Bible Ballistics: “BBs”

Our Sunday post asked, “Are you ready?”  I’d like to continue in that vein but with a more ‘material’ application.  Let’s think about the physical side of being “ready” as well as the spiritual side.  In the next few articles we will be looking at 5 things that deal with “readiness”: Debt, Diligence, Discernment, Decency, and Dependence.

DEBT– The number one cause of conflict in most homes is a financial one—DEBT.  This is a problem of epidemic proportions and although we can’t solve it all here, we can find some scriptural advice and apply it to our lives.

Matt. 6:11 says, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

The first principle of avoiding debt is to remember that Jesus tells us to pray for our “DAILY” bread.  I am to live in the day and within the means that I have TODAY!!!

Romans 13:8 says, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” 

Our goal is DEBT-FREE!!  Why?  So I can love without the encumbrance of ‘DEBT’ draining all my time, effort and emotions.  So we can be free, as Proverbs 22:7 reveals,

“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” 

Debt enslaves and should be avoided if at all possible, waiting until we can afford it because,

“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12.  Waiting brings a tree of “life”, rather than the enslavement of debt.

Where then is the balance?  We must live within our means and make decisions accordingly.  I don’t have to acquire the biggest, best or fastest – first.  God will never lead us to violate His word, but to make good choices for ourselves and our loved ones based on Biblical principles.  To create a legacy of reason & ‘readiness’…

As the religious leaders were trying to entrap Jesus about money,

“And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”  Matthew 22:20-21.

When we give God His due place (first place) in our lives then he will teach us how to give due diligence in the appropriate use of our resources.

So?  Here’s our shot for the day—?????  Be ready-be wise.

So?  How??????  Keep looking up and live accordingly!!!

Bible Ballistics:Are You Ready? 09/29/13 Vol. 2 No.20

As fall and the changing of the seasons are looming about us, I thought a look another change would be timely.  Of course I am talking about the “season” of the Lord’s return.  As we see in

Acts 1:9-11 “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” 

 This same Jesus—

the same one who had come—

been born in a manger—

lived a perfect life—

preached and taught God’s word and ways—

willingly gave Himself for us on Calvary—

who was raised on the third day –

this same Jesus—

will RETURN.

• Acts 2:21-24 says,  “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”  And Acts 4:12 reminds us that, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”   

Only one way!!!

This same one said of Himself, “….

• “….I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

—the one and only way.

Oh, what He’s done for us and will do in us and through us, if we’ll but trust Him and yield to Him.

Simply stated, bow the knee to HIM….

The thing is, we will bow!!!

• Philippians 2:8-11 declares, “ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  

The question is not “will you bow”, but rather “when will you bow”?  Paul tells us here that “every knee” shall bow—

EVERY knee.

So, will you bow to Jesus as Lord and Savior or

will you delay,

reject Him

and face Him as your judge

rather than your Savior?

This same Jesus who ascended to heaven in Acts 1, is coming back to judge the living and the dead (also referred to as the “quick and the dead”).

• Romans 2:16 says, “ In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”  

Jesus is the standard,

the way—

the only way.

Are you trusting in Him or yourself?  God knows and holds us accountable for our choices.

What does this have to do with the return of Jesus?  Acts 10:42-43 says,

• “And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”  

• And 2 Timothy 4:1, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;” 

• And then 1 Peter 4:5,  “Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” 

The “who” here is a reference specifically to those who reject Jesus.  We will all give an account of our choices!!  The saved will stand before the “judgment seat of Christ” regarding the things “done in the body”.  (See Romans 14:10, 2 Cor. 5:10 & 1 Cor. 3:12-15).  This is a judgment of the deeds of believers not a judgment of whether we are saved or not.  When we are saved we no longer come under judgment.  (See Romans 8:1+)

The lost on the other hand will stand before the “great white throne” and be judged for having rejected Jesus Christ and for  “their works”.

No appeal,

no second chance,

just the final judgment of God

and the consequence of being cast into the “lake of fire”.  (See Rev. 20:11-15).

In conclusion, are YOU ready?

In John 14:3, Jesus tells us… “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” 

A place prepared for glory with God, the place with Jesus for all eternity in HIS glory!!

Or a place not originally prepared for man at all, but Jesus said,

“….Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”. Matt. 25:41.

Which way will you choose?

Glory or torment?

Eternity with Jesus or without Him?

It’s my choice!

It’s your choice!!!

Are you READY?  He could come today. Please prepare yourself by looking to Jesus while His Spirit is calling you.  If you hear His voice today respond to Him.  As Hebrews 4:7b declares, “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”    Because I love Jesus and I love you please look to HIM today.  And remember not to choose, is to choose,

Luke 11:23, “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.”   

 

Bible Ballistics: “BBs”   Change?

We all encounter change that is out of our control.  We still must make decisions and respond.  How are we to deal with change, especially sudden, unexpected change?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” 

We can be ready for change by living in a “trust” relationship with God.  How do we come to “trust” in God?

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 

We must know and revere God (the meaning of fear).

When we come to know Him in faith we will find Him trustworthy.

John 17:9-11 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me,

that they may be one, as we are.”

Not just knowing HIM but being one with HIM..  When we are born again we ..’become the sons of God’ (see John 1:12).

Children who come to know that no matter the circumstances they can trust their Father!!

