Jim Wilson's Blog, page 26

Are You a Father Like Paul?

“We were not looking for praise from men, not from you oranyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but wewere gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children…. For youknow that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who callsyou into his kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:6-7, 11-12).

Did you know that the Apostle Paul likens himself to a gentle,nursing mother and like a father who encourages and comforts? Areyou that kind of a father to your own children? Are you that kind of father toyour spiritual children?

 

Written March 1994.

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

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

Happiness & Joy: Two Views

According to the dictionary, joy and happiness are almostsynonyms.

Since Christians live in the English-speaking world, they arelargely influenced by the world’s definitions. The cover story in the mostrecent issue* of National GeographicMagazine is “The Search for Happiness.” The subtitle is, “What we can learnfrom Costa Rica, Denmark, and Singapore—the most joyful places on the planet.”

In each of these “happiest” places, the government has providedfor people’s salaries, living, healthcare, and other physical provisionsthrough high taxes. In other words, “happiness” is not having anyresponsibilities to be anxious about.

That is the world’s view. There is a biblical solution toanxiety which is entirely different, and which the world cannot understand. Itis love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,and self-control. These words are in the world’s vocabulary, but anybody who isnot a Christian cannot have any of them as part of his life. If they have them,it is with a different definition.

The joy the Christian receives has nothing to do with entertainmentor recreation. It is based on his relationship and fellowship with God, basedupon his sins being forgiven.

Non-Christians cannot have this joy or love or peace. They areonly given by the Holy Spirit. Christians can experience them, but many don’tbecause they disobey God and do not confess their disobedience in order to beforgiven and have joy again.

There is a sequence of obedience that sets you free fromanxiety.

Rejoice always,pray continually, give thanks in allcircumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess.5:16-18) 

 Rejoicein the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!... Do not be anxious aboutanything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,present your requests to God. And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds inChrist Jesus. (Phil. 4:4, 6-7)

If you are thanking God in all circumstances,you are also rejoicing in the Lord always. If you are rejoicing in the Lordalways, you are anxious for nothing, and the peace of God guards your heart.

The non-Christian who desires this state mustsettle for the world’s solution or call upon the Lord for salvation.

The reason the world thinks joy and happinessare the same is they think that they are both feelings based uponcircumstances. Joy in the Bible is only based upon relationship and fellowshipwith God because of the forgiveness of sins. Besides being there because offellowship, joy should be expressed by obeying the command.

 

*Written November 2017.

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

Getting Old

This is apost for those who are getting old or considering themselves old, from 65-100.

Right now, I am 91.* I will be 92 inOctober. I have my own house, but I cannot live in it alone because of myphysical inability to move around. One of my sons lives with me.

All of us will have to make someadjustments. That includes money, relatives, your own ability and willpower tostay independent, etc. My advice is if physically and financially you can liveindependently, you should certainly do that. If you do, you will still need tohave visits from your family frequently. You need your family. Even if youdon’t need them to take care of you, you need them for the fellowship. The morefellowship you have, the longer you’ll live. If you can stay independent do it,but only if friends and relatives can see you often.

In my case, I can’t walk, and I can’tdo much physically. So, whether I like it or not, someone else has to get meup, get me showered, and get me dressed. I am blessed to have three sons whotake turns doing that.

The next best thing is to move inwith one of your children or one of your brothers or sisters. That may be ahardship for them, so if you have any money at all, contribute to the upkeepthat you require.

When you get to this age, you haveto make decisions. It is very likely that you won’t want the decisions thatyour children make for you. I don’t have a solution for that. Whatever you do,don’t do it in rebellion. Do it very positively. Whatever the solution is, takeit as God’s provision.

Whether you stay at home or insomeone else’s home or in an elder care residence, participate in any Biblestudies or worship services that you can. If you’ve never been interested inthat, you might want to get interested. These people are Christians. They maybe very warm Christians, and you need that warmth and fellowship. Even if you haven’tbeen to church or a Bible study before, go for it.

If your relatives are not in thesame town, stay in touch with them, either by writing to them or by telephone.You need that contact.

I have a friend I’ve known formany, many years. She was a Navy nurse in Japan and became a Christian at thattime. She’s now 96 years old and lives in Charleston, SC. Periodically, shecalls me. I’m in Moscow, Idaho. She doesn’t call me because we’re relatives(we’re not). She calls me because we are friends, and she needs to stay intouch with her friends. It’s a healthy thing. It’s very easy to live your lifewithout friends. Pretty soon, they just disappear from your life. That is not ahealthy thing. Stay in touch with your friends. Some of your friends may havebecome widows or widowers, and perhaps they have married someone else that youdon’t know. Reach out and get to know your friends’ new spouses. They need youas much as you need them.

If your relatives’ children livesome distance from you, telephone and write to them often. If you reach out tothem often, they will respond to you often. When you are in touch with them,ask them all kinds of questions about all of their children and all of theirrelatives so you get the news about everyone you used to know well.

The major thing in all this is thatyou are a human being, and people are created by God to be with other people.Make it a point to stay in touch. Even if it’s only one person, it will be alifeline.

*Written July 2, 2019.

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

Gracious Words

 

Several passages of Scripture have been in my meditation thelast few weeks.*

“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).

