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Serving the Saints

Category: Guest Contributor

  • Is not My Word like a fire?

      “Is not My word like a fire” says the LORD,
    “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
    Jeremiah 23:29

     Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” who was rejected by the king of Judah and who lived through the taking of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

    In this portion of Jeremiah’s writings, he records the Lord speaking out against. false prophets. Ones that say their words are from the Lord but are not. God relates to Jeremiah the power and strength of His word. It is like a fire; it is like a hammer.

    When I think of these two physical references to His word, several things come to mind. Fire can be thought of as that which destroys, or it can give warmth.  A hammer that can be used to beat rocks into pieces, destroying them, but can also be used to build up something!

    The word of God can be used like a fire to destroy the false notions concerning our relationship with Him.  The fire of His word can set ablaze our sin, revealing it to us, making us aware of the destruction that will occur if we do not escape.  But the fire of His word also reveals to us the Cross where Gods Son suffered the flames of our sin giving us a way of escape.

    It can also be a means of testing of where we are in our relationship with Him.  But also, the fire of His word can give us warmth in our daily walk. It can light the way and draw us closer to Him.

    What about his word being like a hammer? The hammer of His word is the means by which He breaks down our resistance to His will for us.  How many times was the “word” used to guide us to salvation and we rejected.  The hammer of his word continued to chip away at our rejection until we could reject Him no more. The hammer of His word breaks away our rejection. But the hammer of His word also builds us up, driving truth into our very soul. The hammer of His word has placed us on a firm foundation.

    “Is not My word like a fire” says the LORD,
    “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
    Jeremiah 23:29

    His word is like a fire and a hammer! Just a thought for the morning.

    Carl

  • Fix our eyes on Him

    “ Heaven joys shall soon await us on the Day we reach its’ shore,
    Meanwhile we must live the promise that one day we’ll weep no more.

    Chorus
    May our journey be the brighter and our soul at rest down here,
    ‘Till we reach our home in glory, where our hearts will never fear!

    Oh the weakness of this body and the sorrows of these years,
    will soon one day all be vanquished when we leave this veil of tears.

    For this little while we journey walking by our Saviours’ side
    May our eyes be fixed on Jesus ‘till at last with Him abide.”

    <>< written by D.A.C.
    9/1/2021….
    sing to the tune of
    “ Rise my soul behold ‘this Jesus” or
    To the tune of “ Come Thou fount of every blessing”
    8.7 8.7 D.
    To God be all the glory.
    😉🙌

  • Upright Man

    “Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.”
    Ecclesiastes 7:29 29

    God created man in his own image (Genesis 1. 26) and He made him to stand upright. Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, was a great king, the son of David and he truly had a handle on what man is really like. In the first chapter of his writings it says “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1.14). When God created mankind on the sixth day, he was to have dominion over the rest of creation. (Genesis 1. 26). He was to care for God’s creation.

    How we have failed. The first man sinned and all of us have been corrupted by that sin. We are creatures of many schemes. What is a scheme? Solomon seems to be writing of the many ways we have sought to defend ourselves or to attack others. The word is translated “inventions” in the KJV, and other translations. The word is only used twice in the Old Testament. In 2Chronicles 26.15, the other use of the word, it has to do with military readiness.

    Self-preservation is high on the list of the natural man’s activities. This in itself is not totally bad but when it leads to attack on others, to elevate ourselves it becomes sinful. Our schemes can be very subtle. Gossip, and talking behind someone’s back can be part of a scheme to make ourselves look better. Falsely accusing someone else can be part of a scheme to hurt another. We are not to “invent” ways to hurt anyone.

    The rulers of Israel at the time of Christ falsely accused the Lord Jesus, leading to His crucifixion. There were many schemes laid against Him throughout His time on this earth. There were schemes against the apostles Paul, Peter, and others who were attempting to spread the Good News, the Gospel.
    We are not to be schemers. The Lord Jesus gave us a command. “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12). There is no place for scheming if we are obedient to this command.

    “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” – 1 John 3:11

    True love will defeat any idea of scheming. Just a thought for the morning

    Carl

  • Tolerance

    Thought for the morning

    There is no scripture to open up with this morning, because “tolerance” is not a word found in scripture. However, does that mean we are not to be tolerant? I am glad that most people tolerate me. Other words we could use for the word tolerance are, open mindedness, acceptance, patience, and charity (love).

    I think we could say God was very tolerant with Israel. Engineers when designing a particular part for, say an automobile, places tolerance on dimensions. If the part does not meet the tolerances, the part is scrapped or rejected. Tolerance sets boundaries!

    When dealing with others there are boundaries we should not cross. We are to love the sinner but not the sin! Sin is outside the boundary of acceptance!

    1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.

    We are to warn those who are unruly, living in sin. But we should also be patient with all. Tolerance means knowing where the boundaries are. It is difficult dealing with sin in our own lives, and even more difficult exhorting another who is living in sin.

    Luke 10:27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

    We know the weaknesses we have in our own self. Our love for others is to introduce them to the One who dealt with our weakness of sin.

    1 Peter 4:8 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

    Love is not to tolerate sin, but we are to love the sinner! Just a thought for the morning.

    Carl
    (Guest Contributor)

  • Burn and Shine

    https://www.facebook.com/700386229988147/posts/4021026964590707/