Journal,

Over the years I’ve been asked by varied individuals to provide Bible studies on certain aspects of the Christian walk. In 2001, our friends Paul and Lori Byerly asked me to provide a study on the covenant expressions of marriage. Paul and Byerly host a web ministry called ’The Marriage Bed’. This is an excellent resource site that deals with issues of intimacy in the marriage.

Paul and Lori are deeply committed Christians. Their site is next-to-none when it comes to providing balanced information on questions that believers are often reluctant to ask.  And it isn’t a matter if any of us agree with everything to be found on their site. It is more an issue of having a better understanding. 

The problem is that believers often have questions that they may be embarrassed to seek answers for. So they go through life having to work with a lot of what may be incorrect information concerning marriage.  The Marriage Bed does well to take care of much of that problem.

If you wish to check out their site, go to - http://www.themarriagebed.com/

When Paul and Lori asked me to provide a special study on marriage as a covenant, it was my pleasure to do so. And since we are about to enter a new year, I felt it would be good for my readers to have access to the study that I provided for them. So here it is:

Is Marriage a Covenant?
Lawrence “Buddy” Martin
Guest Author
Founding Pastor - Christian Challenge International

The only Scripture in the Bible where you actually find the word ‘covenant’ used in direct relationship to marriage is at the closing of the former testament.  In response to man’s cry as to why the Lord will not accept his weeping and tears, the prophet says,

“Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”  (Malachi 2:14)

How men treat their wives is singled out as a reason the Lord refuses to answer their prayers. It seems Peter had this in mind, when he said,

“You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”  (1 Peter 3:7)

So here we have our two witnesses as to how the Lord refuses to bless a man where the wife is being mistreated in some form.  However, Malachi points out that the man’s attitude towards his wife is only an indicator of a much deeper problem.  The prophet calls attention to the prevailing arrogance in the man that has spilled over into all his life.

The following statements are lifted out of the book of Malachi.  Listen carefully.  Man says,  

“The table of the Lord is defiled.”  “My, how tiresome it is.”  “How have we robbed You?”  “Why won’t God accept my offering with favor?”  “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them?”  “Where is the God of justice?”  “It is vain to serve the Lord!”

The reason I point this out is because these words are very much in vogue today. There is a spirit of arrogance in our western societies that has been the cause of the spiraling destruction of marriage. How desperately we need to reorder our lives in the ways of the Lord. And how desperately we need to get back to God’s ideal for the marriage. As one writer says, “Divorce and unhappiness are the gravestones that pockmark the open fields of the free society.” (Maurice Camm; “The Jewish Way in Love and Marriage.)

While I stated earlier that Malachi is the one book that uses the term ‘covenant’ in a direct tie to marriage, it is interesting to note that the Bible opens and closes with scenes of the marriage.  The first marriage is between Adam and Eve.  The last marriage is between Christ and His Bride.  And these two marriage scenes tell the story of redemption.  And so we have a Bible that wraps itself around the marriage.

So is marriage a covenant? Yes. It is a covenant and much more. The Biblical marriage is a divine picture of Christ and His Bride. But in addition to that, the Biblical marriage speaks to us of the mystery of Deity. In the marriage the wife can be likened to the Holy Spirit, and the man to the Word of God. It takes both to produce life. But let’s leave the mystical to the side for now.

Part of our modern day problem is that we have drifted far from God’s program for marriage.  But this problem did not begin yesterday.  It reaches far, far back to when the Church began to lose her Biblical moorings, and began to take on a Latin-Greek mind set.

For example, where the Bible teaches the goodness of marriage, the Latin-based church began to take on the idea that marriage was in itself a distraction from a deeper walk with God. The result was monasticism and the eventual requirement of a celibate priesthood. The problem with this picture is that celibacy is never portrayed in the Scriptures as God’s best for a deeper spiritual life. In fact, one of the basic requirements to be a pastor is that the man had to be married.

There are certain things that cannot be discovered in a celibate life style. The truth of the matter is that marriage itself relates to things that are deeply spiritual. But the only way to make a marriage work in its spiritual expressions is to return to its Biblical foundation. (This is not an affront against someone who has the gift of celibacy.  This gift is from the Lord.)

God said that it was not good for man to be alone.  And the very first commandment given to man and woman in the Scripture is,

“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28)

So once again, is marriage a covenant? Most assuredly. Marriage is the most sacred of covenants.  In fact the Hebrew word for marriage and the Hebrew word for holiness is the same word; kiddushin.

Marriage is the only covenant in the Bible that allows two people to be perfectly joined in all areas of life, from the physical to the spiritual. Where else but in marriage can we find such sacredness and dignity placed together?

Now let’s consider some of the mystical side of marriage along with God’s ideal. In the very first marriage, which will always be God’s ideal for marriage, we find the Lord presenting Eve to Adam. Does it not say that,

“House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”? (Proverbs 19:14)

For the mystical side we have this truth that the Church is a gift of the Father to the Son. When Christ came out of the overshadowing of the cross, He saw His bride.  Jesus said,  

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” (John 6:37)

When Eve is presented before Adam, we hear Adam say,

“This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.” (Genesis 2:23)

Adam’s role was to draw Eve to himself. Adam’s role was to drive Eve’s fears away.  Adam’s role was to let her know his love and his protection, that she was now sanctified to him.  On the mystical side, this is what Christ does for the Church.  On the marriage side, this is what men are to do for their wives.

