away when Adam and Eve rebelled against the word of God. A man left to himself who refuses to labor for his food will die.

The wisdom of labor is seen when a hard-working farmer has fields of harvest compared to a man who will daydream about the good things and do nothing. When a man works his land, he will have plenty of bread. The man who follows worthless pursuits and frivolity is, in the words of the Hebrew text, stupid or foolish. God created the human body as a machine to carry out the work required to care for the body’s needs. Two arms and two legs serve well to go into the field and work the land to grow crops and feed the family. A lazy man is an affront to the purpose God created man. Adam and Eve were told to tend and keep the garden because God wanted them to find worth in how they cared for it.

Laziness goes against the will of God. The slothful man is not pleasing to the will of the Father. There is much work to be done at any age. The human spirit’s character relies on working with the hands to provide for the family. Hard work teaches a character of godliness in such a manner to show dependence on God, thankfulness for the blessings of God, and the joy of sharing with others who are in need. The apostle Paul wrote that one of the reasons the Christian labors with his hands is to provide for the family and share with others in need. Sharing the bounty of labor is one of the gifts of the spiritual family of God. Later, James will show that faith without works is dead. He explained how those who have been blessed should share with those who are unfortunate. If a man refuses to help others, his faith is dead. Sharing comes from working.

The Christian stands out in the world as a diligent and faithful worker. In a sense, the child of God should get the employee of the year every year. They work not for the glory of men but for the glory of God. The example of a faithful employee or employer letting the light of Christ shine in their lives will go a long way to bring others to Christ. A man who works diligently to please God will show others the character of labor, faithfulness, and industry to do a job well done. Do not allow a lazy spirit to characterize the heart. Work for the night is coming when no man will work.

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Growth Requires Planning

Posted on January 23, 2025 by heatonkent

And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. (Nehemiah 2:13)

Growth Requires Planning

One of the most stunning achievements in Bible history is rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls in fifty-two days. The city had been in ruins for seventy years after Nebuchadnezzar burned the holy city to the ground. Nearly one hundred years had passed when the first remnants of God’s people returned to the promised land before the walls were restored. The inhabitants of the city made little attempt to construct the fortifications of the city before the arrival of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard of the ruined city, he implored the king to allow him to go to Jerusalem, a city he had never seen, to repair the walls and restore the gates.

In the service of the Persian king, Nehemiah was a cupbearer (scant qualifications for a leader to rebuild a city). Receiving the blessing of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem to a city laid waste and its gates burned with fire. He was a stranger to the inhabitants of the land. His qualifications did not announce his arrival. Receiving letters from the Persian king to the governors in the region, Nehemiah let them know King Artaxerxes officially sanctioned him. His arrival upset some of the leaders of the land that he had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. This opposition would become fierce from men jealous of Nehemiah.

Three days after he arrived, Nehemiah arose at night and, taking a few men, went out to inspect the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates. He believed it was possible to repair the walls with the blessing of God, who would prosper their work. Nehemiah knew that before work could be done, planning had to be organized to decide how to do the work. This was not going to be an easy task. The ruins had been where they were for 162 years. It would be a daunting task. Nehemiah and the men carefully planned and calculated how to engage the work and implemented their plan.

After fifty-two days, the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. The workers had overcome great obstacles in reestablishing the brick and mortar and the constant bickering of certain leaders who tried to stop the work and defeat Nehemiah’s purpose. God was glorified through the courage and faith of men like Nehemiah, Eliashib, Zaccur, Meremoth, Meshullam, and Zadok. A great list of courageous workers, men, women, and children, faced the task of building the walls and succeeded with great power. The glory of Jerusalem had returned.

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was a success because Nehemiah planned the work. When no plans are made to succeed, the work fails. Nehemiah understood the value of planning to succeed and put into place the work according to the needs of the day and carried out the plan to its completion. These principles of growth are found in church work and individual development. Many churches languish in apathy because they never plan for growth. It is easy to talk about and pray for growth, but until goals are established and plans are made, the church cannot and will not grow. Church leaders need to be men of vision. Without vision, there is no growth. Failing to plan for that vision will lead to the failure of the work.

Leaders like Nehemiah know the value of planning and will spend months, weeks, days, and hours developing a plan to “build the walls” of God’s church. By God’s grace, the church will grow. Nehemiah first inspected the walls and then made a plan. The church that will grow first examines itself in every aspect of the work to see where the walls have fallen and what gates need to be restored. After a careful inspection of the work of the church, then a plan can be made to build the walls and shore up the defenses. It will take more than fifty-two days, but a good start is a good plan.

