Goodmorning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to ask you something.

Would you start a cross-country trip at 10:00 pm on a dark night, in a blinding blizzard, and in 35 below zero weather?  Hopefully not.  You would have to consider a lot of things first, before coming to that decision.  Do you have winter survival gear?  Do you have extra blankets? Do you have extra food and water?  Do you have dry matches? Do you have a propane heater?  Is your anti-freeze good? Are your tires alright? Will the highway you use be fairly populated? Is it that important to risk the drive?  Can things be put off until another day?

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Our lives are the result of basic choices that we make day by day. As a Christian, our choices are guided by factoring in the teachings of scripture.  Before anything else, we have to consider what Jesus wants for us.  His will must be at the very top of every decision making process that is presented to us.  There are consequences for what we do, not only here on the earth, but in regards to our eternal salvation as well.  Christians are called to soberly consider the consequences for our actions before making decisions.  It’s a matter of thinking things through.

Ephesians 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,…

Being circumspect is considering the consequences for your actions and having foresight before you actually get involved with something you should or shouldn’t be doing.  It’s being careful to consider all circumstances and possible results for a decision that you make.  Someone who possesses this quality does not like to take risks, and will think extremely carefully before doing or saying anything.

The Lord Jesus gave an example of a group of people who really didn’t cosider the consequences for their lackadaisical behavior beforehand.

Matthew 25:1-13  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Imagine somebody trying to convince you to go skydiving with them on the spur of the moment.  You’ve never done it before, but without giving it a moment’s thought, you decide to jump.  It never crossed your mind that you had never been trained to do this. You never even checked the condition of your chute beforehand. It was only after you jumped, that you realized that you didnt even know where the ripcord was, which resulted in you hitting the ground and getting killed.  That is not circumspect, it’s foolishness.  There are many people who profess Christianity who are the exact same way, because they are unconcerned about the eternal consequences that can happen because of disobedient behavior.

To each and every decision that you make, their are consequences for the things that you do, weather good or bad.  Someone who is circumspect is unwilling to take risks, and they can at times seem overly cautious, but caution is a good attribute to have.  Some people make rash decisions, in a split second, without giving any thought about the things that will result because of the choice they made.

At times, people who possess this quality can be confused with people who cannot make up their minds, or cannot come to a decision.  In ways, they can be very similar to a turtle.  Their movements may be slow, but, they are well orchestrated, precisely placed and planned out.  Very different from a jack rabbit, who jumps all over the place mindlessly, without any real thought.  Someone who is circumspect can be like watching sap dripping down a tree, who might not come to a decision for weeks on end, as they consider all of their options.  They think about things for awhile, rather than jumping into something and coming to a hasty conclusion.

Before you make a decision, things need to be dedicated to God in prayer, but a lot of people will make a hasty decision on their own.  They don’t even put God into the equation.  Scriptures teach us that God wants us to be circumspect.  A lot of people don’t stop to realize that sinful choices can affect not only them, but others as well.  For example, if someone asked you to help them rob a bank, and you quickly made the decision to do it, all kinds of consequences can follow.  You could go to jail and get separated from your family.  You might have to pay restitution and fines for a large part of your life.  You could get shot in the altercation and be permanently injured. You could hit a telephone pole with the getaway car and get killed.  You could hurt innocent bystanders.  The list goes on and on, just because of one foolish decision that was made in the spur of the moment, rather than thinking about the consequences.

Being circumspect is kind of like being a chess player, who thinks cautiously before he moves. He can see future events ahead of time, which guides his decision making.  This is very similar to Christianity. When you possess this quality you will be very concerned about the choices that you make, so as to not offend or disobey the will of God.  You will consider God’s punishment for sinful living, and the end result for those who don’t love and fear Him.  The choices that you make need to be founded in scriptural truth.  This is one of the reasons why the beloved Apostles constantly warned the church.  But, although you care for others deeply, and warn them repetitively, it’s up to each individual to make their own choices in life, and they will ultimately have to live with the consequences that result from any foolhardy decision that they might make.

