In the year 1859 something happened in the continent of Australia that would have serious effects until this present day. A wealthy settler by the name of Thomas Austin had 13 European rabbits delivered to him from across the world, which he wanted to use to hunt for sport. He let them roam about his property, but as wild things tend to do, they began to multiply and spread across the land, and within 50 years those 13 rabbits had multiplied so much that they covered the entire continent! It is estimated that there are now over 200 million wild rabbits throughout Australia, and without a natural predator there isn’t much to slow them down.

With so many rabbits, they have created some serious environmental problems like soil erosion from all of the over grazing of the grass, but you still have to admit that what those rabbits have accomplished is pretty impressive. From 13 to 200,000,000, that is quite the increase, wouldn’t you say?

Similarly, the word of God has spread from a handful of people in a small area to the ends of the globe. From the land of Israel, from the prophets leading up to the birth of Christ, to the 12 Apostles, to the world we know today, the word of God has been spread and made available for all to hear. 

Mark 4:2-8, “And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.”

Jesus used an example of a sower, or a farmer, to help illustrate the importance of spreading the gospel. In the parable, some of the seeds that the sower planted fell into areas that went very good, like the side of a road, or on some rock, or among thorns, which some of them may have started to grow, but because of certain factors they never yielded fruit. And then some of the seeds fell onto good soil where they had plenty of moisture and nutrients to grow them to maturity and eventually produce fruit, up to 100x as much as they had started with.

And it is just as what had happened with those rabbits, as from a small group of men the Word of God has been spread. They were spiritual sowers, sowing the Gospel into the hearts of others, wherever they went. Like the parable, not everyone who received that starting seed into the “good ground” of their hearts grew and produced “fruit” of their own, but some of them did, and it is the repeating process that continues to spread God’s Word more and more. Just look at how much fruit has been created from someone such as the Apostles Paul or Peter from what they did! They may not have seen the direct result in their lifetimes, but the seeds of faith that they planted are still continuing on today.

I would imagine that there must be some kind of a falcon or other creature that devours some of those rabbits in Australia, but not enough to make much of a difference, as they just keep producing more and more. Humans can only hunt so many, but because those rabbits multiply so quick it hardly makes a difference.

Sadly, as we read from the Bible, there will be few people who will be saved, which is why it is so important that we can plant as many spiritual seeds of faith as we can into the hearts of others. Everywhere we go, as many as we can, just sharing the incredible news of God’s love and forgiveness. Not all of the hearts that get touched with those seeds of faith will let it sink in feel and grow; some of them may be like a hard rock and it just bounces right off and never grows,  but eventually some of those seeds will find a heart to sink down deep into and produce some fruit of their own.

2 Corinthians 6:2  “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

Now is the day of salvation! Now is the time to go spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Time is ticking. Let’s start those seeds to try to get them to 30x, 60x, 100!

In Christ,

Andrew

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.

In Anchorage Alaska there’s a race that is tentatively scheduled to begin around March 3rd 2023.  It is a sled dog race that runs from Anchorage to Nome Alaska, known as the Iditarod.  Teams usually have to race through blizzards and Sub-Zero temperatures which at times can reach 100 below zero. They race through some of the roughest terrain that Alaska has to offer, eventually winding along the shore of the Bering Sea to the finish line in Nome, Alaska.  

Now here’s a thought for you.  

Can you imagine somebody showing up to the race with some sled dogs, two goats and a mule? What do you think the result is going to be if you yoke them all together? The dogs would make a strong attempt to run down the path, while the goats want to go in a different direction. The donkey would be the worst problem of all, because he would simply plop himself down on the ground, and rebelliously refuse to move.

This reminds me the Christian Life.

Sled dogs need to be yoked up with other sled dogs who are of the same mindset, and show distinct similarities.  Likewise, Those who decide to run the Christian race are not supposed to be unequally yoked with people who don’t share our faith and our beliefs. We need to seperate ourselves from them, and join ourselves with others who desire to do the will of God from their heart.

