Jim Wilson's Blog, page 16

A Lot of Love

There are five objects of our love in Scriptures.

·      Love GOD (Matthew 22:34-40).

·      Love our neighbors.

·      Love our wives.

·      Love the brothers.

·      Love our enemies.

That is a comprehensive list. The quality of love is also comprehensive.

·      With all your heart, all your soul and all yourmind. That is a lot of love.

·      Your neighbor as yourself. If we loved oneneighbor as much as we loved ourselves, he would be getting much love.

·      As Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).

·      As Jesus loved us (John 13:34).

·      As God is kind to the ungrateful and wicked(Luke 6:3).

That is very much love.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

The Risen Christ

 

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is nothere; he has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still with you inGalilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, becrucified and on the third day be raised again’” (Luke 24:5-7).

“And who through the Spirit of Holiness was declared withpower to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ ourLord” (Rom. 1:4).

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raisedto life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25).

The risen Christ is why we are here.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Led by the Spirit

Jeremiah prayed, “Iknow, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct hissteps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

Paul wrote, “Becausethose who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

“But if you are led bythe Spirit, you are not under law” (Galatians 5:18).

“If the LORD delights ina man’s way, he makes his steps firm” (Psalm 37:23).

“In their hearts humansplan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

I thank God for thesewonderful truths. I thank God for His daily directing my steps from my earliestdays as a Christian until today. I have no idea where I would be today if thiswere not true.

“Finally, brothers, prayfor us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just asit was with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

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Your Intellect Won’t Get You There

“If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find outwhether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17).

“The golden rule for understanding spirituality is notintellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectualcuriosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches,he can only get it by obedience. If things are dark to me, then I may be surethere is something I will not do. Intellectual darkness comes throughignorance; spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend toobey” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceiveyourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).

 

Written August 1991.

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Let There Be Light

 

No parameters, nospeed of light nor time nor space.

Nothing to measure inlight years or miles

and then God createdthe Heavens and the Earth.

 

In and around andabove that wet, dark and formless empty earth

The Spirit Hovered.

 

From beyond thenight, beyond the heavens and apart from the Earth

God said, "Letthere be light."

And there was light.

 

Six measured dayslater God created man in His own likeness.

But man believed alie to be more like God and indeed became less like Him.

Man's thinking becamefutile, and his foolish heart was darkened.

 

Now we are measuredin time, square miles, and by the Bureau of Standards.

Into that measuredland, in a farmhouse on a quarter section in central Nebraska

God created a man,partly in His likeness.

 

Twenty measured yearswent by,

and over and aroundthat man with a dark and formless void,

The Spirit hovered.

 

Into that void,formless and dark, pierced and then flooded, a light.

For the same God whoin the beginning said, “Let there be light,”

Has now shined in myheart,

 

To give the light ofthe knowledge of the glory of God

In the face of JesusChrist.

- Jim Wilson

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Proclaiming Peace and Salvation

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those whobring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaimsalvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7).

We do not normally think of feet as beautiful. Why are thesefeet different? They are carrying a voice that proclaims good news, peace, goodtidings, salvation, and the reign of God. The apostle Paul quotes this text inRomans 10:15 right after a series of questions.

"‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will besaved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And howcan they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hearwithout someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they aresent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring goodnews!’” (Romans 10:13-15).

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The Best Church in Town

"Religion that God ourFather accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans andwidows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by theworld" (James 1:27).

If you are normal, youwant to be in the best church in town, and you may be in it. However, does thischurch or any church fit the definition of pure and faultless religion?

This is in the sight ofGod the Father. He is paying attention to see if your religion is pure andundefiled. There are two requirements: 1) to visit orphans and widows who arein distress and 2) to keep yourself unspotted from the world.

Concerning the firstrequirement, you may not know any widows or orphans in distress. However, theyare there in your town. Ask God who they are.

The second requirement isnot letting the filth of the world touch you at all. Jesus prays in John17:15-17, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that youprotect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I amnot of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” “Watchyour life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you willsave both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:16). In evangelisticchurches today, Christians seem to watch their doctrine much more closely thanthey watch their lives. Timothy was told to watch both.

