The Little Nuthatch

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.

One year when the kids were very young, I sat down in the living room chair to have my morning cup of coffee, when all of a sudden I heard a huge thump hit the window. I figured that more than likely it was a bird, so I went outside with a few of the children to see if it was okay. They kids finally found it laying in the snow, but when they picked it up, it was completely lifeless and looked dead. I had them bring it into the house and I sat down by the wood stove and put it in the palm of my hand. Slowly I started to rub it over and over again, and after a few minutes, that little bird revived back to life again. We quickly went outside on the deck and when I opened up my hand it flapped its wings a few times as if to say thank you, and then flew off into the distance. 

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Each of us are dead in our trespasses and sins, but just like that little bird, all of us need someone to help revive us. Jesus wants to bring us back to life, but it’s going to first require being filled with a contrite and penitent heart. This was the choice that was made by the prodigal son, and because of his humility in the presence of his father, the one who was dead was restored back to life once again!

Luke 15:11-32 (KJB)  And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

The prodigal son had gotten himself involved with sin, but as I’ve always said, sin is extremely deceitful because it will actually convince you that following that course is the better path to take, but the real truth is that things will only get worse. 

Proverbs 14:12 (KJB)  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

God wants to revive us and bring us back to life, but the main thing that stands in the way of that process is arrogance and pride. It seems that the further along that people get involved with sin, the harder their heart will become. It has always reminded me of ice forming on our lake. Ever since we moved out here, we have used an ax to break through the ice in order to get water to use in our home. But it’s pretty easy to break through the ice when it’s only a few inches thick, but when the cold weather persists, it becomes that much more difficult to punch through. God wants to revive us back to life, but it can only happen when you break through the thick ice that has hardened the heart. In my own opinion, sincere contrition is by far one of the greatest things that is lacking in this world today. Contrition is to feel genuinely sorry for the wrong things that you have done, which will result in returning to the Heavenly Father and humbling yourself in His presence. If you want to go down to your house justified, then you must first become humble in His sight 

Isaiah 57:15 (KJB)  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

James warned the church about their own pride because it is a quality that God completely resists. But when they are filled with a humble and broken heart, God sees that, and He will lift them off the ground, take them into His arms, and by His grace, revive them once again. 

James 4:6-10 (KJB)  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

It took a humble heart for the prodigal son to turn around and go back home, but when he finally made that decision, instead of finding wrath, he found remission. All of us are dead in our trespasses and sins, but through the grace of God and a contrite heart, He wants to bring us back to life once again, something that I’m reminded of when I think back to that cold winter day, helping out…..

 …….The Little Nuthatch

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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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.

Thought of the Day 1/9/26

1 Peter 3:10 (KJB) For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

When someone is filled up with guile, they are deceitfully cunning and crafty, and a cunning person is very clever at getting the things that they want by using sly and manipulative means in order to get them These are the same qualities that can be readily found in the devil, and were used when he seduced Eve to get her to do what he wanted in the Garden of Eden. There is a certain amount of intelligence in a person who has this quality, because they are capable of methodically thinking things through in order to achieve their own goals. But the hidden works of deception will eventually come into the light and people will reap what they sow, so if you really desire to see good days, then make sure that you always speak the truth with your neighbor.

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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.

Thought of the day 1/8/26

Luke 12:13-15 (KJB) And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Covetousness can come in many different forms, whether it’s lusting after your neighbor’s wife, wanting your neighbor’s car, or even desiring another nation’s lands or possessions. Things like this have been going on since the days of the Roman conquest across Europe, as the rapacious desire for the kingdoms of this world completely consumes one’s heart and devours the mind. But those who are filled with this attribute are no different than the religious leaders of Jesus day, who quickly justified themselves of the grievous sins that they were committing against God. Most of the time they will attempt to cover it all up, and hide the real intent behind what they are doing, but the truth is that it will all come out in the end. Beware of the many forms of covetousness, because without repentance and a contrite heart, people who get involved in these activities will most certainly become closely acquainted with the punishments and wrath of the Almighty God.

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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.

The Little Stinker

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 used to work in retail, and because of this, I spent a lot of time in close proximity to customers. One day I showed up for work and did my normal routine, I hung up my jacket and put away the rest of my things in my locker. But when I walked by my boss, his eyes got as big as hens’ eggs, and I watched him as he went over to his desk and began searching frantically through one of the drawers. A few moments later, he produced a small can of deodorant, and with a big grin, he quickly threw it at me and said,…” This is something that you are going to need if you plan on selling anything today, you little stinker!”