2 Corinthians 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

When we think about the word yoke, we tend to think about the device that was used to join two draft animals together. It had a cross piece and two bow pieces that enclosed the head of the animals.  They were joined together in a common interest, plowing a field.  The yoke that we are talking about today is an invisible one, although you can see it’s results.   Being yoked with others is to be joined with them in some common purpose.  When you join something, it means to bring together so as to form a unit. 

A carpenter might join two pieces of wood together in his shop. They are bonded together closely in a union.  You might join a model airplane club. You might join a church. Join means to bring together so as to form a unit. It is to share a very close association and relationship, such as two people who are joined in marriage.

In the church we are supposed to be joined together with others who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  We are to join with people who believe the teachings of scripture, and who possess a desire to obey the will of God.  Jesus is the center of our unity together. It is our faith in the teachings of Jesus that unites us and brings us into close fellowship with each other. In the world, people might join and hang out regularly at an athletic club. The members of that group are involved with taking care of their physical bodies. They all share the same goal and purpose, to encourage one another in ways to keep fit and trim. The church is no different.  We are to join with others who share the same goal and purpose, which is conversion to the truth, and obedience to the will of God.  We are to edify and encourage one another on the path of holiness, so that we can lovingly obey Jesus and keep away from sin.

So this entire passage has to do with being closely joined with others. This is what a yoke did between two animals.  This is what fellowship is.  Fellowship is joining together with others in a common purpose.  It is sharing a friendly association with them, especially with people who share your interests.  It is companionship, and a community of common interests and activities.  With that being said, this passage teaches that we are not supposed to be joined with others who do not share our faith.  If you take somebody to scripture and they adamantly refuse to believe it, they are in a state of unbelief.  They can’t become converted to the truth with that mindset, because they don’t believe the teachings of Holy Writ.  If they don’t believe in scripture, what possible benefit could you have by sharing a close relationship with them?  Do you think something beneficial will somehow rub off on you?  God fearing Christians need to hang out with those who are serving Christ, because to share close relationships with unbelievers is to make yourself God’s enemy.  

James 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

The unequal yoke is joining with others who don’t possess genuine faith.  In that state they don’t truly love God and it’s impossible for them to please Him.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

When it comes down to it, you will have to choose whose side you are going to be on.    Ultimately the Lord Jesus will decide who were truly His friends at judgment Day, when He separates His sheep from the goats.

Matthew 25:31-33  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Poor associations can also corrupt good morals.  An unbeliever is unconcerned about doing the will of God or converting from the way that they live. In that state, they don’t have what it takes to cross the finish line and obtain the prize of eternal life.  We are supposed to join with others who are of the same mind and judgment.  

1 Corinthians 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Granted everywhere we go we’re going to meet people at the gas station at the grocery store or going to the laundromat.  Visiting or talking briefly with people is one thing.  Developing a day-by-day close relationship with them is another.  

Remember that the disciples went everywhere preaching God’s Word.  When people rejected it, they would shake the dust off and move on. They didn’t yoke up in a close relationship with them. They didn’t hang out with them because they were an enemy of Christ.  At the judgment, there will be many people cast away into a lake of fire.  The reason why is they rejected the truth of the Gospel and were not focused on living an obedient life for Christ while here upon the Earth. They really didn’t believe the truth in their heart, because of which they will be eternally punished.  You’re not supposed to share a close relationship with these people at all.  

I have always taught my family that you need to be very careful about who you call your friend. A friend is much closer than an acquaintance.  Will your friend be Jesus and others who serve Christ faithfully? Will it be Jesus, or will it be those who hate and deny Him by their faithless and disobedient lives.  Those who are attempting to live the Christian Life can never join up with others who are outside the true faith.

It’s unwise to yoke a cow up with a horse, because they are different creatures. It’s unwise to yoke a sled dog with a donkey, because they are different creatures.  As a Christian we are supposed to become new creatures in Christ, and not yoked up with people from the old life you used to live.

