Thoughtful Thursday: Lion and Lamb

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”   John 1:29

I was getting ready the other morning and had my Bible app on my phone reading to me John chapter 1.   And when I heard what John said in this verse, it floored me.  I’ve read and heard the verse many times, but it caught my attention in a different way this time.  “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Several times in Scripture, Jesus Christ is referred to as a Lamb.  But why a lamb?  A lamb is such a small, unassuming animal.  And I believe that you would agree with me that Who Jesus is and what Jesus did on the Cross for us, was anything but small. 

But then I remembered that the Bible also refers to Jesus using a different animal.

Revalation 5:5 “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of

Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”

Here, the Bible is referring to Jesus as the Lion Who will conquer.  A lion is anything but small and unassuming.  A lion is a large, confident animal.  He is commonly referred to as the “king of the jungle”. 

It is a concept that is hard to completely understand.  The Lord God of Heaven had to humble Himself as a lamb in order to be the sacrifice for the redemption of all the sins of mankind.  Then this same Lord God of Heaven will come back as the Lion to conquer and defeat all so that we, the redeemed, can live forever with Him in Heaven.

I read an article where I thought the author put it wonderfully by saying:

“Jesus is not merely a simple thing like a lion or like a lamb, but is a Lion-like Lamb and a Lamb-like Lion.  Therefore, He is admirable and excellent and worthy to take the scroll and open its seals and bring this world to an end for the glory of His name and the good of His ransomed people. And you can be among that number if you trust Him as your Lamb, and submit to Him as your Lion.”

Monday's Message: I Surrender All

I Surrender All 

(Source) 

       For five years, Mr. Van de Venter wavered between the challenge of the Gospel ministry and that of becoming a recognized artist. Here is how he tells it:

       “For some time, I had struggled between developing my talents in the field of art and going into full-time evangelistic work. At last the pivotal hour of my life came, and I surrendered all.

       “A new day was ushered into my life. I became an evangelist and discovered down deep in my soul a talent hitherto unknown to me. God had hidden a song in my heart, and touching a tender chord. He caused me to sing.”

       Dr. Billy Graham, wrote this tribute to Mr. Van de Venter:

       One of the evangelists who influenced my early preaching was also a hymnist who wrote ‘I Surrender All’—the Rev. J.W. Van de Venter. He was a regular visitor at the Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity Bible College) in the late 1930s. We students loved this kind, deeply spiritual gentleman and often gathered in his winter home at Tampa, Florida, for an evening of fellowship and singing.

 

       ++++++++++

I Surrender All

      

(1) All to Jesus I surrender,

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live.

      

CHORUS: I surrender all,

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

      

(2) All to Jesus I surrender,

Humbly at His feet I bow,

Worldly pleasures all forsaken;

Take me, Jesus, take me now.

      

(3) All to Jesus I surrender,

Make me, Savior, wholly Thine.

Let me feel the Holy Spirit,

Truly know that Thou art mine.

      

(4) All to Jesus I surrender,

Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power,

Let Thy blessing fall on me.

Family Friday: Great Expectations

 Great Expectations

          We naturally want the best for our children, and sometimes we push them to succeed.  Maybe we push them in the area of good grades, sports, service, or character.   This is good training for adult life where everyone expects your best.  However, we can not expect perfection from our children.

          This is an area in which I struggle.  I get busy doing all of the tasks which need to be done and begin almost “barking” orders for my children to follow so that we will accomplish our goals or tasks for the day.  I know what I want and what I mean when I assign a task, but I don’t always take the time to fully explain it.  Perhaps it is an oversight, or perhaps I am expecting them to complete the task as an adult would.  When the job is done, but not exactly to my expectations, I often get irritated and frustrated; unfortunately, I don’t always hide it.  I need to realize that much of the fault lies at my door for not fully explaining my expectations, but also for not remembering that my children are just that: children.

          Yes, you can hold your children to a high standard and push them to be the best that they can be!  Just remember that they are no more perfect than you are.  Colossians 3:21 reminds us to not provoke our children to anger so they are not discouraged.  Expectations of perfection are discouraging!  Help your children aim high, and be an encourager!

Monday's Message: I must tell Jesus

I Must Tell Jesus

(Source) 

       Elisha Hoffman was born in Pennsylvania and spent his life as pastor there.

       Once while visiting one who had been through deep trial, she cried:  “Oh, what shall I do? I don’t know what to do!” 

       Then her face brightened and she said, “I must tell Jesus!”

       On his way home, the words of the woman came to the pastor’s mind, and that night he wrote this comforting song.