It’s very important in the Christian life to ask yourself, is God a part of my decision making?  Do the choices that I make, align with the teachings of scripture? Have I considered the consequences and possible outcomes for pursuing a course of action?  Have you prayed about it, and spent some time…..

 ……Thinking Things Through?

Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Please take note that we have absolutely no affiliation with any advertisement you might find on our posts. Thanks!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I generally tend to have a sweet tooth. I always like to have some kind of cookies or candy around, but I also like to have a sweet drink as well such as a pop or maybe some Kool-aid. One time I can remember wanting a glass of some cherry Kool-aid but my normal juice container had some other liquid in it, so I searched around for something else to make my juice in. After about five minutes I still hadn’t found anything suitable to use, but then I saw an old gallon vinegar bottle that we had just emptied and I decided to make that work instead. After rinsing it out I filled it with water and placed it onto the counter next to another bottle, and then I went and found the powdered juice packets and the sugar. After measuring out the sugar and pouring in the packets into the bottle I shook it all up until all of the sugar had dissolved, and I poured myself a cup and took a drink. 

It tasted awful.

It turned out that when I had put the bottle full of water onto the counter I had placed it right next to our new bottle of vinegar, and they looked exactly the same so I got them mixed up They looked the same, but if I had tasted it before I put the drink powder in I would have tasted the difference.

Jesus taught that it is through the fruit that you will know what kind of a tree they are. An apple tree will produce apples, which will taste like apples. A fig tree will produce figs, and they will taste like figs. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” What they produce is what they are.

The actions of a person can be considered a “fruit,” such as the saying “the fruit of my labor.” It is this fruit, our actions and how we live, that determine what we are. Either our actions are good, just, and holy, good fruit, or they are the opposite. Bad, corrupt, sinful, evil fruit. 

Matthew 7:13-20  “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

From a half of a mile away, do you think that you could tell what kind of a tree one was? In most cases probably not. But when you get close to it and see it’s fruit, then you can. It is the exact same with a person. You can walk through a crowded store and see all sorts of different people, but know really nothing about what kind of a person that are inside. They may be kind, gentle, and loving, or they may be mean, cruel, and evil. Just the outside appearance doesn’t really show who a person truly is. To do that you need to have a look at their works. Their “fruit.” 

It is an example that we use frequently, but the Pharisees in the time of Christ, many of them had an outward appearance that they were holy. That they were righteous, and good. But the works that they produced told a different situation. They were filled with pride, and deceitfulness. They actively sought to put Jesus to death, speaking lies and filled with guile. That is not something that is good and holy. That isn’t right. It wasn’t “good fruit.”

Judas as well. Look at what he did. Even though he had been picked by Jesus to be a disciple, even though he may have seemed at a glance that he was a faithful follower of the Lord, the things that he did and his works showed who he really was. Did he love the poor? No he loved money. Did he love Jesus? If he had then he wouldn’t have delivered the Lord to the chief priests to be crucified. His works showed that he was corrupt.

Similar to when I planted certain seeds in the past, if you plant pumpkin seeds and zucchini seeds in the same pot you cannot tell which one they are until they begin to produce fruit. They look practically identical when the plants are young, but when mature the fruits are clearly shown.

So when someone looks at you… what do they see? When they see how you act, what do they see? Do they see your good works? Can they see through your life that you are a Christian? Can they see your faith? 

James 2:18-24  “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Can they see your “good fruit?”

In Christ,

Andrew

1 Peter 3:10  “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:”

Guile means deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, or dishonesty. It is the evil use of speech that is purposely meant to mislead or “trick.” The prime example of what guile is shown when the devil deceived Eve, all the way back in Genesis chapter 3. If you remember, all of the trees in the Garden of Eden were allowed to be eaten, with the exception of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That tree they were forbidden to eat of, but what did the devil say to Eve?

Genesis 3:1-5  “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Do you see how the devil through his deceiving speech beguiled Eve? The devil made it seem like it was okay to eat of that tree, claiming that they would be “as gods”. Through that deceitful, beguiling act the devil caused sin to happen. The devil tried to appear like he was telling Eve something as though he was helping her, but it was all done to cause sin.