1 Peter 4:4-5  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.

Like sled dogs we must unite with others who are of the same mind, joined together, as one unit to achieve the final goal, crossing the finish line, and entering into heaven.  We will need to yoke with others who share our faith in order to win……

……The Iditarod 

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by Google searching, tlkjbc  where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms, such as Amazon, Spotify or Google podcasts.  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, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Something that I like to do is read word riddles and try to solve the puzzle. An example of such a riddle goes something like this:

Many years ago there was a man who decided to go on a trip with a goose, a fox, and a sack of corn. Somewhere along his journey he came to a river which he needed to cross, and he found a small boat to take him. However, the boat was very small, and only had enough room for him and one other thing, either the goose, the fox, or the sack of corn. He couldn’t take the corn with him and leave the goose and the fox together, because the fox would eat the goose. He couldn’t take the fox with him and leave the goose and the corn together because the goose would eat the corn. On top of that, once he brought those things across the river, he still needed to return back to get what he couldn’t take the first time, and the same rule applied that certain things couldn’t be left alone together. So how can the man get everything safely across the stream?

At first this puzzle might seem difficult to solve, but with a little bit of thought it is actually quite simple. First the man needs to take the goose with him in his boat across the river and then come back. Then he needs to take the fox over and bring the goose back. Then he needs to take the corn over and come back alone to get the goose. With all three safely across, the riddle is complete.

To be able to figure out this riddle it takes the ability of discernment, which is the ability to “perceive, recognize, or comprehend with the mind.” Another simple “riddle” could be something such as “four times four equals what?” To those who do not have the necessary brain knowledge to figure this problem out, such as a young kindergartner, this may seem like an incredibly difficult equation, but to those who have gained that knowledge and are able to discern the answer, the answer to this question is simple.

Before someone has been filled with the Holy Spirit of God, the Bible may seem like a giant puzzle, because they do not, at that time, have the gift of discernment to be able to understand all that is being taught. Simple things like “Jesus entered into a certain city” do not really require much to understand, but the things like “loving your neighbor as yourself” or “what is an obedient steward of Christ?” will take more discernment to be able to comprehend completely.

1 Corinthians 2:6-16  “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Maybe you have had the opportunity to write with “invisible” ink before, which when written with will certainly appear invisible to anyone who looks at it, but with the application of a little bit of heat the writing will reveal itself. That is really quite similar to when someone comprehends the writings in the Bible. The Bible at first may seem a mystery to the unlearned, and this is why those who do not believe in Jesus cannot fully understand all of what is written in God’s Word. It takes the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lift the veil of mystery off of our mind’s eyes, and then we are able to understand the spiritual things of Christ.

So, just like King Solomon, seek after wisdom, and understanding. This was Solomon’s request to God; even though he could have chosen to receive riches and a long life, his request to God was that he could be filled with wisdom, and God gave him wisdom like “the sand that is on the sea shore.” 

Without the knowledge and wisdom that comes from God, the Bible will remain a riddle, so let us always remember to pray that the Lord will increase us in knowledge and wisdom, so that we can be able to discern the mysteries of God.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

How many of you have had the opportunity to go to a large zoo to view all the animals? Years ago I got to go to a zoo in Duluth and also in Minneapolis. It’s really neat to see all the animals in such close proximity. Have you ever got to see a lion a tiger or bear? Maybe you got to see a panda or some cute bunny rabbits, or the staff even let you pet them. Everybody seems to like the cute cuddly animals. Today I was thinking about some of the ugliest animals in the world.  A few years ago the blobfish was voted the earth’s most hideous species in an online poll conducted by the British-based Ugly Animal Preservation Society.  It’s found in the waters over by Australia somewhere and if you get a chance to take a look at a picture online you’ll know what I mean. It looks like a big ball of slime with eyeballs.  Up here in Minnesota we have an ugly fish too, it’s called a burbot or more commonly, an eel pout. It’s a slimy bottom-dwelling fish that kind of looks like half fish half eel. They are kind of gross because if you grab them by the head they will wrap them selves around your arm like a snake.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

The eel pout is considered to be Minnesota’s ugliest fish but there is something even uglier that you can find in this world today. The ugliest is the human nature when it is filled with arrogance and pride.