This reminds me of Christian Life.

Many employees would probably have gotten pretty offended if this had happened to them, but the truth is that my shirt was pretty tough smelling, and the manager was honest enough to warn me about it. A lot of people don’t want to hear the truth but it is only when you hear the truth that you can ever change things in your life. Likewise, it is only when we hear Biblical Truth, that we can ever change the things that are displeasing to God. Just like listening to your dad, we must open our ears to the Heavenly Father, because only those who are of God are going to hear God’s words. 

John 8:47 (KJB)  He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

God’s Word is a Sword of Truth, and when you get pierced by it, it’s going to hurt. Criticisms and rebukes will oftentimes be rejected simply because of one’s own prideful disposition, but rather than being offended by what we hear, we must learn from it, and humbly allow ourselves to be corrected by it, because only then will we ever become pleasing unto God.

Hebrews 4:12 (KJB)  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

In order to mature in our faith, we must humbly open up our ears to the corrections that are found throughout Holy Scripture. It might not feel very good, and it might be downright embarrassing, but just like a dad corrects his child, we must endure the correction and teachings of the Heavenly Father.

Hebrews 12:5-11 (KJB)  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

The disciples of Christ gladly listened to Jesus so they could grow in their faith, but He warned them about others who would not receive the things that He was preaching. But those who cannot hear the Truth, cannot be converted to the Truth, and thus will abide in their sinful and depraved condition, only to be cast away at the judgment. 

Matthew 13:15 (KJB)  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

In order for any of us to change and improve our lives, we first must accept the truth, no matter how difficult it may be to hear. When we do this, we are allowing ourselves to undergo a process of sanctification, whereby we are purified by the truth through daily application and sincere obedience to the will of God 

John 17:17 (KJB)  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

It’s really not that difficult to discern a genuine child of God, because only the true sheep of Christ are going to receive His words and listen to the men that God used to write the teachings of Holy Scripture. 

1 John 4:5-6 (KJB)  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Many of us might not know the way to a particular store in town, so we will listen attentively to the directions that are given to us by our neighbor. Likewise if you really want to find your way home to heaven, we must open up our ears to the directions that are given to us in God’s Holy Word.

John 14:6 (KJB)  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 18:37 (KJB) Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Sadly, there will be many people who get baptized and become a Christian for a period of time, but because of their own disobedience and lust for other things in this world, they will eventually turn away their ears from the truth of scripture. 

2 Timothy 4:2-4 (KJB)  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

John 8:43 (KJB)  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

So, before a change can ever happen in your life, you will first need to humble yourself by opening up your ears to.the truth. You will have to empty out your pride and cast away any ego, because each of us at one time or the other, has played the part of,…….

…….The Little Stinker

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.♥️

https://tlkjbc.com/written-sermons/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2055335/episodes
https://www.facebook.com/share/14RHGVBBHbG/
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.

Thought of the Day 1/7/26

Romans 3:19-20 (KJB) Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Many people feel that they are going to be in heaven simply because they are a nice person. Many Jews even believe that they will be in heaven because they feel like they have kept the Old Testament law. But whether somebody is circumcised or not, the truth is that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, both Jew and Gentile alike. Nobody kept the law perfectly, and eventually sinned at one time or the other, which is the reason why the Old Testament sacrifices were set up in the first place. But that arrangement was only for a season, because it’s not possible that the blood of animals can cleanse the conscience of sin. So when the time was right, God sent His precious Son Jesus to die on the cross as a propitiation for our sins. Those who truly want to get to heaven must receive God’s forgiveness which is only available through faith in His Name. Make no mistake about it, the calling of God is to become obedient, loyal and faithful servants to the teachings of the Christian faith, but before those things can happen, we must first confess our faults, and have all of our sins washed away through Holy Baptism, the Blood of Christ, and sincere faith in the only Begotten Son of God.

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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.

The Buddy System

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.

