Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago I was helping an older woman put up firewood for the winter, and she asked me if I wanted some chickens. I never had chickens before, so she gave me a bag full of old roosters to take home. Well, the first one that I cooked up got some strange responses from my family. This is because I didn’t bother to tenderize it at all, and the meat was so tough that we couldn’t even eat it! Even the cat was having a hard time! The next one that I cooked came out much better, because I soaked it the entire day in buttermilk and then used a small wooden hammer to soften up the meat fibers.
This reminds me of the Christian Life
Because of sinful living, many people can become very hard-hearted, having a certain toughness like an old rooster. But when we convert to the Christian Life that’s all got to change. We must become tender-hearted, which is to be very gentle and kind towards others. When you possess this quality you will be moved by pity and sorrow and have a soft and sympathetic disposition with others. When someone’s heart is filled with pity, they will feel deep sadness for someone else’s pain and suffering. When someone is sympathetic they will listen to others with their heart and relate with the feelings of their misfortunes. Although each of us are sinners who have come short of the glory of God, as a Christian, we must put away all of the hardness that we have inherited from the sinful nature, and seek to be forgiving and tender with others
Ephesians 4:31-32 (KJB) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Like an older rooster, the longer you abide in the state of impenitence, the harder your heart will become.
Romans 2:5 (KJB) But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Somebody who is impenitent does not feel sorrow or regret for the wrong things that they have done, as it is an obstinate and stubborn refusal to repent of the sinful thanks that they have done to God or their neighbor. Just like tilling up hard ground for planting, the heart must be completely broken up, becoming soft and pliable through humility and meekness. Only then can one display the qualities that God expects of each of us.
1 Peter 3:8 (KJB) Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Remember that the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and Charity is the bond of perfectness!
Colossians 3:12-14 (KJB) Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;.Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
When we speak about bowels in biblical terms, it is speaking about doing something from the depths of your heart. When you are tender hearted, you care greatly for other people, and God wants us to treat others in the same manner that He has treated us.
James 5:11 (KJB) Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Although our God is to be greatly feared and respected, He is slow to anger and filled with compassion .
Psalms 145:8-9 (KJB) The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Out in the world there are some people who still haven’t heard what Jesus did for us all on the cross. He laid down His own life so that we could be completely forgiven by God.
Romans 5:6-9 (KJB) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Titus 3:2-6 (KJB) To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
With the knowledge of what Jesus did for us, we can become brand new creatures, serving one another with a pure and loving heart.
Galatians 5:13-17 (KJB) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Our precious Lord is filled with loving kindness, and we must strive each day to walk in the Spirit and become as He is.
Psalms 103:1-4 (KJB) Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
There’s a time in the church for rebukes and correction but love is first merciful. Our hearts need to break before Him, and soften us up on the anvil of His Holy Spirit. If you’re ever going to soften up an old rooster, I guarantee you, that it’s going to need to go through………
……..The Tenderizer
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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