Roots by the River

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). This truth is also found in Philippians 2:3-11: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the gl...

“There has never been an emptier life than the one which has itself as its center. You take the throne of your personality and sit on it, and you appear conspicuously too small! It was never meant to be your throne. We were created in God’s image, not in our own image. Therefore, whenever I take the center of my personality and sit on it, I am out of place. I am simply too small for the throne of that personality. I cannot meet my own desires.” – Festo Kivengere, excerpt from The Spirit Is Moving CCM has just republished this book. You can order a copy here .

The two greatest events in the history or the world are the creation of man and the redemption of man by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The four living creatures and the 24 elders sing about these two events in Revelation 4:11 and in Revelation 5:9-10. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev. 4:11). “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9-10). Both hymns start out the same: “You are worthy.” There are different reasons given: “for you created all things,” and “because you were slain.” The first hymn is limited to the choir of 28. With the second hymn, the 28 are joined first by upwards of 100 million ange...

“Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?” (1 Corinthians 5:2). “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). There are things about which we should grieve and things about which we should not grieve. In the first category is sin in the body, the church. In the second is the death of those who die in the Lord. Like many things, we have these backwards. Sin in the body should cause the whole body pain. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). Let us ask God for a conscience that reflects the sin of the whole body, not just our own private sin. Let us also ask for a great joy for those who go on ahead to be with Christ. Written September 1984.

I would like to share with you some thoughts on books. One of the books I have read and appreciated is Nothing Else Matters by Patricia St. John. This is a book by a missionary who is also a children’s author. Other books by her include The Tanglewoods Secret , Treasures of the Snow , Star of Light , and Where the River Begins . Nothing Else Matters is reading for adults about children in Lebanon. Its theme is forgiveness: its story is of killing, sacrifice, and bitterness. The benefit of reading it is great. The salvation message is clear, and the theme of forgiveness is powerful. I would also encourage you to read her other books, specifically Star of Light .

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14). Among Christians there seem to be many differences on how they view good and evil. They tend to be either legalistic (following rules taught by men) or licentious (violating God’s rules). Both of these are wrong. There is another difference: that is the difference between infancy and maturity. There are many Christians who need to be taught elementary truths all over again. Much of my time is spent in this occupation. However, it is not the amount or depth of teaching that makes a Christian matur...

"Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: 'See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him'" (Jude 14-15). The word ungodly is used four times in Jude 15. Verse sixteen gives the characteristics of these ungodly people. The difficulty is that they sound like characteristics of Christians we all have known. Here is verse sixteen: "These men are grumblers and faultfinders ; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage." Grumbling and faultfinding is stock in trade for the world. However, Christians who work in the world may find it easy to pick up the practice. Instead of providing light, we pick up the darkness. Let us remember that Jude says that it is an ungodly practice. Sam...

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:10-13). The first three chapters of Ephesians tell us of the riches we have in Christ. It would be difficult to meditate too much on these riches. Then we come to two-and-a-half "obedience" chapters. Now we have teaching on war, real war, deadly war. Notice that verse 10 and 13 both say "Put on the full armor." The emphasis is on the wholeness, the completeness of the armor, "so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schem...

"In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware and some for noble use, some for ignoble. If anyone purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work ." (2 Tim. 2:20-21) "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work ." (2 Tim. 3:16) We as Christians should be prepared and equipped for any good work, and every good work. It looks as if the preparation takes place first by cleansing—a pure life, a holy vessel—and second, by the Word of God. A cleansed vessel and inspired Scripture—wonderful means of preparation. Same Page Summer Bible Reading Written March 1983.

It is fairly easy to be moved with compassion when we hear of orphans in need or widows in need. We find it harder to be moved with compassion for aliens in our land, especially if they are of a different race and language. Over and over again in the Bible, aliens are included with widows and orphans. They must be cared for (Deuteronomy 24:17, 19 and 27:19, Psalm 94:4-7). It is not an absolute rule, but normally you can tell which is the relatively righteous nation by watching which direction the refugees flee. This year there are millions of refugees fleeing from South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria. If these people flee towards us, and we are not moved with compassion and do not treat them as the Bible requires, then we are violating the clear teaching of Scripture. Written October 1980; revised August 2019.

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable, He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31)

In 1 Corinthians 9 and 10, Paul makes a few amazing statements about himself and then says that we are to follow his example. “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Cor. 9:19-23) “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in...

Dear Friends, In the Bible we see instances of consciences that are clear, weak, evil, defiled, seared, corrupted, witnessing, testifying, good, and cleansed. It would be easy to draw a conclusion that a good, clear, and cleansed conscience would reflect God’s absolute moral law and those that followed their consciences would not be guilty. Sometimes that is true, and sometimes that is up for question. Here are two of Paul’s statements: Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace. (2 Cor. 1:12) My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. (1 Cor. 4:4) In the first instance, Paul is innocent. However, in the second he says that a clear conscience does not guarantee innocence. We also have another criterion for our act...

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:12-17). Notice that Paul was a blasphemer, persecutor and a violent man. We are quite sure that he was not an adulterer, or thief or liar. He would have said so. He did say he wa...

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7) We do not normally think of feet as beautiful. Why are these feet different? They are carrying a voice that proclaims good news, peace, good tidings, salvation and the reign of God. The Apostle Paul quotes this text in Romans 10:15 right after a series of questions: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! " (Romans 10:13-15) Same Page Summer Bible Reading

"Set forth your case, says the Lord; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome, or declare to us the things to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified. Behold, you are nothing, and your work is nought; an abomination is he who chooses you!" (Isaiah 41:21-24) This is one of the many comments on idolatry in the Old Testament. Psalm 115 is another. “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They h...

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends; with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. (2 Peter 3:8-12) I want to focus on two elements that this passage seems to be indicating. First of all, since Peter is writing this letter to Christians, he indicated that God is patient with Christians , as well as non-Christians, when it comes to fulfilling His promised return. Secondly, since God’s desire is that no one should perish b...

Afraid? Of what? To feel the spirit’s glad release? To pass from pain to perfect peace, The strife and strain of life to cease? Afraid? Of that? Afraid? Of what? A flash—a crash—a pierced heart; Darkness—light—O Heaven’s art! A wound of His a counterpart! Afraid? Of that? Afraid? Of what? To enter into Heaven’s rest, And yet to serve the Master blest, From service good to service best? Afraid? Of that? Afraid? Of what? To do by death what life could not— Baptize with blood a stony plot, Till souls shall blossom from the spot? Afraid? Of that? - E.H. Hamilton

Several days later Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That's enough for now: You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” (Acts 24:24-25) Felix was the governor and Paul was the prisoner; yet it was Felix who was afraid. Perhaps it was the subject of the discourse which frightened Felix: “righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit. “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” It is easy to come to three conclusions: 1) Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit. 2) Fear is one evidence of conviction of guilt. 3) The Holy Spirit will convict the world through the speaking and living of His own people. Here are a few questio...