When I was a young student, I can remember being sent off to camp for a week where I would enjoy scenic surroundings, eating hot dogs over a campfire, and coming up with ingenious ways to kill lots of hungry mosquitoes! Many times I would go down to the beach to go swimming, but before you got into the lake, you had to put your tag onto a board so the lifeguard knew that you were in the water. You also needed to have a swimming buddy, who usually was somebody that you knew fairly well. While you were having fun together in the lake, you would keep a close eye on each other to make sure that the two of you were safe. Occasionally, the lifeguard would blow on his whistle, and at that moment you needed to find your buddy, grab each other by the hand, and raise them up high into the air!

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

A buddy is a really close friend, someone whom you might call a chum, a pal, or a sidekick who regularly accompanies you in many of the activities that you participate in. Buddies grow very close and know each other very well, and spend so much time together that they can become practically inseparable. But when you become a Christian, many of these close relationships that you had as an unbeliever will have to end in order to be replaced by new ones. Rather than maintaining close associations with people who are continuing to live in their sins, you must join up with others who are seeking and serving the Lord Jesus out of a pure and sincere heart. 

2 Timothy 2:22 (KJB)  Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

When we were unbelievers, we developed many close relationships with others who were unbelievers, and a lot of the time, they were caught up doing all kinds of wicked and terrible things. Some of them might have asked you to come help them steal things from your neighbor, or tried to convince you to sell illegal drugs. But when you become a Christian, one of the very first things you must do is step away from others who are still involved with the works of darkness. This is to protect yourself from corrupt influences in your life.

Proverbs 13:20 (KJB)  He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

When I first became a believer, I had to turn away from old friends, past work relationships, in-laws and other family members who were living their lives outside of the teachings of the Christian faith. Some of them even claimed to be believers, but the truth is that they were complete reprobates according to the doctrines of our faith. Obviously when you make the decision to step back from these relationships, don’t expect any support from them, because many of them are going to hate you with a burning passion. Keeping separate from them is going to bring forth intense persecution, which is something that I have had to deal with for the past 25 years. 

I’ve had my own relatives try to prevent us from preaching the gospel, calling my faith in the King James Bible a cult. I’ve been called a child of the devil numerous times by my own mother, who chose to love and adore false prophets and heretics instead. Go figure. I delivered my own children from the womb, tied off their umbilical cords, raised them in the faith, baptized them, and even gave them Holy Communion, and I’ve had in-laws wickedly attempt to lead my own children away from the faith that I established in them. People who do these things to children are not fit to live, and as Jesus taught, they might as well go jump in a lake. But it is for this very reason that I chose not to have anything to do with them in the past, and their wicked works are manifested even now. They are active workers of iniquity, destroyers of children’s lives, and proud and immoral hypocrites who are filled with the leaven of sin.

Others that I knew became busy bodies in my household, usurping my authority and direction in my home. They have falsely accused me to the authorities, and spread malicious gossip to whomever would listen. Please remember that these were people that I spent a lot of time with, went fishing with and basically hung around with until I finally believed the truth of the Christian Life. When I began to become obedient to the will of God, I was reproached and persecuted mercilessly. But when you believe the Truth of Scripture, the bright light of God’s Holy Word will help you see the works of darkness that surround you. At that point you must walk in the light and step away from others who are living in darkness. Granted, you will be despised when you do this, but remember that those who are born of the Spirit are going to be hated by those who are born after the flesh.

Galatians 4:29 (KJB)  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

The Apostle Peter came out from past relationships, and was hated for doing so.

1 Peter 4:3-5 (KJB)  For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

In order to actually claim God as your Father, you must be capable of separating yourself from those who are involved with the wicked works of darkness. 

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (KJB)  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

So when you begin the Christian Life you will have to decide what side of the fence you are going to walk on. You might have had close friends that you have known for over 50 years, but to be faithful unto Christ, we must separate ourselves from others who are abiding in the works of unbelief and darkness. You will have to pick out some new friends, ones who are seeking and serving Christ with a pure heart. These are people who are a good influence in your life and watch out for your soul, like a swimmer who has signed up as your partner, in…

…….The Buddy System

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.♥️

https://tlkjbc.com/written-sermons/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2055335/episodes
https://www.facebook.com/share/14RHGVBBHbG/
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.