Paul said,

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.  So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his own wife loves himself.” (Ephesians 5:25-28)

This statement by Paul shows us why the Lord will not bless a man who mistreats his wife.  Every woman is designed to be a gift to some man.  But she is ultimately a gift from the Lord.  The gift is to be cherished, loved, and cared for.  This is covenant.  Two lives become one.  And while it seems we are putting the greater responsibility on the man, this is because he has the greater responsibility.  God designed the woman to be weaker in some things, so that she could fit the marriage in her proper role.

To take this a step further, can the marriage covenant be considered a blood covenant?  There are various covenants given throughout the Bible, and not all of them are blood covenants.  Again we see the mystical side of marriage.  God gave the woman a hymen that was designed to be broken in the first act of intercourse. In the breaking of the hymen there is the letting of blood.  Thus the Lord built into marriage the blood covenant.

Surely this ideal has been set aside today, and even mocked. But it should go without saying, that the man and woman who will keep themselves sexually pure before marriage, are able to bring into their marriage something to be treasured.  You can only have one ‘first time’ covenant marriage.

Where does this leave a second or third marriage? Certainly these marriages miss God’s best, but so does any area of our lives where sin has worked a defilement. Divorce is not the unpardonable sin.  What the enemy is able to destroy, the Lord is able to more than redeem.  Paul said,

“Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Romans 5:20)

Men and women who come to Christ are not to walk in condemnation because of sin that destroyed a prior marriage.  Sin is in the world.  God’s provision for all our sins is Christ and the cross.  And in the case of a remarriage, any marriage can be born again in Christ.

The best example we have for the problem of mutliple marriages is the woman at the well.  Jesus went out of His way to minister to this one person.  Isn’t it odd how people who’ve been divorced and then remarry get beat up so much?  Not so with Jesus.  Notice that Jesus drew attention to the fact that this lady had been married five times, and was then simply living with a man.  Did he tell her to go back to one of her other husbands?  No.  He simply told her how to get her life together.

It wasn’t a matter of the Lord approving all her past marriages.  It was a matter of the Lord seeing her as a person damaged by sin.  Nor did he tell her that she would have to wait in line behind all the people who had been married but once, before He could bless her.  He simply said,

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

Only the love of Christ can bond the marriage in covenant. What then is our need?  Our marriages need to have an abundant flow of living water.  There is no greater love that a man can have for a woman than that of loving her with the love of Christ.  This love transcends all other loves and gives the Biblical marriage its true strength.  So it is with the woman.  While romantic love is certainly a part of marriage, it is not that kind of love that bonds the marriage in covenant.  Only the love of Christ can do that.

In closing there is one more picture to be seen.  The ancient marriage covenant had two parts.  They were called ‘kiddushin’ and ‘nissuin.’  Kiddushin was the bethrothal of the woman to the man.  Today we call this the engagement period.  For the ancients it had a much deeper spiritual significance.  The woman was considered married but had not yet been taken to the husband’s home.

This is the stage of marriage that the church is in with regard to Christ.  Paul said,

“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that in Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.” (2 Corinthians 11:2)

Paul was speaking as a Hebrew man, and had the ancient Hebrew marriage in view.  For the Hebrew people, the completed marriage was called nissuin.  Nissuin speaks of elevation, or the lifting up.  This is where we get the ‘lifting of the veil’, and even the carrying of the bride over the threshold.  For the Church, the nissuin takes place at the second coming of Christ.

Jesus uses these two aspects of the ancient marriage in his sharing with the disciples in John 14, where He says,

“In My father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2,3)

Yes, marriage is a covenant.  Think about it.

Copyright © 2001  Lawrence Martin
All Rights Reserved.  Used by permission.

…….. End of The Marriage Bed Article………

Blessings,

Buddy

Posted: December 31st, 2007 under Devotions & Studies.
Comments: 4

Journal,

Hope you can read the piece of paper above. Look closely at the date. It reads August 28th, 1974 (Wednesday). I’ve had this piece of paper with me for over thirty-three years. This bit of paper became a memorial to one of Betty’s and my passages through a life gate in our walk with the Lord.  

Let me share a short story. The day prior I had turned my resignation letter to my former presbyter. I was leaving the denomination that I had been a part of both as a pastor and as an evangelist. Though he was a kindly man I will never forget the words that he spoke. He said, “Brother Martin, these people will never have anything else to do with you.” 

It was at my office the next morning that I felt this gloomy dark cloud hovering over me. A spirit of deep loneliness settled on me. I reached for my Bible and fell to my knees. The chair in front of me became my altar.

Then an astonishing thing happened. My Bible fell open and my eyes settled on this Scripture; “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” [Philippians 1:6 kjv]

The cloud suddenly disappeared. Joy filled my heart. I jumped up, grabbed the phone to call Betty. 

What I didn’t know was that at the very moment the Lord had spoken words of life to me, He had also  given words of life to my sweet Betty. We were in this struggle together.

And before I could get it out of my mouth, Betty said, “Honey, listen to what the Lord just shared with me!”

She began to read, “For do I know persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”  [Galatians 1:10 kjv)

That was it! We were passing through another life gate together. God had given us words to live by, words to face the future together. 

What is a life gate…

A life gate can be anything you face in life that could well result in a major change in your future. I call these life passages simply because it is the Lord who gives you the keys for making the passage. He gives you words to live by. 

