Jim Wilson's Blog, page 19

Every Effort

In the summer or winter Olympics every two years, we watchmen and women making “every effort” to win a medal. Regardless of the event,this means the ultimate in mental and physical effort.

The Bible tells us several times to make “every effort.”This is not the same kind of “every effort” that occurred in the Olympic games.How do we know?

The difference is described in two portions of Scripture:

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, becausemany, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke 13:24).

“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, areyou now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Galatians 3:3).

In Luke, we are to make every effort to enter. Thosewho try are not able to enter. In Galatians, we began by the Spirit, butcannot finish by human effort. It is foolishness! We see that every effortis not human effort. It is not by trying. Every effort is a spiritualevent, a grace and faith event. It is different from trying.

Here are a few other expressions regarding every effort:

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing withone another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit throughthe bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-3).

Notice that complete humility and gentleness precede makingevery effort. Somehow, complete humility and gentleness is necessary in orderto maintain the unity of the Spirit. The result is peace. This is notaccomplished by human effort.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for lifeand godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory andgoodness. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faithgoodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and toself-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness,brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 3-7).

The words in verses 3 and 4 that precede “make every effort”are God words: His divine power, His glory and goodness, His very great andprecious promises, His divine nature. The words that follow “make every effort”are fruit of the Spirit. This “effort” then, is not human effort.

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God didfrom his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that noone will fall by following their example of disobedience” (Heb. 4:9-11).

Rest is the result. Believing and obeying the gospel is themeans of entering into that rest. This is not human effort.

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.

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

Service without Fear

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he hascome to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation forus in the house of his servant David…to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness beforehim all our days” (Luke 1:68-69, 74-75).

This is part of Zechariah’s prayer when John, Zechariah’sson, was named. This part of the prayer is about the LORD Jesus. The secondhalf of the prayer is about John. Notice the last portion quoted: “to enable usto serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness beforeHim all our days.” This is loaded and amazing. We are enabled to:

·      Serve Him

·      Without fear

·      In holiness

·      In righteousness

·      All our days

This redemption, this salvation, is not just for everlastinglife; it is present tense (all our days). It is service without fear. It isservice with holiness. It is service with righteousness. God provides the meansof all this. It is part of our salvation.

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.

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

Taking Care of the Poor

Today I want to bring to your attention several relatedpassages that are clearly directed to individuals or households,not to the whole church.

“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore Icommand you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needyin your land” (Deut. 15:11).

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled,the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you,you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13-14).

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultlessis this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneselffrom being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and dailyfood. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16).

We have managed to evade these clear teachings by delegatingthe responsibility to the state, the church deacons’ fund, or charitableorganizations. Even if we give to these organizations, it is not the same asinviting the poor home to dinner. Or we get involved at Thanksgiving orChristmas and feel good about it, apparently not realizing that these peoplewould like to eat daily. Our response is that there are too many poor people.Yes, but that is not an excuse for not taking care of one of the many. When thestate takes care of the poor, the money may be there, but the love is not.

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

Teaching That Produces Faith

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the LordJesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:2).

There are many ways of teaching both truth and falsehood.One of the most effective ways comes under at least three different names:memorization, grammar, and catechizing.

Even when this effective way is used with the truth of thegospel, the teaching may not cause faith. When it does not cause faith,it is because some things are missing, generally in the teacher. These thingsare: 1) the power of the Holy Spirit, 2) love for the student, 3) preachingboldly, 4) preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, and 5) fear.

“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says,‘LORD, who has believed our report?’ So then faith comes by hearing, andhearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:16-17).

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets,some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers…that we should no longer bechildren, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, bythe trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but,speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is thehead—Christ” (Ephesians 4:11, 14-15).

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in thebody, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, wetry to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plainto your conscience” (2 Corinthians 5:10-11).

It is much easier to just teach truth than it is to preachit in the name of Christ, in love, in the power of the Holy Spirit, inboldness, and in fear.

