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)