In this time of voluntary lockdown (house arrest), most of us have time on our hands we’ve never had before and how we handle this unexpected difficulty can be a challenge. For the first time in the United States, our churches are forced to close, our favorite set down restaurant has been turned into a carryout only and when in public we have to stand six feet apart and smile at our friends even though they can’t see it because a mask covering our mouth and nose we are also forced to wear.

How’s all that make you feel? … Scared? … Worried … or even a little mad? Here we can walk on the moon, live in space for a year (talk about lockdown) and we all know big brother has his eye on all of us, but they can’t find a cure for the common cold much less eradicate COVID 19.  Are we being manipulated? Hmmm … Got you thinking? … Good! You’re even a little mad, I mean those Sadducees and Pharisees … whoops! I mean those politicians and, and what? Do we protest (how’s that working so far?).  Even though we may feel like the government is our enemy about now, ( and they may well be … I don’t know.) How Did Jesus handle His enemies?

Come on now, you’re a Christian … aren’t you? Let’s get a little biblical insight into how we’re doing by looking at the living word. Turn your bibles to John 7:25-39. Is Jesus protesting, yelling, and demanding His rights or is he making an offer of another way?

And I hope you see that part of the answer to whether he is the kind of person you might want to come to is that he is speaking these words to his enemies. He is issuing a totally open-ended invitation to everyone in the sound of his voice, and in the sound of mine, to come to him and drink. And the only qualification he mentions is thirst. Verse 37: “If anyone (anyone!) — any Pharisee, any chief priest, any officer trying to arrest me, any offended person — if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

Do you remember how near the end of his life Jesus looked out over this city and cried,

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! (Matthew 23:37)

How often I stretched out my hands to you! This is one of those times. How many times have you heard him say this to you in your life? “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” Amazing. He is saying this to his enemies. And he is saying to you.

What Coming to Him Means

And what would it mean if you came?

Let’s answer that by looking at five things: the thirst, the coming to drink, the rivers that flow from the heart, the reference to the Spirit coming after Jesus is glorified, and the fact that this was prophesied in Scripture.

1. Three Things Implied in Thirsting

Verse 37: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” It seems to me that there are three wonderful things implied in the words “if anyone thirsts.”

First is that the gift of the water is free. The condition you must meet is need. “If anyone thirsts.” That’s the condition. And the action you must take is to drink. Receive the gift. There is no thought here of earning or meriting. Anyone. Anyone who knows his own thirst is invited.

Second, the human soul has thirst. We know he is not talking about physical thirst. That’s clear. But what he is saying is that the soul has something like physical thirst. When you go without water your body gets thirsty. And the soul, when it goes without God, gets thirsty. Your body was made to live on water. Your soul was made to live on God.

This is the most important thing to know about yourself. You were made to live on God. You have a soul, a spirit. There is a you that is more than a body. And that you, if it does not drink from the greatness and wisdom and power and goodness and justice and holiness and love of God, will die of thirst.

Third, implied in the word “thirst” is that what Jesus offers is satisfying. The aim of all theology, all study, all biblical learning, all preaching is to spread the satisfying banquet for you to eat with joy, and to protect the kitchen from poison. The aim of cooking is eating. The aim of digging wells and clearing springs is drinking. Everything Jesus came to do and teach is aimed at providing the soul with food and drink that satisfy forever.

That’s what I see in the word “thirst.” The water is free. The soul has a thirst. And Jesus aims to satisfy the soul forever.

2. Three Observations About Coming to Jesus to Drink

Versed 37–38: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Three observations:

First, Jesus is what we drink. “Come to me and drink.” Jesus doesn’t just have what our souls need; he is what our souls need. Recall John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” He is the bread of life. He is the living water. Our souls were made for Jesus. The ache in our hearts is at root an ache for Jesus. This is how the soul lives on God. It lives on Jesus.

Second, the soul can drink. It can swallow. He is speaking spiritually, not materially, when he says, “Come to me and drink.” This drinking is not something you do with your mouth and your throat. You do it with your soul. You do it spiritually. You were made to do this. You are not a mere animal. You were made for this — coming, not physically, but spiritually, to Jesus, and drinking, swallowing the water for your soul that he is.

Third, this coming and drinking are what it means to believe in Jesus. Verses 37–38: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me . . .” That last phrase is another way of saying to come and drink. Coming and drinking Jesus is what happens when we believe. It’s what belief means.

We saw it in the parallel structure of John 6:35: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Believing on Jesus is coming to him to eat and drink for our soul’s deepest satisfaction.

So be done forever with the sad notion that saving faith — that believing in Jesus — is a mere decision to believe facts. No. It is coming to him as a feast. A treasure. A banquet. A spring in the desert when we are dying of thirst. This is what the apostle John meant when he connected believing in Jesus and receiving Jesus in John 1:12. Believing is receiving him as water, food, life for the soul.

So those three things: Jesus is the water we need, the soul does the drinking, and that is what believing means — coming to Jesus to drink for our soul’s satisfaction.

3. The Rivers That Flow from the Soul

Verse 38: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Literally, it says, out of his belly. But the point is our inner being, call it belly, heart, soul, spirit. What does this mean?

It means that when you come to Jesus to drink, you don’t just get a single drink, but you get a spring, a fountain, a well. You get Jesus. Rivers of water will flow because a River-Maker is in you. That’s the point. You will never have to search again for a source of satisfaction for your soul. Every river that needs to flow for the joy of your soul will flow from Jesus. When you come to him, you get him. And he never leaves.

4. The Spirit of the Glorified Jesus

Verse 39: “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

There was an experience of the Spirit that could not be enjoyed until Jesus had died for our sins, been raised triumphant over death, and ascended to the right of the Father in glory — namely, the experience of fellowship with the Spirit of the glorified, risen Christ. This is what the Father gives to everyone who believes. The presence and power and fellowship of the Spirit of the risen and glorified Christ.

