“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

The word “grudging” means, “in a manner expressing resentment or lack of desire.” With some synonyms being petulant, or unwilling.

Have any of you ever been around someone who definitely was not “cheerful?” I sometimes think of it as a group of people singing Christmas carols. Maybe you have a group of six or seven people singing with a happy and light heart, laughing and having fun. But one of those six or seven people just doesn’t sound like the others. Their voice, instead of being filled with pep and joy, is just monotone and emotionless. You can tell that their heart truly isn’t filled with joy.

On one’s birthday or especially around Christmas, the exchanging and giving of gifts is a common practice. I can recall receiving all sorts of gifts on my birthday and Christmas, toys, clothes, games, candy; all of them given to me free of charge and with a smiling face.

Suppose for an example if it was your birthday and you had a bunch of friends and family over, how would you feel if someone gave you a gift, but you could tell that they really didn’t want to give it to you? You could tell by the way their voice sounded and the way they acted that they weren’t giving you a gift because they wanted to, but because they felt pressured and forced to. Would you want to receive a gift from someone who had that kind of “giving” spirit?

It really wouldn’t be the kind of gift that you would want to receive, would it? A true gift given to someone will be done with a willing, cheerful spirit. It will be given because you love and care for that person.

One more example: lets say you go to a restaurant for dinner and ordered your meal, but when the waiter brought out your food, they slammed it down on the table and gruffly said, “How’s that? Is that good enough for you?” It would kind of set a bad tone for the rest of the dinner, wouldn’t it?

Who would really want to receive something from someone who seemed rather upset that they had to do it in the first place? It just doesn’t “sit right” with you. 

Which is what Paul was writing about in 2 Corinthians 9. Paul taught that if someone was going to give to support Paul or the church, that they should take up a collection beforehand. That way, whatever they wanted to give wouldn’t be viewed as covetnous on Paul’s part, and they could give something freely. 

When you sing to the Lord, it is a gift of our voices to the Lord in praise to Him for His wonderful works, grace, mercy, and love. It is a way that we can express our thanks to Him for everything He does, therefore it should be done in a cheerful, joyful manner. Not in a “ho-hum” bland fashion. Give to the Lord a voice of praise that is cheerful, because you love Him.

As we are to do whatever we do heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, (Colossians 3:23) we should do everything with cheerfulness. If the Lord asked you to do something for Him, would you slowly shuffle along, grumbling and angry, or would you jump right to it, cheerfully? That is what we need to do. 

And that is something that I am sure that nearly everyone can work on perfecting in their lives. Giving cheerfully; whether it is of your time, possessions, labor, finances, whatever. Do it willingly and with a cheerful heart. 

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from Psalms 118 but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a story.

I can remember a warm late spring day when I was in elementary school. It was such a beautiful day that the teacher decided to take us all outside for gym class. We didn’t even need our jackets. I was told to go grab a rubber ball from the gym room and meet everyone outside in the playground.

I wasn’t a very athletic kid, and neither were most of the other kids. When I got outside I saw that they had already begun to pick teams for the kickball game.

There was one boy who was very tall and big. For a sixth grader he appeared like a senior in high school. It seemed that no matter what side he happened to be on, the team would certainly win. He would kick that ball so far back out into the woods that somebody would have to go run and get it. By the time they finally got back everybody who was on base had scored.

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever been on the side that just couldn’t lose?

Ps 118:6-7. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

Think for a moment about having God on your side. Think about all the battles that you can win when he fights them for you.

Deuteronomy 3:22 – Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.

Think about when Moses was backed up against the Red Sea with the Israelites. It was God who split the Red Sea and completely annihilated the Egyptian Army. The more Pharaoh resisted God, the worse it got for him. Vengeance belongs to the Lord and He will repay.

Deuteronomy 20:4 – For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Let’s take a look at the example of Jericho.

Joshua 6:1-5 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

² And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

³ And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

⁴ And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

⁵ And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

The Lord of all glory, Jesus Christ came down to this earth to save us. He is our protector and our deliverer, who laid down his own life at the cross for our salvation. He fights the battles for those who have faith and trust Him.

