Roots by the River

The last 24 hours I have been thinking about impatience and anger. You may know most of the scripture I am going to quote you. I trust that they will hit you differently from something you know in your head. As you look at each verse ask yourself the question, “Is this verse true or false?” Make yourself answer the question. If you answer “True”, thank God from your heart for this true statement and then thank God all day long for this truth. The result will be that this truth will end up in your heart. It will not be just information in your head. My first verse is a rhetorical question. “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” He is not wanting to know how to sin. It is true. Thank God! This will become a part of you. Sin does not travel in singles. Where there is one sin there are others close attached. When one sin happens another is close behind. “But now you must put them all away, anger, wrath , malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Colossians 3:8).

There is in practice in our society an event called an apology. Culturally, it is accepted in polite society. However, it is not a biblical word or concept. We read it in Matthew. “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” (Matthew 18:15) “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 4:23-24) In both cases reconciliation is the object. We assume it includes an apology. What is included is rebuke and forgiveness. We see this in several places in the New Testament. The first is Luke 17:3-4, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him.”

There is, in this world, very much erotic love. Some of it is in the will of God but the overwhelming majority of it is in sin, contrary to the moral law of God. However, we think if it feels good, it must be good. There is, also in the world, very much friendship love. It is also pleasant so we think it is also good. However, in II Timothy 3 it is speaking of friendship of money and themselves. This is a very evil love. These first two types of love occur in marriage. They also occur in Christian marriage. Because our Christian wife is our best friend and because of our erotic attraction to her, we think our love for her is Christian love. It is not. It is two forms of humanistic love. These two types of love happen but they are not Christian love. What is the difference? Love is patient . If I am not patient, I am not loving. Regardless how much I insist that I love my wife if I am impatient with her I am not loving her. Love is kind . If I am ever unkind to my wife I do n

You may know that I have been giving, selling and loaning books for 65 years. You may also know that I read books. You may not know that I very seldom read books in the daytime. Since reading was a pleasure, I did not think that working time should be used for pleasure. So I read in bed. That shortened my reading time because I would fall asleep while reading. Even with this abbreviated reading time I got through a lot of books. I am 86 years old, that means I had many bed time readings. Today however, I got into my recliner with six books (I read more than one at a time). All of these books are very different from each other and very good. They are 1. The Bible (Acts 7-8) 2. Strunk & White: The Elements of Style (After sixty years of writing I thought I should learn how to write) 3. The Curate's Awakening , a novel by George MacDonald. The story of an Anglican Clergyman who was not a saved man. I had read it 25 years ago. 4. The Death of a Guru , the autobiography of Rabi

“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28) Notice “proclamation”, “admonishing”, “teaching”, “everyone”, and “with all wisdom.” This kind of teaching is not “iffy” teaching. It is authoritative. Again the object is to “present everyone perfect in Christ.” In the Lord Jesus Christ Jim Wilson

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory .” (Colossians 1:27) "Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." (Ephesians 3:8) “For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (II Corinthians 4:6) This is what we are to teach. Glorious riches

For the Saints in Moscow and Pullman How many of you think in terms of the following scriptures, or how many would like to think this way? “You must aim to be saintly and righteous, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle.” (I Timothy 6:12) “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” (I Timothy 4:12) “Not that I have obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12) “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18) “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14) “Love one another deeply.” (I Peter 1:22) “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy in all you do.’” (2 Timot