When a number of the followers of Jesus were leaving Him, we hear this conversation between the Lord and Peter:

Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

Then the Lord asks the disciples is they wished to leave also. Peter responds,  “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.”(Cf. Jn6:63,68 nasb)

When Peter said that Jesus had words of eternal life, he wasn’t thinking of the gospel message that brings us salvation. To him eternal life had to do with a certain kind of spiritual life that only comes from the Lord. It was to be found in the new covenant. It is in this life that we receive words to live by.

Every child of God will have life gates to walk through. You may call them something else, but the point is that it is in these times that we need to have something by way of direction from the Lord. Sometimes the need is in a desperate moment. At other times it may simply be a need for reassurance.

The promise of words to live by…

As long as I can remember the Lord has given me words to live by. Sometimes these words come in a dream or in a vision. Sometimes I simply hear them in my heart. But most of the time they come right out of the Scriptures themselves.

One of my more recent examples had to do with my bout with cancer. Without retelling the entire story, I well remember when the Lord told me to ‘expect the unexpected.’ Of course this had to do with my healing.

There are so many instances I would like to share with you. Without weighing this journal entry down, let me share one more. 

It was in 1971. Betty and I and our two sons were in Los Alamos, New Mexico, to raise up a mission work for our denomination. Once again I am facing a moment of, ‘What am I doing here?’ My heart is puzzled. On top of everything, I am homesick. New Mexico was far removed from Central Louisiana. We were tired from having traveled a heavy road of evangelism. And now we are going to raise up a new work?

But the Lord had other plans. While reading the Scriptures again I find myself being pulled into a conversation between Jesus and Peter. Suddenly the question asked of the Lord is my question. Listen:

“Peter began to say to Him, ‘Behold, we have left everything and followed You.’

Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.’” (Mark 10:28-30)

I had received a word of comfort. And once again we were about to pass through another life gate. And it has come true - I am unable to count the blessings of the Lord that have come upon my home. Even in our darkest trials, I can still say, ’Thank you Lord. You have always been with me.’

It is all about personal relationship - Never about religion…

Don’t ever make it about religion.  

The heart of the new covenant is entirely fixed on a relationship with the heavenly Father and with His son Jesus. As Jesus was praying, we hear Him say, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ when You have sent.”  (Jn17:3)

Knowing God means that you have a knowing relationship with Him. Jesus said,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (Jn10:26-28)

Following in His footsteps…

Well, we need to bring things to a close. Have you passed through the major gate of life?

Do you know God as your Father? Or is it simply religion that you know?

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Jn14:6)

The only question that remains is, ‘Where are you taking me Jesus?’

And the Lord says, ‘Walk with Me. I am taking you to My Father’s house.’

Think about it.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Posted: December 30th, 2007 under Devotions & Studies, General.
Comments: 1

Journal,

This evening at 5 p.m., I will officiate in the marriage of John Patrick Barkdull, Jr. (Johnny) and Brittany Nicole Vigil. What a precious couple and what a beautiful wedding this will be. The wedding will even include the marriage supper.

Johnny and Brittany have asked me to share with their family and many friends, including their church family, on the Biblical background for the marriage. It will certainly be my pleasure to do so.

Many people are not aware that the Bible wraps itself around marriage. It opens with the marriage of Adam and Eve. It closes with the marriage of Christ and His bride.

Everything in between will relate in one way or another to the marriage of God’s Son.

God officiated the first wedding…

Adam spoke over his bride, saying, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

It was here that God says, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (cf. Gn2:21-24 nasb)

There is more to the story. God Himself created Eve to be the wife of Adam. She was fashioned from Adam’s body as the Lord placed Adam into a deep sleep. When Adam awoke, the Lord God presented Eve to him.

Yes indeed, God not only officiated at the first wedding, but He also prepared the bride and groom for one another. And the wedding attendants most certainly included a host of angels.

And without pressing this too far, perhaps it could be said that Adam in a sense represented the Word of God, whereas Eve in a sense represented the Holy Spirit. It is only when we have both the Word and the Spirit, that we have new life.

The deep sleep of Calvary…

The apostle Paul explained that Adam and Eve were a prophetic fore-glimpse of Christ and His bride. Out of the deep sleep of the cross, would come the Bride of the Lamb.

The Lord Jesus endured the pangs of death because of the joy that was set before Him. What was this joy? It appears that the Father pulled back the curtain to let Christ see His bride. The Bible says…

“…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (He12:2)

All through the Bible we catch glimpses of Christ as the groom and the church as His bride. In the story of  Isaac and Rebekah we see the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Bride.

The last book of the Old Testament calls attention to the bride. And the very first miracle of Jesus in the New Testament takes place at the wedding of Canaan.

 In My Father’s House…

When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure, He spoke to them in the language of the ancient Hebrew marriage. Listen:

 ”Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (Jn14:1-3)

The ancient Hebrew marriage had two parts. The first was called ‘kiddushin’, which is the Hebrew word for holiness. This was the betrothal by which the groom ’sanctified’ the bride to himself. Once this happened the groom returned to the Father’s house to prepare a place for his bride.

The groom could not return for his bride until the father gave his approval. This second part of the wedding was called nisuim. Nisuim relates to a Hebrew word which means to ‘lift up.’ It is in nisuim that the wedding ceremony is completed. It is here that we see the doctrine of the rapture of the church.

The marriage supper of the Lamb…

In the book of Revelation we hear an angel announce the marriage supper of the Lamb. It takes place in heaven. Listen:

“‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.’ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”‘ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’” (Rev19:7-9)

There is so much more to be said about the Biblical story of ‘the’ marriage. In fact each time we attend a wedding, we are being reminded of that which will take place in eternity.