 

       ++++++++++

I Must Tell Jesus

      

(1) I must tell Jesus all of my trials,

I cannot bear these burdens alone;

In my distress He kindly will help me

He always loves and cares for His own.

      

CHORUS:

I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!

I cannot bear my burdens alone;

I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!

Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

      

(2) I must tell Jesus all of my troubles,

He is a kind, compassionate friend;

If I but ask Him, He will deliver,

Make of my troubles quickly an end.

      

(3) Tempted and tried, I need a great Savior,

One who can help my burdens to bear;

I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus,

He all my cares and sorrows will share.

      

(4) O how the world of evil allures me!

O how my heart is tempted to sin!

I must tell Jesus, and He will help me

Over the world the victory to win.

Teen Tuesday: Modesty

Modesty

by Abigail Tardiff

            Modesty is a topic that is often brought up for debate.  I would define modesty as dressing appropriately to mirror a pure heart’s spiritual condition.  It is a moral that has existed since God first created man.  After they sinned in the Garden of Eden, God made Adam and Eve a covering to conceal their nakedness.  Since that time, styles and cultures have changed drastically.  Clothes that were acceptable in the 1900’s would be obsolete today in 2017.  Society has persuaded people to follow their hearts, and wear whatever makes them feel good.  Wearing clothes that make you feel confident in yourself are not immoral, but these clothes are immoral if they show off and accentuate parts of the body that are not to be flaunted. 

               How can someone know what is modest and what is not?  The Bible says in 1 Timothy 2:9, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;”.  Well, according to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, modesty means “To be proper, not forward or bold, not excessive or extreme”.  I believe that women should dress in a way that is glorifying to their Creator and makes them feel pretty.  Another word that comes into question is nakedness.  Nakedness is defined as “Plainness, openness to view”.  In Isaiah 47:2-3, we see that the uncovering of the thigh is shameful.  A covering is defined as “Clothing, raiment, garment, or dress”, and we see in Exodus 28:42 that the royal priesthood wore clothes to cover their nakedness.

               There are some principles that I believe are important when deciding what is modest to wear.  For instance, I believe that modesty begins in your heart.  When one is right with God and submits themselves to Him, they should have the desire to please Him in everything that they do, including in the way that they dress.  Our testimony can be clearly shown through the way our clothing is worn.  Our bodies should be presented in a holy and godly way to reflect our desire to please the Lord. 

               There are many ways that we can apply modesty to our lives — here are a few of them.  Dressing appropriately for the activity is important.  Christians should dress in a way that reflects the desire of their spirits to please and obey the Lord, being careful not to be a “stumblingblock” to other Christians and future believers.  Another way we can apply modesty is consulting the Bible to see what God says about how we should dress.  By making our judgments based on God’s Word, we can make sound decisions concerning what we believe in the area of dress standards.  

Family Friday: Because you know...Ew!

 Written by Dr. Robert Hooker

No one wants to be sick, but all of us at times are. None of us would choose to vomit, but at times the body must expel the poison that is in us. The same is true of man, spiritually and emotionally speaking.

Proverbs 23:6-8 says “Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.”

What we allow in, fills our hearts. Luke 6:45 says “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” After our hearts have been filled good or bad it will vomit out our mouths. So it is very important to be very careful of what we listen to, what we see, what we hear, what we read. If we fill ourselves with good, then good will come forth.  If we fill ourselves with bad, then bad will come forth.

The reality that we all must face is that it is virtually impossible to control everything, everywhere we go.  So inevitably, we will see, and hear that which will effect us negatively. Usually, just as a person will run to a bathroom to vomit, we seem to run to our spouse or family to vomit. This means the ones we love the most get the poison poured out on them and they will in turn become sick. 

The answer is found in Psalms 142:1-7 “I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.  I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.” 

There is a place and a person to whom we can vomit out all the poison that has accumulated in us. That person is God. He can take it and it will not make Him sick. David poured out his complaint and at the end of the chapter David says “I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.  Bring my soul out of prison,that I may praise thy name:the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.”

 He poured out his complaint, but still knew God would do bountifully with him.

We too will inevitably pour out on someone.  The only one who will not be made sick by our sickness is God, so find a time and place and pour it out on Him and as all who vomit, you will feel so much better after it is done.

Thoughtful Thursday: Lord Teach Us to Pray

Luke 11:1  And it came to pass that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach  us to pray as john also taught his disciples.

P—Power-Power to become the sons of God

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

R—Religion

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

A—To Abba Father

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father.

Y—yielding your body

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?

E—Earnestly—with everything you’ve got and more

James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

R—Ready, willing, and able

1Timothy 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.