Once Jesus was with us as an incarnate man, and now he is in us by his Spirit. Listen to John 14:16–17: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

And he is indeed in everyone who believes in Jesus. Remember what Paul said in Romans 8:9? “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” If you come to Christ to drink for your soul’s satisfaction, you get Christ. And now we see that he means: You get the Spirit — the Spirit of God and of Christ.

Christ, as the incarnate Son of God, is in heaven. We can’t see his body now. We walk by faith and not by sight. But he is in us (Romans 8:10). We have the Spirit of the risen and glorified Christ living in us. Which means Christ is in us.

5. The Witness of Scripture to the Plans of God

Verse 38 again: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

There are so many Old Testament texts that point to this reality. Let me give you just one. Isaiah 58:11: “You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

But here is the way we should end — the really wonderful implication for us that God spoke of this reality hundreds of years before it happened. It means that God was planning this for you. God was planning to send his Son. He created you to have an unquenchable soul thirst that could draw you to him. He planned for Jesus to stand in Jerusalem, and for me to write this, and cry out: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me [Jesus] and drink.”

This is God’s invitation to you. Not just mine. Not just Jesus’s. But God’s. Come, drink, live.

That’s your answer to the times we’re living in. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, not politicians or government or man. It’s time for Ernest prayer, nor self-serving, but a prayer of repentance and of thanksgiving for a living God.

Until we get together next stay safe and live with the joy of the Lord!

My Prayer for You:   

Father, we thank you for your word and your Son. We ask you in His name to forgive us of our sins and show us the path you would have us walk. Father God, help us all to cultivate a forgiving heart. to pray for our enemies and love one another.  I pray for healing in our land and eyes to be opened. I pray that our country would turn to you and ask forgiveness and ask you to bring us back to what you want us to be.

All the praise and glory goes to you Lord, our mighty creator, and giver of all good things.

In the precious name of Jesus, we ask these things,

Amen

As the seasons of our lives seem to be only memories now, I’m sure, like me you wonder how time passed so quickly? Some of those memories make you laugh, cry, and even marvel at how you managed to get through some of those deep valleys. Our thoughts turn to our loved ones and friends that have gone on before us, of course, we miss then … that doesn’t go away but as Christians, we have eternity to be with them again … don’t we?

Well, that’s what I want to talk to you about today. Today I’ll tell you how you can be sure where this adventure called life ends you will start a greater one and live forever. Let’s find out how it’s done, and what better example could we use than Paul. Let’s look at what he wrote to Timothy;

2 Timothy 4:6-8 ⁶  For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸ in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Many people think about the last years of life as an opportunity to just relax. But this does not align with God’s purpose for us; He wants us to serve Him all the days of our lives.

Let’s look at the apostle Paul’s journey and explore what it means to finish well. He spent time pouring into others until the very end of his life. Consider the letters he wrote to Timothy from a prison cell prior to being executed. In every season of life, God calls us to serve others.

And notice how, when writing about his life, the apostle chose words descriptive of a battle. He understood the human struggle against sin as well as the challenges of pain and persecution in the trials we all face–even in doing kingdom work like preaching Christ to a fiercely resistant society.

This godly servant’s life was also marked by surrender. His mindset is obvious in these words: “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). He was not afraid of Nero, nor was he struggling to stay alive. Paul trusted God to determine everything about his life, including where he would go, what he would do, and when he would die. Death did not scare him, because he knew he would dwell with Jesus forever.

God doesn’t require our lives to be perfect in order to finish strong. We can live life fully and be ready to meet our Maker by surrendering, walking victoriously with Christ, and serving others. If Jesus called you home today, would you–like Paul–be confident that you lived well until the end? Have you received Jesus in your heart? (John 14:6) It makes no difference how good a person you’ve been, how much you’ve given, or how many you’ve helped it won’t be enough to get you through the gates. (Ephesians 2:9). That sounds harsh I know but if you could pay your way to heaven that would mean even the worst sinner could be there, look how money and power corrupt our country. Only through Jesus Christ can you enter the kingdom of God and that means putting your faith and trust in Him and Him alone, not politicians, government, or a TV evangelist even. Go to Romans 10:9-10, read that, do that and mean it and your ticket is in hand, already paid for at the cross. once you’ve made that commitment pick up your bible ( if you don’t have one let us know and we’ll send you one for free, including shipping) and get into the living word. If you truly make that comment your life will change forever.

My prayer for you:

Heavenly Father, I ask forgiveness for our sins and your grace and mercy to abound.

Father, your word says you want no one to perish but to have everlasting life. Your word shows us how to do that in Romans 10:9-10, so today, right now, I pray for the person reading this message to ask you into their heart. It’s between you Lord, and them. You know our hearts and you know if the comment is real.  I pray for the lost and somehow, someway they learn about you and make the conscious effort to change their lives and ask you into their hearts.

You are our most high God and know the number of each of our days, I pray for all serving you, no matter their age, they will continue praising your name and being the godly example you expect them to be.

Lord, our country needs you, I pray for godly and righteous leadership to be put in place and all the self-serving, ungodly politicians to be revealed and dealt with according to your word. We need moral healing as well as physical healing and I pray your mercies for that.

I  pray you to radicate this COVID virus for our land, form the world, and healing to begin.

Lord, touch our president, and direct him in the way you want our country to go, give him strength and courage to follow your word and bring us back to a Godly nation.

We thank you, Father, for all your grace and mercy, we give you all the praise and glory!

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen

I bet our last message about our crowns got you thinking about other rewards heaven? Are there any others? Boy howdy! The rewards God has in store for His faithful are unimaginable. Let’s look at some of the “biblical facts about rewards”, in your bible turn over to;  1 corinthians 3:10-14, if you don’t have your bible handy just click on the address and it should bring up the scripture.