Rom 8:31-32 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

³² He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Ps 118:6-7. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me.

⁷ The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

God will avenge his own elect. The battle Belongs to Him. With God on our side, all things are possible.

Hebrews 13:6 – So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

To help somebody means to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; and assist.

As I’ve said numerous times, God is the greatest helper that we could ever have. He takes care of us, he provides for us, any He fights our enemies for us.

Psalms 56:9 – When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

Jeremiah 1:8 – Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

To deliver means to rescue. The Lord rescued Apostle Paul from numerous persecutions.

2 Tim 3:11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

2 Cor 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Joshua 1:9 – Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

With God on our side we cannot lose. He freely gives us all things including victory over our enemies.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 – Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

Fighting against Jesus is a losing battle.

Jeremiah 20:11 – But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.

So as I said at the beginning, have you ever been on the side that just couldn’t lose? With Christ Jesus on our side there is no battle we can’t win!

That’s where I’m going to stop for right now but Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.♥️

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“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.” John 6:53-57

When blood flows through your veins it is like gasoline in a car. The gas comes out of your gas tank, travels through the fuel lines all the way to the front of the vehicle until it reaches the engine. The spark plugs in the engine then spark to ignite the fuel and the engine then runs. In a way, it is “alive.”

The other day we had gone and gotten a few supplies from town, and on the way back home our truck ran out of gas. It is an older truck and a wire that sends the signal to the fuel gauge is broken so I couldn’t tell how much gas was left in the tank. When the engine runs out of fuel, it no longer runs. It sputters as the last of the gas fumes are burnt, and then it “dies.” Because our truck has two gas tanks, I switched over to the other tank and the gas flowed back into the motor and started back up and we made it back home.

In much the same way, when someone loses too much blood, their bodies will die. The heart pumps the blood through the entire body via the veins, delivering oxygen to each part of the body. But if someone is in an accident and loses too much blood, the body will start to shut down and become weaker until it dies. 

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood…” Leviticus 17:11

The life of the flesh is in the blood, so it makes sense that because we are mortal and Jesus is immortal, and that our mortal bodies contain mortal blood, that when we partake of the body and blood of Christ through Communion our souls can continue to live, even after our earthly bodies pass away. 

I have written about this before, but when the plagues went through Egypt, the Hebrews were commanded to put the blood of a Lamb on the sides and top of the door of their house. When the firstborn of the people of Egypt where killed, the Hebrews were protected by the blood of the lamb, and were saved. And for the thousands of years leading up to the arrival of Christ, every year the Jews would observe the Passover and thank God for delivering them from bondage.

When Jesus came, He gave us His blood so that we too can be saved. As the blood of the lamb protected the Hebrews in Egypt, the blood of Christ protects and saves our souls from destruction. We observe His great sacrifice to us when we have Holy Communion. 

“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrace of me. 

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” 1 Corinthians 11:24:-26

So the next time you partake of Holy Communion, remember what it means. Through the blood that Jesus shed for you on the cross, you can have everlasting life. Through the blood of Christ, you can live forever.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from Rom 12 but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

Do you ever eat wild food from the woods? Maybe you went out one time and picked blackberries or blueberries or even raspberries. We seem to have a lot of these up in our neck of the woods. Our family has eaten our fill of wild berry pies in years past, but have you ever been out mushroom hunting before? I really enjoy picking wild mushrooms and it helps to have a nice crew to help find them. Sometimes I think the young children are better at picking them because they are half our height and closer to the ground! Right around our area I’ve eaten red-capped scaber stalks, the shaggymanes, oysters, and one of the most delicious is the Chanterelle. One of my young boys has gotten so good at mushroom picking that he picked a 4 gallon bucket in about 25 minutes.