James 4:6 – But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

When some one is proud it means that they have or showing an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance. When some one is proud they are arrogant. Arrogant is disposed to exaggerate one’s own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner. They are disposed to exaggerate one’s own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner. They display an offensive attitude of superiority over others.  Resist means to withstand, strive against, or to oppose. God resists pride because it is completely against His divine nature.

Luke 18:9-14

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Pro 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

We see from this verse that God hates certain things. He hates pride and arrogance. The prayer of the Pharisee was filled with religious pride. Pride manifests itself in a sense of superiority over other people. The truth of the matter is that each of us are the same. We’re all sinners who have come short of the glory of God and without Christ and his mercy, none of us would be able to make it into heaven.

Pro 11:2  When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

The arrogant heart will eventually lead to a fall.

Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Pro 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

An abomination is a thing that causes disgust or hatred.

Pro 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

1 Pet 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Resist means to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat.

Pro 21:4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

The exact opposite of pride is meekness and humility which are qualities that our Lord Jesus Christ is filled with.

Matthew 11:29 – Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Christian meekness is essentially an attitude or quality of heart whereby a person is willing to accept and submit without resistance to the will and desire of Christ.  To truly learn the way of Christ we must be filled with meekness.

Psalms 25:9 – The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

Meekness and humility brings great blessings from God.

Matthew 5:5 – Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Titus 3:2 – To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Whenever you think about pride, remember how God feels about it.  He hates it. In order to enter into eternal life someday pride must be replaced by humility because it’s a very ugly quality found in man’s fleshy human nature.  Just as ugly as….

……The Blobfish

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by Google searching, tlkjbc  where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms, such as Amazon, Spotify or Google podcasts.  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, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

If you heard a knock at your door, would you open it up if you heard your friend’s voice on the other side? Most likely you would swing your door wide open and invite them into your house. 

Well, Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart, and it is up to you if you are going to let Him in. 

Revelation 3:20  “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

When you love someone, you will do things for them. When you were a child you could show your love to you parents by being obedient and helping with anything that they asked you to do in the house. To show your love for your neighbor you might grab a shovel in the winter and clear away the snow from their driveway, or cut their grass in the summer while they are away. Whatever it is, you can show your love for someone by helping them out, or doing the things that they ask.

If we love Jesus we will do things for Him, and keep His words. If we love Him, we will seek to show our love by being obedient to His commands that have been left for us to read in His Holy Scriptures, and when we do it is like we are opening the door to our soul and inviting Him to come on in and dwell inside of us. 

John 14:23  “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.”

It doesn’t matter really what the outside of some things look like, as long as the inside is great. You might drop an egg into a pile of dirt and it is covered completely, but underneath that dirty shell the egg yolk is perfectly good. We all look different on this Earth, as we all have different colored skin. We all look somewhat different, with different hair, different facial features, different body structures, but we all have a soul inside of us, and it is what is inside our soul that matters above all other things. 

We may look rough and ragged sometimes in our physical appearance, but if we confess that Jesus is the Son of God we can can dwell in God and He can dwell in us, and fill us with His Holy Spirit. The apostles that Jesus chose to preach for Him were normal, everyday people: fishermen, tax collectors etc. People who if they could see them today might be viewed as unimportant or un- special. But that didn’t matter because Jesus doesn’t judge a person by the outward appearance, but He judges the heart and soul, and when they left everything to follow Jesus they opened up their souls to let Him in.

1 John 4:15-16  “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

Jesus has knocked the door of your soul, and it is time to make a decision. Will you be among the few that are saved? Will you be the one who opens up the door and says “Come on in!”?