Scripture not only supports the idea of eternal rewards, but it also spells out the specifics. In 1 Corinthians 3:10–14, I find three primary facts about rewards.

¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. ¹⁴ If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.

1. Most rewards are received in heaven, not on earth. Now don’t misunderstand. There are earthly rewards. Even the world provides certain people with special honors: the Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Peace Prize, Academy Awards, Emmy, Tony, Grammy—and we all know that athletes win All-American honors or All-Pro or the Heisman Trophy. The military also offers medals of bravery, like the Navy Cross, the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and the Medal of Honor.

But when it comes to servanthood, God reserves special honor for that day when “each man’s work will become evident” (3:13) and “he will receive a reward” (3:14). Most of the rewards servants will receive will be given after death, not before.

2. All rewards are based on quality, not quantity. Did you notice this principle in those verses from 1 Corinthians? “The fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work” (3:13, emphasis added).

We, humans, are impressed with size and volume and noise and numbers. It is easy to forget that God’s eye is always on motive, authenticity, the real truth beneath the surface, never the external splash. When He rewards servants, it will be based on quality—which means everybody has an equal opportunity to receive a reward.

The dear older lady who prays in private will be rewarded as much as the evangelist who preaches to thousands. The quiet, faithful friend who assists another in need will be rewarded as much as the strong natural leader whose gifts are more visible. A cool cup of water given to a hurting soul, bruised with adversity, will be rewarded as much as an act of sacrifice on the mission field. God, our faithful Lord, promises to reward the quality of our work.

The glory may be postponed until eternity, but it will come, which leads me into the third fact about rewards.

  3. no reward that is postponed will be forgotten. Make no mistake about it, the Bible clearly teaches that each of us “will receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:14). God doesn’t settle His accounts at the end of every day. Nor does He close out His books toward the end of everyone’s life. No, not then.

But be assured, when that day in eternity dawns, when time shall be no more on this earth, no act of serving others be it well known or unknown by others will be forgotten.

You don’t have to be a courageous soldier in battle or a well-spoken statesman to be remembered. You can be a “nobody” in the eyes of this world, and your faithful God will, someday, reward your every act of servanthood. Rewards may be postponed, but they will not be forgotten forever.

Unlike many people today, God keeps His promises. What a time we’ll all have when we see Jesus. I can’t help but think that alone will be the greatest reward of all … to gaze into His eyes and know we are home.

Until we talk again; Be blessed my friends, stay safe, and …KEEP LOOKING UP!

My prayer for you:

O’ father, our world need s you so much, our country has gone off the tracks and needs your abundant mercy and grace to put it back on so we can continue our journey toward a righteous nation doing your work to help others. I pray Lord, the satan driven responsible for our countries troubles will be brought to light and the truth revealed.

Lord, in Jesus’ name I ask for wisdom and strength be given to the righteous leaders so they can bring our country back to you. Forgive us Lord and help us to start again.

Heavenly Father, I ask in Jesus’ name for an answer to this COVID-19, a stop to the suffering and healing to begin. We thank you for the work already being done and give you all the praise and glory …

In Jesus name, we pray,

Amen

Each day is a gift from God even though most of us take for granted we’ll wake up the next day. We make our plans (in our day planners) and look to the future. I hope each day as you do this you do it in pencil because God has the eraser.

In this message I’m speaking of time, precious time (James 4:14) we have to complete God’s plan for us on earth (Psalm 39:4-13). If we as Christians follow His plan and work diligently to further His kingdom and live our life the way He prescribes His word speaks of rewards in heaven as if just being in heaven is enough. More specifically we’ll be teaching about the crowns we receive for our faithfulness and trust in Him.  Let’s get started … 

Crowns God Sets Aside for His Servants

1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20; 2 Timothy 4:7-8

As those who serve the living God, we occasionally need to consider the eternal “crowns” being set aside for God’s servants. What an intriguing study!

There are at least five crowns promised in the Bible. For our purpose here, I will simply list the eternal crowns mentioned in the New Testament and offer a brief explanation of each.

1. The Imperishable Crown (1 Corinthians 9:24–27²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.²⁶ Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; ²⁷ but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. )

This reward is promised to those who victoriously run the race of life. Taking into consideration verses 26 and 27, that is, the “buffeting” of the body, it is clear that this reward will be awarded those believers who consistently bring the flesh under the Holy Spirit’s control, refusing to be enslaved by their sinful nature. In other words, those who carry out the truths of Romans 6:6-14. ⁶ knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; ⁷ for he who has died is freed from sin.

⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Even so consider your selves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, ¹³ and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

2. The Crown of Exultation (Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. 

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20   For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy.)

This crown will be one over which its recipients will glory and rejoice! This is the “soul-winners crown.” It is claimed by Paul regarding two bodies of believers whom he had led to and discipled in Christ Jesus . . . the Philippians and the Thessalonians. Our Lord will distribute this crown to those servants who are faithful to declare the gospel, lead souls to Christ, and build them up in Him. And remember: the rewards at this judgment will be based on the quality not the quantity of our earthly works (1 Corinthians 3:13  each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test ^[a]the quality of each man’s work.).

3. The Crown of Righteousness( 2 Timothy 4:7–8 ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸ in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.)

The crown of righteousness will be awarded those who live each day, loving and anticipating Christ’s imminent return . . . those who conduct their earthly lives with eternity’s value in view. Kenneth Wuest captures the complete meaning of verse 8 with these words:

To those who have considered precious His appearing and therefore have loved it, and as a result at the present time are still holding that attitude in their hearts, to those the Lord Jesus will also give the victor’s garland of righteousness.¹

Those who qualify for this crown anxiously look for His return daily.