Well, that about does it for now.

May the blessings of the Lord catch up with you,   (Just stop running,) 

Buddy

Posted: December 29th, 2007 under General.
Comments: none

Journal,

In my last entry I drew attention to the song, ‘Mary did You Know?’ I’ve been playing that song over and over. It speaks so much to my heart. The lyrics had to come straight from heaven.

The one line that stood out the most to me was, ‘Did you know that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?’

I well remember when my heart was being dealt with concerning who Jesus really was. I was not long out of the Navy. And here I was, struggling over Jesus. I kept wondering, ‘Who is Jesus that I should place my faith and trust in Him?’

It was only when the Lord opened my ears to hear that I came to understand that Jesus truly is the great ‘I AM’ of the Bible. But I also came to understand that this Jesus was the same One that my mama had taught me to pray to as a small lad.

It happened on a Sunday afternoon in 1964. The struggle was on. And here I am reading to Bible, searching for answers.

This was when I heard the voice of the Lamb of God for the first time.

He said…

Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou has not known me, Buddy?

Yep - That is exactly what the Lord spoke into my heart. I was reading from John 14, in my trusty King James Bible. The disciples were questioning Jesus.  Their questions were my questions.

Well, since I’ve already shared this in a previous entry, I’ll leave off the details of my first encounter with the Lord. It is enough to say that the Lord had been with me from the time of childhood.

This was the very same Lord that I had prayed to as a wee bit of a lad, saying, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

Suppose this is why I love Mark Lowry’s song so much. It literally speaks to my own experience with the Lord. I am truly a worshipper of God, and I have truly kissed the face of God.

Got you with that one!

Yes, I have kissed the face of God… 

Ok, the fact is that every person who truly loves Jesus and worships the Father, can be said to have kissed God Himself. This term expresses worship in the new covenant. Listen carefully. Jesus said…

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23,24 nasb)

Here is the wonder of the Greek language. The Greek word for worship [proskuneo'], is a derivative of the word which means ‘to kiss; to adore; to fall or prostrate before.’ But it literally means to ‘kiss toward someone, or to throw a kiss in token of respect or homage.’

The Lord is explaining to the lady at the well that true worship is a very intimate spiritual experience between the Father and His worshippers. And all this takes place in the new covenant that would come out of the cross.

OK, lets carry on to something else that could be of interest. I read some interesting facts concerning the Christian faith in America. Want to hear it?

Here goes…

What about the United States and the Christian faith…

Is this a Christian nation? Good question.

Constitutionally speaking, this nation endorses no religion. But when it comes down to the basic facts, the United States has an overwhelming component of Christian believers of various assortments. The percentage is so large that it could nearly be said that America is a Christian nation. (Unofficially that is.)

The latest Gallup poll shows that about 82% of the respondents identify directly with the Christian faith, and that the actual Christian adherents may even be more than 90%. Here is some interesting reading:

PRINCETON, NJ — This time of year provides an opportunity to answer frequently asked questions about exactly where America stands today in regard to religion, based on Gallup’s extensive archives.

Christmas is obviously a Christian holiday. But what percentage of Americans today identify with a Christian religion?

About 82% of Americans in 2007 told Gallup interviewers that they identified with a Christian religion. That includes 51% who said they were Protestant, 5% who were “other Christian,” 23% Roman Catholic, and 3% who named another Christian faith, including 2% Mormon.

Because 11% said they had no religious identity at all, and another 2% didn’t answer, these results suggest that well more than 9 out of 10 Americans who identify with a religion are Christian in one way or the other.

You can read this at:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/103459/Questions-Answers-About-Americans-Religion.aspx

I’ve also read that this nation has the largest percentage of Church attenders than any nation on the earth, including Israel.

Well, its time to get on with other things. Just want to leave you with something to think about.

I pray that you’ve had a wonderful time with your family and friends this Christmas. And may the days ahead find you falling even more deeply in love with Jesus.

Much love coming your way.

Buddy

Posted: December 25th, 2007 under General.
Comments: 2

Journal,

One of the most beautiful songs that I’ve ever heard is entitled, ‘Mary, did you know?’ It was written by Mark Lowry. Here is a bit about the song from ‘Christianity Today’ – 

 In 1984, the leaders at Lowry’s Nashville congregation asked him if he’d be willing to write a musical for Advent. He gladly agreed. Inspiration came as Lowry focused his heart and mind on the wonder of Christmas.

“I tried to picture Mary holding the baby Jesus on the first Christmas morning and wondered what she was thinking about that child,” he says. “She knew he was special—the Virgin Birth was her first clue—but could she ever imagine all the things that he would do while he was here?”

Soon, Lowry came up with a series of questions that he would like to ask Mary: “Did she know he would walk on water? Raise the dead? Give sight to the blind?”

Lowry decided to use the questions as a monologue to be recited between the scenes of his musical. But the profundity of those questions lingered in his mind long after the church musical was done.

Six years later, harmonica virtuoso Buddy Greene supplied just the right music and “Mary, Did You Know?” was complete.

Since then, Lowry and Greene’s tune has become a modern classic. It has been recorded by more than 30 different artists (besides Lowry), including Kenny Rogers, Kathleen Battle, and Reba McEntire.

“I hear from a lot of people who have sung it in the church choir for Christmas and Easter programs,” says Lowry. “When I wrote it, I felt there was something special there, but I never imagined how wide-reaching it would become.”