In Christ

Andrew

Do the things that you drink, or the things which you eat make you a “bad” person? If you go and eat a great big, greasy, fat-filled, high in cholesterol burger, does that mean that you are an evil, sinful when you eat it?

It is often in this world that you will find someone just about everywhere that you go who will find a fault with the things that you eat or drink. Whether it is gluten, or cheap meat like hot dogs or salami from the store, or sugars and sweets, you will always find people with different views on what is good or not to eat. 

But as we will read, there is nothing from outside a man that defiles him, meaning, that causes him to sin. Look at an animal such as a pig. They can spend all day long in a puddle of mud and manure, yet the pig when you eat it still tastes great. That mud that coats the pig does not affect what is inside, and the pork that we eventually eat similarly does not affect us to cause us to sin. It is simply food. 

Mark 7:14-23  “And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

When sin happens, where does it originate? From within the mind and soul of a person. In the mind a person can create all sorts of evils and sins. With the mind a person can decide to commit murder. With the mind someone can choose to lie and speak evil against another person. All of the sins that a person can commit all come from one place, within themselves. 

Even in the case of alcohol, the alcohol in and of itself is not bad. You are not sinning if you drink alcohol. It is a person’s decision to drink the excessive amount of alcohol that leads to drunkenness and other sins. This may be a hard thing for some people to understand, but it is the truth: whatever is without the body does not defile a man. It is the sin that comes from within that does. 

Remember how in the Old Testament it was forbidden to eat certain kinds of animals? It was forbidden by God in the Law at that time, but since Jesus came and took away the Law, He also made it so that we can eat all things now. No longer would it be a sin to eat an animal such as a pig, or a hare, because Jesus sanctified it.

1 Timothy 4:4-5  “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

A person should not be judged by their appearance. Some of the best dressed people that you will see could be some of the worst inside, and the homeless man down the street who is clothed in rags could be the nicest person you have ever met. It is the heart and soul of a person that makes who they truly are. It is the heart and soul that God judges, not what they eat.

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Hebrews 10:26-31  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

When we know what the scripture teaches, and understand what God wants us to do, but arrogantly and rebelliously go in complete contravention to what we’ve been taught, we enter into a very grave situation with God. The reason why is because the sin is willful and purposeful.  It is done with intent.  It’s like your dad telling you that you can’t use the car this weekend, but instead of submitting to him, you grab the keys from off of the fridge, and rebelliously take the car anyway.  A complete unbeliever might do that, but how can somebody who professes Christ as their savior disobey their parent in such a manner?  Listen closely, you don’t ever want to do that to God.  It is unloving and unkind to behave this way towards the God who loves us so much, that He laid down His own life, to free us from our sinful condition.

Willful sin is having or showing a stubborn and determined intention to do as one wants, regardless of the consequences or effects. It is a state of rebellion against God.  Rebellion is the action or process of resisting authority, or convention. It’s open defiance and opposition to control.  The Christian Life is about submission and obedience to the will of God, which is impossible to do if you choose to rebel against Him. 

1 Samuel 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. 

Rebellion is punished by God.

Jeremiah 28:16 … this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.

Resistance is the refusal to comply with something, or the attempt to prevent something by action or argument.  It’s the refusal to accept something that you must do.  A refusal is when you absolutely won’t do something.  It’s an act of denial, which is the refusal of something requested or desired.  Abiding in this state will result in damnation.

Romans 13:1-2  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 

The Christian life is about lovingly submitting and yielding to the will of God.  An example of this is found in how a woman is commanded by Christ to submit to her own husband.  

Ephesians 5:22-24  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

When a wife submits to her husband’s authority, the children learn to submit to authority.  If she rebels and refuses to obey him, she becomes an example of disobedience and anarchy in the home.  If she turns the children away from the dad, she’s causing the little ones to disobey the commands of Christ, and will doubtless suffer punishment by God.  It doesn’t matter if someone claims to be a Christian, what matters is repentance and obeying God’s Will from the heart.