4. The Crown of Life (James 1:12 ¹² Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has ^[a]been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.)

This wonderful reward awaits those saints who suffered in a noble manner during their earthly life. The significance of this reward is not only related to the words perseveres under trial but also the words those who love Him. This crown is not promised simply to those who endure suffering and trials . . . but to those who endure their trials, loving the Savior all the way! Therefore, loving the Lord and having the desire that He be glorified in and through the trials become the dual motives for the believer’s endurance. Those saints who qualify (and the Lord is the Judge!) will receive the crown of life.

5. The Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:1–4 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, ² shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; ³ nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.)

This reward is promised to those who faithfully “shepherd the flock” in keeping with the requirements spelled out in verses 2 and 3. Those under-shepherds who fulfill these qualifications (willingness, sacrificial dedication, humility, an exemplary life) will receive this crown of glory.

After receiving these crowns, what then? Look at:

Revelation 4:9–11 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created.”

What a scene! All God’s servants are before His throne. What are they doing?

• Strutting around heaven displaying their crowns? No.
• Separated from one another, like peacocks, proudly displaying their tangible trophies? No.

The servants are bowing in worship, having cast all crowns before their Lord in adoration and praise, ascribing worth and honor to the only One deserving of praise—the Lord God!

There is no place in scripture that speaks of retirement from the army of God. Where ever you are in life (young or old) there’s still work you can do for His kingdom … What have you done lately?  Praise God you’re reading this, now pass it on … see how easy this is? You’re working for God and didn’t even leave your chair. I hope you’re smiling. What I’m trying to say is you don’t need a stage or an audience to spread the word. One on one is great. After all, think about it … Right now it’s just you and me and of course God.

KEEP LOOKING UP my friends until we get together next time … Dusty

My prayer for you:

Father,

Here we are looking to you for your mercy and grace and are thankful for your Son who willingly gave His life for us. We certainly don’t have a chance without Him. Through Him, we have a way to your throne and all the riches you have for us in heaven.

We ask Lord, for our hearts to be healed and minds brought in line with your word.

We need your hand on our country’s leaders to stop the lying and deceit. We need the knowledge you’ve given the scientists for the vaccines to cure this virus from hell to be brought to light without all the political interference. Lord, we need a miracle!

We give you all the praise and glory for all you do and realize you are a sovereign and all things are in your time, not ours.

We ask these things in Jesus name,

Amen

The Land Flowing with Milk and Honey… or The Land of the Giants

On July 25th a few minutes past 11:00 AM our brother(Pastor) and friend left on the greatest adventure of all … he went home to be with Jesus. After a month-long courageous battle, his heart gave out.

I thought it would be appropriate to bring forward his last message he wanted all believers and non-believers a like to read and take to heart. I know he loved all of you.

In November, when the visitors return, we will be having a celebration of life in his honor, the exact time and place will be announced later.

Peace to all … Keep Looking Up!

This is my first post, but I believe it is one that needs to be written for these uncertain times.

In the book of Numbers, chapters 13 and 14 we read about the children of Israel being given the land of Canaan, as promised by God. Moses was to choose one man from each tribe to spy out the land and bring back a report. (Numbers 13:17-21).

After 40 days, the men returned and gave a report on what they had found. They brought back fruit to show the congregation of Israel the bounty of the land. (Numbers 13:23). They even reported that the land flowed with milk and honey (Numbers 13:27), just as God had promised. Ten of the spies reported that the land also was inhabited by very strong people, with large fortified cities. There were also descendants of Anak. The Anakim/Anakites were a formidable race of giant, warlike people (Deuteronomy 2:10, 21; 9:2), who occupied the lands of southern Israel, near Hebron, before the arrival of the Israelites (Joshua 15:13). The Anakim’s ancestry has been traced back to Anak, who at that time was regarded as the “greatest man among the Anakim” (Joshua 14:15).

The two remaining spies, Joshua and Caleb confirmed what the others had seen. However, they were confident that God would deliver the land into the Israelites hands (Numbers 14:6-9).

The Israelites were encouraged by Moses not to fear the Anakim (Deuteronomy 1:29-30), but they refused to trust God’s promises (Deuteronomy 1:32-33). As a result, God became angry (Deuteronomy 1:34-35) and prohibited the “evil generation” from entering the Promised Land; Joshua and Caleb were the only exceptions, plus those who had no knowledge of good and evil (Deuteronomy 1:36-39). Because of their fear of the Anakim, and their rebellion against God, the children of Israel were forced to wander for another 38 years in the wilderness.

During the conquest of Canaan, Joshua expelled the Anakim from the hill country, and Caleb finally drove them out of Hebron completely. However, a small remnant found refuge in the cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod (Joshua 11:22). Many Bible scholars speculate that the Anakim’s descendants were the Philistine giants David encountered (2 Samuel 21:15-22), including Goliath of Gath (1 Samuel 17:4-7).

God has given us another future “promised land” – Heaven. Jesus declared that no one comes to the Father, but through Him. (John 14:6). Through obedience and not rebellion, we can have that promise fulfilled in our lives. Just like many of the Israelites of old, everyone has a choice to make. You can live your life your way, and suffer the consequences, or enter into the Promised Land. How can you make the choice to enter the “Promised Land”? Follow what it says in Romans 10:9-10.

If you have questions or need further help, please contact Bruce, Dusty, or Sandy. Our contact information is under the “CONTACT” page.

Further Bible translations, Study Helps and Answers can be found using the resources to the right, or by going to the Resources Page. If you need a Bible, we would love to send you a FREE copy. Just email us at prospectorsforgod@gmail.com with your name and address, and we will mail one to you, postage free.