There is one other kind of mushroom that I eat that I’m going to talk about today. It’s very easy for the children to find because it looks almost like an orange sitting on the ground. It’s called a lobster mushroom. Actually, it’s not a mushroom at all but a fungus. What it does is change a mushroom into something completely different then what it originally was. This fungus transforms a completely non-edible mushroom into something delicious, edible and wonderful!

Rom 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.

The word transform means to make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of something. Something transformed has become different from what it was: When we become a Christian and become submersed and baptized into the name of Jesus Christ, we begin a new walk with God. We are like little children who take our very first steps. It’s a complete rebirth which the Lord Jesus speaks about as being born again.

John 3:7 – Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Being born again is a process of being transformed from what you used to be in this world to a completely different person. Instead of following after the way of the world, you begin to follow the way of Christ. Transformation is the direct result of accepting the truth of scripture and the things that Jesus taught, and applying it daily to your life.

John 3:3 – Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

This transformation begins with genuine belief and trust in God’s Word.

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

For many years when I’ve cleaned Lobster mushrooms I’ve always looked at them as a mushroom that has been reborn into something new. They completely take on a different form, characteristics and color.

For an example of an incredible transformation all we have to do is take a look at the life of the Apostle Paul. At one time he was a very high leader in Judaism, a pharisee. He was persecuting Christian churches believing at the time that they were heretical. Later on he was born again and believed the truth that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. He accepted that he was the chief of sinners, and called upon the name of the Lord Jesus to get forgiven for his sins. A lot of the New Testament that we have today was written at the hand of Paul. Look what God can do with a forgiven sinner! Look at the transformation that can happen when you truly have faith in Christ. Paul had truly become a new man.

Colossians 3:10 – And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

To become what God wants us to be, we have to submit to his leading and the teachings of scripture. Our minds have to be completely renewed. To renew something means to become new or as new.

Have you ever known anybody to take an old antique car and completely restore it to the point it looks like it just rolled off the assembly line? Have you ever known people to take old furniture or collectibles and repair and clean them up so they look brand-new once again?

This is what God wants to do to each of us. Through his grace and his mercy he wants to forgive us of our sins and our entire past so that he can change us into something brand new. A brand new person, who many people will not recognize from the past. A brand new person who was once serving the ways of the world but is now serving Christ. A brand new person with a new mind and a new heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 – A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

In the world today there are many actors who play parts in theater and movies that undergo such a radical change in their physical appearance that you wouldn’t even recognize that it was them anymore. What God wants to do is a radical transformation inside each of our hearts. He wants to take a person who was once filled with hate and fill them with love. He wants to change the merciless into a merciful person. He wants to turn a thief, into a giver. Each of us have come from different places and directions in our lives, but God wants us to be transformed into new creatures.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Will you allow God to do a change inside of your heart? We each need to be a Lobster mushroom, and allow ourselves to be both transformed and consumed by His mercy and love. We need to become something different than what we were in the past, and I’m reminded of this every time I go out…..

…….Mushroom Hunting

Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.

tlkjbc.com♥️

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to talk about a passage of scripture from John 8 but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

How many things in your lifetime have you actually believed to be true at one time, but then later realized that they were false?  From what I’ve read, people actually believed that Bulls got angry when they saw the color red in a bullfight. Many people has have dismissed that as a myth. How many people have heard that George Washington had a set of wooden teeth? That also has been disproven by numerous people as a myth. Many people believe that this myth began when his teeth became stained and gave the appearance of wood. Living up here in northern Minnesota, I had been taught from a young age to keep away from porcupines because they could shoot their quills at you from a long distance. This is a complete myth, although their quills can detach easily when they are touched.

This reminds me of the Christian Life.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. In order to inherit eternal life someday we have to believe the truth of God’s word and completely dismiss false teachings .

In the world today there are so many forms of false Christianity who have perverted the way of Christ and the true teachings of the church. What we need to do is come back to the teachings of scripture and believe what it says so that we can become pleasing unto God and do his will. We must believe the truth to inherit eternal life.