Titus 1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

Rebellion will only result in destruction.

2 Peter 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

As Jesus teaches in the parable of the sower, some people are going to attempt the Christian Life but they’re just not going to make it.  They don’t want to walk the narrow road of obedience to the will of God.  They don’t want to completely submit to God’s purpose.  They’re exactly like Lot’s wife.  She was saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but loved the world so much, that she turned away from her own husband and the will of God.  It resulted in her quick death.  Some people profess to be Christian but they turn around and jump right back into the mud of sinful living and disobedience to God.

2 Peter 2:20-22 – For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

When they purposely and rebelliously turn away from the will of God, it is impossible for them to repent.  Esau wept about what he had done, but couldn’t find a place of repentance after that.

Hebrews 6:4-8 – For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.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.

These same people never truly loved God and His Word.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 – And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Willful sin is deliberate and intentional rebellion against the known will of God, a spiraling path into the darkness of sin, from which it is impossible to repent.  All that is in store for those who do such things,  is to be cast……

……Into the Abyss

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by Google searching, tlkjbc  where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms, such as Amazon, Spotify or Google podcasts.  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, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

Each year around December, thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of children create a list of the things that they want to receive for presents on Christmas morning. They sit down, maybe with the help of a parent, and begin to craft a page full of the things that they want, and as soon as they are all done they stick that list into an envelope, marking the receiving address the “North Pole,” to a man known as “Santa Claus.” And then they wait. They wait and wait and hope that on Christmas morning that this “Santa Claus ” will bring them their presents.

The truth is that those letters are not read by a man in a red and white coat sitting up in the top of the globe. The presents that they receive on Christmas morning are not delivered to their house by a reindeer-driven sleigh, but most often instead by a parent or relative. This is simply a holiday myth that has been passed down for generations, despite the obvious truth that the figure known as Santa is simply a lie. How does some of the well known Christmas song go? “He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.” Yet the truth is that this fake character does not know all or see all, because he doesn’t exist. But God does.

Instead of teaching your children at their young, precious age to go ask things from a fictional story character, why don’t you do the right thing and teach them how to ask God, Who will actually hear the prayers of His faithful followers. The Lord is the greatest gift giver of all, and He is waiting to hear your petitions to Him.

1 John 5:10-15  “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

Did you read this promise? We can have the knowledge and confidence that our prayers and petitions will be heard when we direct them to the Lord. Many years ago we happened to be very, very short on finances, on a particular week when we needed to pay for something, and we didn’t know where or how we would get the money to pay for it. But we put our faith in the Lord, and put our faith in the teachings of the word of God, and we prayed. We asked the Lord for His help, and asked that if it was His will that He could help us, and we left it up to Him. A few days later we went and checked our mailbox, and inside was a letter. We opened up the letter, and to our joy/amazement we found enough money to pay for what we needed that week. This wasn’t a pure “luck” moment. This wasn’t just a coincidence, even though that is what those without faith in God will say. This was an answered prayer from God. We could have received an envelope with a check in any of the other 51 weeks out of the year, but it was during the one week that we needed it most that it arrived, and I know that it was because of our faith in God’s amazing grace. He heard our prayers, and He answered them.

“…open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalms 81:10

Just as the Lord heard the prayers of the people in the land of Egypt and delivered them by the hand of Moses, God wants to hear your prayers as well. Remember, you have not because you ask not. Do you need some help in your life? Then put your faith and trust in the Lord Who will hear your prayers.

Luke 11:9-10  “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

All you need to do is ask, and believe in your heart that He can do all things. Show the Lord your faith, because faith can move mountains, and with God all things are possible.

Have you sent your list yet?

In Christ

Andrew

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.