Blessings,

Bruce

How many times have you sat and listened to a speaker, Christian or otherwise, that came across as an arrogant know it all? Come on, I know that’s being blunt, but we’ve all been there. Most of the time they try to make you believe what they are saying is the only truth, the only answer.

Wasn’t my last message about humility? When Jesus taught did He come across as a know-it-all?

You can know and recite scripture all day, but if you take them out of context and put your own spin on them you have become a hollow tree … no roots and no fruit.

Let’s see if we can put this in a biblical context, and discern who we should be listening too. Head over to;  2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11 

When you get those passages in your mind, go ahead read the rest of this message.

Having “humility of mind” is really an attitude, isn’t it? It’s a preset mentality that determines ahead of time thoughts like this:

“I care about those around me.”

“Why do I always have to be first? I’m going to help someone else win for a change.”

“Today, it’s my sincere desire to curb my own fierce competitive tendencies and turn that energy into encouraging at least one other person.”

“I willingly release my way this day. Lord, show me how You would respond to others, then make it happen in me.”

Now, before we get neck-deep into this unselfish lifestyle, we need to determine if it is, in fact, promoted in Scripture. Does the Bible come right up front and encourage living like this? I’ll let you determine the answer. As you examine these few New Testament passages, read them slowly . . . and don’t skip one line!

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. (Romans 12:10)

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5)

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)

Those words (there are many others) have a rare ring to them, don’t they? In fact, some who read those verses might misunderstand and think I’m advocating inferiority. For your sake,  a couple more biblical passages are needed:

For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles. . .  I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody. (2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11)

There’s the balance we’re looking for. Authentic humility in no way should be confused with incompetence or lack of self-esteem. As a matter of fact, it is doubtful that anyone who wrestles with an unhealthy self-image can correctly and adequately give to others.

Inferiority and unselfishness cannot coexist. Self-assurance isn’t arrogance, and sharing the word is certainly not being a know-it-all. We’re supposed to go and spread the gospel (Mark 16:15) the way Jesus did, humbly with a servant’s heart. 

You decide, do you listen to someone for their looks, personality, charisma, status, or maybe some other person’s opinion. Just because they’re on TV or center stage doesn’t make them right (look at the fake news). One sure thing, if you follow Jesus and try to stay in His will you can’t be misled. 

Whether you’re a believer or not, someday you will meet Jesus, it could be today, tomorrow or next week, but it’s coming. It’s you’re choice! Get on board or miss the train. We’ll be praying for you, May God’s Glory and Grace follow you all the rest of your days.

Until we meet next time, many blessings and … KEEP LOOKING UP!      Dusty

My Prayer for You: 

Heavenly Father,

fill our minds and spirits with knowledge of you so we can better be a servent and humbly spread the Word of your saving grace and glory to all we meet. Lord, give us boldness, not arrogance to pray for one another, never proclaiming how much we know, but using and sharing all we know to further your kingdom, giving you “all” the praise and glory.

We ask Lord for wisdom, Looking to you for direction, not man.

We ask for forgiveness and strength to do you will, not ours.

 In the name of Jesus,  Lord, heal our sick, the brokenhearted, relationships, and our land.

Lord, protect those that are in harm’s way who are trying to help those in need.

We love you lord and thank you for all you do, giving you all the praise and glory!

In Jesus name, we pray

Amen

I know  as Christians we’ve been told or taught, maybe by some old salt who believes they know all about being a “Christian” and they’ll say … You should be more Christ  like.” … Well are you, is the one telling you this practicing what they preach? Let’s see what Jesus, Himself says about being ” Christ like”.

^{2 Corinthians 4:10-11, 16-18}

¹⁰ always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

4:16-18 

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Americans like things to be logical and fair. We operate our lives on that basis. Meaning this: If I do what is right, good will come to me; and if I do what is wrong, bad things will happen to me, in other words, right brings rewards and wrong brings consequences.

That’s a logical and fair axiom of life, but there’s one problem. It isn’t always true. All of us have had the unhappy and unfortunate experience of doing what is right yet suffering for it. And we have also done what is wrong on a few occasions without being punished. The latter we can handle, but the former is a tough pill to swallow.

This can even happen in a life of servant hood. You will give, forgive, forget, release your own will, obey God to the maximum, and even wash dirty feet with an attitude of gentleness and humility. And after all those beautiful things, you will get ripped off occasionally.

The Bible doesn’t hide this painful reality from us.

 In 1 Peter 2:20–21 (addressed to servants, by the way—see v. 18), we read:

For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.

If a person does wrong and then suffers the consequences, even though he or she patiently endures the punishment, nobody applauds. But—now get this clearly fixed in your mind—when you do what is right and suffer for it with grace and patience, God applauds!

When you feel as if God is taking things away, maybe He’s just trying to make room in your life for better things that He wants to give you.

 A Self-Description of Jesus

Matthew 11:28-29

In all my studies I’ve found only one place where Jesus Christ—in His own words—describes his own “inner man.” In doing so, He uses only two words. He doesn’t say: “I am wise and powerful,” or “I am holy and eternal,” or “I am all-knowing and absolute deity.” Do you know what He said? Hold on, it may surprise you.

Matt. 11:28–29 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls” .

I am gentle. I am humble. These are servant terms. Gentle means strength under control. Humble in heart means lowly—the word picture of a helper.

Frankly, I find it extremely significant that when Jesus lifts the veil of silence and once for all gives us a glimpse of Himself, the real stuff of His inner person, He uses gentle and humble.

When we remember that God wants us to conform to His son’s image, we realize he wants us to have qualities like Jesus had. We must let gentleness and humbleness emerge.

We are never more like Christ than when we fit into His description of Himself.

Do the the people dictating to your life fit into this description, … do you? Listen to what you watch and hear, is it furthering the kingdom of God or some other agenda. Our schools are teaching their political agenda, brain washing our children (Matthew 19:14), and our so called political correctness way of life is undermining Christian beliefs … Look around you, open your eyes… It’s not to late!

