Faith and Works

Nehemiah 4:9,14, 20~

(Nehemiah, and the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem
while their enemies tried to stop them.)

An excellent way faith and works should be practiced~
"BUT WE PRAYED TO GOD~~~AND WE SET UP
A GUARD DAY AND NIGHT."
~and the verses following tell how they worked, defended themselves,
but also relied on God.
"DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THEM,
REMEMBER THE LORD WHO IS GREAT AND AWESOME,
OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US."
There are also lessons here on spiritual warfare.

Valuable Teachers

Ezra 7:6, 10~

"Ezra went up from Babylon,
and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses.
~Ezra had set his heart
to study the law of the LORD
and to practice it
and to teach~~"

Among all the decadent in Israel
there were also the godly-
Ezra, Daniel, and the three Hebrew children.

Ezra first studied,
then practiced,
then taught.

~The only way, really, to be a valuable teacher.

A Samuel

Do you have a Samuel in your life?
Are you a Samuel to someone else?

1 Samuel 19:18-
"Now David had escaped and came to Samuel~~
and told him all that Saul had done to him.
And he and Samuel
went and stayed in Naioth."

How wonderful
to be able to pour out
one's heart
to a safe
man or woman of God.

False Modesty=Lack of Faith?!

1 Samuel 9,10~

This is the beginning of the story of Saul-
a man I often wonder about.
Surely there isn't much about him to admire
except maybe the fact that he
kept silent in the face of his detractors

His father was a mighty man of valor.
Saul also was concerned for his father's
concern for him,
when the search for the donkeys
took longer than expected.
That is also a good quality.

But his reticence
in making known his call to kingship
is questionable.

If God calls,
isn't it false modesty
and lack of faith in God's enabling power
that keeps us from accepting that calling?!

Ultimate Horror

Lamentations 3:62,63,65~

Jeremiah laments the oppression
and the reproach of his enemies;
their whispering,
their mocking...
and he tells what their end will be-
the ultimate horror-
HARDNESS OF HEART.

Divine Instruction

"Forget the things
you were going to say.
Vengeance is Mine;
I will repay."

A Way of Escape

A way of escape
When the burdens press
And the spirit grows heavy
With the strain and the stress?

A way of escape
When the heart freezes with fear
As we watch o'er a loved one
And death seems so near?

A way of escape
When temptations come fast
And we weaken and tremble
Beneath the strong blast?

Yes, He has promised.
Relax in His care.
In a way least expected
He'll answer your prayer.

(Published in Gospel Herald-July, 1962)

What to Do

1 Samuel 8:6-
"BUT THE THING (asking for a king) WAS DISPLEASING IN THE SIGHT
OF SAMUEL AND SAMUEL PRAYED TO THE LORD."
What a wise precept to put into practice.
The thing to do first, is to pray to the Lord,
rather than complain to whoever will listen
and/or criticize whoever has done the thing!

Lamentations 3:21-Jeremiah's remedy for depression and despair?
"THIS I RECALL TO MIND, THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE"
and then he goes on to recount all of the Lord's mercies
and His faithfulness, and His lovingkindness.

And When They Had Sung A Hymn...Matthew 26:30

Wouldn't you like to have heard Him sing?
-This man from Galilee?
The Creator of the Universe
The master of land and sea,
Savior of the sick and sinful,
Bringing hope and harmony.
Wouldn't you like to have heard Him sing
that night before Calvary?

Strange Malady

What ails the
creature
That attacks its own
body
Rather than the
enemy
That lies in
wait?

Yet members of Christ's
kingdom
Do it again and again and
again.

(Published in Gospel Herald-April 29, 1986)

Faith

I looked at my faith,
I looked at it long,
I lamented the fact
That it was not strong.
And then He spoke so tenderly,
Don't look at your faith, child.
Look at me.

(Published in Gospel Herald--Jan. 9, 1968)

Gems From Mother's Bible Journal

Ezekial 15:7~~~"...THOUGH THEY HAVE COME OUT OF THE FIRE, YET THE FIRE WILL CONSUME THEM."
To go through the purifying fire without being purified is fatal.
Instead of gold there will be nothing but ashes.

1Samuel 5~The story of the Ark of God in the land of the Philistines: the idol Dagon was continually toppled and broken by It's presence; the people either died or were smitten by tumors.
Even before Satan was disarmed by Jesus on the Cross, God was much more powerful than he.

Jeremiah 41~ The story of the terrible consequences to Gedaliah and the remnant that he was in charge of because he was unwilling to take advice and receive the warning against his life. Where was Jeremiah?
Chapter 42-He is still with the remnant and they come to him for a word from God, which they did not receive or obey.
Chapter 43- In their arrogance they accused Jeremiah of lying. And Jeremiah was taken by them (with the remnant that was left) into Egypt.
Chapter 44- The incredible arrogance of the men and the women who are mentioned over and over again. And the blessing of God in crops and health they credit the queen of heaven for. And their suffering, they claim, came because they had quit offering sacrifices to her. The good fortune in our lives always comes from God, not from our own efforts and the 'idols' that we serve. Even after all their flaunting of the power of their idols against the power of God in Chapt 46:28, God declares His continuing love and says, "DO NOT FEAR...FOR I AM WITH YOU...I SHALL NOT MAKE A FULL END OF YOU; BUT I SHALL CORRECT YOU PROPERLY, AND BY NO MEANS LEAVE YOU UNPUNISHED."

In Jeremiah 48, God declares all His wrath and judgment that will fall on Moab yet in the midst He cries, v.36, "MY HEART WAILS FOR MOAB LIKE FLUTES" and they weren't really 'His people.'
How much more does His heart wail when He need to punish us, His children!

Up to Jeremiah 51, God declares His judgment on all the nations that have nearly destroyed Israel-especially Babylon. Many times, arrogance is mentioned as an incentive for judgment. And many times being recompensed to them as they have done to others is stated as one of God's continuing 'precepts.'