Jim Wilson's Blog, page 20

Three Prayers

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for eachother so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful andeffective” (James 5:16).

“This service that you perform is not only supplying theneeds of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks toGod” (2 Cor. 9:12).

“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that isreaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the gloryof God” (2 Cor. 4:15).

These three verses have something in common. It is prayer.

James 5:16 tells us of the quality of prayer or, rather, thequality of the man who prays for healing. The next two verses tell of thequantity of men who thank God. 2 Corinthians 9:12 speaks of God’s people whoare grateful, having had their physical needs met by those who had given. Thisresults in “overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”

2 Corinthians 4:15 is speaking of the salvation of more andmore people. This causes “thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”

Praying for the sick, giving to the poor, preaching thegospel to the lost! The church on the whole is weak in all these areas.

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

Transferring Dirt or Getting Clean

The Scripture that has been in my mind a good part of theday is Haggai 2:11-13:

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests whatthe law says: If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment,and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food,does it become consecrated?’ The priests answered, ‘No.’ Then Haggai said, ‘Ifa person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, doesit become defiled?’ ‘Yes,’ the priests replied, ‘it becomes defiled.’”

Notice this! Defilement, uncleanness, and dirt can betransferred. Cleanliness cannot be transferred. If I pour clean water intodirty water, does that make the dirty water clean? No! If I pour dirty waterinto clean water, does that make the clean water dirty? Yes! If I have dirtyhands and shake your clean hand, do I transfer dirt to you, or do you transferclean to me?

Dirt is transferred!

“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character'” (1Cor 15:33).

Washing gets rid of dirt.

“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, youwere sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and bythe Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11).

 

Written December 2010.

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

Getting Free from Besetting Sin

There are only two things you can do at any given time: obeyGod or disobey Him. Obeying God and confessing your sin when you disobey iscalled walking in the light: as soon as you get in the darkness, you confessyour sin and get back in the light.

My book How to Be Free: More Essays on Christian Livingis about how to be free from besetting sins and obey God. It covers differenttopics like depression, worry, anger, low self-esteem, guilt, gossip, lying, acritical spirit, complaining, etc. It also talks about how to walk in thelight. The book is available at ccmbooks.org/bookstore and Amazon.

Sins do not travel in singles. If you have unconfessed sin,it sets you up for more sin. If you get into the habit of confessing sin, youwill not have to go through the ins and outs of obedience and confession somuch. Take care of sin when it occurs. Do not wait.

It is possible to walk in the light, which makes it easy toobey God. When you are walking in the light, you can rejoice always, you can beanxious for nothing, and you can give thanks in everything. You do not have tobe addicted to sin.

The best preventative for sin is being in the Word daily andchoosing to do what it says. If you are not reading your Bible daily, Iencourage you to join the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. You can findall the details at TotheWord.com. Do not worry that the plan has alreadystarted – just jump in with today’s reading, and catch what you've missed when the plan starts up again in September.

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

Partial Obedience, Partial Repentance, Partial Belief

In recent days,* I have been struck again by the partialrepentance of the kings of Israel and the partial repentance of the kings ofJudah. Here are two examples from many.

Israel:

“Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the LORD, theGod of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins ofJeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit” (2 Kings 10:31). The lastsentence was said of every king of Israel.

Judah:

“He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not ashis father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his fatherJoash. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued tooffer sacrifices and burn incense there” (2 Kings 14:3-4). This last sentencewas said of Amaziah and his son, his grandson, and his great-grandson. Amaziahwas one of the good kings of Judah.

Hezekiah, his great-great-grandson, turned things around:“He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David haddone. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down theAsherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up tothat time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was calledNehushtan.)” (2 Kings 18:3-4).

Are we guilty of partial obedience, partial repentance,belief in a partial Savior who gives partial forgiveness?

 

*Written November 2006.

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

Four Passages to Live By

Here are four passages of Scripture which have meant verymuch to me. There are many others, but these stand out. Each has a promiseattached. The promises are in bold.

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie themas symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to yourchildren, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along theroad, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes ofyour houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of yourchildren may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers,as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth” (Deuteronomy11:18-21).

“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for aman to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and forlying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable tothe LORD? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains ofinjustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and breakevery yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide thepoor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not toturn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forthlike the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousnesswill go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then youwill call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say:‘Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointingfinger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungryand satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in thedarkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide youalways; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthenyour frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose watersnever fail’” (Isaiah 58:5-11).

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, whatyou will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life moreimportant than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at thebirds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet yourheavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who ofyou by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry aboutclothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet Itell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one ofthese. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here todayand tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O youof little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shallwe drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things,and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first hiskingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you aswell. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry aboutitself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord,and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let lightshine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the lightof the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have thistreasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God andnot from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed,but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but notdestroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:5-9).

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

Pressing on Toward the Goal

There are portions in Paul’s writings that talk about beingmore like the Lord Jesus.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have alreadyarrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesustook hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to havetaken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and strainingtoward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which Godhas called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1Thessalonians 4:3).

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’sglory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, whichcomes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

“I am using an example from everyday life because of yourhuman limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurityand to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves torighteousness leading to holiness” (Romans 6:19).

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, letus purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit,perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).

It is not enough to be satisfied with our justification. Weshould want to increasingly be transformed into His image.