Love one another and save a life today … tell them about Jesus. 

Until next time, stay safe and KEEP LOOKING UP!     Dusty

My prayer for you: 

All mighty God, we come to you with praise and thanks giving in our hearts, asking for your grace and mercy. Forgive us of our sins and teach us to become more Christ like each day.

Lord, shine your light of truth on those that would try to destroy your people and bring them to “your” justice.

Father, protect those in harms way that are doing their jobs to protect us, all our first responders, and military. In the name of Jesus I claim 1 Peter 2:24  for my Brother Bruce and for all suffering with this virus.

Father, your word says to come expecting, so show us a miracle. We give you all the praise and glory!

In Jesus precious name we pray.

  Amen

Do you think we’ve been abusing God’s Patience?

Has being politically correct followed God’s commandments or a liberal agenda to lead our nation away from him?

How many things can you think of off hand that has either been made legal or condoned that is against the bible?

While you’re doing that I’ll finish putting my thoughts together and maybe the message will help you decide your answer. Let’s first go to;  Romans 2:4-5

4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 

5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God   

Have you ever ignored the press of conviction upon your heart? Maybe you rationalized your wrongdoing with the thought that if God were really upset, He’d put a stop to things by disciplining you.

Psalm 50:21 “These things you have done and I kept silence;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.

This reminds us that the silence of heaven does not mean approval. Remaining in sin is an abuse of the Lord’s patience.

When God seems slow to react, we might hope He’s overlooking our transgressions–we’d like to continue in sin because the momentary pleasure is more appealing than obedience. But thankfully, the Father knows our weaknesses, our innate carnality, and the state of our spiritual growth, and He therefore measures His response. Motivated by love and a desire to gently restore His children to righteousness, God refrains from doling out immediate punishment. Instead, He waits for the Holy Spirit’s prodding to impact the believer’s heart. The weight of conviction is actually an invitation to turn from wrongdoing and return to godliness.

However, we’re a stubborn people. There are times when we persist in sin because the sentence against an evil deed isn’t executed quickly (Eccl. 8:11 because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.).

In this dangerous situation, it’s possible to immerse ourselves in sin and harden our hearts against the Lord. Then the Holy Spirit’s call to repentance falls on spiritual ears rapidly going deaf.

As we learn and understand more about God and His ways, we are increasingly responsible to live righteously. The Lord is not slow; He’s patient. Do not abuse His patience with callous disregard for His statutes. Repent and be holy in the sight of the Lord.

This is a lot said in a short message, but it’s to the point. Doesn’t His word say; (2 Chronicles 7:14)  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will heal their land.

Isn’t it about time we stand up and become the army of God we’re suppose to be?

Here’s a fact you have to decide on … are you going to be politically correct or biblical y correct? You can’t be both, (Revelation 3:15-16) that’s not from me, it’s scriptural fact…. You decide!

God love you all … He’s your Father, honor Him, talk to Him … He’s listening.

We sure would like any of your comments and if you have prayer need be sure and go to our contact page so we can include you in our prayers. Until next time stay safe and KEEP LOOKING UP!

My prayer for you:   

Most loving Father,

We acknowledge our sin and ask once again for you forgiveness. We ask for mercy and healing and know that only through the shed blood of Jesus can this be given. We thank you for always being there, even when we don’t ask for your help you send angels to see us trough the rough times. Father I pray  your people come to you with repenting hearts and seek your forgiveness and guidance in their lives.

Lord, we ask for for my brother Bruce, who is suffering in the hospital with covid-19 to wake up, touch him Lord with your Holy Spirit and bring him back to us, Heal him Lord we pray in Jesus name.

We pray for our president and our countries leaders to seek you Lord in all they do.

We pray these things in the precious name of Jesus

Amen

Wouldn’t it be interesting to listen in some time on the prayers lifted up to the Lord, I mean just the ones concerning the desires of the heart? In this time of so much strife, I can just imagine the anxiety of waiting on unanswered prayer. Wondering why nothing is happing, is God hearing my prayers?  … Yes, to both of those questions, but are they the answers you want … Well…

Let’s get into today’s teaching and see if we can find out what’s going on. Go over Psalm 145: 17-21 to start with.

¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
¹⁹ He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
²⁰ The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

If you could have anything in the world, what would it be? Your answer reveals a lot about who you are. The psalmist writes, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm. 37:4). There is nothing wrong with desires–they motivate us to achieve great things. But not all of our yearnings come from God.

 Consider your aspirations and what they say about who you are: Do you hope for a position of authority in order to be in control? Longing for personal advancement in order to manipulate others reveals a lack of integrity, whereas a godly person craves righteousness.

 Do you dream about wealth and fame? Perhaps there’s a void in your spirit that you’re trying to fill. But only God can meet the insatiable needs of the human heart.

 Are you afraid to ask the Lord for what you want? Maybe you think He won’t listen, but God tells us to approach His throne with boldness and confidence (Heb. 4:16).

 If the Lord doesn’t respond affirmatively to your prayers, ask Him to make your desires conform to His will. Whatever you do, don’t take matters into your own hands and go after what you want. There is always a high price to pay for rebelling against God.

 God cares for us bountifully, but that doesn’t mean we can expect Him to deliver whatever we want, whenever we want it. Only when our dreams align with His plan for our lives does He fulfill them. The thoughts that preoccupy us are an accurate barometer of the state of our relationship with Christ.

A Godly Heart

Psalms 37:1-8  A Psalm of David.

37 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
² For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and ^[a]cultivate faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as to the noonday.

