Tag: Way

Father’s Day

Ephesians 6:4

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Fathers, povoke not your children to wrath, by avoiding severity, anger, harshness, and cruelty. Cruel parents generally have bad children. The proper way to discipline is, to correct, and not punish. Punishment is from a principle of revenge, whereas correction is from a principle of affectionate concern. Children are to be nourished with wholesome discipline and instruction, which will bend them toward God, and His way of living.

– Inspired by Finis Jennings Dake

The Right Way

Psalm 25:8-11

We are bombarded today with unlimited appeals to “go my way.” TV advertising alone places hundreds of options before us, in addition to appeals made by political parties, cults, false religions, and dozens of other groups. Numerous organizations, including Christian organizations, seek to motivate us to “support the cause.” Add to that the dozens of decisions we must make concerning our job, our family, our money, our society, and we become desperate for someone to show us the right way. If you find yourself pulled in several directions, remember that “the meek will he teach his way.” (Life Application Study Bible excerpt)

The Hard Way

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

Learning is one of life’s most fundamental virtues. In their beginning stages, babies learn to walk, talk, and manipulate their parents into submission of their wills. Adolescents take advantage of opportunities to grasp the rudimentary principles of education, including reading, writing, and arithmetic in school, or at home. High school graduates set goals to learn a specific trade or field of study, in hopes of contributing to society in their profession. Learning is extremely valuable, and allows for one to grow accordingly in specific areas of life, while avoiding the dangers associated with ignorance.

While learning is inherently good, the are times when some individuals require hard lessons, after refusing to abide by the rules and guidelines that govern proper learning standards. For example, a baby who makes a habit of flicking peas off their spoon, may get a little “pow pow” on their hand or wrist, in hopes they’ll learn to refrain from those actions in the future. Another example involves children who refuse to do their homework consistently, and could be reprimanded by their teacher, as well as their parent, who’s discipline is intended to push them to shift their focus back in the right direction. College students who find it more important to drink and party, rather than attend class, could find themselves arrested, thrown in jail, or even suspended for a time from school. Discipline is enforced solely to cause one to change their mind from behaving contrary to the standards they are expected to adhere to.

In our text, the apostle Paul enforced strict discipline on an individual who’s actions were unacceptable according to righteous standards. Although the early church was still in development, and the people were growing gradually by faith, there were some who deliberately went against the teaching of the Gospel, and participated in acts even the Gentiles were wise enough to avoid. What made matters worse was, those who knew about the man’s deliberate sinful act, were so consumed in their own affairs, they neglected to rebuke him for his evil deed. Paul, in his absence, commanded the church to gather in a meeting, and deliver the man unto satan, “for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” Throughout the Christian community, there are debates as to the meaning of this text, but I’m more inclined to believe, the man who willfully sinned was excommunicated from the Corinthian church, and satan was permitted to afflict his body, which would eventually bring him to repentance.

Sometimes in life, we’ll go through times of difficulty, but only to shift our focus from satisfying our selfish needs, to fulfilling God’s purpose for us. Be mindful of straying too far away from biblical learning, as you continue to grow in grace, because there will always be times when you’re tempted to go against God’s standards, in favor of fulfilling worldly and selfish desires.

Lighted Path

Proverbs 4

One of the hardest things for people to do is, find their way around in the dark. Whether someone wakes up in a dark room in hopes of reaching the rest room, or driving on a dark road with dim headlights, it’s very difficult to see the path to a destination without proper lighting to show the way. How many times have you stumped your toe while maneuvering to find a light switch, or veered off the the road until it eventually became more visible? Light does many things, but one of it’s most important functions is, to make things visible. Our text mentions two very profound verses concerning light and darkness, in reference to the way of the believer, contrasted with the unbeliever. “The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble” (vs. 19). “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (vs. 18). Those who disregard the importance of the Gospel, and the necessity of God’s gift of salvation, are literally traversing the earth in darkness, or lacking the wisdom and knowledge of God’s written Word. All who refuse to accept Jesus as their Savior and the Son of God, allow their own thoughts and judgment to lead them. In fact, walking along the path of darkness only leads to an unpleasant end, and the lifestyle that precedes such an end is always unpleasant to God. Jesus is the light of the world, and the Word of God opens the eyes of those who lacked wisdom and understanding, then begins to shine a bright light on the righteous path, that all the children of God should follow. Evil men stumble over things in their darkness, but the righteous can avoid falling short of God’s glory, because the light that shines before them will reveal every ditch, trap, and stumbling block set before them.