Do you know HIM?

If so trust HIM with your every step…..even the ‘mis’-steps.

He is always faithful.

If not call on Him for salvation in Jesus. Repent of your sin, and trust His death as payment for your sin.  (see Romans 10:8-11)

So?  Here’s our shot for the day—????  Trust Him regardless- “For we walk by faith, not by sight:” 2 Cor. 5:7

So?  ??????  Press on in faith, He is trustworthy.  And keep looking up!!!

Bible Ballistics: Cancer? Pt 2 09/22/13 Vol. 2 No.19

As we continue our discussion about “spiritual cancer” we have looked at the cancer of sin that leads to death and the deliverance that Jesus bought at Calvary.  We also looked at real men and women who boldly shared the ‘good news’ of salvation in Jesus.  Let’s continue by looking at some others and see what we can learn from them to help stop this “spiritual cancer”, and the death that it brings.

Let’s continue by looking at an evangelist and father named Phillip.

• Acts 8:26-36, “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”  

We see several things about Phillip;

• 1)He heard and obeyed the voice of the Lord ( now most of us don’t hear from angels but we do have the indwelling Holy  Spirit who is there to lead us in all we do),

• 2) he was ready to share as God gave him opportunity,

• 3) he ran to share and listened to what was going on before he spoke!!!,

• 4)  he asked questions appropriate to the situation,

• 5) he waited for good questions from his audience,

• 6) he then proceeded to share the “answer”—Jesus, using the information that his audience was familiar with.

We can utilize these six elements of sharing in our own efforts

1) listen to God.

2) watch for opportunities.

3) First be an eager listener.

4) Use questions to see where your audience is.

5)  Help them to ask questions and don’t answer before they finish.

6) Then share the truth of Jesus at the level of understanding of your listener.

Yes, Phillip was a “preacher/evangelist” but he was also a faithful father at home (as well as one of the first deacons).   In Acts 21:8-9 we find that his children were faithful proclaimers of the good news,  

• “And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.” 

Oh that we would share a living and vibrant faith with our children and grandchildren.

What kind of example are we being to those who are watching us?

What do our children and grandchildren see in us?

Do they see in us a life devoted to Jesus and others?

Are we living truth before them in such a way that they want to know the Lord?

Leading them to not only know Him but to also have the courage to share what they know?

My favorite passage in regard to sharing truth, especially  with our children, is Deuteronomy 6.  Let’s look at a progression that is revealed in this chapter, we won’t have time to look at all of the chapter but we will look at selected verses that give us a good view of the principles presented.

• Deut. 6:4-6,  “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:”

This first instruction is to “parents”.  We must have the Lord in our own hearts before we can share it with anyone else, especially our family.

Verses 7-9 continue,

• “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”    (them and they being the “words” of God mentioned in verse 6)

Once we love God ourselves (have been born again) then we are to pass this on by:

• 1)Teaching diligently,
  • 2) talking about God’s ways/commands,
    • 3) Using “teachable” moments when we are at home, on the go, resting, when we arise,  with all we do with our hands, our minds and have scripture pervade our homes.

Sripture in our lives—

in our hearts,

in our minds

in our homes.

• Verses 17-18a, “Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord………”   

We are to live what we believe—to “ that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord:”  In front of our loved ones!!!  In front of the world!!!

Then God goes on to tell us what will come of our faithful practice of these principles in verses 20-21,

• “And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? 21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:”.   

In other words, if we will live faithfully before our children they will eventually ask us “why” we live like we do?  And when they do, we are to tell them what God has done for us.  Not just what He’s done for others but what He has done and is doing for US.

To help others avoid the cancer of sins penalty we must share the “good news” — the cure.  The “gospel” of Jesus that heals and delivers us from sin.

• John 10:10b, ” I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  

Jesus came to give us deliverance from sin –

• Col 1: 13-14  “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”  

We have the cure.  Let’s not keep it to ourselves.  We must avoid the cancer of sin in our personal lives but just as importantly, we must share the “good news” of the Cross of Christ with others–

• 1 Cor. 2:1-2 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”  

Salvation alone in Christ alone—let’s get out the good news—the cure!!!

Bible Ballistics: “BBs”  #9

I found a most profound thing happening on my cell phone lately.  When I try to type “praying”, if I’m not careful it comes out “spay ing”.   Well at first it just annoyed me and then as I kept making the same error (because my fingers are bigger than the keys….haha) it dawned on me that this is a great play on words for our consideration.

Spaying means to “sterilize a female animal”, in other words, to make it infertile or unproductive.  Wow!!!  Praying on the other hand refers to our communication with God, which is always productive. Am I being productive or unproductive, praying or spaying?

Let’s see if we can make a Biblical case?

• Mark 4:19, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” –- Unproductive

• James 5:15-16,  “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”-–Productive

• James 1:26,  “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” —Unproductive

• Acts 12:5,  “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”—Productive  (see verse 11+ for the God’s answer to this prayer…Wow!!!)

So?  Here’s our shot for the day—?????

• Let’s be prayerfully productive!!   
  • Praying not “spaying”!! 
    • Never barren
      • but always fertile- faithful & diligent to
        • ask, seek, and knock!!!

• YOU can do it—through HIM.

• Phil 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

So?  ??????   Pray on and keep looking up!!!