Individual growth comes from planning. When a New Year begins, great resolutions are made that generally fail within a month. Stores that open in January as a fitness gym open as a donut shop in February. Human nature is fickle when it comes to commitment. If people want their faith to grow, they must inspect the walls and plan for growth. After finding ways to increase faith, the individual will put into place those things necessary to help them grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Growth requires and demands planning. If you are not growing in Christ, you are not planning to grow. Churches that are not growing are churches that are not planning to grow. It is hard work. Restoring the walls that have fallen will take a Herculean effort, but what a blessing it is that the church stands mighty as the city on the hill where the light of God shines forth. Jesus told his followers to be the light of the world. That takes planning.

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He Is A God Of Comfort

Posted on January 22, 2025 by heatonkent

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

He Is A God Of Comfort

Life is filled with pain and grief. There is no escaping the sorrow of the heart. Sin is the reason for suffering when Adam and Eve are removed from the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life was taken away because first Eve, then Adam, took the fruit forbidden by God. Without access to the life-giving tree, death came upon all men. Disease began to destroy health, and sin brought about murder and persecution. Adam and Eve buried their son, Abel, not fully grasping what death meant. Methuselah lived nearly one thousand years, and he died. Everyone dies, and that is the end of the matter.

Jesus came in the flesh to experience the human frame. He suffered hunger, thirst, weariness, anger, joy, happiness, and sorrow. At the tomb of Lazarus the Holy Spirit reveals that Jesus wept. This was not the first time Jesus cried. It would not be His last. Like all men, Jesus died. His death was fashioned after the tortures of human invention, but on the cross, He breathed His last. He was buried in a sealed tomb guarded by Roman soldiers. Jesus rose from the dead on the third death and has never died since. He is the only man who has died, resurrected, and has not died again. Many enjoyed resurrections, but they all died again. Friends and family grieved the loss of their loved ones.

God is the God of all comfort. He knows and understands the grief men experience in life. Jesus did not suffer alone. The Father watched as His Son shared in the sorrows and griefs of the human form. God created the human frame to experience the emotions of sadness, suffering, and pain. He did not leave humanity without a message of hope when facing grief. God wants His creation to know that He is a God who can bring solace to the broken heart, joy to the grieving soul, and happiness to the downtrodden spirit. The Lord is full of mercy to soothe the broken heart. When life is filled with tribulation, affliction, and trouble; God is there to bring comfort. If God can hold the universe in His hand, He can understand and help in the grief and sorrow that men experience. Nothing is outside the realm of God’s mercy.

Learning to embrace the love of God and finding comfort in times of grief affords those comforted the opportunity to comfort others. Few understand grief until they have walked in the valley of grieving. For those who have found joy in the presence of the Lord, the task is to share that grief lesson with others. God will comfort the broken-hearted, and it is important for those who have lost loved ones to share their grief with others. This serves the purpose of helping those who grieve and have walked through the valley of suffering. Sharing a life of suffering helps those who grieve to bear the heavy burden.

Everyone needs others to help in times of grief. Few will travel the earth without the experience of pain that comes with disappointment, disease, and death. God has formed man to help others pass through the shadows of grieving. God comforts our hearts, and we are to comfort the hearts of others. Our task is to learn the mercy of God as we face grief and then to share our compassion with those who weep and mourn. We are blessed to have a God of comfort. Let our lives bless those who need to know the God of comfort. Shining our light is sharing our love.

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It’s All Vanity

Posted on January 21, 2025 by heatonkent

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 12:8)

It’s All Vanity

Three words sum up the condition of life. It is hard to imagine a more succinct and direct approach to the human factor than how the wise man Solomon viewed life. For some, this may be a negative view. The idea of vanity suggests there is no purpose to life and in life. Solomon was not saying there was nothing to live for. What the wise man did was balance the nature of life and all its trappings with the firm reality that everything a man works for in life to attain will be left behind when he dies. Further, age cannot be stopped. Every generation has desired the fountain of youth only to find a dried-up creek. The sum total of life is vanity of vanities.