Take time to listen to it -

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iZcVA9klMjY
 

The Joy of the Angels…

It was a great honor to minister this past Sunday at the Simm’s Wesleyan Church. What a beautiful congregation. And they are just like our Christian Challenge family — huggers. 

The worship was wonderful. I took my reading from Luke and from 1 Peter, and shared with the congregation why the angels had such joy at the birth of Jesus. I also talk about the issue of how angels are directly involved in our lives. In fact angels have been a very real part of redemption’s story from the very beginning.

Angels of the face…

I also shared that the earliest Jewish Christians and also the ancient sages believed there was a special class of angels assigned to care for God’s people. These angels are called ‘malakey panim,’ that is, angels of the face [presence].

The Lord spoke of these angels when He said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Mt18:10 nasb.)

Yes indeed, the angels had reason to be joyful at the birth of God’s Son. And did not the Lord Himself say this to His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (Jn15:11)

What a joy it is to know the love of our heavenly Father. 

May your heart overflow with the joy of this season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Posted: December 24th, 2007 under Devotions & Studies, General.
Comments: 2

Journal,

Yesterday we paid our final farewells to one of God’s children who had made his passage to heaven. David Samuel Verzwyvelt, Sr., joined his sweet wife in the city that God has prepared for all His children. Sarah made her journey home in March, 2006.

The chapel service was precious. David was from a family of fourteen siblings. With all the family and friends in attendance, the chapel was quite full. The presence of the Lord was surely there. It is always that way when a child of the King has departed.

I shared David’s obituary and some personal thoughts. Steve Retos shared and then sang Amazing Grace. What a beautiful voice.

Nathan spoke from Revelation 14:13, which says, “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, ‘Write, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!” ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

When I considered what the Lord would have me share with the family from the Scriptures, my thoughts went to the very Scriptures that I had used for Sarah’s funeral. I read from Psalm 84. 

“How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.
How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You. Selah.
How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah.
Behold our shield, O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

A homecoming and a wedding … 

It would be amiss to not mention that one of David’s grandsons is to be married, Saturday, December 29, 2007. Yesterday afternoon I counselled Johnny Barkdull and Britanny Vigil. They are such a charming couple. It has been an honor to have been their pastor. And it is also my honor to officiate at their wedding. What has been even more of a blessing is to see how these two young people have kept the Lord Jesus ever before them in their relationship.

On the sea of Galilee…

In checking my email this morning I had a Christmas greeting from Coral Tours. Their greeting included a picture of one of the small ships that Betty and I were on when we went to Israel some years ago. It really brought back the memories.

In fact we actually encountered a storm while on the Sea of Galilee. I couldn’t help but recall what Jesus said to the apostles when He came walking towards them on the stormy sea; “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mt14:27 nasb.)

Do not be afraid is a common greeting from heaven to God’s people on the earth. 

Well, think I’ll share a devotional study. Let’s call it…

EQUAL HONOR BEFORE GOD -

In 2 Peter 1:1,2, the apostle writes, “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

Let me point out two important principles the apostle is presenting with regard to the covenant of Christ. First, Peter is saying that believers participate equally in the kingdom of God. We have all received a faith of the same kind as the apostles. This simply means that no one child of God is afore another child of God. We all share in equal honor.

The term ‘of the same kind’ is the Greek word ‘isotimos.’ This is a political term and really does speak of equal honor. Peter’s point is that there are no second class citizens in the covenant of Christ. We share in equal standing. (This is not an issue of stewardship, or giftings, or placement, etc. It speaks of citizenship and relationship to God.)

Now for the second principle. Again listen to verse two; “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” The word for knowledge here is ‘epignosis.’ This word has to do with a more perfect or a fuller knowledge.

Epignosis is a very expressive word. It speaks of acknowledgement, consciousness, and recognition. It especially speaks of coming to know something definitely, that is, with a degree of thoroughness.

To appreciate how wonderful this word is listen carefully to what Jesus said: “All things have been handed over to me by My Father, and no one knows [epignosis] the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know [episnosis] the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” (Mt11:27)

If we take this to its logical conclusion, Jesus is saying that in the new covenant, all born again people will have innate within them a conscious, definitive, recognition of the Father. It is this knowing experience of the Father that is the crown of a believer’s life. 

The very heart of the new covenant is the ‘Abba! Father!’ experience. In this case it doesn’t matter if you are Baptist, Pentecostal, Church of God, Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Methodist, Charismatic, and so on. The promise of the new covenant is, “They will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them.” (Heb8:11)

But there is more to this issue of epignosis. Epignosis also includes the idea of a continual deepening of our knowledge of God and of the things of the Lord. This is why Peter said, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge [epignosis] of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

As the truth of God reveals itself in our hearts, the result is a multiplying of grace and peace.

The issue at hand is that to know the Lord is the greatest protection that a believer has.  In this knowing the believer is protected from false teachings. It is this knowing that gives the believer the deepest of assurance that he or she is in the will of the Lord. It is this ‘knowing’ that is the sign of a person who is truly born again.

Paul also said that one of the greatest guiding principles for our walk with the Lord is this kingdom peace that is given believers. This is why he said, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

He afterwards says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Col3:12,15)

So what do we have at stake? This is the crux of the matter – The Lord will faithfully guide all His children in the affairs of life. He has promised to save us. We as believers must learn to place our trust fully in the Lord and not to lean on our own understanding. 

And so, Peter says, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you.” How is your grace and peace doing you child of God?

Just something to think about.

May all the blessings of the Lord overtake you in the days ahead.

