The Heaton File

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24)

Renewed In The Spirit Of Your Mind

The human body is an amazing machine of daily renewal. Unaware to most people, human skin goes through a renewal process on a 14-day cycle. Skin cell turnover is a repetitive process helping the body maintain a healthy layer of protection. This design was not by accident but purposed by God when He created the human body. Life comes from renewal. God created the body requiring fuel to help this renewal process. Without nourishment such as food and water, the body will die.

A Christian is a person of daily renewal and change. Like the human body, the spiritual man is evolving and changing. God designed the spiritual man to need nourishment and renewal which without either will bring death. Jesus described the new birth as the beginning of the spiritual man. Immersion in water is the moment a person becomes a child of God as a babe. Babies need lots of nourishment to grow. Spiritual babies need lots of spiritual food to grow in Christ and, like the human body, will never stop needing to feed the body to grow. Daily renewal is very important to the growth of the child of God.

When a man obeys the gospel of Christ, he learns he is lost and realizes that without the blood of Jesus, there is no hope. To be a child of God, a man must first learn Christ. This comes from hearing the words of Jesus Christ and accepting the teaching of the Lord. Truth resides in Jesus Christ. This truth is the manna from heaven and without this manna, man will die. When a man learns Christ, he discovers things he must put away in his life. Coming to Jesus is on the terms of the Divine, not the whims of man. The former conduct is corrupt and must be put away. Deceitful lusts are not part of a healthy diet for the growing child of God. Renewal begins by learning Christ and, through that knowledge, what must be put away that is deceitful.

The growing Christian has a renewing mind. Nothing is more important than the spirit of the new man to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. As a baby develops, the mind is examined to make certain the child is growing cognitively. If a child exhibits signs of slow learning or the inability to learn, alarms are raised and concerns raised. When a man reaches twenty years of age and still has a child’s mind, there are concerns. In the spiritual man, the mind must be renewed, or there is danger. The renewal of the mind comes from putting off the former conduct that hinders the growth of the child of God. Righteousness and holiness are the manna of God’s word to help the child of God grow in grace.

Renewing the mind is a daily exercise. It begins with putting away all those things that hinder growth and filling the mind with a healthy diet of the fruit of the Spirit. To learn Christ is to learn how to change the spirit from a worldly and carnal mind to a spirit-filled heart seeking the will of God in every part of life. This is a process of renewing, reminding, rekindling, and restoring the heart of man to God. Resolutions should not be made at the beginning of the year but the beginning of the day. Renew the spirit of your mind.

Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2)

Seeking The Lost

The commodity of lost souls has never been lacking. At the beginning of time, there were only two. That changed quickly, and soon, the world was filled with the ungodly and the lost. A flood destroyed everyone on the face of the earth except eight souls in the ark. The world returned to the bounty of lost souls filling every niche and corner of the globe. Eight billion souls fill the modern world and according to Jesus, most are lost. The vast majority of the eight billion do not believe in God and less believe Jesus is the Son of God. There is no lack of someone who needs the truth of the gospel.

Jesus sent His disciples into the world to preach and teach the kingdom of God. He told them they were like sheep in a world of wolves. It would not be an easy task. There would be hardships, difficulties, and many would reject the teaching of Christ. The seventy went out and worked as hard as they could to share the message of Jesus. Returning to the Lord, they had joy and fulfillment. They were able to subdue the demons and Jesus exclaimed He saw Satan fall from his perch of rebellion. It was possible to take the war to the devil and defeat him. Nothing is said about the number of converts, but there was no doubt the seventy turned the world upside down.

Sending the disciples into the world was like sending workers into a field for harvest. Seeking the lost begins by seeing there is a harvest waiting to be gleaned. The fields are white to harvest. There is no lack of opportunity to share the gospel with others. The world has not changed from the Garden of Eden. Evangelistic efforts are hampered by those who believe no one in the world will listen anymore. Hearts are turned away from telling friends and neighbors the story of Jesus Christ. Was the world in the day of Jesus a better place than where disciples find themselves today? The world of Jesus was dominated by a cruel and oppressive government filled with sexual perversion, political assassination, and a government that could send soldiers into a town and kill all the male children two years and under with impunity. During the early days of the church, Jewish leaders persecuted and killed Christians, yet the church grew into the thousands. When the church was oppressed for nearly two hundred years, the work of teaching others the gospel did not stop. It gained momentum. Seeking the lost has always been the work of the church.