Solomon had every advantage, more than most people have ever lived. He had the most wealth, owned more property, had more pleasures, and married a slew of women with concubines. There was nothing that Solomon could not have. God gave him wisdom above any man in history. These are the things that men seek in life and measure their success by. Money drives the engine of the heart to find ways to amass great amounts of wealth in billions of dollars. Owning houses, lands, cars, boats, toys, recreational devices, and clothing gives status to a select few. Having power and influence is where many find their happiness. The greater a person can be in history, the more that matters. It is the goal of many a poor soul to have one’s name in lights. History erases the memory, and the lights fade.

Pleasure is the opium of life. The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1919 was doomed to fail from the beginning. Trying to end the use of alcohol is historically impossible. Since the beginning of human history, the desire for the drink has been a part of society. Even a man of God like Noah found the pleasures of the pleasures of the vine. Drunkenness is one of the common sins. Immorality through the sexual desires of the flesh has filled the world with darkness and heartache. Generations rise, proclaiming freedom in sexuality, finding only misery in its aftermath. There is no lasting joy and pleasure. Sex brings a moment of reckless folly and then nothing. All is vanity.

Solomon wanted his readers to take a close look at life and put the whole existence of the human experience under the divine microscope. Life is vanity because nothing in life is lasting. Everything the human soul seeks and longs for wastes away in corruption. All is vanity when a man will not see the real purpose of his creation. God did not create man to live on the earth. He desires to have man dwell with Him in eternity. The joys of life are the conduits that allow a man to find God and long to dwell with Him. What is true and lasting in life is the eternal relationship in serving the Lord God. The heart’s desires will not find fulfillment in this life but in the life that is to come. Life is vanity, but eternal life is victory. Leaving all the earthly trappings allows the heart to accept the eternal rewards.

All is vanity and seeking after the wind. The only thing that really matters is knowing what brings happiness to the human heart, respecting the word of God, and obeying the Father’s commands. These commands are not burdensome but liberating. Life is preparing for what comes after death. There is life after death. Nothing in this world can be taken in death, but what is preserved in death is the obedient soul of the faithful. Life is so short and is vanity. Eternity is much longer than life on Earth. When the right choice is made with eternity, the pleasures of eternal joy will never end. They are everlasting. You will live a lot longer after death than before death. Choose carefully what you hang on to. If you gain all the world and lose your soul, you have lost it all. When you gain heaven, you lose the world, but you find happiness.

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Paul Withstood Peter To His Face

Posted on January 19, 2025 by heatonkent

Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? (Galatians 2:11-14)

Paul Withstood Peter To His Face

No man is perfect, and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus is the exception, as He lived a sinless life. The challenge for the human spirit is growing in faith to sin less in life by the grace of God. Many valiant saints of the Lord have exemplified their lives with great faith. They have become legendary examples of the character to serve God with all faithfulness. But even the best of men struggle with their faith. Many people were around Jesus when He walked on the earth. Twelve disciples shared a close relationship with the Son of God, and Peter, James, and John held a closer place with Jesus.

Simon Peter was a central figure in the ministry of Jesus. There were times Peter showed his trust and faith in the words of Jesus, and there were times that Peter failed miserably to understand Jesus’ plan. He was a deeply convicted man who greatly loved his Lord and teacher. His faith struggled with an impetuous desire to show boldness before Jesus. On the night of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, Peter denied his beloved Lord three times. He could hardly contain his grief when he looked into the eyes of Jesus. His heart was broken when he heard that Jesus had died. When Peter heard the tomb was found empty, he ran to see it with his own eyes.

Peter’s faith settled with great firmness as he spoke about the crucified Son of God on Pentecost. The early days of the church were filled with activities of opening up the gospel of grace to a lost and dying world, and Peter was at the center of kingdom work. He and John were arrested for preaching Christ, and then the twelve were arrested and beaten. Peter opened the gospel to the Gentiles when he took the gospel to the home of Cornelius. There had to be excitement in Peter’s mind when he first met Saul of Tarsus, who had become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Peter would have read the news of Paul’s work in the kingdom with great interest.