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

All Christians Are Evangelists

The Scripture says there are certain gifts: apostles,prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. I am a teacher and anevangelist—but I am an evangelist by obedience. I may have the gift also, butit is certainly obedience. The Great Commission says, “Allauthority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go,therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name ofthe Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teachingthem to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, tothe end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20).

Just by being a Christian, I am anevangelist. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me,” and He said,“Make disciples of all nations.” That means all Christians who obey JesusChrist are evangelists. They are to make disciples of all nations. They arealso to teach these disciples to obey everything that Jesus commanded. Just byobeying that, I am an evangelist and a teacher. If you are an obedientChristian, you are also called to be an evangelist and a teacher.

“I’m not gifted as an evangelist.” No, Isuppose you aren’t—but you are commanded to be one. Not being gifted doesn’tmean you get to slide out from under the command; you have orders to makedisciples of all nations.

I have written three books on this subject: Principles of War, Weapons and Tactics, and Taking Men Alive. They areavailable at Amazon, Audible, and ccmbooks.org/bookstore.

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

Conditions for Answered Prayer

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Isaiah 58.

The first five verses are Godtelling the religious people why their prayers are not answered.

“Shout it aloud, do not holdback.

       Raise your voice like a trumpet.

       Declare to my people their rebellion

       and to the house of Jacob their sins.

 For day after day they seek me out;

       they seem eager to know my ways,

       as if they were a nation that does whatis right

       and has not forsaken the commands of itsGod.

       They ask me for just decisions

       and seem eager for God to come nearthem.

 'Why have we fasted,’ they say,

       'and you have not seen it?

       Why have we humbled ourselves,

       and you have not noticed?’

       Yet on the day of your fasting, you doas you please

       and exploit all your workers.

 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

       and in striking each other with wickedfists.

       You cannot fast as you do today

       and expect your voice to be heard onhigh.

 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

       only a day for a man to humble himself?

       Is it only for bowing one's head like areed

       and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?

       Is that what you call a fast,

       a day acceptable to the LORD?”

 

The next ten verses give threedifferent conditions and the wonderful result of meeting those conditions:

 

Verses 6 and 7 give theconditions:

 

“‘Is not this the kind of fastingI have chosen:

       to loose the chains of injustice

       and untie the cords of the yoke,

       to set the oppressed free

       and break every yoke?

 Is it not to share your food with the hungry

       and to provide the poor wanderer withshelter—

       when you see the naked, to clothe him,

       and not to turn away from your own fleshand blood?”

 

Verses 8 and 9a give the result:

 

 “Then your light will break forth like thedawn,

       and your healing will quickly appear;

       then your righteousness will go beforeyou,

       and the glory of the LORD will be yourrear guard.

 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;

       you will cry for help, and he will say:Here am I.”

 

9b and 10a give the conditions:

 

"If you do away with theyoke of oppression,

       with the pointing finger and malicioustalk,

 And if you spend yourselves in behalf of thehungry

       and satisfy the needs of the oppressed…”

 

10b-12 give the answer:

 

“Then your light will rise in thedarkness,

       and your night will become like thenoonday.

 The LORD will guide you always;

       he will satisfy your needs in asun-scorched land

       and will strengthen your frame.

       You will be like a well-watered garden,

       like a spring whose waters never fail.

 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

       and will raise up the age-oldfoundations;

       you will be called Repairer of BrokenWalls,

       Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

 

Verse 13 gives the condition:

 

 “If you keep your feet from breaking theSabbath

       and from doing as you please on my holyday,

       if you call the Sabbath a delight

       and the LORD's holy day honorable,

       and if you honor it by not going yourown way

       and not doing as you please or speakingidle words…”

 

Verse 14 gives the answer:

        

 “Then you will find your joy in the LORD,

       and I will cause you to ride on theheights of the land

       and to feast on the inheritance of yourfather Jacob.

       The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

 

Over the years, we have occasionally met the conditions. Theanswers are always wonderful. One of our great joys is seeing our children andgrandchildren meet the conditions.

Here is a New Testament counterpart:

“Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon ordinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your richneighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. Butwhen 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 atthe resurrection of the righteous’” (Luke 14:12-14).

How many of the saints obey this at least some of the time?

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

Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

“Just as there were many who were appalled at him—hisappearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marredbeyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14).

We believe that this is a picture of Jesus on the cross. Ifso, “His face was disfigured beyond that of any man,” meaning that no one hasbeen disfigured that much ever; and “beyond human likeness,” meaning that Hiscrucified body did not look human.

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet weconsidered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he waspierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; thepunishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; andthe LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6).

This text tells us the why of the disfigurement. Every lie,every murder, every rape, every idolatrous act was nailed to the cross inJesus. Those few hours He not only carried every evil action in the history ofthe world, but He became sin itself:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that inhim we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

When we speak of the cross, it should not be glib or in acommonplace way. Thank God.

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

Overflow

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Thegood man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil manbrings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that menwill have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word theyhave spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words youwill be condemned” (Matthew 12:34b-37).

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasonedwith salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6).

At several points in my life, I have been conscious ofspeaking words that were not gracious. Apparently, my heart had not been storedwith good things, or the overflow would have been gracious words. I want tostore my heart so full of good that the overflow will be always good.

 

Written November 1988.

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