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

Whenever we go out fishing for sunfish on our lake, we put down the anchor from our boat. When the winds arise on the lake, that anchor is what holds us firmly in place. It’s the same as biblical truth. It’s the truth that guides us and leads us and shows us the correct direction in our lives. The more biblical truth that is placed inside of our hearts the less of worldly lies that we believe. We are capable of discerning truth from error, right from wrong, and philosophy from spirituality.

Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, it’s very easy to be deceived and led astray, but Jesus is a beacon of Truth who guides us through this dark world of lies and deception.

John 8:31-32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The Lord teaches us that in order to know truth we need to continue in his word. It is through His Word that we are purified in our hearts and in our minds.

John 17:17 – Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Sanctify means to be made free from sin. In order for that to happen you must first believe God’s Word.

John 15:3 – Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

It Is by God’s Word that we are purified and cleansed from our sinful condition.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Notice it teaches that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. All means the whole or entire quantity. As a drink quenches our thirst, scripture is there to quench the hearts of those who seek the truth.

John 16:13 – Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Lord Jesus and His Holy Word guides us in the truth. He guides us in the right direction.

2 Samuel 7:28 – And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:

Many years ago I used to do a lot of snowshoeing. When you’re out in the woods and a snowstorm came up, it really helped to have a compass with you. It would guide you in the direction of true north so that you could find your way home. God’s word is a compass for each of us and keeps us from being deceived from all the lies in the world.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 – But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

In order to be purified we need to believe God’s word, because only then will we accept it and allow it to convert and change our hearts and minds.

Psalms 12:6 – The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Ephesians 4:21 – If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Ephesians 5:26 – That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,   

2 Timothy 2:25-26 – In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

To truly enter into a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ we need to acknowledge the truth of scripture instead of believing the lies and philosophies that are taught each day in this world.

1 Pet 1:22-23 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

We are born again through believing the truth of God’s word. Do you believe in what it teaches, or do you continue to believe the myths and the false teachings of the world?  Like me, have you learned the lesson of…..

…..The Porcupine

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 pod-casts.  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

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

If you were on the top floor of a burning building and someone came to rescue you, would you go with them? Would you accept their help, and get to safety, or would you tell them, “No, I can save myself. Go away.” I’m sure you would accept their help.

There have been several severe and deadly hurricanes in the United States over the years. As the hurricane gets closer to land, the rains get heavier and the houses by the ocean get flooded. And for those who didn’t leave their home and get some place safe, they are left with a choice: either get up on their rooftops and wait to be rescued, or drown in the water. Helicopters and boats will pass by, searching for those in need of rescue. Could you imagine the shock on a rescuers face if a person refused to go with them to safety? That would be just unthinkable, wouldn’t it?

Or what if someone had been convicted of a crime and were sentenced to prison in death row, awaiting execution, but someone offered them complete freedom if they simply came with them? What do you think they would do? Would they take that offer, or would they refuse it and wait to be executed? They have a choice to make.

The world is that prison, filled with billions of inmates all sentenced with a death penalty. For thousands of years this world has hosted countless billions of people, all of them condemned because of sin. If only they had the opportunity to be set free and saved. Well I have news for them: there is Someone who wants to set them free. Someone is offering to forgive every sin they have done. His name is Jesus.

Jesus wants to set everyone free from their sins. Old, young, black, white, male, female. He wants to save them all. 

He gives everyone a choice: the choice to be saved from their sin and receive everlasting life, or push His outstretched hand away, and hold onto their sins and be condemned to eternal damnation. One would think that this would a simple and obvious choice, but there are many who don’t want to be saved. They won’t accept the free gift of salvation.

You only get one life while on the Earth. One life to make the choice of whether you will make that decision to reach out for the hand of Christ to be saved. Salvation is available to all, and it doesn’t cost a single penny. 

“But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the graceof God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” Romans 5:15

Will you make that choice? Will you let go of your sins and allow Christ to be the Savior of your soul? Don’t make the mistake of trying to save yourself; it cannot be done. Jesus is reaching out His hand to save you, will you grab it?

