Quotes of the month
Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you can.
Dwight L. Moody
This world has forgotten about God, and I got a feeling He’s about to remind us who He is.
Encouragement Group Website
If Christianity is valid, why is there so much evil in the world? To this I replied, With so much soap, why are there so many dirty people in the world? Christianity, like soap, must be personally applied if it is to make a difference in our lives.
Billy Graham
Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord.
J.I. Packer
Me yelling at a squirrel to get out of the road so it’s not squished by a car is probably the same feeling my Guardian Angel has watching me live my life.
The Laughing Christian Website
When you’re young and you drop something, you just pick it up. When you’re older and you drop something, you stare at it for a while, wondering if you actually need it anymore.
The Laughing Christian Website
God-Centered Focus
By Pastor Alistair Begg
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
Amateur photographers often don’t know what they are focusing on. They know what they think they’re focusing on, but then the pictures end up containing blurry faces and buildings askew. Then they may look at their work and respond, This isn’t what I was pointing at. But the fact of the matter is, the photos reveal exactly where and how the lens was positioned.
In life’s highs and lows, and every moment in between, the way you and I react to circumstances reveals the angle of our camera lens, the focus of our hearts and minds. The challenge for believers, then, is to live with a focus that is centered on God.
Jesus made it very clear that in order for us to embrace a God-centered focus, we must first understand who we are without Him. In fact, Jesus explained to His disciples that apart from Him they could do nothing; after all, “in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17. Our need for Jesus is not partial; it is total. None of us can even breathe without God’s enabling. How can we think of taking credit for any work that He's done through us? We are absolutely impoverished without divine help.
This principle runs throughout the entire Bible. Moses, chosen by God to lead the Israelite people out of bondage and slavery, was adamant that he couldn’t do the job unless God was with him – and he was right. Exodus 3:11-12. Amos was a keeper of fig trees and a shepherd; he had nothing to contribute to the ministry when God appointed him as a prophet. Amos 7:14-15. Daniel, likewise, with his amazing ability to interpret dreams, was quick to give every bit of credit to God. Daniel 2:26-28. Each of these men recognized his utter dependency on God. In fact, no one in Scripture who achieved great things for God did so without relying wholly on God. For their ability to do the work they were called to do, they looked up rather than looking in.
As Christians called to live with a God-centered focus, we must not ascribe too much attention to ourselves or our abilities, for in doing so, we may very well obscure God’s grace and power in our lives. In Christ, we ought not to boast in our abilities or seek any opportunity to draw attention to ourselves. Instead, we should merely wish to be known as servants of the living God, to be useful in His service as He works in us according to His good purpose, and to point away from ourselves and to Him in all we do and say.
Questions about The Sermon on the Mount
by Frank Paul
The Sermon on the Mount is a section of the Bible that even
casual Christians tend to be familiar with; and most of us are
even more familiar with what has been labeled as “The Beatitudes,” found in the beginning of Matthew, Chapter 5. Sometimes with our modern-day interpretation and definition of words, we might find how Jesus spoke back then confusing or troubling. This month let’s cover what Jesus starts out the entire Beatitudes sermon with: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” found in Matthew 5:3.
This article series on Questions about The Sermon on the Mount is in its fifth month. I have attempted to bring clarity to 1st century words and make them applicable to today.
In my research I have found no better explanation of word usage back then as compared to today other than Emmet Fox’s opening paragraph about this topic, found on page 22 of Fox’s Sermon on the Mount, so the following paragraph is his, not mine.
“Here, in the very beginning, we have to take into account a point of great practical importance in the study of the Bible, namely, that it is written in a peculiar idiom of its own, and that terms and expressions, and sometimes even actual words, are used in the Bible in a sense that is distinctly different from that of everyday usage. That is quite apart from the fact, for which we have also to be on the lookout, that certain English words have
changed in meaning since the Bible was translated.”
I have struggled with Jesus’ opening of the Beatitudes for quite some time. The very first thing Jesus says is “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Really? The poor in spirit? It sounds weak, not actually committed to Jesus, someone who can’t seem to get it together. Right? Well, apparently, I am wrong again.
After much research, and all of what that includes would be cumbersome to list here, I again came back to Fox’s definition as the best and easiest to understand to clarify Jesus’ first line of the Beatitudes.