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

Thankfulness & Confession

This is a guest post from Brad Scheelke, manager of Oasis Books in Logan, Utah. 

Greetings in our kind and merciful Father.

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who hasbecome for us wisdom from God —that is our righteousness, holiness andredemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in theLord’” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

Let’s thank the Father often that because of Him we are inHis Son.

When you think of wisdom, what do you think about? Is itabout how well or poorly you know the Bible?

When you think of holiness, what do you think about? Is itabout how consistently you obey God or how frequently you sin?

This passage states that the person of Jesus Christ is ourwisdom, holiness, righteousness, and redemption. It does not say that He has giventhese to us, but rather that He IS these for us. It does not depend onour performance, but only on whether we are in the Son. If we have Him, we haveall these things.

Therefore, let us boast (glory or rejoice) in Him. Manybelievers I know experience significant discouragement because they havedifficulty moving their eyes from their failures to Christ. This does not meanwe should excuse our sin; but we should see it in light of His holiness ratherin light of a perfect performance. If you happen to be one of those saints whohas difficulty seeing beyond your failures, I suggest thanking the Father forwhat you read or know from the Scriptures that He has done for you in His Son.Thank Him often and even out loud.

Twenty years ago, I wrote a short booklet entitled Thankfulnessand Confession, which tells how God the Father encouraged the heart of abelieving friend who was nearly always severely depressed and hardly eversmiled, in spite of spending most of his time listening to the Bible on tape,Bible preaching, and Christian music. But as he began to thank the Father forwhat He had done for him, his spirits began to rise, slowly at first, butsteadily. After a few years, he became one of the most cheerful saints I know.The old temptations to depression, paranoia, rejection, and condemnation arerare and easily resisted. For years, he had been fearful of speaking up inBible studies. Now he easily prays out loud and has led Bible studies. OurFather certainly is patient with those who are weak. If you would like to readhis story, followthis link to get a copy. The application is so simple that most readersseem to neglect to make the choice this brother made.

Brad Scheelke

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

Peace, Quietness, Confidence

“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best fromthe land” (Isaiah 1:19).

“If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peacewould have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea” (Isaiah48:18).

“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect ofrighteousness will be quietness and confidence forever” (Isaiah 32:17).

Isaiah’s views of obedience and the result of righteousnessare peace, quietness, and confidence forever.

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

Heart Obedience

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus asLord, continue to live your lives in him” (Col. 2:6).

We are to obey the same way we received Christ, that is, bygrace through faith.

Obedience is always from the heart. If it is from the headonly, it might be by the act of will only, and therefore it will be by effortand not by grace.

Before I became a Christian, I lived a life of “obedience” inthat I did not use profanity or slang, smoke, drink, or have sex. I wasimpressed with my goodness (or lack of badness). I impressed my non-Christianclassmates with my “goodness.” I did not impress the Christians.

I had two strong attributes which also happen to be the primaryattributes of Satan:

·      Arrogance: I was self-righteous and proud of it.Satan said, “I will be like the Most High.”

·      Lying: I lied very much. Jesus said of Satanthat when he lies, he speaks his first language.

I was being like the devil and thinking I was good. Thatchanged on October 18, 1947, when I came to know the Father.

Some things changed immediately: I confessed my sins and obeyedby grace.

Over the next several years, I memorized many verses ofScripture. At the time, I thought that it was a good spiritual thing to do.Under the conviction of Psalm 119:11 (“I have hidden your wordin my heart thatI might not sin against you.”), I memorized 108 verses in the first 14months that I was a Christian. The next year, I memorized 3verses a week. The following year, I memorized 5 verses a week.

During that year, I began to suspicious—I had memorized severalhundred verses, but I was still sinning.

The problem was that these verses were in my head, not in myheart. I realized that they needed to be hidden in my heart in order to keep me from sin.

Then on a canoe trip to Hudson Bay in 1952, our canoe gotswamped in some rapids we were trying to run. All of my cards with handwrittenverses on them got soaked and blurred. I had become arrogant about how manyScriptures I knew, and this wiped away the record I had been keeping of allthose memorizations. I thanked God. 