^7 [b]Rest in the Lord and wait ^[c]patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
⁸ Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 37:3Or feed securely or feed on His faithfulness
2. Psalm 37:7Or Be still
3. Psalm 37:7Or longingly

The Lord promises to give us the desires of our hearts. But many people take this passage out of context, forgetting that their own mindset plays a vital part in bringing it to fruition. As my grandmother once said, “Where your mind goes, your feet go, so be careful what you think about.”

What is your responsibility when it comes to claiming promises from God?

 Delight yourselves in the Lord (Psalm. 37:4). Christians should rejoice in God and desire to walk in obedience. The Lord must have first place in your life before you can claim the promise in this verse.

Commit your way to the Lord (Psalm 37: 5). Allow God to change any aspect of your ambition that is not His will.
Remember that when He doesn’t answer a prayer as you wished, it is for a reason.

Trust in Him (Psalm 37: 5). God is merciful, all-knowing, kind, and generous. You can trust Him with your hopes and dreams.

Rest in Him (Psalm 37: 7). Resting in the Lord means trusting Him to answer prayers in His timing or transform your aspirations so they conform to His will.

Wait upon the Lord patiently (Psalm 37: 7). Jesus waited three decades before beginning His three-year ministry on earth. According to His example, waiting is one of the key principles of Christian living.
Do your desires align with God’s purpose and plan for your life? He longs to give His followers abundant blessings and fullness of joy. So allow your dreams to be conformed to the Lord’s will, and follow His guidance faithfully. Only when you surrender to Him will you experience God’s best for your life.

I hope this teaching helped you and calmed your heart. Even though the world is in chaos know that God is in control and rest in Psalm 37:7. Remember, everything is in God’s time … not ours.

Be blessed my brothers and sisters, until next time stay safe and KEEP LOOKING UP!

My Prayer for You: 

Heavenly Father,

We come to you with humble hearts and ask your forgiveness of our sins. We pray that the message you gave us today will bring peace to our troubled hearts and strengthen our faith and trust in you.

Lord, we pray for our president and other leaders for godly wisdom in ALL their decisions, that there not self-serving, but for the true good of the people.

Father, we claim your word for healing the sick with this virus from hell created by satan himself and we command it to go in the name of Jesus. We give you, merciful Father, all the praise and glory, and thank you for your love.

In Jesus Name

Amen

This has certainly been inordinately long teaching but I feel a very necessary one. We must always be vigilant of our own hearts and actions and be aware of the people around us,  being able to discern their hearts and motives. Are their motives (or laws) Godly? Do they really have their fellow man in mind or are they out to get what they can and to further their agenda?

Good questions, let’s finish this teaching up and then maybe reassess our thinking and get more aligned with how God wants us to lead our lives.

II Timothy 1:7-8  For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not you therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be you partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.

I do not know whether you have ever thought of all of these characteristics, these qualities that appear in II Timothy 3:1-5, that they are evidence of insanity. I am looking at this from God’s point of view. If we look at it from God’s point of view in considering the illustrations and so forth that I gave at the very beginning of this teaching, and how God looks at our heart, you can begin to see elements of why God would say that His Spirit is the Spirit of a sound mind. There is a difference between being sound and being unsound, and He is implying pretty clearly there that before we were converted we were unsound. There is some degree of mental illness in a heart able to do good things, but at the same time having the propensity within it to do all nineteen of those things, and worse. All of those characteristics are evidence of some degree of mental illness.

These characteristics are the very mental and conduct instabilities we come out with and are those that we are to overcome during our Christian life. We all have elements of them as part of our character, and they must be challenged and put out.

I discovered a very interesting thing as I was preparing this teaching. It was interesting to me anyway. It is that a number of newer translations of the Bible replace the word “sound” with a different word. First, understand that the King James is not wrong. It is an okay translation. There is nothing wrong with it, but some modern translations have changed that reading to “self-discipline.” “God has given us a mind of self-discipline.” To me, that was really interesting, and I feel that “self-discipline” more directly expresses what Paul was instructing. Again, even my Bible has a marginal note that says, “A sound mind is a disciplined mind.”

The word “discipline” has several applications of usage in the English language, and I am going to give you what Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary says regarding this word: “1. Discipline means a punishment; 2. It means instruction; 3. It means a subject that is taught; 4. Discipline is training that corrects, molds, or corrects the mental faculties or moral character; 5. Discipline is control gained by enforcing obedience and order.”

Now either of those last two fits what we are looking at here in II Timothy 1:7, but I feel that the fifth one—”Discipline is control gained by forcing obedience and order”—fits. What verse 7 then means is that the godly person has his spirit under control and he does not permit human nature to express itself in a way that is not godly. He puts a cork on it and holds it until it is overcome and it is no longer part of his character, is no longer part of his nature.

Paul is not implying that the person disciplines himself without any deviation. Paul is just giving a generality. We see right here one of the things that Timothy had to overcome. He was a timid person by nature, and fearful, and that is what Paul mentioned there. “Do not be ashamed.” “Do not be afraid.” “Do not fear.” “Go on.”

On page 18 of his book The Road Less Traveled, the author M. Scott Peck suggested four broad areas of human behavior that he feels are absolutely essential to produce stable well-rounded productive people who can overcome life’s problems and produce good relationships. Our problem in our relationship with God is keeping human nature corked. Now God has given us the tool to do it: His Spirit. And He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1. Scott Peck strongly urges everybody who reads his book to inculcate these four disciplines, or whatever, in themselves and in their children as a means of achieving good mental and spiritual health. He calls these disciplines “the basic set of tools needed to solve life’s problems.” We all have problems that need to be solved.