Satan uses everything in his power to stifle the evangelistic work of the church. He is content to allow a church to exist as long as they do not seek the lost. The devil convinces weak minds that no one wants to listen to the gospel, everyone is settled in their own faith, and the work of seeking the lost is useless. This is a lie. Jesus said the harvest is white to harvest. The problem does not lie in the lack of souls to save; but in the souls who lack the love to save lost souls. There are plenty of people to share the story of Jesus with, but the laborers are few. Renewing a spirit of seeking the lost begins with praying for more laborers to go into the field to harvest lost souls. Will the church allow a pandemic to stop the work of God? The early disciples were warned, beaten, threatened, and killed because they taught the lost the story of Jesus. They never quit. Nothing could stop them. The time has come to rise from the ashes of apathy and neglect and return to the work of seeking the lost. Look around. They are everywhere.

And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” (Luke 17:5-10)

Servitude Increases Faith

The world frowns on servitude. Slavery has become a vile word of degradation and oppression. There is justification for the negative view of slavery, but there is also a cost of losing a sense of the most important relationship man shares with God. In the New Testament world of Jesus Christ, servitude was a common practice, embraced by the world as necessary and with purpose. Jesus used slavery to show the connection between His Father and His disciples. Paul alluded to slavery as a pattern of the child of God. When Paul wrote to Philemon about his servant Onesimus, he exhorted him to receive him back as a servant but now as a Christian. Servitude has a vivid lesson to teach about what it means to be a Christian.

The apostles came to Jesus seeking greater faith. They wanted to increase their faith. There are many lessons Jesus could teach to help the twelve develop a stronger faith in God and the work of the kingdom. The lesson He gave was unexpected and powerful. First, Jesus reminds them of the power of faith. Like a tiny mustard seed that grows to great heights, faith can empower the heart of men to say to a mulberry tree to be uprooted and cast into the sea. The point Jesus was making was not for the twelve to go around throwing trees in the ocean, but that is the nature of faith. It can accomplish great things. When the twelve heard this application, they probably shook their heads in agreement understanding the great power found in faith.

Then Jesus switches the story completely and tells the twelve a parable that must have rocked them to their core. Jesus describes a common practice with slavery. A man has a servant who toils all day under the hot sun plowing or tending sheep. Finishing his work, the slave comes in from the field for some relief. The servant would like to sit down and eat, but that is not his station in life. After doing all the work in the field, he must now come and prepare the supper for the master, serve the meal to the family, and then afterward eat his meal. Will the master thank the servant for all he has done? Indeed, not.

The story of the unprofitable servant is a harsh reality of faith. Slavery is a dark subject for humanity, but when it comes to a relationship with the Creator of the universe, man is nothing more than an unprofitable slave. At the end of the day, all men are servants of the Most High God and, at best, unprofitable servants. Faith comes from knowing who God is and where man finds himself with the Lord. God created man; man did not create God. The Creator holds the universe in His hand; man holds a clod of dirt. There is no comparison to the majesty of God and the creation of humanity. God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, which is the measure of God’s love. Faith comes from knowing that all man can do is present himself before the great I AM as an unprofitable servant. It is then, and only then, can the soul of man see the need to be a servant to others. Pride is foolish because there is nothing to be proud about.

This year is a time of renewing the spirit of serving others. Two thousand years ago, the greatest Servant came and died for the world. There is no greater sacrifice than the death of Jesus Christ. Faith comes from knowing we are all unprofitable servants who do not deserve the grace and mercy of God. Let this year be a time to be a servant to others. The person you help is your fellow servant. When we have done all we can do, we are unprofitable servants who have done our duty.