Child Abuse

Children do not automatically hate a dad who loves them, because it is taught by a bitter and malicious wife, who twists the hearts of the children in order to use them as a weapon against her spouse. Any wife who involves young children who can barely write to leave goodbye letters to their dad upon her unsanctioned departure, is the most pathetic and wicked woman upon this Earth. Children naturally want to have a relationship with their dad, but those who prevent this from happening by convincing them not to contact or have communication with him, are about the most evil and sadistic people in the world. Wicked relatives and in-laws who have joined hands and encouraged this wicked behavior are partakers of the evil works of darkness, and will be punished by God for their own complacency. This is one of the purest forms of child abuse, and wives who lead children away from their loving dad will eventually find themselves led away into an eternal lake of fire, a place where they will wish for death but not be able to find it. This is a just reward for all those women who defile the hearts of these precious little ones, who had nothing to do with it at all.

Matthew 18:6 (KJB) But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

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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.

Picking Rocks

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 a farmer told me that he had offered a couple of high school students some really good money if they came out to his place and spent a week picking the rocks out of his field.  He was a wealthy landowner who could afford to reward them with a great paycheck after they completed the job. The day before, the farmer got everything ready and hooked up a dump trailer behind one of his tractors but the next morning, neither one of the young men bothered to show up. The farmer patiently waited until lunch time until he finally went back outside and did some work out in his barn. He waited for them again the next morning, but once again, they never showed up for work. He had promised them a nice reward for their services, but they just weren’t very interested in doing what was necessary to receive it. 

This reminds me of the Christian life. 

Scriptures clearly teach that heaven is a reward that will be given to the faithful in Christ Jesus. We have been given great and precious promises that the Lord will save us, but it requires doing what is necessary to reap that Everlasting reward. 

Hebrews 6:7-12 (KJB)  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

A slothful person is extremely lazy, and many people who claim to be Christian have this same type of attitude in regards to the one true faith. I’ve always called it a lazy faith, and what I mean by that is that they want to be in heaven, but they are too lazy to do what is required to get there. It is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of scripture, but genuine faith will have the actions of repentance, diligence, and humble obedience to God’s will. When we bring forth the works of obedience, we will be blessed by God, but those who are slothful and choose not to amend their ways will be punished. So although we are given promises in the scriptures, we must activate our faith in order to receive them. People receive a trophy when they finish a marathon, which is a reward given to them for enduring to the end. Likewise, the kingdom of heaven is an eternal reward, but to receive it, you must run to win!

Now, consider this for a minute. If your dad promises you that he will give you a brand new truck if you graduate from high school and then you quit school and rebel against him and run away from home, do you think that he owes you a brand new truck? That’s foolishness bordering on stupidity because there was really no effort on your part to do what was required in order to get it. This is the crux of a lot of the false Christianity out in the world today. People claim that they are going to be in heaven, but they really don’t have any desire to do what is required on their part to get there. They claim that they will be in heaven, while in all actuality, they haven’t yet heard those final words, “well done thou good and faithful servant!” Just like people who want to do nothing and get paid, massive forms of false Christianity want to do nothing and get to heaven. They judge themselves worthy of everlasting life, but that judgment isnt theirs to make, because it will happen when every knee bows before Him on that final Day of reckoning. God is a respecter of no one, and whether somebody claims to be a believer or not, every man will be judged by his own works. Blessings and rewards will come to those who do the will of God, but the slothful, impenitent, and those who rejected God’s forgiveness in Christ Jesus will be on the receiving end of His everlasting wrath. 

Galatians 6:7-8 (KJB)  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Romans 2:5-8 (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; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

Can you imagine walking into a high school classroom and on the first day of school the teacher hands out all of the final grades for the entire school year! That sounds ludicrous doesn’t it, because the students are completely unlearned in the material, and never did what was required in order to achieve those grades. Another example, is do you really think an employer actually owes you two weeks pay when you didn’t even bother to show up for work? That’s ludicrous, but this is the heretical beliefs of numerous forms of false Christianity who actually preach a do-nothing to obtain something type of mentality. I really think that many will really believe that they will be in heaven and will be absolutely shocked when they are turned away. This is because false prophets have lied to them, and they were gullible enough to believe it because they never bothered to seek the will of God and the teachings of our faith. 

Oh I am certain that many others are going to be absolutely furious that they can’t enter into heaven on Judgment Day, but it will be because they never truly repented and submitted to the will of God. Sure, they will claim that they had faith and that they truly believed, but if their faith never resulted in bringing forth the works of a redeemed lifestyle, then they were living in fantasyland. There are numerous warnings in the New Testament about being deceived in such a manner.  What would be the point of warning the church if their salvation was already secure? Claiming to believe in the Lord Jesus without becoming a doer of the teachings of scripture is not only a complete fallacy, but without repentance will lead one’s soul into the Everlasting fires of damnation. 