Once again, guile is the purposeful misleading and deceptiveness used to mislead others. Someone may say that it is 5 o’clock, when it may actually be 6–if it is an honest mistake and not done in a way to try to deceive someone, that is not guile. It simply is a mistake. There has to be a dishonest motive behind it.

What happened in Acts 5 was an act of guile. In paraphrase, a man and his wife (Ananias and Sapphira) had sold a piece of land and had given the money to the church. But they had made it seem like that they had given the entire price’s worth of money, when they in fact hadn’t. Even when asked, instead of telling the truth, they tried to hide the fact that they had kept back some of the money. That is guile.

Acts 5:1-11  “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 

And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.”

When we speak it should be truthful, with no evil intent to be deceiving. Speaking the truth shows love and that is something that we all can do more of.

Psalms 34:13  “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.”

1 Peter 2:1-2  “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

Proverbs 13:3  “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”

Put away lying and deceit. Speak the truth! The Lord is the truth, and His word is truth. Keep your lips from evil.

In Christ,

Andrew

Goodmorning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to share something with you.

Scripture teaches that there is a prerequisite to answered prayer. One must abide in the teachings of Christ.  To abide means to accept or to act in accordance with certain rules.  Abide means to adhere to, to comply with, to conform to, and to follow.  Receiving things from God requires pleasing and obeying Him.

John 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

When we speak about conforming, it means to be obedient and compliant, transforming ourselves into another’s wishes.  We follow the will of God rather than our own.  

Romans 12:2  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.

Many people profess to believe in Jesus, but the Lord teaches that genuine belief will result in doing the same works that He did.  Because God sees a Christians faithful life towards Christ, they can pray to God, and He will hear from heaven and answer their prayer.

John 14:12-14  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Some people have a lack of communication with God because of their impenitent heart and a refusal to confess and repent of sin.  God listens to the penitent.  

1 Peter 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Proverbs 15:8  The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

To find favor in the sight of an Earthly dad, one must obey and please him.  Disobedience and rebellion only causes him to be upset with you, and results in not getting certain things that you may ask for.  Do you really think he will let you use the fishing boat if you won’t obey the things that he commands you to do?  Submission to his will goes a long way in receiving certain things that you may desire.

Hebrews 12:9  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?

Hebrews 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

When we walk lives of faithful obedience to God,….. He sees that, because nothing is hidden from His eyes.  Jesus is our perfect example.  He is God’s well beloved Son, who has always done the will of the heavenly Father.  God wants to answer our prayers because we keep His commandments.

1 John 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

In order to receive forgiveness with God, we must turn from sin.  We must desire change and obedience, and humbly confess our faults to Him.  God heard the prayer of the humble publican.

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.

The prayer of the Pharisee was filed with religious pride and arrogance, because of which, he couldn’t find forgiveness with God.  Just because people pray, doesn’t mean God will hear and answer them, it requires doing the will of God.

John 9:31  Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

Psalms 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Some people will become Christian for a certain period of time, but then disobediently rebel against the known will of God.  They simply don’t care anymore about turning from sin, because of which they can find no place repentance or prayer life with God.

Hebrews 12:16-17  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Willful and purposeful sin is eggregious with God.  You never want to go there.  Where there was once humble obedience, it is replaced by rebellion and impenitance.  God does not hear the prayer of such, and punishments will surely follow.

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.

God listens to the humble prayer of His obedient children.

Psalms 34:15-16  The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Proverbs 15:29  The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

Are you conforming to the will of God? Are you obediently abiding in His will and purpose? If so, we can know that……

……God is Listening

Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Please take note that we have absolutely no affiliation with any advertisement you might find on our posts. Thanks!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Goodmorning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1 John.

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Before we can find forgiveness with God or others,…. before we can obtain reconciliation with God or a brother,…. confession of sins must first take place.  If confession doesn’t happen, forgiveness is not going to happen.  If forgiveness doesn’t happen, reconciliation is not going to happen.  Confession must happen first, before the rest can follow suit.  Sometimes people become so filled up with pride that they refuse to admit fault.  Even when they have been made aware of something hurtful that they have done to another, they will reject the path of humble confession.  This is caused because of pride. We are called to confess faults to each other so that we can find grace with each other in times of need.  Confession must happen for healing to take place.

