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 took my wife and son to the twin cities so I could pick up something, and while we were there we decided to do a few hours of shopping. As most of you know, it is an incredibly busy place and people are everywhere that you look. Immediately after we got out of the vehicle, I prepared a small 6-ft rope that I tied to my wrist and to the belt buckle of my son. To some of you this might seem extreme, but it gave me peace of mind knowing that I wasn’t going to lose him in the crowd. I mean, how many of you have been shopping somewhere in a big grocery store, and while you spent a minute talking with the grocer, you looked around and realized that your young child had wandered off somewhere else? Without a moment’s notice, you quickly looked around the corner and found them in the next aisle staring at all of the candy.
This reminds me of Christian Life.
Like a child wandering away from their parents, many people who profess to be Christian will do the same thing. Rather than abiding in a close relationship with the Lord Jesus and the teachings of His Word, they will be distracted, and wander off into the world instead.
Psalms 119:10-11 (KJB) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
To wander means to move slowly away from a fixed point or place. For example, rather than abiding by their owners’ side, sometimes a dog will wander off into the woods and chase after a squirrel instead. Sometimes instead of abiding by her husband’s side, a wife will depart and divorce her husband, and wander off into the arms of another lover instead. Our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is exactly like an Earthly marriage. His followers are referred to as the bride of Christ, and He is the husband! Just like an Earthly marriage, this is a relationship that you must never forsake or wander away from. No matter what sufferings that we may have to endure, we must faithfully abide close to his side, submitting to His wishes and His purpose for our lives. Love is a very strong emotion, and the first commandment is in place for a reason. God must be our first and greatest love, because when He is, we will humbly submit to His calling and the teachings of scripture. When people obey the first commandment, wives will abide by their husband’s side, children will obey their parents, and men will be converted unto Christ!
Matthew 22:36-38 (KJB) Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
Do you remember the old scales that they used to use 100 years ago? I think they were called a pendulum scale, and they would place something on one side, and something else on the other. Whatever was the heaviest dropped to the bottom. Please listen very closely to what I am telling you today. Be very careful about what is your greatest love, because whatever that is, will pull you away from the one who loved you enough to die on the cross for your sins. Like a child who really loves candy and wanders away from the safety of their parent, people will have a greater love for the things of this world and wander away from God. If people were brutally honest with themselves, they would come to the realization that they really don’t have a close relationship with God at all.
1 John 2:15-17 (KJB) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Like splitting a piece of firewood for the stove, what you love most in this life will determine which side of the splitter that it falls on. Those who love Christ enough to submit to His will, are going to enter into eternal life, and those who love the things of this world more than Him, will fall into the depths of everlasting damnation.
1 Corinthians 16:22 (KJB) If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
So you see, what you love most during your temporary stay on the Earth, will determine where you are going to abide in the afterlife. Just as a meek and precious wife submits obediently to her husband in everything, the bride of Christ must humbly submit to the will of God.
John 14:21-24 (KJB) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
In order to enter into a new relationship with God, one must first get off the wide road of the world, and get on the narrow path of Christ. Like a child who is focused on all of the candy in the next aisle, people must stop wandering, turn around, and return back to the Lord Jesus. After all, this is exactly the symbolism that is spoken of in the parable of the prodigal Son, when he turned away from the world and returned back to his father. The Lord wants to heal and save people, but in order for this to happen, they had better get back home to Him.
Jeremiah 3:22 (KJB) Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJB) Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Sometimes children will run away from home, but they need to turn around and go back. Sometimes wives will walk off on their husbands, but they need to repent and go back home. Sometimes children will wander off in the grocery store, but they need to turn around and go find their parent. People need to return to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He provides us with the grace to do this very thing.
1 Peter 2:25 (KJB) For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Hosea 14:1 (KJB) O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
Those who ardently seek after the things of this world must understand that it’s all coming to an end eventually, and the only thing that will remain is your relationship with Jesus Christ. Be careful what you love people, because I guarantee that you never want to get too far away from Him. Never let your hearts lead you astray by all of the eye-candy of this world, just like a little child who has disappeared into the next aisle, and allowed themselves to become,…..
……..The Wanderer
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.
tlkjbc.com♥️
Note: Any copies may be printed and freely distributed among those who have no internet service. There is no AI creative involvement in my writings, and must be left intact because they are very personal to me. These are not to be sold, and are made public only for the free benefit of Spiritual knowledge to those who are genuinely seeking the will of God.
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 