The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just. (Proverbs 3:33)

Two Kinds Of Homes

It is a rather terse view of the home, but the Lord describes two kinds of homes. There is a home where the wicked reside and a home of the just. The Lord does not suggest a home is wicked when it is filled with all types of carnalities, immorality, and debauchery. While these are included in the meaning of a wicked home, any home that does not serve the righteousness of God is a wicked home. A wicked home does not qualify its existence by following the will of the Father. There is often a misapplication of the term “wicked” to mean a horrible sin of some kind. But the idea of a house where wickedness abides is a home filled with materialism or avarice. The contrast is a home that is filled with a righteousness from God.

The curse of the Lord is against the home where God is not the central theme, the first principles of righteousness are not followed, or the commandments of the Lord are kept. A home can be religious and be wicked. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount that faithfulness is doing the will of the Father. Many will claim they are religious, but Jesus will disavow them if they do not obey the word of the Father. A wicked home does not abide in the word of God. They do not serve God as the Creator and deny the rule of Christ in their lives. The writer of the proverb is very blunt in his analysis of the only two kinds of homes God recognizes.

A spirit of renewal brings to light the need to restore the home as God designed. Adam and Eve were put in the Garden of Eden as a blueprint of the home. A man and a woman define a family, and that marriage is to be for life. Any deviation from this pattern is a wicked home. If children are born into the family, more blessings are given when taught to love the Lord God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. Homes, where children are not taught about God are wicked homes. There is a need for renewal to return the home to the place it was intended – a haven of God-loving people who serve the will of the Father, who know the word of God and have a love for the heavenly Father.

There are so many things that attack the home. A wicked home can be a good home with good people but the home has no interest in serving God. The Holy Spirit distinguishes between two homes where the world rules the wicked home and God rules the just home. Every home has an altar and the kind of altar in the home will either be the worship of self or the worship of the Lord. God blesses the home of the just. This home is seeking the righteousness of the Lord in everything they do. There is a strong desire to pattern the home after the will of the Father. Husbands love their wives as Christ loves the Church. Wives submit to their husbands as the church submits to its head – Christ. Children obey their parents in the Lord because the way of the Lord leads them in truth.

Worship is a central part of the home. First, worship begins with studying God’s word in the home. The Bible is not a dust collector but a soul possessor. Husbands and wives seek the will of God to know how to love one another. The home is guided by parents who love the word of God. Every decision is tempered with what does God desires. Prayer is the central incense of worship in the home. Husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters know how to pray because the home is filled with prayer. Worship in the home is highlighted when the family assembles with the saints. Children should never have to wonder where they will be when the church is meeting. The just home is where assembling with the saints to worship is common practice. Wicked homes spend more time in the world than doing the will of the Father.

The Lord will bless the home of the just. Renewing the spirit is rekindling a love for God in the home. There are many things the world will bring against the family. When a home is built on the rock of Jesus Christ, nothing will be able to shake the foundations of a godly and just home. God’s blessings will ensure the safety of all those who rest entirely on the hope of eternal life. There are two kinds of homes: wicked and just. You live in one of those homes. Is God blessing you?

You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” says the Lord of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” says the Lord. (Malachi 1:13)

Renewing A Spirit Of Worship

Israel had survived the bondage of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem through the providence of God. The temple was rebuilt and within one hundred years, the city walls were established again. Life returned to normal but it was not as it had been before. The temple had been completed in 516 B.C. Worship was restored but it lacked a fervency. There was little interest in the spirit of worship. Nehemiah had infused a desire to rebuild the walls and accomplished the impossible task in fifty-two days. Still, there was a sense of despair among the people and the prophet Malachi was sent to renew a spirit of worship in the people.