Buddy

Posted: December 22nd, 2007 under Devotions & Studies, General.
Comments: none

Journal,

Another year is about to make its departure into the archives of history. And what a year it has been. It was a year ago yesterday that I released the reins of Senior Pastor of the CCI Central Church to Nathan. It has also been the year of my healing from cancer. When the Lord told me to expect the unexpected, I soon found out that He had a miracle healing in store for me. 

By the way, I told Nathan yesterday that I had given him a year head start on papa Bear. Joking of course. Matter of fact Papa Bear is thoroughly enjoying his new lease on life.  I wouldn’t trade what I’m doing with Nathan for anything. Not only is he is doing an outstanding job at Christian Challenge, but it is wonderful to know that I am in the center of God’s will for my life. No stressing. No striving. No straining.

One of the great lessons in life that I learned years ago is to give the Lord plenty of room to work in my life. This is why one of my favorite Bible verses is what  the Lord said to David in Psalm 46:10. He said, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

The Jewish Bible says, “Let be, and know that I am God.” – The Hebrew can also be translated as, ‘Let go. Relax! Know that I am God.’  —

Is there something you need to ‘let be?’ Is there something you need to stop struggling over? Think about it — Perhaps something will come to mind.   

OK, here is a picture of Nathan that was in the newspaper this morning. Yesterday he was in front of the Pineville WalMart. Rather than ring bells for the Salvation Army, Nathan decided to sing Christmas songs for the Lord. Seems folk enjoyed this much better. Got quite a bit of giftings in his kettle. Boy, all it take is a preacher with a bit of imagination to raise up an offering for the Lord. 

On my end, the Lord has been preparing me for varied roles of ministry. I’ll continue to make  strong pushes for our School for Christian Workers. Plan to teach our Shepherd’s Heart class in our next school. I’ll also minister out as the Lord opens the doors of service.

Which reminds me, we just had our 38th School for Christian Workers banquet. Nine more students have joined the ranks of our several hundred registered graduates. Nine may not seem like much, but we’ve had classes with 40+ students. When you put 38 schools in place, it amounts to a goodly number.

Let’s see … What else?

Oh yes. This evening I’ll be ministering on the subject, ‘The Longing of Angels.’ If you are available at 6:30 p.m., you can sit in on this service. Chances are you will hear something that will stir your heart. For instance, did you know that angels sometimes provide strength for us in a personal way?

Did you know that the evidence for believer’s having at least a personal angel has a Biblical precedent? Yes indeed — Angels are carekeepers for the children of God.

Here is my text Scriptures if you care to view them: Luke 2:8-14; 1Pet1:9-12. My ministry will include three areas:

I - The Glimpses of Messiah
II - The Longing of the Angels
III - The Seal of Heaven

Note: To view the service in progress, go to http://www.christianchallenge.org/

From the Martin family to your family, we wish you a wonderful holiday season as we pause to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. 

Much love coming your way.

Buddy

One more funny note on CJ.

Posted: December 19th, 2007 under General.
Comments: 2

Journal,

When I look back over the years it is almost like viewing life through a kaleidoscope*. [*A complex pattern of constant changing colors and shapes.] Makes you wonder what happened to time itself.

Then I always remember how wonderful it has been to walk with the Lord these many years, and where this journey is taking me, and of course, where it is taking all of God’s children.

Perhaps the sage said it well enough, “For he [the blessed of the Lord] will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.” (Ecc5:20 nasb)

Yes indeed, I have been much occupied with the gladness of my heart over the years, but then there are times when I look back on where I came from, and I find it easy to recall scenes, events, conversations, friendships, among other things, and it seems like all those things happen just yesterday. 

Here is what I mean. When Elvis Presley was going strong in the 50s, I also was involved in Rock & Roll music. Had a group called ‘The Dizzy Cats.’ Yup, that’s me on the guitar to the left. I was about seventeen at the time. Course we didn’t amount to much in the rock and roll scene. But it seems like just yesterday?

But not long afterward at the age of eighteen, I found myself in the Navy. Spent four years as a radioman, mainly in the Philippine Islands and then aboard ship. Another seems like just yesterday?

Mustered out of the Navy, May, 1963, and in a few short months, September 9, 1963, I  married this beautiful girl from Colorado. (Originally from Oklahoma.) Where did the time go?

Early in our marriage I went into police work. From there I managed to hold various jobs. (Won’t bore you with the list.)

But how well I remember another good buddie that I had, long before the General became part of our life. His name was Butch, my police dog. In fact I can remember every dog that I ever had, even from my childhood. One thing my mom told Betty, is that ‘Buddy, loves his dogs.”

Would you believe that I miss Butch to this day? And I also miss, Missy, Prissy, Skeeter, Bo, Lep, Rover, Bear Dog … Wow, I could go on naming my good buddies.

But the question remains, ‘Where did the time go?’

Then when I think about Christian Challenge, and how those first two and a half years in Boyce were filled with memories. All I had was a stewardship from God to raise up a training ministry in Central Louisiana, on the order of the School of Prophets in the Old Testament.

I’ve never considered myself to be a prophet. In fact I don’t care much for people who like to put forth that they are prophets.

It was only years later that I came to understand what the Lord meant. Christian Challenge was to be a mentoring society in helping Christians reach their potential, not only in understanding their placement as ’sons and daughters of God,’ but also in learning to serve in the vineyard of the Lord.

