Jim Wilson's Blog, page 6

Preparing Hearts for Harvest

“Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns”(Jeremiah 4:3).

The Lord’s instruction to Judah through Jeremiah was spiritualinstruction. He wasn’t speaking about farming. The Bible is wonderful in itsclarity, and we can be awfully obtuse in our understanding.

We do not operate like good farmers. We are like athree-year-old child who plants a bean and digs it up every day to see if it isgrowing. We have a Jack-and-the-Beanstalk view of sowing. We expect a giantplant the next morning.

We are impatient for the harvest, so we are impatient in oursowing. We sow in unplowed, undisced, and unharrowed ground. We sow in weeds.We sow in the rocks and on hard ground. We wonder why no harvest. The harvestis dependent on sowing, which is dependent on us. It is also dependent upon theground. The kind of ground is, in a sense, dependent on us. “Break up yourfallow ground, and sow not among the thorns” speaks of the need forcultivation. Good, soft ground with no rocks and no weeds will bring forththirty, sixty, and a hundredfold (Matthew 13).

In the business of evangelism, how do we prepare the groundeven before sowing? Broken ground, soft and moist, is actually hungry for seed.If earth has a purpose, that is it. “And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forthgrass and the tree yielding fruit.’” So it is with people. Prepared people are hungry for the seed of the Word of God.

People should be prepared, like the ground, before the seed isplanted. The “good news” is the seed. How do we prepare people before we startsharing the good news of Jesus Christ with them?

We are to love them. Love softens the ground.

We are to pray for them. As you pray, God will fill yourhearts with His love for people, and as you pray for them the Holy Spirit willprepare them to receive the Word of God.

“And the servant ofthe Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, inmeekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure willgive them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

It is important and possible to love people, pray for them, bepatient, gentle, and kind before we mention the God of our salvation. This doesnot have to be a long period. It is not the length of time of preparation; itis the genuineness of our gentleness that is important. If we love peoplegenuinely, it may be possible to sow good seed into “ready” ground in a matterof minutes.

Remember, an abundant harvest is dependent upon the amount ofseed sown, the kind of ground sown in, and the obedience of the reapers. Groundpreparation is not something to do in order to get out of sowing; sowing is notsomething done in order to get out of reaping. But ground preparation does comefirst. Help prepare hearts as you pray for those you know who are not saved.

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

Truth Spoken in Love

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge theliving and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you thischarge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebukeand encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when menwill not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, theywill gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching earswant to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths”(2 Timothy 4:1-4).

It looks as if the time has come.

The sound doctrine that cannot be endured is simple, basic,true, and shows up in verses like the following:

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commandsall people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the worldwith justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all menby raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).

“The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will notsee life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:35-36).

“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospelof our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut outfrom the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comesto be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who havebelieved. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you” (2 Thessalonians1:8-10).

People who like to have their ears tickled do not call pastorswho will dwell on these truths.

Because more and more people want soft teaching, more and more peopleare willing to give it. We see it in “Christian” books.

There have always been true books and false books. It was easy totell the difference. Now there is a multitude of “true books” that are “soft” books.They do not appear to be false. The truth in them is presented so that no one will take offense. When that successfully happens, “truth”has just become false.

Truth spoken in love both attracts and offends.

“Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I stillbeing persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished” (Galatians5:11).

As the river of Christian books gets wider, it seems to getshallower.

We in our ministry have diligently endeavored to present sound doctrine.As the river gets wider, we channel it so in our section it is narrower and deeper.Find out more about the books we publish at 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

Salvation for the Worst Sinners

1 Timothy 1:15:         

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves fullacceptance.” That means pay attention.

“Christ Jesus…” Who He is!      

“…came into this world to save sinners…” The only reason forHis birth in Bethlehem.      

“…of whom I am the worst.” This is not false humility. Thisis an inspired statement.    

“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me,the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as anexample for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.”

One of the specific reasons why God saved Paul is givenhere: Paul was the worst of sinners. When you are witnessing to someone whowants to believe, he may say that he is too bad and that Christ will nothave patience with him. That is not true because Christ had already exercisedunlimited patience for the worst of sinners. Christ’s unlimited patience forPaul is an example for those who would believe.

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

Listeners vs. Heeders

“It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen toa song of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:5).