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture from 1st Peter chapter 5, but before we do that I want to ask you a question.

How many times have you done the things that your dad told you to do? Have you ever been told to shovel the sidewalk in the winter or cut the lawn in the summer? Maybe he told you to milk the cows or paint the deck. Did you submit to what he told you to do? Submission is a great example of love for somebody who is an authority over you.

Submit means to accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person. Submission is an act of submitting to the authority or control of another.

Think about a dad who leaves for work and tells his wife to make sure that the house is clean when he gets home because we’re having guests. Being in submission to him shows love.

Again, submission is yielding to the control and will of somebody who is over you.

This is exactly what we pray for in the Lords prayer, thy will be done. In order to do God’s will we have to be in submission to Him. Jesus obeys his Heavenly Father perfectly.

1 Peter 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.

Submission is learned at a very young age and it begins in the home. A dad has been ordained by God to lead his home. The children are supposed to submit completely to his authority just as the wife. A family can either follow the leadership that God has placed in their lives or they can rebel against him. The Apostle Paul believed that submission needed to begin in the home with a wife towards her husband.

The Apostle Peter teaches us today that each of us are supposed to be subject one to another. This means you need to be in subjection to whoever God has placed in your life as your Authority.

Again, a dad leads his home. He has been commissioned by God to this place, but he’s not in submission to his children. The dad does not submit to the children but the children submit to the dad. That would be completely backwards like driving down a highway in reverse. It’s completely unacceptable. ( By the way, driving down the highway in that manner would be completely unacceptable to a sheriff who would pull you over with the authority that he’s been given by God.)

The Lord Jesus teaches a parable about submitting to another’s will and ultimately obeying them.

Matt 21:28-32

²⁸ 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.

²⁹ He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

³⁰ And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

³¹ 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.

³² 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.

In order to do the will of somebody else it requires obedience and submission. It requires humility. Humility has to do with being meek before God. A meek person is overly submissive and compliant. The Apostle teaches us to wear humility in our lives like a garment for all to see.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Before honor is humility.

Matthew 23:12 – And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

We need to obey them that have the rule over us who ultimately are the apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

In the church the apostles want to save our souls but we need to learn to obey and become compliant with them. They are teaching and pointing us to Christ for salvation.

Heb 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?

Ephesians 5:21 – Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

A lack of submission shows a lack of fear for God.

Ephesians 5:24 – Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

An example of obedient submission in the home is a faithful submissive wife. The children see that submission and obedience and later on in life they learn to obey authorities in the world.

Ephesians 5:22 – Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Remember that God actively resists pride.

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

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

Proverbs 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.

It’s much easier to simply submit and obey those who have the rule over you. God is watching and will certainly bless you.

I think that’s where I’m going to stop for right now, but Lord willing we will talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everyone.♥️

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Good morning and welcome in today today were to take a look at at a passage of scripture from Micah chapter 6 but before we do that I wanted to ask you a question.

Can you pick out two or three things in your life that’s you really love? Up here in northern Minnesota a lot of people love to go fishing. It’s really a lot of fun to catch a big fish. Many other people would say I love to spend time with my kids. They love to be together with them and go canoeing or four wheeling. Many other people really love riding a motorcycle. They like driving down the highway and feeling that cool breeze running through their hair on a hot July day.

The word love is a very strong word. It’s a very strong emotion to possess. Do you know what God wants us to love with a consuming passion? He wants us to love Mercy.

Micah 6:8 – He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Do you know what the word mercy really means? It is showing compassion and forgiveness towards someone who it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

For an example, think about a child who does something really wrong at home to his mother. She tells the boy that when her dad gets home he’s going to have to punish him. With great fear and respect of his dad, he runs back into his bedroom and closes the door and starts to cry.

Just then his dad starts to walk through the front door. The mother starts to explain the incident to him. He walks through the bedroom door and the boy starts screaming and begging for mercy. He says I’m so sorry for what I did and I truly regret it in my heart. Please forgive me.