Saul of Tarsus became known as Paul the apostle. Paul knew he was a latecomer to the apostleship and, in many ways, undeserving of the honor of being called a child of God. James, Peter, and John, pillars of the church, gave Paul the right hand of fellowship, that he should go to the Gentiles to preach the gospel. Peter would work with the Jews to show them the Christ. On one occasion, when Peter came to Antioch, Paul confronted the aged apostle. When Peter first came to Antioch, he would eat with the Gentile Christians, but when Jews later came with James, Peter would not eat with the Gentiles. This was an egregious affront to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul did not hesitate to challenge Peter. The apostle Peter had been serving the kingdom for many years, but he was wrong. Peter needed to be corrected in front of all the brethren, and Paul acted with the loving concern of a parent correcting their child. Peter’s faith needed to grow more, and it did. A clear message of Peter’s strong faith is evident in the epistles written by Peter later and preserved by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not provide Peter’s acceptance of Paul’s rebuke, but the text suggests his humble acceptance. Peter did not get angry with Paul, and Paul loved Peter enough to correct him. The confrontation of Paul and Peter is the story of faith, love, forgiveness, the need for deeper study, and how two men loved the Lord more than themselves. Their example would change the hearts of many saints in the church of the Lord if men would follow them.

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What Are You Looking For?

Posted on January 17, 2025 by heatonkent

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26)

What Are You Looking For?

Faith is the assurance of something not seen. The challenge of faith is to accept what is not seen as true and live with the assurance that what is not seen will come to pass. Faith has been the same from the beginning. Moses recorded the story of the creation of the world that took place eons before he was born. Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice because of his faith in the word of God. Enoch had such incredible faith that God took him home with Him. What did Noah understand about a global flood? Abraham lived believing in things he could not see, but every part of his life was faithful to what God said.

Moses wrote the story of Genesis through faith and then described his own birth and suffering of the Hebrews in Egypt. The book of Exodus tells the story of the Hebrew people who became the apple of God’s eye as the nation of Israel. Moses was born in a land that was cruel and harsh. Because the ruler of Egypt feared the rise of the Hebrew population, he ordered the baby boys born to the Hebrew women to be killed. The parents of Moses feared God more than Pharaoh and preserved the young child’s life. Through the providence of God, Moses was discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised as a prince of Egypt. He was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter with all the Egyptian hierarchy’s wealth, prestige, and honor. Moses was educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a notable man who was mighty in words and deeds.

Few men lived such a favored life as Moses, son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He wore the finest clothes, ate the finest foods, and walked among the people as a man of great privilege. He knew he was a Hebrew and considered himself as the savior of his people. There was a seed planted deep within his heart that made him realize that all the trappings of the Egyptian world were vanity. When Moses came of age, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. To the shock of those around him, Moses turned away from the opulence, prestige, and honor to be called part of the family of the ruler of Egypt. He chose to share in the affliction of his people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of a sinful and corrupt world.

The quality of a man’s life is what he looks for. Moses had all the blessings and temptations of the world at his feet, but he needed something deeper. His relationship with the one true God brought him greater blessings than what the world could offer. Moses looked for something far more valuable than the world’s fleeting pleasures. Faith led him to look for an eternal reward. Life is short and full of vanity. It is sad how many people fill their lives to gain the whole world and lose their souls. They get what they are looking for, but at the end of life, they find an empty coffin of broken promises. Moses knew the value of seeking an eternal reward.

The quality of life is determined by what a person views and desires. Many seek after the wealth of the world with all its trappings. The desire for pleasurable fulfillment drives the carnal nature of the world. Human wisdom is the trap many fall into, believing that the greater the knowledge, the greater the happiness. Moses had everything the world could offer and more, but he knew there was more to life than what his eyes saw. His heart saw a greater prize in the upward calling of holiness and righteousness.

To find true happiness in life, turn your eyes to God. He will bless you with greater riches and knowledge than what the world offers. God will give you eternal happiness. What are you looking for? Whatever that is, you will find it. The question is, “Is it worth your soul?”

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What Is Sound Doctrine

Posted on January 15, 2025 by heatonkent

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

What Is Sound Doctrine?

When someone is considered to be of sound mind, they must have the mental capacity to understand and make rational decisions. A well-known motto in Latin is “A sound mind in a sound body,” representing the idea that a person who is both intellectually and physically active will be at the peak of good health. In Christianity, sound doctrine is often characterized by establishing doctrinal guidelines consistent with teaching in the Bible. Sound doctrine is the foundational teachings used to guide what is believed and practiced. Paul uses the idea of sound doctrine in a similar but contrasting idea of what is often thought of as important sound doctrine. The encouragement to Titus is to teach sound doctrine in the relationship of older men and women to younger men and women.