A spirit of indifference overshadowed the hearts of the people. After one hundred years, the people were no better off than when they were first taken captive. They blamed God for their troubles and began to neglect the commandments of the law in offering sacrifices that were lame, blind and diseased. The priesthood accepted the vain worship without question. Worship was a weariness and bothersome to the people. They stopped bringing their tithes to the Lord, robbing Him of His due. Divorce was rampant. Worship was nothing more than a ritual to endure until the people could return home and pick up their carnal lives. As a result of this disparity, the Lord would remain silent for nearly four hundred years until the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

Worship has always been about the heart. The Law of Moses required many rituals to be performed but the Lord did not desire the sacrifices of animals to please Him. He wanted to know the hearts of the people. Men can be robots going through the motions and doing what was required by the letter of the law, but without the spirit of true worship, it all becomes vain and useless. Prophets like Malachi sought a revival among the people. There was a need to renew the spirit of worship.

Difficult days can dampen the hearts of worshippers. There are days it is tough to have a mind to worship. When times are hard and the world is engulfed in a crisis, sometimes worship becomes a victim of the despondency and despair of the heart. Nehemiah inspired the people to “rise up and build” and changed Jerusalem’s landscape. Malachi reminded the downtrodden that God had not abandoned them and they needed to renew their hearts with full devotion to worship.

A reflection of worship is found in daily living. The way a man lives has much to do with how he approaches the throne of God to praise Him. Worship is criticized because it does not inspire the heart when the real problem is nothing the other six days of the week lead to worship. A renewal to worship begins in the home. If the word of God is not first in the home, it will not be first in worship. When God is not glorified in the family setting, there can be little joy in the gathering of God’s family. Renewing a spirit of worship is rekindling a love for the word of God in praising the glory of the Father and honoring the Son of God. The church is returned to its place of honor so that worship is filled with the adoration and praise of the Divine.

The past two years have been hard on everyone. Churches have suffered under the weight of the pandemic and hearts have become discouraged. The need for renewal is the cry of the spirited souls who are ready to rebuild the walls of faith and restore the joy of worship before the great God and Father of the church of Christ. Worship is central to the restoration of the Lord’s work. Let the church of the Lord ring loudly the praises of the Lord who has remained constant in His care of His people. Worship like you have never worshipped before. Praise God. Really praise God. Join hands. Let’s worship.

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Give Honor To The Church

The value of an object is determined by the price paid for it. In 2004, the painting Boy With A Pipe, painted by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, was sold for $104.1 million. A manuscript of Leonardo Da Vinci sold for $30,802,000 in 1994. In 1999, the 70^th home run baseball by Mark McGwire sold for $3 million. When the apostle Paul met with the Ephesian elders at Miletus, he warned them to oversee the church of the Lord as watchful shepherds because of the dangers of apostasy that could creep in among them. The reason was that the church had a value on it that could not be calculated. It was not measured by the brick, mortar, or stone. The church of God was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ. There was no higher price to be paid for the church.

Jesus had promised to build His church. He often spoke of the coming kingdom and instructed His disciples about the nature of the kingdom. After the death of Jesus, the apostles gathered in Jerusalem, where on the day of Pentecost, Peter opened the doors of the kingdom for the Jews and introduced the Gentiles to the gospel a few years later. Luke writes that God added to the church daily those who were being saved, beginning with the three thousand of Pentecost. Great fear came upon the church after Ananias and Sapphira were struck down. Saul of Tarsus persecuted the church to foreign cities. Later, Paul would be the evangelistic mission of establishing churches throughout the Roman Empire. John addresses the Revelation to the seven churches of Asia with admonitions and judgments from the mouth of God.

The church is maligned as an “organized religion” and rejected as unnecessary. The church becomes a warm blanket of security for many people when a need arises. Most people only see the inside of a church building when they are sprinkled, spoused and sorrowful. Birth, marriage and death are the three reasons people go to church. Most churches bear different names, follow conflicting doctrines, and give allegiance to a host of leaders or beliefs. Unity is not found in the world of churches, although many claim unison of purpose. The world’s general attitude is that the church is a prosthetic that is helpful when a crisis comes but otherwise is good for nothing.

Jesus Christ died for the church. The special value of the church must be found by the price paid for it. It cost the blood of God’s Son to redeem man and build the church. If the church is not essential, the blood of Christ is of no value. The church has an eternal value attached to the blood of God’s Son. It is the most valuable thing in the world without reservation. No amount of gold, silver or precious jewels can match the worth of the church. The early disciples went everywhere, establishing churches in every community. There has never been a time since the beginning of the church on the day of Pentecost the church has not existed. The church is over two thousand years old without interruption and it was bought with the blood of Jesus Christ.