We have burned wood in our home for the past 20 years.  We have a nice wood cook stove in the kitchen that has been used to prepare thousands of meals throughout the years. We burn pretty much anything that’s dry, but occasionally when the thermometer dips below zero, we need to dig out the big guns.  Our property has thousands of tamarack trees, and when we really need to heat things up, we bring in some dry pieces from outside. In my own opinion, there is nothing that I have ever burned that can even compare to the heat of tamarack.  It is a wood that burns with such intensity that it feels like it goes right through your bones, crackling loudly as it burns. Tamarack is so hot, that I had to install two dampers on the stove pipe for redundancy. At night, we bank the stove high with ashes, to make sure it’s absolutely airtight.  Not a breath of oxygen can get in there, but even then, the heat permeates the entire house on the coldest, bitterest, sub-zero nights in northern Minnesota.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

As we walk with God, our hearts must be as hot as a piece of tamarack.  We must be on fire with love towards him, producing an eternal flame of obedience, devotion and loyalty towards the one who laid down His life that we might live.  Once you feel the heat of a good dry piece of tamarack, everything else is only lukewarm.

Revelation 3:15-16  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

When someone is lukewarm, they make a half-hearted attempt to live the Christian Life.  Their heart is not fully engaged in serving the will of God. This results in a halfway conversion, halfway obedience, halfway transformation, halfway convictions, halfway contrition, halfway penitence, halfway confession, and halfway repentance.  Halfway means that it was only done part way and never completely finished.

I detest undercooked meat, and occasionally might be served some while eating out at a restaurant. It looks good, it smells good, but when you cut into it with a knife, you realize that it didn’t cook long enough because it’s half raw.  All you can do is tell the cook to take it away. This is very similar to a lukewarm Christian.  They look like a Christian, they sit in a church pew like a Christian, they dress like a Christian, they even have the jargon of a Christian, but they deny the committed life of a Christian. Our God hates lukewarmness, and one of the reasons why is because it is a misrepresentation of what true Christianity is to the world. It’s possessing a partial form of the faith but denying the rest.  

Even a child, when commanded to do something, will obey certain things that are simple and easy for them to do, but are more defiant and resistant when it comes to the things that they don’t want to do.  Those who are lukewarm want to claim to be a Christian, but live the way that the world does.  They want to claim to be a follower of Jesus, but deny Him by their actions.  They want to believe that they will be in heaven, but are completely disinterested in performing the will of God from their hearts.  This is the form of false Christianity that is so prevalent in the world today, and it is growing.  They deceive both themselves and others by their lackadaisical attitude and disobedience towards the one true faith.

Instead of being focused, and striving to please God in all things, these people reduce the conversion process to putting a cross around their neck, and wearing a t-shirt with scripture.  These are only outward displays of religion, rather than an inward life of obedience to God. They lack the enthusiastic zeal to lovingly serve and obey God. They won’t strive after the Christian faith because they are lazy and lukewarm.

For example, have you ever hired someone, but when they showed up to work it was never on time? When you gave them a job to do, they did something else instead? At the end of the day, when you checked to see how many tasks they had completed, all they were doing was talking on the cell phone. People such as these only care about getting their paycheck and doing as little as possible in order to receive it. Doing a good job or pleasing the employer doesn’t really matter to them. Making the burden lighter for their fellow coworkers is not their concern. They could care less about working hard, and going the extra mile.  This is because their work ethic is perverted, a prime example of a lukewarm Christian.  Employees like this don’t last very long and will be fired from their job.   Lukewarm Christians won’t last very long either. Their lazy and disobedient lifestyles only prove that they are unworthy of eternal life, and will be spued out of the mouth of God.

Lukewarm Christians are not all the way in.  They are not fully devoted to God’s purpose. They are like a child who is playing out in the snow, and when they come into the house, they stand in the middle of the doorway, leaving the door wide open.  Everybody’s yelling at them to shut the door, but they cannot decide if they want to come in, or go back out, so they simply stand there. They want both things.