James 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Within the church, people make mistakes, but it is through humble confession and charitable forgiveness that relationships can be restored.  I have known numerous people who have apologized over and over to others, but no matter what they do, the other party holds a bitter grudge and refuses to forgive and forget, as God does with us.  One of God’s commandments in the New Testament is to forgive a brother who says ” I repent.”  We basically ask the same thing in the Lord’s prayer when we ask God to forgive us of our sins.  Those who won’t forgive and reconcile with others who have apologized to them, will not be forgiven by God.  This activity provokes our merciful God to anger.

Luke 17:3-4  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

The desire for the offended is for the offender to apologize so they can forgive them and reconciliation can happen.  After a few attempts, those who stubbornly refuse to apologize are supposed to be treated as a heathen, not a Christian, because in that state, they are wilfully rejecting the main tenets of the Christian faith.

Matthew 18:15-20  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

When two brothers are witness to the refusal of someone in the church to confess faults to those whom they have wronged, you are to have nothing to do with them.  In that carnal mindset, they are bound in a state of unforgiveness, and will not inherit eternal life either.  God doesn’t forgive sin without confession, and obviously a brother in the church cannot forgive another, unless the offender humbly admits their faults to them.  Without confession, forgiveness cannot happen.

Once confession is made, forgiveness can take place along with restoration and reconciliation of the former relationship.  When someone says ” I forgive you “, then you can partake of Holy Communion with each other, and wash your sins away in the blood of Christ, never to be spoken of again.  Those who bring up forgiven sins at a later date, reveal that they never really forgave the offender at all, and are found to be a liar.  Not only that, but they sin against the blood of Christ because they refused to forgive the penitent offender in the first place. They will miss out on paradise because of it.

So you see, confession, forgiveness and reconciliation is such a huge matter in the church in regards to our salvation, because it is a large part of the Christian Life.  Those who reject these three main issues are rejecting the Christian Life and everything Jesus stands for.  Those who choose to live like this are anti-christ, and you are not even supposed to pray for them because they abide in spiritual death.  They will reap the reward of an Impenitent heart.

1 John 5:16  If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

The truth is that if divine charity is present in a person’s heart, love will compel them to apologize to others.  Some people don’t want to apologize because that would mean they would have to repent and reconcile.  They would have to admit the truth, and it would be too embarrassing for them.  Because of their bitter heart, there is too much pride in their life to do that.  Confession is so important that if you refuse to do it, you condemn yourself.  Remember that God does not forgive everybody, otherwise there wouldn’t be a lake of fire.  He forgives those who confess fault.  He also requires that you confess fault with others you have wronged, before showing up at a church service bearing a gift.  Being in church, claiming to be a follower of Jesus, and not apologizing and reconciling with others, is to make yourself a hypocrite.  They claim to know Christ but in works they deny Him.

Matthew 5:23-24  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

People were confessing their faults to John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:1-2, 5-6  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,  And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Confession is the key that unlocks the door to forgiveness with God and others.  Without confession, people remain outside the grace of God.  

Psalms 32:5  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

Psalms 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

So remember, the key that unlocks the door to forgiveness,…… is confession.

Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Please take note that we have absolutely no affiliation with any advertisement you might find on our posts. Thanks!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

2 Thessalonians 2:15  “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.”

The art of cooking is something that has started to become a thing of the past in today’s modern families as each generation passes. With technology at the fingertips, it is so easy to order food from a restaurant and have it delivered directly to your door. This is a huge change from the way that the entire world has lived for thousands of years. Just a short 50 or 60 years ago it was a common thing for a wife to open up a recipe book and prepare a meal that had been passed down for years through the family. Specific ingredients, or precise methods that needed to be followed in order to achieve that specific recipe, and if it was followed correctly it would turn out the same, every time.

You could say that a having a special meal on a certain day could be considered a tradition if it has been done in the family for years. That is what a tradition is, a part of culture that is passed on from person to person or generation to generation.

In the topic verse today, it was Paul’s wish that the church would hold fast onto the traditions which they had been taught, both by what they had heard in the church and in the letters which they had received from the Apostles. He wanted them to hold onto them, meaning to keep them always in their mind, and to continue to abide in those teachings. 