When the value of the church is recognized, greater respect and honor are given. It is sad when the children of God treat the church as if it were a community organization like the Kiwanis Club or Rotary, or Boy Scouts. These are good clubs to be involved with but not the focus of life. Everything about the church is everything about the life of the Christian. The church is foremost because it was bought with the blood of Jesus. Nothing will come before the work of the church because of its worth. The value of the church is precious to the saint who wants to do everything they can to exalt the church and its work.

There are certain characteristics of the church that must remain sanctified by the word of God. When the church is viewed from a casual view and anything can distract from the obligations of the church, its value in the eyes of the person is diminished. One of the New Testament teachings is the assembly of the saints as a body of Christ on the first day of the week. Habitual absence disrespects the church, disavows the blood of Christ, and insults the Holy Spirit. Coming into worship with a carnal mind destroys the harmony of the purpose of the church. Jesus died for the church for a reason. He will present the church to Himself as a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things. The church will be holy and without blemish. Respecting the value of the church sees the worth of the church through His blood. It cost Jesus His blood. Can we consider the church any less?

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:66-69)

To Whom Shall We Go?

Following the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus leaves the multitudes to a mountain where He can be alone. That evening His disciples got into a boat for Capernaum. When the boat was about three or four miles from land, Jesus came walking to them on the water and joined the disciples in the boat. Immediately, the disciples and Jesus arrived at Capernaum. The next day, the multitudes from the miracle of five loaves and two fishes found Jesus in Capernaum and were upset He did not tell them where He was going. They had not come to Jesus to hear more of His preaching but to be filled again with the wonderful meal of the day before. Jesus rebuked them for their misplaced allegiance and seeking after perishable things rather than that which is everlasting.

Jesus begins a lengthy discourse on the true manna from heaven. The miracle of the feast the day before was one of many signs Jesus did to show the world He was the Son of God. It was never the intention of God to send His only begotten Son into the world to feed the hungry. Miracles involving food demonstrated the power of God through Jesus Christ. Raising the dead did not take away death. Healing every disease, including leprosy, blindness, and those blind, maimed, deaf and crippled, did not remove the flesh’s infirmities. The miracles of Jesus were pointed to the evidence the man from Nazareth was the divine Son of God.

Jesus tells the crowd He was the bread from heaven and the bread of life. He shocks them with a language they did not understand when He told them unless they eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, they would have no life. The people were so focused on the five loaves and two fishes of yesterday, they could not hear the message of eternal life Jesus was offering them. They were offended by the teaching of Jesus and complained it was hard to accept. From that time, many of the disciples of Jesus turned and walked away. They refused to follow Jesus. Turning their backs, the doubters denied Jesus. Jesus looked at His twelve apostles and, seeing their faces, asked them if they were going to leave Him also.

The apostle Peter had a moment of truth as he watched large portions of disciples turn away from Jesus. It must have grieved Peter’s heart to see the crowd turn away from Jesus. When the Lord asked the twelve if they would leave Him also, Peter knew the answer. To whom would they go? Where would they find a man who was like Jesus? No man could show God’s power or teach with the authority of the Father as Jesus. Peter knew in an instant there was no other man that would give them eternal life. Jesus Christ was the only way Peter knew to walk. The man from Nazareth spoke the only truth. Life could only be found in the words and the power of Jesus Christ. Peter considered no other options. Jesus Christ was the only one that could bring hope and life.

Jesus alone had the words of eternal life. Peter did not look to Abraham or Moses for answers. The apostle would not accept his own words as life. Simon trusted in the only man who was the Son of God and that man was Jesus Christ. There was no one else to go to. The miracles of feeding five thousand, walking on water, instant travel and every other miracle witnessed by the apostles convinced them beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was the Son of God. There was no other way to go and no other man to follow. Their minds were made up to follow Jesus and Jesus alone.