Did you ever play sports in high school?  Have you ever had a teammate who during one of your championship games, wasn’t giving their best.  You were playing as hard as you could, trying to win, while on the other hand, they were only making a half-hearted attempt.  You knew that they were capable of so much more, but they really didn’t care, they were content just to have made it on the team. How does a person with that attitude make you feel?  A lukewarm Christian upsets God immensely, because the faith that they profess lacks heart, spirit and devotion to attain perfection through obedience to God’s will. Their mind is not completely on the game and running the race that is set before us.  

Sincere Christians care greatly about their own salvation and doing what is required of them to obtain it. They continue each day in the faith even when they have to endure obstacles. They are fully devoted to the Lord, filled with love, loyalty and enthusiasm for both Him and His Holy Word.  They are dedicated and obedient, proving their love to Him by their actions. A sincere Christian shows conscientiousness in their duties towards God, and is eager to please Him. And lastly, they are very serious in their convictions so that they can overcome this world, and become obedient to God’s will.

You have a choice today whether you will serve God passionately, and with the fire of devotion.  Lukewarm does not make it for me at night.  It’s just not enough.  I want to be hot, just as our hearts should be towards God.  We need to have our lamps burning brightly.  We need our hearts pouring out the heat of devotion. It’s time to throw another log on the fire.  Just make sure it’s another piece of…..

…….Dry Tamarack 

Let’s think about these things for right now.  We can be found on your web browser by Google searching, tlkjbc  where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms, such as Amazon, Spotify or Google podcasts.  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, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.com

“What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

In order to become a member of certain clubs or organizations, you must do some things to qualify you or make you eligible to enter. In the sport of baseball in the United States, the very best of the players will have an opportunity to be inducted into the “Hall of Fame ” in Cooperstown, New York. This is a very prestigious and special reward that very few players have ever gotten. 

In order to attain this special honor, a player must be among the best out of all of the other players who have ever played. Having some of the most wins or strikeouts as a pitcher, or being among greatest home run hitters or having the most hits as a position player. These are some of the main the qualifications that are required, and out of the 22,000+ players who have played in the MLB, currently only 269 former players have been inducted, barely over 1%, which just shows how difficult it truly is.

There was a man who came up to Jesus and wanted to know what he needed to do to receive eternal life, similar to how a baseball player might ask what they need to do to get into the Hall of Fame, and Jesus told him.

Mark 10:17-31  “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!”

We will stop right here for a moment before we continue on with rest of the passage. The man came to Jesus with the belief that he had done everything that he needed to do to get that everlasting life. But he was still lacking in an area of his life, which Jesus pointed out to be his love for his riches. He just could not give it up. Back to the passage:

“And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,

But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”

The meaning of this passage is that there can be nothing greater to us than Jesus. We can have nothing of more importance to us than the things of God, as we are taught to put Him first. Not money, not possessions, not friends or family- there can be nothing that takes the place of number 1 in our lives. Because God needs to be number 1, in all things. 

With wealth or riches one needs to be very careful with, because they can become a great “temptation and a snare” (1 Timothy 6:9) and can draw a person away from the teachings of Christ. They can begin to control a person, causing them to be more concerned with their money and possessions and spend less and less time with the Lord. It is well known that a bigger house, bigger property= more work to take care of it, and less time that could potentially be used for God, and it can have such a hold on a person that they just could never give it up. 

And we always need to remember that, even though we usually think of just money or things when we read this passage of scripture, the ability to walk away from friends or family is just as important, if necessary to remain faithful to Jesus. If there are other things in our life, not just money, that become a hindrance to our spiritual growth in the Lord, we need to be able to do what is necessary to put Him first.

Luke 13:23-30  “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.

When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.”

Not many will get into Heaven, though many will try. We are saved by the grace of God, and not by our works, but if we truly believe in Jesus we will have a life that shows our faith by the works that we do. Are we faithful to the Word of God? Are our lives aligned with the Scriptures?

Are you able to give up things to go and follow Jesus? The disciples did. Can you walk away from the things that cause you to fall short of going into the “Hall of Fame?”

In Christ,

Andrew