It may have been always so, but at present we seem to haveplenty of songs from many fools. We also seem to be short on wise men. Thegreatest shortage, however, is in heeders. A heeder is one who listens(pays attention) and obeys what he has heard. James said it this way:

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

In my early Christian life, I memorized many verses ofScripture. I succeeded in deceiving myself. I was not obeying; I was notheeding. I thought I was spiritual.

Being a listener is a dangerous position to be in. There aremany good teachers of the Word. There are many more listeners. They flock togood teachers. The teacher should not be pleased that he has many listeners,unless he is going to teach them how to be heeders. This is one of theclear requirements in the Great Commission: “…teaching them to obeyeverything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).

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

The Solution for Emotional Dependency

Some time ago, I received this question: “Someone told methat I am emotionally dependent. Is that like being addicted to someone? Whatis the cure for emotional dependency?”

You may be emotionally dependent, obsessive, or “addicted”to someone, but you should not think in these terms. As soon as you defineyourself that way, you have hindered the cure. You end up focusing on theproblem. Here is the solution. It requires some homework.

·      Think of yourself as a child of God.

·       “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly lifethrough our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2Peter 1:3). Believe it.

·       Realize where you are in Jesus Christ. Read Ephesians 1:13 throughchapter 3 and Colossians 1 and 2. Do not think about doing. Think about being.Look at what these passages say you are in Christ.

·       Read the Gospel of John. Mark every reference about God the Father.See what the text says about the Father. Thank God.

·       Reach out to the unlovely, not for your good, but for theirs. “ThenJesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon ordinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives,or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will berepaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor,the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will beblessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrectionof the righteous’” (Luke 14:12-14).

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

My Life for Yours

“Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to buildhim up” (Romans 15:2).

I want. I need. I desire. I deserve.

These are much different expressions than he needs or sheneeds. We think in terms of another person’s needs if they are negative, asin, “He needs a spanking,” or “He deserves to go to Hell.” Both of these may betrue, but the text is speaking about what pleases and builds up the otherperson, rather than what pleases us.

We see the same in a different way in Ephesians 4:29: “Do notlet any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful forbuilding others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those wholisten.”

What we do and what we speak should be only forthe other person’s benefit, not for our own.

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

Enabled to Be Holy

“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).

Notice that righteousness leads to holiness.

“To rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable usto serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all ourdays” (Luke 1:74-75).

Jesus is our “enabler.” He does not enable us to continue insin, but the opposite, holiness and righteousness. He does this all our days.Righteousness is purity that comes from God when we receive Jesus Christ. Weare cleansed from our sin.

Holiness is also pure. However, it does not cleanse us. Itdoes not take place until after we are clean. Holiness is not gettingdirty. Holiness starts out being clean by the righteousness that comes fromGod.

Most of my life has been spent getting people righteous withthe gospel and getting Christians to stay righteous by confession of sin. Itseems that Christians think that it is normal to stay unrighteous and that itis impossible to be holy.

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in allyou do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

There was a time in my life when I would ask Christians ifthey wanted to be holy. I have given up the practice because the ranges ofanswers I was given were different ways of saying, “No, I don’t.”

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

The Humility Harness

 

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing withone another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

Notice the word “completely.” Apparently, it is possible tobe completely humble and gentle. We see it Philippians 2:5-7 as well:

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something tobe grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness.”

·      Made Himself nothing.

·      Humbled himself and became obedient to death.

·      Even death on the cross.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”We are to be humble, completely humble, just like Jesus.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentleand humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

Get into the humility harness with Jesus.

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 Word of Encouragement

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials ofmany kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith developsperseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature andcomplete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God,who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is likea wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think hewill receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in allhe does. The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his highposition. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position,because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorchingheat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. Inthe same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about hisbusiness. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he hasstood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised tothose who love him” (James 1:2-12).

What an encouraging word! God is our faithful overseer inwhatever circumstances we find ourselves in as we remain faithful to Him andput our trust in His leadership. Choose His ways and receive His joy. God blessyou!

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

No Fear Before His Eyes

Every day, I come across verses of Scripture I want topreach, proclaim, shout, or sing. Here is one:

“An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness ofthe wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes heflatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin” (Psalm 36:1-2).

This is such a good description of the sinfulness of thewicked. The wicked man cannot see, much less hate his own sin. The reason isthat he flatters himself. This is the ultimate expression of selfishness andself-conceit.

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