When we started Christian Challenge, I was 35 years old, Betty was 33, Nathan 11, Andre 7, and Shana 2 years old. Actually our first service was on Shana’s second birthday. We had nine people in attendance. 

Can you believe it ? I was 35 and now I am 67. Where did the time go?  

So here we are, three children, ten grandchildren, and the question remains, ‘Where did all the time go?’

OK, thanks for taking time to look at the pictures and listen to my ramblings, but there really is a point in my asking the question, where did the time go?

Listen to what James said:

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’

“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes aay.

“Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’” (James 4:13-15 nasb)

For a child of God this is a very wise and positive statement. The thing to remember is that behind every believer’s life there is an unseen hand that is guiding each of God’s children through life that is in accordance with God’s will and purpose. This is why we should always have an ‘Abba! Father!’ prayer as we learn to process life. (This is a ‘Father, not my will but Yours be done,’ prayer.)

Have you found that when we get in trouble it is usually when we try to take the reins of our own life in our own hands, for whatever reason. How many foolish mistakes have we made, from which the Lord had to rescue us? Should we not call to mind what Jesus told the disciples in that He would be with them [all of us] always, even to the end of the age?

OK, here’s a test. I want to challenge my readers to look back over your life and see if you can pick up instances where you can now say that the Lord was there, even though you did not recognize it at the time. In fact, you may have even been a sinner at the time.

Here is one from my own experience. In Junior High School I choose a class on art. Yet something happened that I came to resent at the time. There was another class that was short on students. A teacher came to our Art’s class, picked me and a couple of others and placed us in the Speech Arts class. She didn’t even ask for volunteers.

Wasn’t that a terrible thing to do to a young student who wanted to learn how to draw? Years later I came to realize just how very much the Lord was involved in my life from early on. Which class would serve best to give me a foundation in public speaking? As for art, it was just a way to get out of other classes.   — Sure. None of you have ever done that. —

But there is even a greater lesson that I want to get across. No matter how you look at it, life as we know it now is fleeting especially when compared to eternity. And this is where David gave some awesome instructions in regard to how we should look at life. Take time to meditate on Psalm 139. You may even wish to use it as a prayer?

Here goes. Go ahead and make it your prayer….

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

‘You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

“Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all.

“You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

“If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,’even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.

“My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

“and in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.

“O that You would slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain.

“Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” (Psalm 139)

Yes indeed, I shared briefly on just a bit on my past life. And wouldn’t you know it — Inside of me I still feel like a 25 year old lad. The problem is that the outside of me does not want to cooperate. It says, ‘Slow down my friend. You are not as young as you use to be.’

Come on — Let me hear from you. This is a wonderful topic for sharing.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Posted: December 15th, 2007 under General.
Comments: 6

Journal,

Campbell Creek Cemetery is such a beautiful cemetery. It is nestled in the piney hills of Sharp with two majestic cedar trees right in its center. Beneath those trees are some of the oldest graves in the cemetery, including some of my fore-bearers.  

Yesterday we went to Campbell Creek to put flowers on our son David Lynn’s grave, and also on my dad’s and mom’s graves. It was David’s birthday. He would have been 41 years old yesterday. Two of my sisters met us there, Julia and Bonnie. Bertie was unable to meet with us.

At the center of the picture is David’s headstone with the yellow flowers. To the left is my dad’s grave, and to the right is my grandparents. You can’t see them very well, but to the right of my grandparents headstones are the headstones of my great-grandparents. (This picture was taken earlier in the year.)

These visits to Campbell Creek are quiet moments of reflection for us. Actually David was nine months old when he went to be with the Lord.  But he always rests in mama’s and daddy’s hearts. On his headstone we have written, ‘Safe in the arms of Jesus.’ And we are fully assured that one day we will get to see him again.

That’s why I love the old ‘That Glad Reunion Day’ song.  Couldn’t find the actual singing, but here’s the organ music:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=F4aUpbC3Tzs

And here are the lyrics….

There will be a happy meeting in Heaven, I know
When we see the many loved ones we’ve known here below
Gathered on that blessed hilltop with hearts all aglow
That will be a glad reunion day.
A glad day, a wonderful day,
A glad day, a glorious day
There with all the holy angels and loved ones to stay
That will be a glad reunion day.

When we live a million years in that wonderful place
Basking in the love of Jesus, beholding His face
It will seem but just a moment of praising His grace
That will be a glad reunion day.
A glad day, a wonderful day,
A glad day, a glorious day
There with all the holy angels and loved ones to stay
That will be a glad reunion day.

God also has a Son of His love…

Yes, that babe born in Bethlehem so many ages ago was God’s very own Son. It was the son of His love that made it possible for all of God’s children to come home. Do you suppose that our heavenly Father is longing to see all His children?

I believe so. In fact I believe that all of heaven and all of creation is longing for all of God’s children to come home. Listen to what the apostle said:

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Rm8:16-21 nasb)

The Bible teaches that every time one of these lost children of God is found, the very heavens rejoice. Jesus said, “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Lk15:7)

God places a bit of heaven in our hearts…

The apostle Paul said that God’s Spirit actually testifies (bears witness) to our spirit that we are children of God.

The apostle John said,

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God … Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (Cf. 1Jn3:1.2)

When Paul speaks of this heavenly testimony, he explains in another place that this testimony includes both a ’seal’ and a ‘presence’. The seal says, ‘This child is Mine.’ It speaks of God’s possession. The presence is a bit of heaven that is placed in our hearts. And this is why we all get homesick at times. Paul says that we long for our home above.