The dad sits down gently next to the boy on the bed as he sobs. You know what my son? Because of your soft-hearted apology I can tell you my three favorite words…. I forgive you.

God wants us to love Mercy. That is what he requires out of each of us.

Luke 6:36 – Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

God the father is so merciful with us. If one is professing to be a follower of Jesus Christ, we want to be filled with this quality. When people apologize and reconcile like The Prodigal Son did with his dad, we need to be forgiving with others, understanding how much God has already forgiven us. We must learn to forgive because God will not, if we refuse to extend to others the the same gift that we have received from Him.

James 2:13 – For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Do you really want to be blessed in your life? If you’re blessed you are enjoying the Bliss of Heaven. It’s being divinely favored by God. Here are a group of people who are blessed by Him.

Matthew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 9:9-13 

⁹ And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

¹⁰ And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

¹² But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

¹³ But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance..

Instead of bringing a sacrifice to be offered to God, before bringing an offering to the church, God wants us to go show mercy to others. Many people in the world today are sick in the darkness of their unforgiven sins. Jesus wants to heal them and make them whole again. It doesn’t matter what path they’ve come from, it doesn’t matter what they’ve done, His mercy waits for us each day.

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We’re not good enough because we’re just sinners. Nothing we could ever do could redeem ourselves in the eyes of God. There’s only one who God has provided as a sacrifice for our sins, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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.

Many people out in the world today have really dirty jobs. They come home and they’re full of grease and oil dirt and mud, but it sure feels good to step into a shower and watch all that dirt go down the drain. God wants to wash the dirt of sin in our lives down the drain. Praise Him for His abundant Mercy.

1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

As we learn from The Book of Micah today what does God require of us?

Colossians 3:12 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Lamentations 3:22-23 – It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Do you want to be blessed? Go and show mercy then.

That’s where I’m going to stop right now, but Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody.♥️

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“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

If someone is bitter it means that they are hateful or hostile. Like if a person is still angry about something that happened years ago, you would say that they are still bitter about something. A bitter person is “cynical and resentful.” 

Bitterness in a person will not be forgiving. It will not forget the sin or mistakes that someone has done, and move past it. It will not try to resolve the problem, but will sit and “stew.” They will not forgive and move on, but will continue to hold a grudge.

As a child, someone might have been bullied by another classmate, or teased or pushed around. Once they get older, maybe the “bullly” will come up to that other person and apologize for their behavior when they were younger. Right there that person came forward and apologized for the way they had acted, and it is up to the other person what to do next. They can either be cold-hearted, unforgiving, and bitter and refuse to grant the other forgiveness, or they can do what the Lord Jesus commands us to do. Forgive. 

Wrath is great anger. 

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” Ephesians 4:26

The anger this is written about is anger that leads to sin. Jesus was angry because of people’s unbelief, but He didn’t use that anger to sin against others. 

“And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.” Mark 3:5

His anger didn’t lead to sin. He was grieved because of their unbelief, but His anger didn’t lead to sin. Suppose for a moment that someone wronged you in some way, maybe someone accidently broke your window somehow. You obviously might be upset or angry at what had happened, but we are taught to not let that anger continue to linger into the next day. We need to let that anger go. 

“…let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Don’t continue to live day after day in anger and bitterness towards another person. Forgive and forget. When someone repents and asks for forgiveness, don’t bring up that subject anymore. When the Lord forgives us, our sins are taken away, and He remembers them no more.

We are called to love one another, not hate. And love for your neighbor will forgive.

Maybe you have heard the reference that someone’s eyes were “black with rage.” Meaning, the pupils in their eyes dilate (get bigger) so their eyes appear black. This sometimes happens when someone gets angry. Someone’s eyes normally look a certain color, blue, brown, green etc. But when the pupil dilates, the dark pupil is far more noticeable and the eyes look black. And that is kind of similar to this passage in 1 John 2. 