Besides calling them “disciplines,” he also calls them “tools” and “techniques of suffering.” That last one is a good one. Do you know why he calls it that? Everybody, when facing problems, suffers, and we need a technique to handle that suffering. There is going to be suffering in some way and of some measure connected to solving problems. I think that you will agree that life is filled with problems that create pressures that are interspersed with short periods of peace. We call these problems “stress,” and each of these trials produces some degree of anxiety, of mental anguish, or we might even use the term “suffering” for a period of time. When these things begin, that is when we have a tendency to let human nature run in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, many people, as we would say, gradually crack under the stress and become to some degree mentally ill. Do you know why they crack? The simple answer is because they fail to solve the problem to the degree that they can, and they become so self-concerned about their failures that they become mentally ill, and react badly. It is the extreme self-centeredness that is the real problem. Those who handle these stresses best are those who are the most mature.

Peck calls these disciplines “tools of suffering” because they are the means by which we can experience the pain of problems in such a way as to work through them and solve them successfully.  I was struck that these are some of the very qualities that God is working to instill in us in order to bring us to maturity. We should be working on our children to instill these qualities in them. Here they are:

Tool number 1: We need to learn the delaying of gratification.

Tool number 2: We need to learn the acceptance of responsibility.

Tool number 3: Dedication to the truth. (I personally feel this is the most important one, considering our deceitful heart. If we are not dedicated to truth, nothing is going to work. I can guarantee that.)

Tool number 4: Balance (I prefer the term “Wisdom.” This last one is the longest one coming because it takes life’s experience to have wisdom.)

As important as child-training is, these qualities have a far more important direct connection to God’s purpose. Brothers and sisters, He has called us to be problem-solvers.

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions [offices, rooms, abodes]: If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

In conjunction with many other verses, it is revealed that we are going to be established in positions, offices, rooms, places of responsibility in a world totally devastated by horrific nuclear warfare and populated by people spiritually, mentally, and emotionally scarred from experiencing those horrors. I am talking about that period of time after we are resurrected or changed, and God says, “Okay. Go out there and straighten up this mess!”

We are going to be faced with problems like you never saw before, and God wants people working out there who know what they are doing and are disciplined enough, and responsible enough to carry it out. He wants them to be so dedicated to seeing the truth established that nothing will deter them. They will handle that responsibility with balance and wisdom, and not be an oppressive ogre just throwing his weight around, but will deal with people with kindness and with honor and a deliberate love to lift them up out of the muck and mire of what the world has become.

I want you to go now to Luke 8:14. Jesus is giving the parable of the Sower and the Seed, and He says:

 And that which fell among thorns are they which when they have heard go forth, and are choked with care and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

It is the word “perfection” that I am looking at right now.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection.

Ephesians 4:11-14  And he [Christ] gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: [Why?] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

All three of these words rendered perfection, perfect, or perfecting, with one exception, are related to the same root verb teleioo. Teleioo is synonymous with our English words “to complete,” “to finish,” “to accomplish,” “to consummate,” “to perfect,” or in these contexts, “to bring or come to maturity.”

God is perfecting us. Why? So we can be changed and work in the family business.

That one exception is in Ephesians 4:12, where the word “perfecting” is appropriate, but it should really be translated “equipping.” God is equipping us to handle the responsibilities that are coming. So what is our involvement in this Christian life? It is the bringing of us to maturity where we have been completely subjected to human nature to where we can control it by the power of God’s Spirit and truth to where it is no longer driving us around by the nose. Instead, we are, by our own will, submitting ourselves to God and His truth, revealing to Him that we are being perfected, that we are becoming mature.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8 says that we are saved by grace through faith, but then he goes on to say that we are being saved for the purpose of working works that God has ordained. God has already set it up for us. We know at least the outline of what He is doing, but He is preparing us to do those works He has ordained us to do. Right now the work He has given us to do is to yield to Him so that we can become mature and grow up from being a child to being a real true adult.

Did not Paul say in the “Love” chapter there was a time when he was a child, and when he was a child he spoke as a child, he thought as a child; but when he became a man he put away childish things? That is what faces us. We are to aim for the character and the mind of God. We have the tool in His Spirit. We have the truth to apply ourselves, but human nature is present, and God has left it there so we can struggle against it and overcome it and get the benefit of all the experiences of learning how to work.

Do you know what the failure to delay gratification does? It produces procrastination. That is its product. Yet we keep putting off the hard things and always do the easy things. The failure to delay gratification produces procrastination. It is always fun to do the easy stuff. We get a reward right away. Do you know how the person who will not delay gratification reacts? I will give a simple illustration. This is the person who, when he gets his dessert, eats the icing first. He wants to be gratified first. That is a little thing, but it shows the inclination of the mind. I am going to try to put together a teaching on those four qualities, but it is going to be hard I think. It will be quite a challenge.

All I want us to understand out of this is that those qualities in II Timothy 3:1-5 are active within us to some degree. They are not just lying there latent. They want to spring out and control. We must come to the place where we can control them, but know this, that the labor and the sacrifices that need to be made to keep those things under control are for our good. God allowed them to remain within us so that they could be met and challenged, and from this: good fruit will be produced.

We can do it,  you can do it, not on our own but through the help of the Holy Spirit. He is the answer to All the problems we face, He is the only answer. Any answer we can come up with without Him is only a band-aid, it won’t last.

Have been to the Roman road yet? What are you waiting for? Romans 10:9-10 opens the door all you need to do is walk through. Are you ready? IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!

I’m here to lend a hand if you need it, my contact information is at the top of the page under contact.

Until next time, see ya down the road!    Dusty 

My Prayer for You: 

Father, we ask forgiveness for our sin and ask for a new heart and strength to do your work.

We give thanks for the healing going on in brother Bruce’s body and know your hand is on him.

Lord, this virus needs to end and the pain and suffering to stop. Your word says where two or more agree it shall be done (Matthew 18:19-20) and I claim that word in Jesus’s name. We thank you for it and give you all the praise and glory …

In Jesus name, we pray

Amen