Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Musings

Here are some thoughts I have jotted down over the years. I trust they will be a challenge and blessing to you. We murmur about things that did not come into our lives by chance but were placed there by God and are temporary. We are focusing on temporal things rather than eternal. Psalm 34:8 "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good." To taste is to experience. We tend to murmur because we do not know God. See Philippians 3:10. The very thought that a Christian cannot be deceived, is itself a deception. It is quite difficult to break the power of religious self-deception, for the very nature of "Faith" is to give no room for doubt. The wisdom of this world reflects the mind of Satan. Grace is what the Lord does for us, not what we do for the Lord. Works do not produce salvation, salvation produces works. Anger is the Devils camp ground, you are a slave of anyone who can push your buttons and you become angry. When we seek to put people under a legalistic set of rules such as "do not handle, do not taste, do not touch" are we distorting the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do such rules put people under a form of bondage that keeps them from understanding and walking in the grace of God? Is it by the law that someone gains favor in the sight of God? Is it by the law that someone maintains his Christian testimony? Is it by the power of the law that a child of God controls the desires of his flesh? Why do people think they can make themselves perfect, pleasing, acceptable to God by the strength of their flesh? When one feels God will only bless them when they don't cross any of their man made religious boundaries they live in legalism. For those who do not love the truth God allows a "deluding influence (Greek an "activity of error") to come upon them, that they might believe whats is false. Each area of your life where truth is not ruling has for its substitute an "activity of error." Materialism is no respecter of persons. We ought never settle for the love of money when we can have the love of God. My personal journal has yielded the following thoughts. Genuine concern was a hallmark of King David's life. Good praying is earnest praying "But God" is used 35 times in the Bible. Christ's congregation went from 5,000 to 12 in one afternoon because He talked about relationship with Himself. When the needs come, look to the Lord. God put Daniel in the lions den to protect him from his enemies. A man's true character comes out in a time of true crisis. Suffering, a means of deeper relationship with God. Job's wife's relationship with God was based on circumstances. The sins we accuse others of are often the very sins we commit. God continues to take care of us when we suffer. There may be errors inside of us that actually ruling us without our awareness. Every man who truly met the Lord was filled with fear and trembling (Isaiah 6; Revelation 1; Ezekiel 1; Job 42). An aged palm tree bears the heaviest clusters, so lives planted in and nourished from God know no term of their fruitfulness. In some cases no offense is the best defense (Isaiah 54:17). If you don't want something told, don't tell anyone. God's glory becomes a shelter for those He purifies (Isaiah 4:5). Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

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