1 Corinthians 11:1-2  “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.”

There things which Paul wrote he had learned from Christ, and he passed on those teachings to those underneath him. As Paul traveled throughout the countryside, preaching, he started a tradition for Christians to follow. Leaving us his letters to read and grow in, Paul’s teachings have become a very large part of our instruction of how we can be pleasing to God. To love others, not hate. To forgive, not to withhold forgiveness. To be filled with the fruits of the spirit. To live as Christ wants us to live, not as we want to live.

The Bible also gives very clear instructions of what we need to do if anyone who claims the name of Christ but doesn’t abide in His teachings. If someone doesn’t keep the traditions that are written down in the Bible then we need to withdraw ourselves from them.

2 Thessalonians 3:6  “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”

2 Thessalonians 3:14  “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.”

Romans 16:17  “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”

Have you made the teachings found in the Bible a tradition in your life? Are you keeping God’s word? 

In Christ,

Andrew

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

Hebrews 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

A promise is a declaration that something will, or will not be done.  We are given the promise of eternal life through Holy Scriptures, but in order to obtain that promise we must turn from sin and do the will of God.  

How many of you have been hired by an employer and been promised $15 an hour for your labor?  After putting in a 40 hour week, you reap that promise by getting your paycheck.  If you never show up for work, if you never do the things that are required, do you think that the employer is going to give you a paycheck at the end of the week?  To obtain the promise, it required something done on your part.  Scripture teaches us that we are saved by the grace of God, but we also play a part in our salvation by cooperating with God’s grace.  Doing God’s will is a requirement to obtain eternal life.  This is why the Apostle preached that faith without works is dead. Without works of obedience towards Christ, without the attempt to please Him and depart from sin, people will come up short.

James 2:17-26  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.  Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Abraham with so obedient to God that He brought his own son to the altar.  Moses was so obedient to God that he turned away from everything in Egypt.  The Apostle Paul was so obedient to God that he turned away from his former life, as a high up religious leader in Judaism, to preach the gospel of Christ.  We have been given the promise of eternal life, but those who are not going to walk according to God’s will are going to find themselves coming short of it.

Hebrews 4:1-2  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 

This verse clearly teaches that there is a requirement on your part to obtain the promise of eternal life.  It requires faithful obedience to the will of God.  Obedience is the evidence of our faith.  There are numerous people who are hired to do a job, but they are so lazy that they don’t want to do anything that is required of them to get a paycheck.  Some people who profess to be Christian are the same way.  They want to enter eternal life someday, yet at the same time completely refuse to do what is required on their part to obtain it.  This isn’t faith at all.  James refers to it as a dead faith.  Genuine faith results in repentance and obedience to God.

Matthew 21:28-32  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 asked your dad to use the truck on the weekend?  He promises to let you use it, but you need to get all of your weekly chores done first.  Obviously if you don’t get your chores done, you will miss out on obtaining the promise that he gave you.  You needed to do something that was required on your part, but you chose not to do it.  We are given great hope through God’s grace.  We are giving the promise of eternal life, but in order to obtain it, we must use God’s forgiveness as a springboard, to launch us into a brand new life of obedience to God.  We are supposed to become new creatures in Christ, but if that person never appears, and never chooses to convert and lovingly obey Christ, people will come short of heaven.  Some people live their lives as though they have already obtained heaven, but the truth is, we are not in paradise yet.  The place where we currently reside is called Earth. We haven’t even gone to judgement day yet.  We haven’t yet heard the words, well done thou good and faithful servant.  Some people pridefully commend themselves, but in order to obtain eternal life, one must be commended by Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:12, 18  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.  For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Paradise is reward for the faithfully obedient.  If people are going to be willfully disobedient by rejecting biblical truth, they will earn the reward for disobedience, eternal punishment. Heaven is a pure sinless place, and this is why we need to prepare now, by shunning the sinful deeds of the carnal nature.