God says to ask Him about things to come…

God spoke to the prophet Isaiah, saying, “Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.” (Is45:11)

The Lord was instructing the prophet concerning the finished work of the cross in that He would have sons and daughters who would be birthed from heaven. (Keep in mind that the term sons is generic in that it includes both sons and daughters.)

The apostle Paul speaks from this in saying,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph2:8-10)

There is much more to be said about these sons and daughters. Perhaps the one other thing I would like to pass on is how the apostolic writer states how God wishes to share with us things concerning our future. Paul summed it this way, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that GOd has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” (1Co2:9,10)

OK, let me try to find a stopping place. One more thing…

I have an invitation to minister at a Wesleyan Church.

Dave and Carol Henry are precious friends. They pastor Simm’s Weslayan Church out of Pollock. It is at their request that I minister at the Church on Sunday morning, December 23, 2007. They will be with family in Michigan. 

What an honor. It says a lot when a local pastor will invite another local pastor to fill in at his pulpit. But our friendship goes back a number of years. Actually Nathan has ministered for them on various occasions.

Thanks for the invite Dave and Carol. Have a great time with your family in Michigan. And don’t worry about the home church. I only have one message anyway. Never learned how to preach much of anything else except, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know.’

Here’s an architectual model of their forthcoming church sanctuary.

Congrats. Look forward to seeing its completion.

Hmmmmmm. Something we at Christian Challenge need to be thinking about.   

Well, its time to close down for the evening. We’ve had a full day.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Posted: December 13th, 2007 under General.
Comments: none

Journal,

The statement, ‘I am a great sinner. Christ is a great Savior,’ isn’t original with me though it could easily have been. This statement was made by a former slave trader.

Betty and I watched the movie ‘Amazing Grace’ last evening. The song Amazing Grace  was written by John Newton. It was he who said ‘Christ is a great Savior.’ When I saw what John Newton said, I thought to myself, ‘What an indispensable testimony to the gospel of Jesus Christ.’  

The movie was really great. It told the story of how William Wilberforce became the driving force behind the abolition of the slave trade throughout the United Kingdom.

As for John Newton, he was a slave trader who had come to faith in Jesus Christ. His ’Amazing Grace’ became the resonating hallmark song of the abolitionists during that time. It has become one of the most beloved of Christian hymns of all time.

After becoming a Christian, Newton wrote volumes of Christian hymns. But he always carried a sorrow in his heart for having been involved in slave trade. Perhaps like Paul, Newton must have considered himself to be the chief of sinners.

To the right is a picture of John Newton -

Have you ever felt like a John Newton?

If you have, then you are in very good company.

The apostle said it well enough; “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” (1Ti1:15)

But Paul was not saying this as a former sinner. Though he had been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and though he had the very Spirit of Jesus dwelling in his heart, Paul never lost sight of his constant need for a Savior. 

He will save His people from their sins… 

Yes, I consider myself on the same page as John Newton. When I think about how Jesus saved me from my sins, there are two Scriptures that always come to mind. One is where an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream, saying,

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Mt1:20,21)

Well, I’m one of His people who has been saved from my sins. This is why I love the statement which says, ‘Jesus saved me. Jesus is saving me. Jesus will save me.’ Jesus is my Savior, past, present and future.

The other Scripture that always intriques me is where Paul wrote, “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Rm5:20)

If grace isn’t amazing, it isn’t grace. The apostle John tells us that there is an increasing flow of grace that comes to each believer, and that before one grace can have fulfilled its purpose, it is overtaken and replenished by a fresh supply of grace. Perhaps this is what the sage meant when he said that God’s mercies are new every morning.

Grace replenishing grace is what John 1:16 means. Hear it in the Amplified Translation;

“For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.”  

The Amplified Bible brings out the shades of meaning in both the Hebrew and in the Greek language.

Grace is always for the undeserving…

The problem with humankind is that men prefer not to think of themselves as sinners.

Ask any person in prison, regardless of their crime, and they will tell you that they are basically a good person.

Of course this flies in the face of what God says — “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” (Rm3:10,12 nasb)

This is why in order to be saved a person must be awakened to their lost state, in that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” One of the greatest purposes of the gospel is in its power to awaken the sinner to life. Just as the writer said, “Awale, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph5:14)

The point is that no one will ever be saved because they became good enough. The message of the cross is plain: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph2:8,9

No one gets saved because they are good enough. We are saved because we are bad enough.

And grace is not permission to sin. Grace is God’s love in action in helping to restore the fallen man and woman. When we fail, we are told to look to the throne of grace for help.

Ok, enough on that. Guess that movie struck a deeper chord that I realized.

How about this…

Happy birthday Uncle Charley…

Yep - Sunday afternoon Uncle Charley’s kids had an 80th birthday celebration for him. It was a treasured moment for all of us. Uncle Charley and Aunt Vallie are the two youngest siblings of my dad. They are the only ones still on this side of heaven.

That’s Uncle Charley to the right.  

And I would be amiss if I didn’t show a picture of one of the most beautiful ladies this side of heaven, Aunt Vallie.

Here she is.

It was such a wonderful time to get together with cousins galore, along with other members of the family. Wish I could have stayed a bit longer for the guitar and fiddle playing, but, alas, I had a meeting to attend to.

How I love these family get-togethers.  :) 

Guess its time to sign off for now.

May the Lord’s richest blessings and the fullness of His grace overflow your life.

Buddy

Posted: December 11th, 2007 under General.
Comments: 8