During the last few months,* I have been conscious that mywords have not been always gracious. Apparently, my heart has not been storedwith good things, or the overflow would have been gracious words. I haveconfessed and now want to store my heart so full of good that the overflow willbe always good.

 

*Written November 1988.

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

Our Obedience & the Completed Work of Christ

 

"Since you died with Christ…” (Colossians 2:20).

"Since then you have been raised with Christ…"(Colossians 3:1).

"For you died…" (Colossians 3:3).

Although these sentences were written to the new church atColossae, we believe they apply to all Christians, if they are true. They areeither true or false. If true, they are past-tense certainties. They arenot future, or conditional, or perhaps or maybe. They describesomething that has already happened in us, and the commands that follow arepredicated on those certainties. If Christians have trouble with the commands,it may be because they have trouble believing that they have died with Christ,or it may be because they have not died with Christ. (In other words, they arenot Christians.) All future obedience is based upon the complete work of Christwhich has taken place in us. Read Romans 6 a few times.

 

Written January 1989.

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

Holy in Christ

What wealth of meaning and blessingwhen the words are combined: holy in Christ. Here is God’s provision for ourholiness, God’s response to our question, “How can we be holy?” When we hearthe call, “Be ye holy, even as I am holy,” it seems as if there is, and evermust be, a great gulf between the holiness of God and man. But in Christis the bridge that spans the gulf—or better still—His fullness has filled itup.

In Christ God and man meet.There the holiness of God has found us and made us its own, has become humanand can indeed become our very own. To the anxious cries and the heart-yearningsof thousands of thirsty souls who have believed in Jesus and yet know not howto be holy, here is God’s answer: Ye are holy in Christ Jesus.Only listen to these words and believe. Repeat them, even a thousand limes, untilGod’s light shines, until your heart is filled with joy and love and the wordsecho back: Now I see it. I am holy in Christ—made holy in Christ Jesus!

- Andrew Murray, from The Believer’s Secret ofHoliness

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

Christ or the World: Who Owns You?

This morning,* Bessie and I were reading John 15:15-21:

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated mefirst. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is,you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That iswhy the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant isgreater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the onewho sent me.”

We were impressed again with the either/or of belonging toChrist or the world. And it is the world that recognizes the difference andtakes action. The question is, does the world recognize you as someone to love,or to hate?

*Written November 1987.

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

A Source of Life for Others

 

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stoodand said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink’”(John 7:37).

"Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God andwho it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would havegiven you living water’ …. Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water willbe thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up toeternal life’” (John 4:10, 13-14)

This spring of water is an artesian well, a flowing well,“welling up to eternal life.” Welling up has a sense of leaping up.This well provides living water in quality and abundance so that streams ofliving water will flow from within the Christian. Notice in both texts that theperson does not drink from this well. He does not have the well until afterhe drinks. "Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring...”"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."

This well of the Holy Spirit flowing from us is not just forour benefit. Having drunk the living water that Jesus has given us, we nowbecome a source of living water for others.

Are you a flowing well of living water?

 

Written August 1993.

This post coordinates with tomorrow and Friday's readings in the SamePage Summer Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily readingplan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading withus.

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

Christ or Culture: Who Are You Following?

 

A few years ago, I was talking with a young woman, and Iasked her what she thought of Jesus. Her reply was a good answer but qualified withthis phrase: “but I don't think he was very polite.” The more I read theGospels, the more I am convinced her qualification is a true one. Her problemwas that, to her, politeness was a high virtue, and since Jesus was not polite,He was not perfect.

Many of us, like this young woman, interpret the Scripturein the light of our cultural mores. We do this because obedience to the textas it is might mean crossing or offending our Christian and secular friends. Inour society, we have compromised for so long we think we are following Christwhen in reality we are following the evangelical American culture.

This time, as you read through your New Testament, payattention to the hard sayings of Jesus. Here is a plan to follow for thesummer.

Written February 1987.

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

Same Page Summer

 

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God maybe thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and ofChrist Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of hisappearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: preach the Word; be preparedin season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patienceand careful instruction” (2 Timothy 3:16-4:2).

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading ofScripture, to preaching and to teaching" (1 Timothy 4:13).

There was a time when there were very few Bibles, even in culturedlands. There were no printing presses, and most of the people were illiterate.If people received the Word, it was through the public reading of Scripture bypeople who could read and had the Scriptures. Now in the church today in this country,we can read, and we each own at least one Bible.

A year ago* at one of our schools of practical Christianity,we asked the students three questions: "How long have you been aChristian? How many times have you read the New Testament? How many times haveyou read the Old Testament?" When the answers were added, we found outthat the average reading of the New Testament was every 2 ½ years, and theaverage reading of the Old Testament was every 7 years.

This last weekend, I was at a men’s conference, and I askedthe same three questions. The total number of years of Christianity was 514.5years. The total number of times through the New Testament was 36 and throughthe Old Testament was 18. In other words, the New Testament was read every 14 yearsand the Old every 28 years. This amounts to spending less than 30 seconds aday in the Bible. This is not very encouraging.

Here is a plan we hope will encourage you to read theNew Testament. Even if you are a very slow reader, you can read the whole Biblethrough in 80 hours. If you are a listener instead of a reader, you can listento the whole Bible on an audio app. I listen in my car and enjoy it very much.

*Written May 1992.

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