The Key

It has always amazed me when I hear a comment that starts like the following, "Well, prayer is the least...."  No, it is not the least but the greatest!  Consider this quote.

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work."  -Oswald Chambers

Follow this link to read more about this as only Oswald Chambers could literate.

Plug into the 220 power of the Bible

Wrong way 'round

"Hey! It's the wrong way 'round."

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.  Genesis 4:7 (KJV)

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Have you ever been assembling something from the store? You know, anything that has the words "assembly required" somewhere on the box? Working through the some times linguistically challenged instructions you discover you have one part on backwards. The frustration of that moment, the lost hope of the end result, just seems to melt away at that moment when you turn the part the right way around. All just fits, works, and you stand back and admire the thing that, more-or-less, resembles the picture on the box. Even with a few parts left over, the frustration of the past moment is gone and soon forgotten.

In Genesis chapter four, God warns Cain about the destructive power of sin. How sin lies at the door waiting to devour. But then God says something else, something that hit me like a unsuspecting "This is your Life" contestant of the late 40's to early 50's. (The show also had a small revival during the early 70's as well.) God said that the desire of sin is a thing that shouldn't rule us, but us rule over it. Wait! What? All this time we have had the idea of reacting to sin as a helpless Christian that leaves us wondering what part of the "Whole Armor" we forgot to dress in today?

"Shall you not, if you do well, be accepted? And if not you do well, at the door sin lies. But, unto its [sin] desire you must rule over." (humbly adapted from the Hebrew text analysis page at the Bible Hub web-site.)

So, we should think about the desire of sin as something we rule over, not the other way around. And the "Whole Armor" is the 'how to' assistance from a loving God and His Word. Very awesome.

Lord, I pray that I use your strength and power to do this task and that "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." In Jesus' name, Amen.

Secure my Eternality

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Greeted today by a person who was shocked because I believe in eternal security.  This from a previous conversation held weeks ago; tells me I can’t find Scripture to support it.  Off the cuff, before my morning coffee, I replied that Scripture couldn't be found against it… that person agreed, but still told me that it’s not possible because the Bible doesn’t say either way.  As I am still working on being instant in and out of season, my mind started churning on the fact that the Bible does indeed talk about our eternal security in HIM.

The answer is ... I can't secure my eternality ... but God can.

"I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

From my perspective, I find that the inference of this type of question is the issue with [man's] religion ...  the use of the pronoun,  "  I  "  

None of what is freely offered [salvation] is based upon me ... my ONLY action is my response to the call.

And why is it that people can't accept the words from Jesus' own mouth about who the Bible, both old and new, says about the person of Jesus?

He said to them, “How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken!  Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?”  Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. Luke 24:25-27 (HCSB)

Would people still have the same types of questions even if Jesus gave the interpretation?  Would I?

Satan our Accuser; Christ our Advocate

• The conquered enemy [satan] hates the presence of God, yet he is willing to appear there, to accuse the people of God.
• Let us take heed that we give him no cause to accuse us; and that, when we have sinned, we go before the Lord, condemn ourselves, and commit our cause to Christ as our Advocate.

Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary, WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Chapter 12".

• The real means of the dragon's overthrow was the atoning work of Christ; his people share that victory as they confess their faith in the gospel and bear witness to it through their word and deeds.

D. A. Carson et al., New Bible Commentary: 21st century edition, (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1442.

• But at Christ's coming as our Redeemer, he fell from heaven, especially when Christ suffered, rose again, and ascended to heaven. When Christ appeared before God as our Advocate, Satan, the accusing adversary, could no longer appear before God against us, but was cast out judicially (Rom 8:33, 34).

Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, David Brown, A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments, (Toledo, OH: Jerome B. Names & Co., 1884), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Chapter 12".

Neglecting First Things

When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them. But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:42-44 NASB)

• Pursue your calling, not your potential.
• If satan can't make you sin, he will keep you busy.  Not doing bad things, but neglecting first things.