James 1:22-25 (KJB)  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

We are given the promise of eternal life, but some people are going to be so slothful in their faith that they simply won’t do what is required on their end to obtain it. I guess some people don’t want it that badly, just like the two young men who were too lazy to get out in the field and begin,……

…….Picking Rocks

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.♥️

https://tlkjbc.com/written-sermons/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2055335/episodes
https://www.facebook.com/share/14RHGVBBHbG/
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.

Spiritual Perfection

Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Hebrews. 

Hebrews 6:1 (KJB)  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 

Perfection has been defined in numerous dictionaries as the condition or quality of being free from flaws and defects. The calling of a Christian is to become perfect, and if anyone says elsewise they are a liar. When something is perfect it has become as good as it can possibly be, without fault and  blameless. Some similar words are flawless, exemplary, superb and excellent.  The Apostle Paul didn’t want the church to have to repent of sin over and over again, because as far as progress is concerned, that is like getting onto a bicycle without any pedals. You might sit down on it, but it doesn’t provide you with the forward motion that you need in order to get you further down the road. All you are doing is sitting idle rather than growing into maturity. Even when kids go off to school, they will oftentimes receive a progress report after each quarter, which will indicate if the child is actually moving forward in a specific subject. Like a child that is struggling in school, constantly repenting shows that forward progress has been stalled, and that some extra effort is going to be required in order to pass the course. 

I have known many professional musicians over the years, and some of them were incredible perfectionists. They were meticulous, and would pick a small section that they needed to work on and practice it over and over again until it was absolutely flawless. When they had finally completed that section, they would move on to the next one until the entire song had been learned and could be played perfectly, even by memory. So I ask you, what is the difference between a musician who settles for a mediocre performance, and another one who plays the piece perfectly? It all comes down to devotion, diligent practice, and striving to get it right. This is the same attitude that you have to possess if you truly want to obtain eternal life. 

Luke 13:23-24 (KJB)  Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Why would you lay a foundation for a brand new house on a bunch of broken cement blocks? If you’re going to go through the effort of building something new, one would automatically think that they would have the foresight to build upon brand new concrete. The Christian Life is like building a tower, but it cannot be built upon the foundation of repentance from dead works. It must be built on faithfulness and loyalty to the teachings of Christ. It must be built upon the solid ground of obedience and perseverance to the will of God.  It must be built upon mortification, and denying worldly lusts, so that you can become an overcomer of this world and eventually inherit all things in the future. Those are the spiritual disciplines that we must build our lives upon because they are the true foundation of God. 

2 Timothy 2:19 (KJB)  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

To become perfected is the high calling in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 13:9 (KJB)  For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.

Ephesians 4:13 (KJB)  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Matthew 5:48 (KJB)  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

In order to prove ourselves worthy of the coming Kingdom of God, we must become perfected by walking according to His will.

Romans 12:2 (KJB)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The Apostles labored fervently to present men perfect to God.

Colossians 1:28 (KJB)  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

A perfect heart in the sight of God will choose to walk in perfect behavior.

Psalms 101:2-3 (KJB)  I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

God called Abraham to be perfect.

Genesis 17:1 (KJB)  And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Studying God’s Holy Word and hearing it preached and taught is incredibly important in order to grow into the person that God wants you to become. It instructs us, corrects us and even rebukes us so that we can abide on the narrow path of Spiritual perfection.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJB)  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

To truly become a Christian, one must go through a process of perfection and sanctification, so that we can become filled with the same attributes as Christ Jesus.

Luke 6:40 (KJB)  The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

We must renounce sin and turn from darkness to the light, perfecting holiness and becoming blameless in His sight.

2 Peter 3:14 (KJB)  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

All of us have come out of sinful pasts, but that was then and this is now, and once we are submerged beneath the waters of baptism, we must begin the walk towards perfection. Everyday we must strive to correct faults or any other moral imperfections in our lives that are displeasing unto God. Constantly repenting from dead works is not the goal for a Christian, it is learning to go and sin no more, and to do this will require walking in the truth, maturing in your faith, and moving on unto……..

………Spiritual Perfection

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.♥️

https://tlkjbc.com/written-sermons/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2055335/episodes
https://www.facebook.com/share/14RHGVBBHbG/
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.