The world seeks answers in all the wrong places. Technology exalts the wisdom of men, science touts the accomplishments of human ingenuity, and the philosophies of men make gods out of their creators. Jesus is the Son of God and there is no other place a man will find answers to life. Many have turned away from Jesus, desiring to find happiness in every place void of God. All that is found is a desert of futility, decay and ruin. Fulfillment in life is only found when one comes to Jesus Christ and accepts Him as the bread of life. The world is a vast expanse of desert and the only place of life is the oasis of God’s word. Jesus is the bread of life and the living water of life in the oasis of God’s love. Until men come to the only source of life, they will die in the burning heat of the desert. When Peter said, “To whom shall we go,” he pointed out the only hope anyone has to find fulfillment in life comes from the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He has the words of eternal life.

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. (Mark 12:28-30)

What It Means To Love God

There are many things that can be loved. Inspiring music can stir the soul and a love for music will fill the heart with intense feelings. Food can be loved as much as a person can have a deep preference for certain dishes. People talk about loving to take long walks, enjoying quiet moments in solitude, or immersing themselves in a good book. Love can be casual, it can be intense, and it can be misguided. The many definitions of love can fit inanimate objects to animate objects of desire. It is difficult to define love with a singular meaning as it is best described by the one defining the term.

God desires men to love Him. The meaning of love and how men express that love is as varied as the way men view God. A totem represents an image created by man to define God, thus expressing his meaning of love for God. Love is often a casual acquaintance as a friend enjoys the company of another but without any commitments. God is accepted as a friend without obligations to commit to His word or keep His commandments. Loving God can be measured by the expectations of the Lord showing favor for man, rather than the other way around. God becomes the puppet of man’s desire.

Love for God is seldom without bounds. A man will declare his love for God as long as there are no commitments involved in that love. The world is full of men and women who say they love God and seldom show that love through their lives. God becomes a casual friend or the kindly old man in the 1977 movie starring George Burns. Love for God is bound by the fickle desires of a carnal heart trying to serve two masters. Jesus said it could not be done. Love for God must be complete, whole, absolute, and without reservation. Either a man loves God, or he does not. His words will not define his love. The action of the heart is where the motive of love begins.

When a young couple falls in love, they long to be with one another almost every minute of the day. It is seldom hard to find things to talk about, share together, and there are not enough hours in the day to find time for them. Everyone knows they are in love because they talk about each other often, which shows in their lives. Their faces light up when they see one another. They share everything together. The kind of love they have is a deep feeling of intense longing. They radiate love for one another. God does not want men to love Him. He desires for men to fall in love with Him. There is a world of difference between loving God and falling in love with God. A man can love something without falling in love with it. Marriages filled with problems stem from two people who love one another but have never fallen in love with the other. God wants men to love Him but only in terms of falling in love with Him.

Loving God is an emotional bond that is felt, seen, heard, and exhibited every day in a person’s life. They long to listen to the voice of God through daily meditation on the word. The will of God is foremost in their decisions as they seek to please the God they love. Prayer is a big part of the life of one who is in love with God. They can’t stop talking to the Father. It is not hard to find something to say to God because of their love for Him. Jesus plainly said that a man who loves the Father would keep the commandments of the Father. Why? Because he loves God and desires to please Him. Love radiates in every part of a person’s life because of their love for God. As a couple in love, everyone will know the man and woman who is in love with God. It shows. It manifests itself. It shines in the heart. Do you love God, or are you in love with God? It makes a difference.

Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. (Psalm 119:97-104)

I Love The Word Of God

Life can be filled with dark clouds and a foreboding future. Every generation faces challenges that seem insurmountable. Worries and fears fill the soul with a crushing feeling of defeat, draining the spirit of energy and hope. Satan finds vulnerable souls in those dark days of despair to ply his trade of deceit, deception, and defeat. The first thing God created was light, which is a testimony to the purpose of man’s existence. God did not create man to live in darkness but in the light of His presence. Adam and Eve were placed in a garden of paradise that filled all their needs. They could walk and talk with the Lord God in the cool of the day. There were no dark clouds, doubt, or fear. That came when Satan deceived the woman and sin overshadowed the world.