Doctrinal precepts are important to establish regarding salvation, worship, and daily living. Sound doctrine is also founded in the relationship found in the home, community, and church. Paul writes to Titus to exhort him to teach what accords with sound doctrine and that teaching is how the older men and women should conduct themselves as examples of godliness and holiness. In turn, older men and women should teach the younger generation the principles of righteousness and propriety. Sound doctrine is the interpersonal relationships developed between generations.

Older men are to be examples of the wholesome teachings of the Lord by showing sobriety, reverence, sensibility, grounded faith, examples of love, and being steadfast in their hope. Their influence over young men is to teach them to be sober-minded and have a pattern of good works. Young men must be grounded in the doctrines of Christ to show integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, and sound speech that cannot be condemned. They learn this from older men. Younger men must respect the older generation and seek opportunities to learn from them. This is sound doctrine in the church of the Lord.

Likewise, older women are godly examples of reverent behavior, not slanderers, showing self-control and teaching good things. The influence of older women on younger women is profound. They have enjoined their spiritual obligations to teach, instruct, and guide the younger women in the home. Older women are to admonish the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, and obedient to their own husbands. These principles of a godly home are taught best when shown through the life of older women living by the same rule.

Older men and women cannot retire from their service in the kingdom of God. As they grow older, they become teachers of the younger generation. That is the pattern of sound doctrine. A church established on sound doctrine encourages and molds the generational span between one generation and the other. It is also important for the younger generation to respect and honor the words of the older. Youth have the experience of non-experience that sometimes leads young men and women to ignore the advice of older men and women. God wants the generations to help one another grow in Christ. A strong and vibrant church is filled with those who seek sound doctrine in the relationships of older and younger.

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The Wisdom Of God

Posted on January 13, 2025 by heatonkent

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me. (Proverbs 8:17)

The Wisdom Of God

God so loved the world He sent His only begotten Son to save men from sin. The love of God is unmerited for any man who seeks divine favor. Jesus testified to the Father’s love by dying on the cross. The apostle John wrote extensively about the love of God. There can be no question that God loves man and has done everything to offer a way of escape from His wrath. Long before Jesus came to earth, the wise man declared there was a special group of people whom God loved in a special way. God loves those who love His word and diligently seek His wisdom.

Solomon wrote many proverbs and received a special blessing of wisdom from the Lord. Throughout the proverbs, Solomon shows the power of wisdom rooted in the mind of God. God created man, and the only path to true happiness is found in the wisdom given by the Lord. Wisdom is the fear of the Lord that hates evil. Through a knowledge of the word of God, a proud and arrogant heart will not follow an evil way. Sound wisdom, understanding, and strength come from the One who established truth. By the knowledge of God, kings, rulers, princes, and nobles rule with divine justice and judgment. The wisdom from above is greater riches than the things of the earth.

Righteousness is established on those things that are right in the sight of God. The fruit of being righteous is of greater riches than gold and silver. When the wisdom of God possesses a man, he will find peace and safety. It is not in man to know what is right. The nature of man is carnal and self-serving. When the world follows the wisdom of men, they follow the way of unrighteousness because the spirit of man serves only the flesh. Divine wisdom establishes the heart of man to trust in the word of God. Righteousness is seeking the things that are true and holy from the word of God. This is where wisdom comes that will bring fulfillment to the heart of man.

God loves those who love Him because they seek after His wisdom. Wisdom loves those who love her and seek after her as the fruit of divine wisdom comes from God. The Bible is the manifestation of God’s wisdom to direct the footsteps of man. Reading and contemplating the Bible’s words will fill man’s heart with wisdom that will draw him closer to a divine relationship with His creator. God loves those who seek His word. The heart of the Lord is drawn closer to those who diligently seek Him because truth is found in His word. God and wisdom are inseparable. Righteousness is built upon the word of God.

The Bible is the mind of God. Everything a man needs to know who he is and why he is created is found in the pages of the Bible. No greater book can bring happiness and peace to the heart of man than what God has delivered to the world. The wisdom of God is better than all the riches of the world, and nothing can be compared to knowledge gained when a man spends time in the Book. God loves those who love His word and diligently seek divine knowledge daily. Read the Bible to know God. Find peace in the Bible. Seek the wisdom from above. Love God.