“To be poor in spirit does not in the least mean the thing we call ‘poor spirited’ nowadays. To be poor in spirit means to have emptied yourself of all desire to exercise personal self-will, and what is just as important, to have renounced all preconceived opinions in the wholehearted search for God. It means to be willing to set aside your present habits of thought, your present views and prejudices, your present way of life if necessary; to jettison, in fact, anything and everything that can stand in the way of your finding God.”
Fox concludes his thoughts on this verse on page 25. “The poor in spirit have got rid of the love of money and property, of fear of public opinion, and of the disapproval of relatives or friends. They are no longer over awed by human authority, however august. They are no longer cocksure in their own opinions. They have come to see that their most cherished beliefs may have been and probably were mistaken, and that all their ideas and views of life may be false and in need of recasting. They are ready to start again at the very beginning and learn life anew.”
I hope this explanation brings clarity to Jesus’ opening words of the Beatitudes for you; I know it did for me.
(Editor’s note: if you missed the previous four explorations of the Sermon on the Mount, they can be found on our website under the navigational tool bar “Articles.” They covered the meek shall inherit the earth, turn the other cheek, you are the salt of the earth, and love thy neighbor.)
If I Were The Devil
by Paul Harvey
Back in 1965 folks of my era were still listening to radio broadcasts as a source of information and entertainment. TVs were not so prevalent yet, and computers were not even on the horizon. Paul Harvey was a popular radio broadcaster covering a wide range of topics, never hesitant to speak his mind. In 1965 he broadcasted “If I Were The Devil.” It is amazing, and yet bothersome to me that 49 years later I realize he hit the nail right on the head.
I have often labeled, with no disrespect to my country intended, especially the Military, the United States as the devil’s playground. How do you defeat such a strong enemy? Bit by bit, little by little, in unnoticeable pieces until it’s too late. A lot of what Paul Harvey said in 1965 seemed crazy, outlandish, and borderline paranoia. Well, here is the transcript of his broadcast: You decide.
If I were the devil, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree – Thee. So I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first. I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” To the young, I would whisper that “The Bible is a myth.” I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way
around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is “square.” And the old, I would teach to pray, after me, “Our Father, which art in Washington.”
And then I’d get organized. I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. I’d pedal narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.
If I were the devil, I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.
If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions, just let those run wild, until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door. Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography, soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion and edify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money.
If I were the devil, I’d make the symbols of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.
If I were the devil, I’d take from those who have and give to those who want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And what do you bet I could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich? I would caution against extremes and hard work in Patriotism, in moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the TV is the way to be. And thus, I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.
In other words, if I were the devil, I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.
This is Paul Harvey, good day…
(Editor’s note: On the lighter side, I’ve always like the prophesies in the Old Testament about Jesus, and especially when Jesus actually repeated an Old Testament prophecy in the New Testament. Check this out)
In Isaiah 61:1-2 we read; The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord hath appointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn.
So Isaiah was written somewhere around 792 to 722 B.C. Then we find Luke in the New Testament written around 58 to 63 A.D. There is literally 800 plus years between the two writings, yet Jesus perfectly ties them together in Luke 4:18-19.
Here Jesus actually comes forth and proclaims Himself as the Messiah after He finishes reading Isaiah’s scripture in a small synagogue in his hometown. The two verses are almost identical in meaning, even though some of the words differ; except for the last line concerning God’s vengeance, which is to come much later.
I like this correlation between the Old and New Testaments. It reinforces the thought that Jesus has been around forever, and He is everywhere!!!
Here are Jesus’ words as written by Luke.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Homework assignment
In light of what is happening is Israel right now as I type, check out Luke 21:20-22. It will give you an opportunity to open up those Bibles and reflect on the Scripture. Remember, comments are always welcome; or complaints, or suggestions, at frankpaul@thesowerofseeds.com
There is only one place you should ever put your foot, there is only one step you should ever take, and that is so it will take you wherever you are pleasing God in every way. Every step you take in your life, every place that you go, everything that you watch, everything that you hear, and every word that you say, when you know it should all be pleasing to the Lord, it makes every step doubly important and should give us even more concern and care about every step we take.
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