The first thing Satan challenged the woman with was the word of God. When Eve accepted the deceptive words of the devil, the soul of man fell. Every generation faces the question of what to do with the word of God. There has never been a time when God has not revealed His will to His creation. The word of God has given man hope, promise, protection, and guidance. God said that man could find life when he obeys the word of the Lord, or he will find death in disobedience. The psalmist illustrates the power of God’s word to renew the spirit to the image of the Father.

Love is a profoundly emotional feeling. The psalmist declares a love for the word of God. It is not a passing fancy or a seasonal expression of casual acquaintance. He loves the word of God. This loves comes from a daily meditation on the story of God’s love, His grace, mercy, and kindness to mankind. Loving the word of God is a priority in life. Every day spent in God’s word is a day of renewal. The spirit finds a refreshing spirit in the pages of the word of God. Through a study of the Bible, a man can have a greater understanding than his enemies, his teachers, and the ancients. The Bible tells a man what he is, why he is on the earth, and where he is going when he dies. There is no book written by man that brings hope to the soul as the word of God – the Bible.

The world can be a dark place with fear. There are uncertainties highlighted by the pandemic of a virus that has changed the landscape of humanity for generations to come. One message that has not changed and cannot be challenged is the word of God. There must be a spirit of renewal to return to the old paths of God’s word for hope. What this generation is experiencing is not new to the problems men have faced before. It is impossible to know what dangers the psalmist faced when he penned the great psalm of God’s word. What is clearly defined in his message is that loving the word of God will renew the spirit to soar like eagles and trust in the will of the Father with greater hope. Renewal begins with love – a deep love – for the word of God. Then the spirit can be renewed to love God more, honor Christ, and be a person of joy in a world of darkness. Allow the word of God to shine deep in your heart this year. Let’s renew our spirits in the word of God.

But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34-36)

The End Of Another Year – And Yet

December brings the end of twelve months with three-hundred-sixty-five days completed in a calendar year. Each year is marked by the increasing number from the time of Jesus Christ. Whether one believes in God or accepts Jesus Christ as His Son, the yearly calendar reflects the acceptance that the Son of God changed the world a little more than two thousand years ago. Jesus taught about time. He knew his place on earth was limited and would accomplish the Father’s will. Throughout His teachings, He warned of the coming of the Lord and reminded His disciples the day would come unexpectedly.

In the days of Jesus, there was a two-edged sword in the warnings of a coming day. For the Jews, the end of their nation would come as the day of the Lord. In 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, effectively ending the existence of the nation of Israel. In a broader lesson, Jesus was talking about a day that has yet to happen. Like in the days of Noah, a great day of the Lord is coming that will impact every soul on earth. Unlike in the days of Noah, no one will escape the destruction. Jesus warned of a day when the world will come to an end – not by the hand of human waste or misuse – but the hand of God. The lesson Jesus wanted men to take heed was that no one would know when that day would come.

Another year has faded to the halls of yesterday. Twelve months end and a new year begins. The Lord did not come. He has not come this year and life continues uninterrupted. The warning of Jesus is how easy it becomes to let the things of life dull the senses about the reality that Jesus is coming back. There is a warning to take heed or watch out when life becomes so comfortable that no concerns are given to prepare for a divine certainty. The carousing and worries of life dull the senses. Jesus does not want the day to catch anyone unaware but sadly, it will.

The new year brings a flurry of resolutions and promises. Two things that should be at the top of the list are watching and praying. The Lord did not come this year and He may not come next year; it could be another two thousand years before that day comes. What is indisputable is that one day He will come and few will be prepared. The day of the Lord does not seem real any more than the day of death. One of the certainties of life is death’s reality, yet everyone is surprised by it. This new year will be filled with funerals of those who thought to live to midnight who die at 11:30. Death is so real and so ignored. The day of the Lord will come one day. It will come unexpectantly and without warning. Live each day watching and preparing for His coming and while the day will surprise you, His glory will not. Enjoy the new year. Watch. Pray.