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Abounding In Christ

Posted on January 12, 2025 by heatonkent

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2)

Abounding In Christ

Vince Lombardi said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” This principle is found in the scriptures for the disciples of Christ to abound more and more in their walk with God. There is never a time when Christians should become stale in their love for truth. Growing in Christ is a daily exercise of excelling more and more to know more, understand more clearly, plumb the depths of spiritual knowledge, and grow closer to the Lord. This takes commitment to excel in being the best person in Christ possible.

Walking in the Lord is a learned experience. Many things make that walk difficult because of the temptations of the world. Life brings its challenges to bear upon the faith of God’s people. If there is no active growth in the Christian walk, the walk will crawl to a stop. If no action is taken, the inactivity will kill the spirit of the Christian’s walk of life. When a parent notices their child not growing in proportion to their age, doctors are consulted with concerns about illness. Walking in Christ is a growth process demanding action on the part of the individual to find deeper meaning in the word of God.

The quality of the Christian life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence. The apostle Paul wanted the saints in Thessalonica to excel still more or to abound more and more in their faith. Being committed to excellence will hone the skill of searching for knowledge in the word of God to grow thereby. Through this process of growth, the babe in Christ matures, and they are able to take on stronger matters of faith. Babies begin receiving milk for sustenance because their bodies are adept for that. As the body grows, solid foods are introduced, and soon, the child is able to eat a stronger diet of food.

In the Christian life, everyone begins as a babe who receives the word of God like milk. In time, with much study and a commitment to excellence, the individual grows in their knowledge to handle aright the word of God with a greater degree of maturity and wisdom. The unique character of the Bible is that ten lifetimes could never begin to exhaust the knowledge of the word of God. There is always room for growth. The Bible is not a difficult book to understand. Why would God give the world something no one could read and understand? Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word.

The level of knowledge desired is a choice. To have greater knowledge, greater effort must be put forth. A commitment to excellence will grow the faith of the Christian into a deeper relationship with the Divine. From this knowledge comes greater blessings. Excel still more. Abound more and more. Grow. Seek. Knock. Ask. The heart that hungers and thirsts for righteousness will be filled.

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Making God My Dwelling Place

Posted on January 10, 2025 by heatonkent

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. (Psalm 91:9-11)

Making God My Dwelling Place

When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the garden planted eastward in Eden. Everything the man and woman needed was provided. The first couple could eat of every tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When God placed man in the garden, He enjoyed a close relationship with His creation as He walked together with them. After the fall of man, the tragedy of sin was what was lost between God and man. Adam and Eve heard the sound of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they were afraid. They had not been scared before and had no reason to fear. Now, because of sin, Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.

Jesus Christ came to restore the fellowship between God and man. The Gentiles could not find peace as a law to themselves, and the Jews proved man could not redeem himself by keeping the Law. What was missing in the world was the communion and dwelling with the Father. Peace and happiness can never be found in the heart of man until he makes God his dwelling place. A dwelling place is a more permanent residence. There will never be a relationship between God and man until the human heart decides to dwell in the presence of the Almighty God.

Too often, followers of Jesus want to enjoy the blessings of eternal life as long as not much effort is required. They are willing to believe in Jesus but will not commit their lives to His word. A dwelling place is not a hotel where someone checks in with convenience. To dwell with God is to make a determined effort to be a permanent resident. What is lacking in the weakened spirit of many Christians is the full commitment to serve the Lord God with all the heart, soul, body, and mind. Bearing a cross is not carrying a toothpick in the back pocket. Jesus did not have a wheel on the cross He bore. He fully committed Himself to the will of the Father because His heart found its dwelling place in the Father.

The only safe refuge is to make the Most High a dwelling place. When that happens, and only when that happens, will the protection of the Almighty and the Heavenly Hosts surround the person’s spirit. God’s army is ready to defend those who make God their dwelling place. The blessings of the Father are only given to those children who dwell in the house of the Lord. God has promised to provide His power to fight against the influence of Satan. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the protection of God against evil. Sin does not have dominion over those who dwell with God. Taking the armor of God will defeat the wiles of the devil. Dwelling with God requires wearing the right armament.

Dwelling with God brings faith to the struggling heart, knowing that all things work together for the good of God’s mercy and grace. Many saints suffered persecution and died for their faith in Jesus Christ. What the flames of persecution and the executioner’s blade could never diminish was where the heart of the person dwelt. When the heart has made the Most High his dwelling place on earth, the Most High will change that dwelling place near His bosom in the eternal kingdom of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Are you dwelling with God? Change your address if you have not made the Lord God your refuge and your dwelling place.

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