Isaiah 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

We are giving promise, but to obtain it, we must convert and do the will of God.  This proves your love towards God and His Son.  It doesn’t matter if someone claims to be a follower of Jesus, it ultimately comes down to obeying His purpose.  Rebellion never pleases God, and it certainly isn’t love for Him. 

Beloved,…beware, lest any of you end up at the judgement and find yourself…..

….Coming up Short

Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

tlkjbc.wordpress.com

Please take note that we have absolutely no affiliation with any advertisement you might find on our posts. Thanks!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Matthew 10:16  “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

To be wise means to show good judgment in a situation. For an example, let us imagine that you are standing on one side of a deep ravine, and your destination is on the other side. There are only two paths to get across that ravine, one of them being an old, shaky rope bridge with boards that look like they are over a hundred years old, and then you have a train trestle which regularly supports the weight of a train crossing over it every day. Each path is right next to the other. Which option would you choose?

Wisdom tells us that one choice is potentially a very dangerous and risky path to take, so hopefully we would all have chosen to cross on the strong train trestle. We are aware of certain dangers that could possibly happen so we arm ourselves with that knowledge and proceed to act accordingly.

Not everyone in the world is a Christian. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is one either. To make this determination we need to be wise, testing the spirits to see if they are indeed of God, or if they are not. That is what the word test means, to put to the proof; to prove the truth, genuineness, or quality of by experiment, or by some principle or standard; to try.

Maybe you have watched a jeweler carefully examine a diamond using special magnification glasses or a magnifying glass itself in order to determine if a jewel is real or if it is a fake. The manufacturing of fake diamonds has gotten so good in recent years that it takes close scrutiny and examination to tell a real one from a fake.

The Bible is our magnifying glass with which we can use to examine whether somebody is truly a Christian or not. Whether they are a sheep of God or if they are a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” It is these types of people whom Peter warned of. False prophets, false teachers, teaching heresies and leading astray the sheep of God.

2 Peter 2:1-3  “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.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

Thankfully we have not been left blind. Through diligent study of God’s word we will be able to discern right from wrong. We will know the truth from a lie, even if that lie appears at first to be the truth, because we have become wise through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We will be able to examine others, testing them to see if someone truly is of the Holy Spirit, or if it is just the spirit of the devil in disguise.

1 John 4:1-6  “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

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.”

Search the scriptures, for therein lies our salvation. Use that “magnifying glass” and you will always know the spirit of truth from the spirit of error. Use that wisdom and you will always tell the true gems from the fake.

In Christ,

Andrew

Goodmorning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to share something with you.

For many years, our family has been involved collecting pine cones for the purpose of replanting the forest.  Some years we have picked so many cones that we actually see them in our sleep! Loggers in our area will clear large tracts of mature trees to sell for much needed pulp or lumber, but the fields need to be replanted and reseeded for future harvests.  The seeds are extracted from the cones that we pick, many of which are then air dropped by helicopter.  A few years later, Andrew and I can stand in a field that was once empty and bare, and see all the new growth developing from underneath.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

Each of us is like a pine cone, filled with the seed of God’s Word that someone has sown inside of our hearts.  But like a pine cone eventually opens up to release its seed, we who have been educated in scripture must do the same.  Someone needs to be preaching God’s Word, taking the things that have been handed down to you, and giving it to future generations. Just as God created living seed inside a pinecone to replicate itself, we must allow the seed of God’s Word to mature in our hearts, and then distribute it to others, so it can produce other men of God.  To bear fruit, the seed must be planted into the good soil of an obedient heart.

Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.  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.  But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

You certainly won’t have fruit if you never plant a seed.  The Lord Jesus called out to men to preach, like laborers chosen to plant new seedlings in the ground.  The main problem is that the laborers are few. To eventually bear Spiritual fruit, one must plant the Spiritual seed of God’s Word into somebody’s heart. The Christian life is advanced through teaching and preaching and requires that somebody sow the incorruptible seed, the Word of God.  We are like a pine cone, filled up with the seeds of God’s Word, but just like a pine cone matures and opens up, we must open up, in order to distribute the seed that we have been given by God.

