HOLD FAST AND TRUST

 

HOLD FAST AND TRUST When you go through deep waters I will be with you. Isaiah 43:2 “In fierce storms,” said an old seaman, “we must do one thing; there is only one way: we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there.” This, Christian, is what you must do. Sometimes, like Paul, you can see neither sun nor stars; it is a great tempest that swirls around you. Then there is only one thing you can do, there is only one way. Reason cannot help you; past experiences give you no light. Even prayer fetches no consolation. Only a single course is left. You must put your soul in one position and keep it there. You must stay upon the Lord. No matter what comes, whether winds, waves, cross-seas, thunder, lightning, jagged rocks, roaring breakers... NO MATTER WHAT: you must lash yourself to the helm, and hold fast your confidence in God’s faithfulness. His covenant engagement with you is absolutely trustworthy, and so is His everlasting love in Christ Jesus. You can trust your God in every storm. By Richard Fuller

HE KNOWS OUR THOUGHTS

 

HE KNOWS OUR THOUGHTS Then a paralytic was brought to Him, carried by four men. Since they were unable to get to Jesus through the crowd, they uncovered the roof above Him, made an opening, and lowered the paralytic on his mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once Jesus knew in His spirit that they were thinking this way within themselves. “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?” He asked. “Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” And immediately the man got up, picked up his mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a result, they were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”  Mark 2:3-12 Jesus sees into people’s hearts and knows everything about them. He saw faith in the men who brought their friend to be healed. Then He saw into the paralyzed man’s life, recognizing that his greatest need wasn’t healing, but forgiveness of sins. Jesus also knew the secret thoughts of the religious leaders. They reasoned in their hearts, and Jesus knew their thoughts. At another time, Jesus stopped in the middle of a crowded road and looked up at Zaccheus and told him to come down from the tree, because Jesus knew that Zaccheus was ready to change his life and follow the Lord. Knowing that Jesus sees everything should both restrain and encourage us. We can’t hide anything from Him, so we should be careful in how we live. But it should also inspire us, because He knows when we try, even when we fail. He knows when we’re sincere, even when we make mistakes. He knows our heart even when others may criticize and make false assumptions. Jesus knows all the truth about us. The LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 by J.R. Miller

OUR PURPOSE AT THIS TIME

 

OUR PURPOSE AT THIS TIME For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 Esther was a Jewish refugee from a dreadful war, living in a foreign land. When the King of Susa decided to find a new queen for himself, many beautiful young women were brought to the palace for consideration. And out of hundreds of lovely young women, King Ahasuerus chose Esther as his queen. Esther’s position as queen was not a coincidence. She was placed there by divine providence, specifically to save her people from a scheming madman who wanted to annihilate the Jews. As unlikely as it would seem, a young woman was chosen by God to foil Haman's plans and bring about his downfall. We live under the same providence of God; because nothing in our lives is accidental. If we are faithful to God, He will place us where He wants us to be, and in every circumstance, He has a purpose for us. When we encounter a person in need or face a situation of sorrow, we should ask ourselves, “Perhaps God sent me here at this moment to help.” God’s providence often brings us into specific circumstances or relationships for a reason. Esther, a humble Jewish girl, became queen in a foreign land, not by chance but by God’s design. When the moment came, she was ready to fulfill her purpose. In the same way, when God brings us into new circumstances, it is because He has a purpose for us there. We must always be ready to do the work He has set before us. by J.R. Miller

THE SCARIEST VERSE IN THE BIBLE

THE SCARIEST VERSE IN THE BIBLE REVELATION 21.8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, corrupted, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur which is the second death.” Here, Revelation throws in one last warning for unbelievers. It’s a stark, severe warning that is meant to make an impression. All through this book and the revelations in it, God is trying to save people from eternal judgment. He’s never been eager to send anyone to hell: rather, God is intent on saving you from the lake of fire! That list of sins is something that all of us should be familiar with, because some of the entries are surprising. And we certainly don’t want to do any of them! It’s also a good verse for witnessing. We hear so many lies all around us: so we can ask people, “Did you know the Bible says all Liars will go to hell?” Most of the world doesn’t seem to believe there are any consequences for lying! But what should really make us pause are the first two: cowards and unbelievers. Those two are sins of omission, rather than sins of commission. Sins of omission are the things we fail to do, rather than the things we’ve done. Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin. James 4:17 The cowardly: have you ever failed to help someone who needed it? Did you fail to step in when someone was being bullied? Did you walk away when someone needed assistance? Jesus does not give us a pass for such failures. Jesus the Good Shepherd does whatever He needs to do for the sheep. He is our example in courage, selflessness and humility. And unbelievers! If we die before accepting Jesus as our Savior, then it’s too late. To procrastinate on this decision is an insult to God. And every time we choose to put it off, we harden our hearts a little bit more. Eventually, a hardened conscience cannot hear God at all. Unbelief is a struggle for some Christians as well. The Apostle James addresses the back-and-forth wavering of someone who finds it difficult to walk in Faith. Doubts and unbelief are something we need to resist in order to please the LORD.  But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-8 In our modern age, people are able to shrug off shame. They do everything that’s on that list above, and have no regrets. The verse in Revelation 21:8 is a very ominous warning. In these last days we should do our part to make sure people know about it. We’re almost finished with this study of Revelation! Continued next Thursday! IMAGE CREDIT: The image of the Lake of Fire, generated by SeaArt.ai and edited by C.A. Stevens.