The Only Way

John 14:1-14

Throughout my journey on this decaying planet, I’ve witnessed many (Christians and non-believers) who harbored major concerns about life after death. I must admit, it can get a bit frightening at times, spending too much time thinking about never existing in this realm after death, but when you know what to expect in the next life, the worry and fear of the once unknown, will disappear in mere moments.

Those who are in Christ Jesus, can expect unimaginable blessings, and great inheritance in the life to come. In our text, Jesus comforted His troubled disciples by reminding them that He would soon leave the earth, but during His time away, He would prepare a place where they could abide with Him forever. There’s been much speculation, along with varying interpretations on the descriptions of Heaven mentioned by Christ, but whether we’ll live in actual mansions, or not, I just want to be there.

It’s unfortunate that after all the teachings and miracles performed by Jesus, His disciples still had their doubts about His sovereignty. Their doubts weren’t developed from disrespect, but I can only imagine that their finite minds and limited understanding caused them to not fully understand what Jesus continually presented to them. Jesus knew how to handle His followers, but stressed more than anything, He is the only way to the Father. The words Jesus spoke, were not His own. The works Jesus performed, were not His own. The miracles Jesus manifested, were not by His own doing. The reason Jesus was able to do those things which were beyond human comprehension was, because He was in the Father, and the Father in Him. For this reason, Jesus told His disciples, when they believe in Him, they are also believing in God. But, if perhaps they fail to believe this obvious truth, Jesus humbly expressed, “or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (vs. 11b).  In other words, “if you’re simply too naive to hear and understand the truth of my words, then base the truth on the miraculous works you’ve witnessed with your own eyes” (Elliott’s translation).

One day soon, we’ll all see death, but the thought of that day doesn’t have to bring fear and worry in our hearts. In fact, the Bible reads in Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints”. When a Saint dies, God is excited, because they can then see those things that were only read in the Scriptures.

As you continue your journey on this side of Heaven, keep your chin up, and consider all those amazing things that await you in the next life. We have trained our eyes, minds, and hearts to only concern ourselves with the cares of this world, but meditate more on what God has prepared for us in Heaven, then you’ll be able to live a more bold and dedicated life on this earth.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

This Is He…

Luke 7:24-28

Are you familiar with the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? As a kid, I preferred to select books that had cool, colorful, and appealing covers. This was because, I expected the contents of the book to be worth reading, if the cover was enticing enough to catch my attention. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case. In essence, this phrase warns of the danger of passing judgment on a person based on their outer appearance, without gaining full knowledge of who they really are.

Take a moment to think back over your life, and consider those whom you prematurely passed judgment on, then found them to be pretty cool characters. One such character in the Bible who was prejudged because of his appearance was, John the Baptist. Unlike men who “preach” or “prophecy”, while choosing to dress in the finest apparel, eat choice meals, and make themselves known for self gratification and status, John chose rather to adorn himself in the most modest of garments (camel’s hair and a leather belt), eat rustic food (locust and wild honey), and preferred to preach and prophesy in the wilderness, rather than from the pulpit. Jesus, Himself was recorded as quoting, “For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist:” (vs. 28a). This comparison of greatness is not absolute, but relative to certain aspects of the parties involved. In other words, there were other prophets who’s ministries were great as well, but Jesus was referring to the simple fact that John’s privilege and position to represent the Messiah made him greater than all the other prophets.

You and I may not have been called to be great prophets or the like, but we were commanded to be great in our duties as representatives of Christ. In this life, men may not recognize you for moral character, holy living, or obedience to God, but rest assured, God has read all the pages from the book of your life, and He knows how great your end will be!

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell