Roots by the River

  In order to understand the weapons of our spiritual warfare, we must begin with the gospel. “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, that He appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born” (1 Cor. 15:1–8). “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The ...

  "My mouth is filled with praise, declaring your splendor all day long " (Psalm 71:8). Nearly all churches sing hymns of praise at their worship services, but Christians are not in the habit of singing praise all day long . I remember clearly the text that was preached the Saturday night in October 1947 when I received Christ. It was Psalm 40:2: "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." This was the result of my cry to God that night: " He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD" (Psalm 40:3). Truly He put a new song into my mouth. Because of His song , many have put their trust in the Lord. "I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly" (Psalm 40:10). If you have a new song ...

If this is a war, then there must be weapons. What are those weapons? “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3–5). The world wages war with weapons that kill and destroy, whether they be clubs, arrows, swords, rifles, bombs, missiles, starvation, or chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. The history of warfare is filled with pillaging, looting, rape, torture, murder, and prostitution. Secular warfare is motivated by envy, covetousness, pride, glory, fear, vengeance, patriotism, anger, hatred, and defense of home. There are legitimate reasons for war (there was, after all, war in heaven), but most of the warfare in this world is simply carnal. But the weap...

This morning my attention has been drawn to every phrase of the 65th Psalm. Here are a few of those phrases: Verse 3: “When we were overwhelmed by sins you atoned for our transgressions.” Verse 8: “Where morning dawns and evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” Verses 9-13: “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.” This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us. We would love to have you reading with us.

  In the last century, many changes have taken place in the sophistication of weaponry for physical war. We now have smart bombs and guided missiles that are very accurate. If a cruise missile were fired from Boston, it could be guided through the goal posts at JFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The principles of war have not changed. Superior weapons have always had an effect on the outcome of a battle or war. However, superior weapons have not guaranteed the outcome. The morale of combatants, the reason for fighting, and most of all, the implementation of the principles of war, are the main guarantees of victory. The United States lost the war in Vietnam because of the practical disregard of these principles. We had no clear political or military objective. We had clear superiority in weapons, training, and men. But morale was low, and the men did not know why they were fighting. If they did know, the people at home did not know. The Viet Cong, in contrast, knew where they were go...

There is only one solution to our country's problems, and that solution is Jesus Christ. The church today is in bad shape. We are not men and women of the Word, we are carrying around a great weight of unconfessed sin, and we are ignorant of God's commands. We are in a spiritual war, and our troops are unfit. What are we to do about this? Be in the Word every day. A few verses or one chapter is not enough; I recommend at least four chapters a day. To help keep you reading, join a plan like the one at TotheWord.com . Learn what God commands and put it into effect in your life by obeying it. Get free of your weight of unconfessed sin and get back in the joy of the Lord. For help with this, read How to Maintain Joy , available as a free PDF here , for purchase here , or on Kindle here . Begin praying for the unbelievers you know and tell them the good news of Jesus Christ. For those of you who intend to take point 3 seriously, over the next few months I will continue to have posts...

  "Jesus replied: '"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself"'" (Matthew 22:37-39). How do you love your neighbor? The same way you love yourself. “Yourself” is someone you already greatly love, and therefore is a good standard for how to love someone else. Even people with “low self-worth” love themselves very much. They are much more concerned about themselves than they are about others. How do we love our neighbor as ourselves? For a start, calculate how much time you spend thinking about yourself on an average day. Second, list all the things you do for yourself, including bathing, eating, sleeping, and studying. Third, admit that these things are expressions of love for yourself. Fourth, admit that you do not love your neighbor (even your best friend) this much. Fifth, admit that that is a...

There is a wonderful phrase in the poetry of Jeremiah that tells us something of the character of God’s forgiveness. “‘In those days, at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare’” (Jeremiah 50:20). Guilt and sins, regardless of how great and how many, cannot be found even when searched for, when God forgives. Zechariah said in Luke 1:77 that God sent John the Baptist “to give His people a knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of sins.” Sins gone, guilt gone, and a knowledge of salvation, all through the forgiveness of sins. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us. We would love to have you reading with us.

  There is a great phrase in the poetry of Jeremiah about the character of God’s forgiveness: “'In those days, at that time,' declares the Lord, 'search will be made for Israel ’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare'” (Jeremiah 50:20). Regardless of how great your sins or how many there are, they cannot be found once God has forgiven them. Zechariah said of his son John the Baptist, "And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people a knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of sins" (Luke 1:76-77).   Sins gone, guilt gone, and a knowledge of salvation ¾ all through God’s forgiveness. *Excerpted from  Being Christian . To purchase, visit  ccmbooks.org/bookstore .  This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not i...

“But you must not mention ‘the oracle of the Lord’ again, because every man’s own word becomes his oracle and so you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God” (Jer. 23:36). This sentence shows up in a paragraph in Jeremiah 23. For study, the whole paragraph should be read. I pulled the sentence because of its application today. Weekly I come across people whose own words are their revelation of truth. It is always a distortion of the Word of God. In churches that recognize the gift of prophecy, the same thing occurs. In many instances, there is no means or effort to shut down these false prophecies. Several chapters in Jeremiah are given to shutting down or standing up against these “prophets.” This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us. We would love to have you reading with us.

  Once, I received a letter asking for help with getting rid of bitterness. The correspondent was so bitter that he admitted he could not do the will of God. However, there was a great contradiction in his letter. He said that he believed in and loved Jesus. I am sure he thought he did, but he did not love Jesus by Jesus’ definition. He said that he could not do the will of God. If he loved Jesus, he would have obeyed Him: "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15). "Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me'” (John 14:23-24). If he loved God, he would also love his brother: "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love G...

"This is what the LORD says: ' Cursed is the one who trusts in man , who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD , whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit'” (Jeremiah 17:5-8). Note the contrasts: ·     cursed or blessed ·     shrubs or trees ·     desert or water ·     parched places or roots by the river ·     shall not see good or is not anxious in the year of drought ·     uninhabited salt land or bearing fruit unceasingly   The contrasts ...

"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 the riches we have in Christ. It would be difficult to meditate too much on these riches. In the final chapter, Paul teaches on standing strong in the Lord. Notice that verses 10 and 13 both say to “put on the full armor of God” to take your stand against the devil. The emphasis is on the completeness of the armor. The devil is not stronger than God’s armor, but he is wily enough to hit us where we are not cove...

"Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable , hospitable, able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2). "Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect , sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain" (1 Timothy 3:8). "In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect , not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything" (1 Timothy 3:11). "Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other" (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). Children must respect their parents simply because they are their parents, not because they are respectable. It is the same with kings, governors, and masters. They are to be given respect regardless. This is not true in the church. Church leaders/servants must be wor...

  Every Christian should be ruled by a clean conscience that is in line with Scriptural teaching. We began our life in Christ by having our conscience cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:14, 10:22). This is how Scripture describes that kind of clean conscience:   The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5) …holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. (1 Timothy 1:19) They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. (1 Timothy 3:9) There is a close relationship between sincere faith and a good conscience. When faith is abandoned, the conscience gets seared. The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. Th...

"For this reason, I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church" (1 Corinthians 4:17). "I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 2:19-21). Timothy was known for his godliness. Paul later wrote these instructions to him: "Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16). Your holy life and your clear teaching of the gospel is the effective salvation message. What is the life? "Don’t let anyone l...

  In Luke 15, Jesus describes three different parties. These parties were the results of finding a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In each case, there was great rejoicing. Jesus taught these parables to help us understand how much rejoicing there is in Heaven over each sinner who repents. If there is any way to increase the joy in Heaven, this is it. It is why Jesus came to earth. It is why the Bible was written. In the parables, the rejoicing takes place before the party. The point of the party was to include others in the rejoicing. Like with all true, wonderful things, the world creates its own versions, copies that are distortions of the real thing. The world has parties, but instead of being a result of rejoicing, they try to be a cause for rejoicing, like the parties the prodigal son threw in the far country. The real rejoicing took place when he came home. The worldly man does not have joy in living, so he seeks a vicarious joy. Entertainment, music, sports, mo...

  If I have confessed and forsaken sin and still do not have joy, what then? There are several possible explanations: 1)     You have confessed and forsaken your big sins, but not the little ones that set you up for them. "Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression" (Psalm 19:13). 2)     You do not believe that God has forgiven you. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). 3)     You are not obeying Philippians 4:4: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" That is a command. Disobeying it is sin. Confess and forsake the sin of not rejoicing. 4)     You do not think it is right to rejoice in forgiveness after sinning like you did. This is a lie from the devil. If you have confessed and forsaken the sin, God has forgiven you, ...

  A friend came to our home in Yokohama , Japan , some years ago. He had been my roommate aboard an aircraft carrier and had become a Christian during our time together. On this visit he said, “I have that deep inner peace that I belong to Christ, but I don’t have daily victory. I don’t have joy.” Of course something was wrong. Joy and peace are basic results of salvation. Jesus promised us in John 16:22: "I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." When the seventy returned from their evangelistic itinerary, rejoicing because of the power they had and miracles they had done, Jesus told them that their joy was misplaced: "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). My salvation is from God, and so is my joy. Salvation is the basis for joy. We tend to think that circumstances are the primary cause for joy, but this is not so: "Though the fig tr...

  Romans 14 is about attitudes towards other believers. The basic premise is that each believer belongs to God, and God receives him without looking down on him or condemning him—therefore, we should receive him in the same way. "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him" (Romans 14:1-3). This means that there is something more important than being right. In verse 5 Paul says, "Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:5).   God allows us to think differently, but He does not allow us to break fellowship because of it. Even if the positions we hold are right, we can be in sin because of how we hold them. Please read the rest of Ro...