Tag Archives: Bible reading

To What End?

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Why do you protect your family?  Why do you work so hard to earn a living?  Why do you go to church?  Why do you read the Bible?  Why do you study devotions?  Why do you pray?  Why do you speak the name of Christ?

Are all these things only for show?  Or are they so that you can become as devoted to the Living God’s Christ as are the Holy Angels?

When you have done these things for years, have they produced a holy man?  Or have you found yourself only becoming a socially acceptable Christian? 

What is the fullness that God desires in all his people?  What does that look like?  Can you point to someone and say, “That is it”?  Can anyone point to you and say the same thing?

It is like men to pursue a dream, only to find a place where they are comfortable.  What about death to all the things in this world?  Does that sound comfortable to you?  What about a beating by the hands of men because you have spoken the Gospel in their presence?  How many friends have abandoned you because you love God?  What about a burning willingness to obey God’s command, regardless the outcome?  Does that apply to you?

I ask this many questions, because you are the only one who can answer them for yourself.  I do not command anyone to do anything.  But I have an obligation to ask my brothers these things.  And they distinctly apply to me also.  And why would anyone not ask his brother at these things?

Who will shake the world for Christ?  Will it be you?  Who will cower in a corner, amassing all kinds of peace and luxury.  Will that be you?

By His Grace

Habitual Behavior

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People fall because they think too highly of their feet.  While we should be considering our feet’s limitations, we place our trust in their agility.  But are feet are not sentient beings. Why do we treat them as if they are trustworthy slaves?  If you don’t watch over them, they will do the very thing you don’t want them to do. The one who rarely stumbles or falls is the one who makes it a habit to remember limitations.

Likewise, if every driver considered the limitations of his car more often than he considers its agility, there would be far fewer accidents.  If every driver made it a habit to drive as if he is driving on slick roads, he would never end up in the ditch.  He would never “swap paint” with another.  Would never donate his bumper to public disgrace.

If every Christian made it a habit to remember that he can fail, and that the source of his strength is God alone, he would never stumble.

Agility in Christ demands habitual use of Bible reading, prayer and practice.  Lack the habitual use of any of these three, and the Christian is bound to suffer loss.

To our shame, when a person falls, or crashes his car, or suffers loss in Christ, some variation of the following phrase can be heard: “I am only human”.  It is to our shame because diligent and habitual behavior could have transformed us into something radically more.  We were lazy, we were derelict, we were willingly rebellious.  What we thought we would become has escaped us.  And the fault lies clearly in our own lap.

If that is the state of your yesterdays, it need not be the state of your affairs today.  And tomorrow can be all the more secure.  All you need to do is to transform yourself into a diligent and habitual person, and this by the renewal of your mind.

What belongs to yesterday, belongs to yesterday.  Today belongs to you.  Tomorrow belongs to the one who profits from what you do today.

Don’t bother yourself with a vow.  Simply start doing the things that are good.

Write a letter to yourself, and read it when it arrives again.  Make sure you write often, you are a very lonely person.  And why wouldn’t you write back, understanding your frailty?  Its not only good social etiquette, it’s also a deed of mercy.

Begin keeping a journal or diary, and please make sure to go back and read the days before.  Do you really think anyone else will care about what you have written?  So if you’re not going to read it, why write?

Let these things become a habit and there is no need for a vow, which can so easily be broken.  Remember your New Year’s resolutions?  Haven’t you figured it out yet?  Those who have to wait for a special day to make a vow, will never be capable of keeping it.

Leave your Bible in conspicuous places.  Write down certain passages and put them in every place your eyes might go.  (On the toilet seat, on the mirror, under the cap of your deodorant, paste it on your pillow sticky side up. Do these things nightly for the preparation of the person you will be tomorrow.  While you’re at it, you might throw a few bucks into 3M stocks.) Memorize passages and think them through.  Make it a habit to do these things, and the Living Word of the Living God will begin to live in you.

When it comes to prayer you will take note that you have a distinct, “I don wanna”.  So what.  If you force your feet habitually to go to the place of prayer.  If you habitually force your knees to bend when your feet have arrived.  If you will force the first few words from your mouth, as a habit it in that place.  You will learn to adore your time of prayer.

As for practice, every man does the things he learns to love.  As our habits are, so follows our love.  And what we love is a blatant proclamation of who we have become.

By His Grace

Successful Christianity

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What characterizes a successful Christian?  He has something that’s rather rare.  Something that many, apparently, never even know exists.  And it must be rare because all the Christians are still trying to find it.  That in itself, makes this a worthwhile post.

He’s a detriment to the Christian publishing business.  He’s simply not that interested in mainline Christianity.  He doesn’t need “how to” books, he’s already doing it.  He doesn’t need someone to provoke inspiration, he can’t shut it off.   But this in itself doesn’t make him a successful Christian.

It’s highly likely he does not have a lot of friends.  Though he is the one steady enough to confide in.  People rarely seek him out.  He just doesn’t play well with others.

He hates no one.  But he also trust no one.  And over time that becomes rather obvious.  Still, no “pin the tail on the donkey” here.

The successful Christian knows where his Bible is at all times.  He may or may not be able to quote you chapter and verse.  But you’ll find him busy doing it.  Yet this isn’t what sets him apart from the rest.  Many fall into legalistic adherence to the Word.  Many!

What is it that has cut him away from the larger portion of the flock?  Why is this one successful, while the others flounder about? 

If he has no interest in the things of mainline Christianity, how can he be called successful?  And if the successful Christian can’t memorize chapter and verse, what was the use of their notation?

Two really good questions.  But I’ll let the reader answer for himself.  When you finally realize the answers, you’ll be amazed.

The successful Christian understands the meaning of the name “Christ”.  And he realizes, with stark nakedness, that he does not own this understanding, because he studied.  He realizes that Christ knows him, and he knows Christ because of the merciful introduction from the Father.

In the successful Christian’s mind, he has only one thing that he can call his own.  To whatever extent a person owns this, he is a blowout success.

(watch for caveat.)

A successful Christian is always looking for opportunity to obey (bingo!).  This is the only item of Christianity we can own.  Everything else comes from God.  Obedience comes from mastery of the will.

(Slow down please.  Caveat ahead.)

Though it must be said that no man masters the will, without the direct guidance of Christ Jesus.  The successful Christian has made up his mind to dedicate himself to mastery.  The mutual work of Christ Jesus and man comes to a head in the man’s will.

You know the really sad part about this entire writing, is that I felt it necessary.

By His Grace