Romans 10:14  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Everywhere that the Apostle Paul went, he was preaching and teaching God’s Word. He was discipling and leading others to follow him in the teachings of the Christian faith.  Those who were faithful, would go out and disciple others.  A disciple is an apprentice, or trainee who is under the care and supervision of another, learning and maturing through the passed on knowledge of another.  Someone who works at a store might be called an assistant manager who is being trained in the requirements needed to become a full time manager in the future.  Someone who goes into basic training in the military is being taught how to become a soldier.  Think of the numerous soldiers that a drill instructor may have trained in their life.  Look at the people that the Apostle Paul has trained in the Christian life, and continues to train people even today, through his Spirit filled teachings and writings.  Look what God can do with a man who felt that he was the chief of sinners.  Through Gods grace, look at the fruit that conversion can produce in somebody’s life.  Paul’s life was a gift to the church.

Ephesians 4:11-13  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  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:

Have you ever noticed how a son can take on the physical appearance of their dad? At times, they can look almost identical in the flesh, but this is simply on the exterior.  The Apostle Paul was duplicating himself and his beliefs in the hearts of others.  Although the Apostle Paul was a bachelor, he certainly had many Spiritual sons in the faith whom he had taught.  Timothy was one such man.  He was one of Paul’s Spiritual fruits.  Everything that Paul believed was instilled inside the receptive heart of Timothy.  To meet Timothy was to meet the Apostle Paul, because they both shared the exact same religious beliefs.  When you plant tomato seeds, you get tomatoes.  When you plant Jackpine seed, you get a Jackpine tree. When you plant the spiritual seed of God’s Word into someone’s heart, it can result in a man of God.

Philippians 2:22  But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

If we are going to bear 30, 60 or even 100 fruit in our lives, its going to require faithful preaching and teaching of God’s Word to others, and abiding in Christ.

John 15:1-5  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

We can always know the kind of man the Apostle Paul was through the lives of those he taught.  

Matthew 12:33 ….. for the tree is known by his fruit.

Jackpine seed will produce a Jackpine tree.  Tamarack seed will produce a tamarack tree. The seed of God’s Word will produce a man of God.  What kind of seeds are you planting?

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. 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 is this life? What is our purpose, and why did God create us? 

Take a look around you someday and look at how much money and time that people have sunken into the things which they own. Now imagine if instead of possessing all of those things that they decided to be content with the simple things of life, and use the rest of their time to serve God. Instead of working for a year to pay off their car payments they could have spent that year teaching the word of God. They could have spent time helping others.

Take note of how the Lord lived, as well as the lives of His apostles. Were they focused on storing up money, treasures or other worldly possessions for themselves? No. They lived simply and instead of trying to acquire money and possessions while on the Earth.

But you see that is what so many people have gotten all wrong. They feel that they haven’t “made it” in this life if they don’t have a giant beautiful house, a wardrobe filled with expensive fine clothing, and all of the other things that the world has to offer. 

Luke 12:13-21  “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.

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Look to John the Baptist as well. Look at the simple life that he lived. As Jesus told His disciples, those who were gloriously clothed lived in king’s courts, but John was clothed with camel’s hair. John didn’t have a gigantic mansion to live in, but God took care of him. He may not have had riches and wealth while on this Earth but he certainly will in Heaven, because that is where he stored his riches at.

Now, this is not to say that money cannot be used for good and to help others, because it can. There are many people who have enough money to start a business just to help provide jobs for those in need of employment. Yes, money can be used to fulfill one’s own desires and to please oneself, but it can also be used in several different ways to help others. It just depends on the usage of it. 

Money, wealth, riches and treasures–these things are all temporary. There is nothing that you can gain during your lifetime that you will be able to take with you when you die. I have read about how some of the pharaoh’s of Egypt had been buried with their gold and treasure, with the belief that they would have it in the afterlife. But all that you can see on this Earth will remain on this Earth. If you want to have treasure in heaven then you need to spend your time now preparing, storing it up for that day.

The Earth and all in it will not last forever, so why spend so much time trying to get it? Do you want to know a wise use of your time? Don’t be concerned with what you can get now, but be focused on the treasures that will last you forever. Live your life for the Lord and lay up your treasure in heaven! Be rich towards God!

In Christ,

Andrew