“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 

He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:9-11

Someone who hates a brother is in darkness, just like how the eye’s of a person appear dark black when angry. The hate for a neighbor blinds them, and they don’t walk in the truth, and forgive. 

“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:36

Don’t let yourself be blinded by hate. Don’t be bitter or let your anger cause you to sin. Forgive, as God has forgiven you. And forgive, remembering those sins no more, as the Lord has done for all.

In Christ,

Andrew

Good morning, and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a this passage of scripture.

1 Tim 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

The end actually means a final part of something, or to bring to a final point and finish. Have you ever competed in a race before? Many people like to run a 26 mile marathon and as soon as they cross that finish line, it is the end of the race. It has been completed.

The apostle Paul begins by teaching us today, that the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart. This is what we are trying to achieve as a Christian.

John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Perfectness is the character or state of being perfect or complete. It doesn’t have a defect or a blemish.

Have you ever taken wood glue and glued two pieces of wood together? You spread the glue, and then you put a couple of clamps on your project. The next day when you go out to take a look at it, you cannot pull those two pieces apart no matter how hard you try. A bond is something that securely joins two things together.

True charity is called the bond of perfection. It’s what holds the church together. It’s what holds a marriage together. It’s what holds a family together. It is truly the end of the commandment because that’s ultimately what the Lord teaches throughout the scriptures, to love one another perfectly.

1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

When you do something in a fervent manner, it’s having or displaying with passionate intensity. It’s exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling warmth, and enthusiasm. One other definition says showing strong and sincere feelings and beliefs.

My son and I have to go to the gas station to replace one of the items that we run out of when we’re welding. We use bottled oxygen. The oxygen is so pure when it’s mixed with a little acetylene or propane it will cut through very thick steel. It burns so hot and bright it reminds me of how our hearts are supposed to be.

If you truly have divine charity in your heart, you are going to be very forgiving with other people. All of us have made mistakes. Each of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In the church when someone approaches you and regrets something that they have done and offers an apology, its charity that forgives.

Again, the apostle teaches to have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. In order to have forgiveness, what must we do? Someone needs to rebuke or express disapproval for something that you have done to them. The second part is the person needs to approach them and apologize.

When you say I’m sorry, you’re admitting that you’re at fault. I’ve taught many, many times that pride has great difficulty admitting fault or saying I’m sorry. Apologies are simply stating that you are sorry and regret what happened. It’s water under the bridge. Let’s move on. Let’s forget that it ever happened and never talk about it again. That is what we are trying to attain in the Christian church because it’s being merciful as God is merciful with us.

In order to get forgiven with God we need to confess fault. We also need to confess our faults to each other. True forgiveness completely forgets the past and reconciles. Jesus reconciles us to God so that we can be in Heaven with Him someday for all eternity. That’s why the Apostle Peter teaches to have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Many times in our home when the kids were younger, we would find new writings in certain places on the walls. They would draw with a crayon or a pencil, or even a permanent marker. As you walked around the house you would discover scribble marks, and games of tic tac toe. Then one day, I came home with brand new pieces of sheet rock. Once I put the sheetrock up, everything was completely covered and gone from view.

That’s what love does. It covers sin. That is what the blood of our precious Lord does for us. Each of us has faults and misdeeds, but through what Jesus did at the cross, we can be forgiven.

Imagine somebody claiming to forgive you but a month later they keep bringing up the same issue over and over and over again. What’s the old saying, they’re digging up bones. Charity forgives.

1 Cor 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.When you abide in something it means to remain stable or fixed. If you truly love Jesus, you will remain a follower of His and also adhere to the things that he taught.

John 14:15.  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

If you abide, it means to obey, or to follow a course.

First Peter 1:22

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

In order to maintain love in the church. We need to apologize to forgive to forget and reconcile with others. That’s what Christ has done for us so that we could be reconciled unto God. Charity covers the multitude of sins.

Forgiveness is what the entire Christian faith is based on. Forgive and you shall be forgiven.

I think that’s where I’m going to stop right now but Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. till then bye-bye everybody♥️

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