Ice Fishing

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.

Up here in our neck of the woods we have been known at times to get some pretty heavy snowfalls during the winter, which means that more than likely, somebody will have to put on some warm clothes and go outside to shovel off the sidewalk and the driveway. But how many times have you told your son to get it all done before supper, but when you went outside to check on him, you found the shovel stuck in the snowbank and he was nowhere to be found? He had completely forsaken what he was supposed to be doing, and then walked down to the lake to go ice fishing instead!

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

The Lord Jesus was constantly calling out to men to preach, but for most of them, their hearts were far more concerned about worldly things instead. Rather than keeping their attention focused on fulfilling His Divine calling, their love for the world was greater, resulting in the complete abandonment of their duties. 

Luke 9:59-62 (KJB)  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Over the years, I’ve hired a lot of different people to come and work at job sites, but sometimes there will be a few of them who will come for a short period of time but then don’t bother to show up any more. They will walk off on their job duties without any notice or even giving you a phone call. This is extremely upsetting, because you put a lot of faith and trust in them that they were going to tow the line, but then they basically left you hanging out to dry. The Apostle Paul put a lot of trust in men such as Timothy and other ministers that they were going to complete the task that he had given them, because he wasn’t there all of the time. Sometimes when you hire an assistant manager, you might feel comfortable enough to take the weekend off, but then they don’t show up which is very disheartening to those who chose them. Remember that through the grace of our precious Lord Jesus, the Apostle Paul was given an incredible opportunity to preach and teach the things of God, but you know what? He ran with it, and was eager to please! During the numerous years following his conversion, he proved himself worthy to God as a faithful minister of Jesus Christ. He knew the incredible opportunity that he had been granted, and jumped into that position with both feet. 

1 Timothy 1:12 (KJB)  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

The Apostle Paul commends many other men who were faithful Ministers of Christ and were getting the job done.

Ephesians 6:21 (KJB)  But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:

Colossians 1:7 (KJB)  As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

Colossians 4:7 (KJB)  All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:

How many of you have been in a bind and really needed someone to help you out, but when you called them on the phone, they were just too busy to come to your aid? How many of you have asked your son to help you with something out in the garage, but he told you that he had some other things planned for the afternoon instead?

The reason why the laborers are few in regards to preaching the Christian faith, is because other things become more important to them than the Lord Jesus Christ.  It’s no wonder why the first commandment is to love God with all of your heart and soul and mind, because if He isn’t your first and greatest love, men are never going to preach, and that’s the truth. Without a genuine love for Him, the duties to become His faithful servant will be set on the back burner in order to do something else instead. 

It is a love for God that caused John the Baptist to preach.

It is a love for God that caused Peter and the disciples to preach.

It is a love for God that caused Paul to preach.

When a love for the concerns of this world outweighs one’s love for Christ Jesus, then that soul becomes unfit for the kingdom of God. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife who half-heartedly left Sodom and Gomorrah, but then longingly looked back. When she did this, she was destroyed by God. This is one of the reasons why the laborers are few, because their hearts are distracted with worldly concerns. Why worry about dead relatives who never bothered to repent? Let the impenitent bury them and go and preach the Word!

Matthew 21:28-32 (KJB)  But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

How many of you have been getting air at the gas station when somebody else parked on top of the hose, but after a short period of time you realized that nothing was going into the tire at all. To grow in our faith, God’s Word needs to flow easily into our hearts, but when someone’s attention becomes diverted to the things of this world, these temporal concerns will begin to cut into your time, and slowly begin to choke off the Word of God in your life. Like telling your neighbor to move their car, we must remove all of the desires and lusts for the things of this world, so that the fresh air of God’s truth can flow freely into our hearts.

Matthew 13:22 (KJB)  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

Preaching God’s Word is the most important thing that anybody can do with their life, but for a lot of men, the things of this world will take precedence over completing His will. Like sticking the shovel into the snowbank, many of them will walk off on their duties to God and forsake the one who died for them on the cross. Rather than serving Him by feeding His sheep, their loving attention will turn to  other things, such as sitting out in the middle of the lake, baiting a hook, and spending all day,,…

……..Ice Fishing

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.♥️

https://tlkjbc.com/written-sermons/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2055335/episodes
https://www.facebook.com/share/14RHGVBBHbG/
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.