How do you hide God’s Word in your heart? By believing it and obeyingit.

 

Written 2022.

This post coordinates with tomorrow'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.

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

From Everlasting to Everlasting

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout allgenerations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth andthe world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:1-2).

“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is withthose who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children”(Psalm 103:17).

God’s everlastingness has been extended to us who believe.It includes everlasting joy and everlasting kindness. “His love enduresforever” (Psalm 136). Thank God!

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

Recommended Readings on Personal Evangelism

Two life-changing readings took place in my life in the Fallof 1955.

The first was my second reading of Dynamic of Service.This book is a series of lectures on personal evangelism given by Paget Wilkesto fellow missionaries from several missions in Karuizawa, Japan, in 1920. Ithink that it is the best book on the subject.

The second was reading and studying Acts 8, 9 and 10. Thiswas brought to my attention by a missionary in Japan. The following is a pieceof his teaching:

In chapter 8, take the time to see how God led Philip to theEthiopian and the Ethiopian to Philip. In chapter 9, God led Saul of Tarsus toAnanias and Ananias to Saul. Chapter 10 tells us how God led Cornelius to Peterand Peter to Cornelius. In each of these stories, the unbeliever was saved. Godknew that each of them was ripe for the harvest. God led them to the harvesterand the harvester to the ripe harvest. From a human point of view, each of themwas an unlikely candidate for immediate salvation.

After you study these three chapters, consider thepossibility that there is a ripe harvest near you. Please ask God to lead theharvest to you and you to the harvest. Do not be surprised when God answersyour prayer.

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentifulbut the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send outworkers into his harvest field’” (Matthew 9:37-38).

This post coordinates with today and tomorrow's readings 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.

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

Ripe for Harvest: Prepared to Give an Answer

As you read throughthe book of Acts, look at every conversion, and see what happened right beforeit: what was said, who said it. The situations are the same today.    

A long time ago, myduty in the Officer’s Christian Fellowship was the east coast of the UnitedStates. I went to an officer’s office at Fort Lee, VA, and stayed overnight,then I went on to Norfolk and Fort Bragg.  

Forty years later, Iwas no longer on the staff of OCF, but I had to go to Denver. While I was inDenver, I checked in at the OCF offices. There was the same Air Force officer Ihad met in Fort Lee, retired now, a colonel. I had stayed in his house when hewas a first lieutenant. He asked me, “Do you know what happened when you stayedovernight?”

I said, “No, I justremember staying in your home.”

He said, “You ledthe next-door neighbor to Christ.” I had no memory of it.  

Ten years after that,I was speaking at a banquet at the Hotel Salisbury, and who was there but thisAir Force colonel’s wife. She came up to me and said, “You’re the man who ledDr. So-and-so to Christ.”

One remembered thisevent forty years afterwards, and the other remembered it 50 years afterwards.They told me, “When we moved to Fort Lee, we decided to be the best officer’sfamily on the base as a Christian.”

I said, “It lookslike you were, and this next-door neighbor was waiting six months for you totell him how to be like you.” I showed up, and he fell into the Kingdom. Theythought it was unusual. It isn’t. The world is full of people saying, “Whatmust I do to be saved?” If you are living like a Christian, they see yourhappiness, they see your character, they see all kinds of things you probablydon’t realize, and they want answers, although they might not want to ask forthem.

When I was still amidshipman, one of my classmates came to see me about some trouble he washaving. He was about ready to get kicked out of the Academy, and he thought Iwas the person to see. But he had been giving me a bad time all the time forbeing a Christian. Non-Christians will give you a bad time because they knowyou’re different. They don’t want to give you any credit for it—until they getin trouble. Then they come to you, because they know you’ve done somethingright, and they hope you will have answers for them.

“Always be preparedto give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope thatyou have” (1 Pet. 3:15).

 

Written 2022.

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.

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