Written January 9, 2018.

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Three Problems from Proverbs 18

In my reading through the Proverbs, the eighteenth chaptergot my attention. Here are three from that chapter:

"The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;they go down into the inner parts of the body" (v. 8).

"If one gives answer before he hears, it is his follyand shame” (v. 13).

"He who states his case first seems right, until theother comes and examines him” (v. 17).

They all have to do with conversation, and they hit threegreat problems in the church today: gossip, not listening, and listening toonly one side. All of these can be corrected by a simple desire and act of thewill. However, to act properly means that there will be no more “choicemorsels,” no “ego talking,” and no choosing up sides.

Here are two New Testament sentences which will help us inour decision:

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,but only what is helpful for building others up according to theirneeds, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quickto listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:9).

Our speech should be for others, and our listening should befor others.

Written October 1986.

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Able to Do

It is relatively easy to believe great things of God as inPsalm 33:6, 9:

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starryhost by the breath of his mouth. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stoodfirm.”

It seems to be more difficult to believe great things of Godwhen it has to do with us:

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, sothat in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound inevery good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more thanall we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph.3:20).

“Therefore he is able to save completely those whocome to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb.7:25).

“Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his ownmaster he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to makehim stand” (Rom. 14:4).

“That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed,because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able toguard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serveis able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, Oking” (Dan. 3:17).

“To him who is able to keep you from falling and topresent you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy”(Jude 24).

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Get Forgiven Like Abraham. Obey Like Joseph.

God, in inspiring the Bible, went through the Creation, theFall, and the Flood all in eleven chapters. It is as if God was in a hurry toget to Abraham. Then with the next 38 chapters God goes into detail on Abrahamand the next three generations. Abraham was the “friend of God” and the fatherof the Jews and the Faithful. David is a “man after God’s own heart.” TheMessiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the son of David.

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefatheraccording to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham wasjustified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. Whatdoes Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him asrighteousness.’ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a giftbut as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God whojustifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says thesame thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God creditsrighteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose transgressions areforgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sinthe Lord will never count against them’” (Rom. 4:1-8).

This is a portion of one of the great chapters on salvationby faith in the finished work of Christ. There is another emphasis besides theone on faith.

“God who justifies the wicked” (verse 5).

“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not countagainst him” (Psalm 32:2).

Abraham was wicked. So was David. Abraham gave hiswife away twice because of fear for his own life (although in both cases Godprevented anyone from touching her). David took another man’s wife.

Abraham was justified. David’s sin was not counted againsthim. this is the message of Romans. Wicked men can be saved, made righteous,and greatly used of God.

However, Abraham and David were not men of integrityafter their salvation. There were no holy men.

Joseph was. So was Daniel. Joseph was sold as a slave by hisbothers to slave traders from a foreign country to another foreign, pagancountry. He had no Bible; Genesis was not yet written. He had a father at homewho thought he was dead. His mother had died in childbirth when Joseph was achild. As a slave, his owner’s wife tried to seduce him. Here is his answer.“No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing fromme except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wickedthing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).

Joseph would not take another man’s wife. She tried thisdaily. He refused and avoided her. Finally, she grabbed his coat. He got out ofthe coat and ran. She lied. He was put in prison. He was godly in prison andgodly when he got out.

Daniel was taken captive by the Babylonians. He and a fewothers were given special treatment. They ate from the king’s table. It wasgreat food for Babylonians. It was unclean food for the Jews. “But Danielresolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked thechief official for permission not to defile himself this way” (Daniel 1:8).

Daniel still had his integrity in his old age. “No whenDaniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairsroom where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got downon his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before”(Daniel 6:10). For this he was thrown to the lions.

These life and death decisions were simple for Joseph andDaniel because the decisions were made long before the temptation occurred.

We should make decisions on principle on absolutes and makethem in advance. We should not wait and consider the pros and cons at the time.We should obey by grace and faith.

We get forgiven like Abraham and David. This isrighteousness.

We obey like Joseph and Daniel. This is holiness.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships