Month: May 2024

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

“The desire of the slothful [lazy person] killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor” (Proverbs 21:25).

“There is none upright among men … they hunt every man his brother … that they may do evil with both hands” (Micah 7:2-3).

Our hands are a most useful part of our body, and we can do many things with them. We can do good things, or we can do bad things. Also, we can sit around and do nothing with them. In our verses today we have these three examples of the use of our hands.

First of all, we have the encouragement to be strong, and not to let our hands be weak. These words were originally addressed to king Asa of Judah, after he had won a great victory over the large army that had come to attack him. The prophet encouraged him to go on, and as a result, Asa got rid of all the idols in the land, and offered a large sacrifice to the Lord. He used his hands in a good way.

In our second verse, we find someone who is lazy, and refuses to do any work. It says that his desire “killeth him,” meaning that the lazy person really wants all the good things of life, but does not want to work for them. It is very hard for him, for the next verse in the chapter says that “he coveteth (really wants) greedily all the day long,” yet his laziness means that he does not get any of those things. We all need to work in this life, and it is good to learn how when we are young.

Finally, we have those who use their hands, but in a wrong way. They may be clever and willing to work, but not to do good things. No, they “do evil with both hands.” For example, there are many in this world who use their brains and their hands to invent viruses for computers, just to see how much damage they can do. Others invent clever ways to “scam” people, by pretending to be the government, or a big company (like the telephone company, or a bank). They try to trick people into giving them private information such as bank account numbers and passwords, or credit card information. Last year in Canada one group of scammers pretended to be the income tax department, and eventually cheated people out of fifteen million dollars before they were finally stopped.

You and I can use our hands in a right way or a wrong way. Let us choose the right way.

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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June 2024 S M T W T F S 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6

Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“A wholesome [gentle] tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness [crookedness] therein is a breach [break] in the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4).

The tree of life is mentioned a number of times in the Bible, and it is mentioned four times in the book of Proverbs. Here it is connected with gentleness when we speak. Why is this? It is because the tree of life is really a picture of the Lord Jesus, and when He spoke, it was with gentleness. Yes, He could speak very seriously to people when He needed to, and on at least one occasion he looked on the Jewish rulers with anger, but it was always with real love and care for them.

The second part of our verse today reminds us of something that is very important. When we speak, it is not only the words that we use that affect other people; it is the spirit in which we say something that is even more important. Those who have studied this subject tell us that when we speak, only 10% of the message comes from the actual words we say. About 40% of the message we give to others is the tone of voice we use, and the other 50% is the “body language” we use. What do we mean by body language? It is the look on our face, the way we hold our hands and arms, and even the way we use our legs and feet. All of these combine to give a message to the other person. We can give a peaceable message by our body language (a smile and a hug), or we can give an angry, threatening message (arms crossed, feet apart, face scowling!). We can make other people feel that we really love them, or we can give them the distinct feeling that “I don’t like you.”

To use gentleness and love in speaking to others is to be a “tree of life” — like the Lord Jesus. This does not mean that we never say anything to reach someone’s conscience. We do need to speak seriously to people sometimes, and to remind them of God’s claims. The Lord Jesus did this in Matthew 23, when he gave a strong rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees for being hypocrites. (A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be good, but then does bad things on the side, hoping no one will notice.) But He said these things in love, wanting them to repent and be saved.

Let us all remember that part of our message to others is the way we speak and look, nor just the words we say.

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

May 2024 S M T W T F S 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

June 2024 S M T W T F S 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6

Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures [or, baskets] of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

“The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity … it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8).

“If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle [control] the whole body” (James 3:2).

The next part of our body we want to discuss is the tongue. It is not very large, and it can do a lot of good, but also a lot of damage. How much trouble we can get into by what we say! Yet, if we say something good, how much help it can be!

Our first verse today speaks of a word “fitly spoken.” That means knowing how to say just the right thing at the right time. Only the Lord can help us do that, for often we say the first thing that comes into our minds, without thinking about it. But the Lord, by His Spirit, can show us just the right thing to say at any given time. When this happens, it is like a basket of silver with apples of gold in it. We would all like to get a gift like that! I am sure that we can all remember hearing someone say just the right thing, and how much it meant to us. We often remember something like that all our life.

Then we have the opposite in the next verse. James points out to us that the tongue is like a fire. It may be small, but a small fire can light a big pile of wood, and sometimes a whole forest. Lately we have been hearing about wildfires in forests in different parts of the world, and how much damage they do. Sometimes houses catch fire from these wildfires, and people have to be evacuated in order not to be killed. Those fires started out small, but they became big.

Usually, if someone can control his tongue, he is able to control the rest of his body. I think we can all understand that it is usually our tongue by which we sin, and get into trouble. If you read the whole 3rd chapter of James, you will see that the tongue is also compared to the rudder of a ship, or a bit in the mouth of a horse. Both of these are small, yet they turn the ship or the horse in the right direction. It is important for each of us to be on guard as to what we say, and how we say it.

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

May 2024 S M T W T F S 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

June 2024 S M T W T F S 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6

Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus” (John 18:10).

“And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his ear, and healed him” (Luke 22:51).

Here is another story about an ear that is worth noticing. The high priest and the Pharisees had sent a band of men to arrest the Lord Jesus, and Judas, who was one of the Lord’s disciples, had betrayed his Master. For a sum of money he had promised to lead the soldiers to where he knew the Lord Jesus would be.

When the soldiers came, Peter was ready to defend his Master. He had a sword, and he used it on a servant of the high priest. He ended up by cutting off his right ear, but Peter was probably aiming for more than the ear! He was likely aiming for his head, but since the man probably ducked, the sword cut off only his ear. The Bible even tells us the man’s name — Malchus. Why does it give us these details?

I believe it is because there is a moral lesson for us here. We may not cut off someone’s ear with a sword or a knife, but if we treat people roughly or use harsh language with them, there are not likely to listen to the gospel afterward. We have, in that sense, cut off their ear. It is easy to do this when someone treats us badly. In this case the servant of the high priest was coming to arrest the Lord Jesus and Peter felt that he should fight these bad men. But he did not realize that it was all in God’s plan, and that he should not resist.

Notice how the Lord Jesus handled the situation. He told Peter to stop, but then healed the servant’s ear. What wonderful grace! I am sure that Malchus never forgot it. Whether he ever got saved we do not know, for we never hear of him again in the Bible. But the Lord Jesus had showed him love and grace, even when he was coming to do harm to Him. Surely all this would have made him ready to listen to the gospel.

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry” (Psalm 34:15).

“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).

Today we will talk about ears, and once again, we notice that the Lord has ears too. As we said yesterday about the Lord’s eyes, it is a little scary to think that the Lord hears everything that is said in this world. We sang a song in Sunday school when I was young that went like this —

He sees what we do, and He hears what we say, My Lord is watching all the time.

This song reminded us that the Lord hears everything we say, whether we are saved or not, and that it is a serious thing to say wrong things.

However, it is also comforting to know that He hears our cry if we need help. In this world, sometimes we call someone on the telephone, but they do not answer. Or we may ask others for some help, but perhaps they say that they are too busy. But the Lord is always there for us, and is never too busy to listen to us.

We also have ears, and it is important what we listen to, and what we remember. Our second verse today is so important that it is repeated four times in the Word of God. It means that when the Lord is speaking to us, and we have ears to hear, it is important to listen. As we would say in modern language, it is important for us to “listen up.”

We all know what it is like to listen to something, but not really pay attention to what is said. Then, if someone asks us about it a few minutes later, we cannot remember. But when God speaks, it is always important. Sometimes the Lord uses others to speak to us, and again, it is important to listen.

But as it was with our eyes, we can choose what we hear much of the time. Listening to things that defile our minds is not good, for then our minds are filled with bad thoughts. Listening to bad music, to bad jokes, or to worldly talk all tend to pollute our minds. Let us be careful what we listen to.

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).

“Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity” (Psalm 119:37).

In an earlier meditation, we have seen how that we, as human beings, are composed of body, soul, and spirit. We saw that the soul and spirit live in the body, and express themselves through the body. For the next few talks, we will look at some parts of the body, and what the Bible says about them. In our verses today, we have the eyes mentioned — the Lord’s eyes, and our eyes.

First of all, it is important to know that the Lord has eyes, and that He sees everything. Our eyes are limited as to how much they can see, although we can see light from the stars that are millions of miles away. In this world we can see only a short distance, unless we are up in an airplane. But the Lord’s eyes can see everything, and as our first verse tells us, He is beholding both the evil and the good.

At first it might seem a bit frightening to us, to think that the Lord sees everything. If we do wrong, He sees it, and records it. However, it is also encouraging for us as Christians to realize that He is looking after us, and that He sees us wherever we are.

As I write this in November 2021, the news media are telling us about a little four-year-old girl named Cleo who was kidnapped in Australia while she was camping with her parents. After two weeks she was found, but up until that time, no one knew where she was. But the Lord knew where she was all the time. Eventually the police found her, and she was safely returned to her home.

But then the Bible speaks about our eyes, and how we use them. There are many things to be seen in this world, and sometimes we cannot help but see things that upset us. I know a young man who was sent to Iraq with the U.S. army, and he saw things there that still cause him to have bad dreams. I knew another man who fought in the 2nd World War (he was a Christian, and he is with the Lord now), and he too saw some awful things. Even as an old man, he would break down and cry when he talked about them.

But many times we can choose what we see with our eyes. We can choose to look at bad things on television, on the computer, on our cell phones, or perhaps even reading a book or a magazine. We can also choose to look at good things, such as reading good books (especially the Bible!), or doing things on our cell phones and computers that are pleasing to the Lord. God has given us our eyes. Are we using them for Him?

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“How say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain [empty]” (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the resurrection of those believers who have died, are most important truths. Yet some in the city of Corinth were trying to say that there was no resurrection of the dead. They were saying that when people die, they die just like an animal, and that is the end of them forever.

The Apostle Paul points out clearly that if this is true, then the resurrection of the Lord Jesus must not be true either. But we know that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is definitely a fact. At the beginning of this same chapter (1st Corinthians 15), Paul points out how that many people saw the Lord Jesus after He rose from the dead, including over 500 believers at once. There were certainly plenty of witnesses of His resurrection. But there is a most important truth connected with our Lord’s resurrection, and Paul explains it here.

If the Lord Jesus is risen from the dead (and He is!), then every believer that has died must also rise from the dead at the Lord’s coming. Why is this? It is because we are so closely united to the Lord Jesus that we have the same life as He has. That is why it says, “Even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). This is referring to believers, who will all be raised from the dead when the Lord comes. Then we will instantly be given bodies fit for heaven.

But if this will not happen, as some were teaching, then the Lord Jesus must not have risen from the dead, and if He did not rise from the dead, then no one is saved. Why is this? It is because our Lord’s resurrection was the sign that God had accepted His work on the cross, and that He had fully satisfied His God and Father in doing it. If the Lord Jesus had not risen from the dead, it would have meant that the work was not done, and that God was not happy with it. But all that work was done in perfection; Christ is risen, and every believer who has died in Christ will rise too, when the Lord comes.

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

In yesterday’s verse it mentions a reward for helping as an under-shepherd — “Ye shall receive a crown of glory.” Rewards will be handed out at what the Bible calls “the judgment seat of Christ.” As we see in our verse today, we will all be there. But how can this happen, if all our sins are already washed away through the blood of Christ?

Most of you know that there are two kinds of judging in this world. There is the judging that goes on in a courtroom, where someone is accused of having committed a crime. The judge listens to the evidence, and if the person accused is convicted of the crime, the judge will decide on a punishment; perhaps a fine, or even some time in jail. This is the kind of judging that those who are not saved will have to experience, when they stand before God. (The term “judgment seat of Christ” can also refer to this judgment of the unsaved. That is why 2 Corinthians 5:11 says, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.”) At that awful time, all unbelievers will be sent into hell for their sins.

But there is another kind of judging in this world, such as we see at a fall fair, or at a piano recital. In that setting, the judge does not send anyone to jail, or impose a fine. Rather, the judge decides on the best farm produce, the best farm animals, or the best piano player. Then rewards are handed out to those who are the best. This is the kind of judging that will take place for believers at the judgment seat of Christ.

It will happen after the Lord comes for us, when we are up there in heaven. The Lord will review our lives and will reward what has been done for Him. What has not been for Him will be burned up. More than this, we will realize for the first time how big the load of sin was that the Lord Jesus bore for us. We know we have committed many sins, but surely all of us have forgotten many of them too. But at the judgment seat of Christ, we will see how many sins we have committed, and have been forgiven. All this will only make us want to praise the Lord Jesus even more for all He has done for us.

“When I stand with Christ in glory, Looking o’er life’s finished story; Then, Lord, shall I fully know, Not till then, how much I owe.”

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20).

“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4).

Yesterday we saw that the Lord Jesus was the good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep. But in today’s verses we see Him in two other ways — the great Shepherd and the chief Shepherd. In both of these we see Him as the One who leads us all the way home to heaven, and who also has “under-shepherds” who help Him in His work.

The great Shepherd shows us the Lord Jesus as risen and glorified in heaven, and who looks after His sheep all the way home. He not only died for them, but as we get in Psalm 23, He “leads [them] beside still waters,” He makes them to “lie down in green pastures,” He comforts them with His rod and staff, etc. All this is in addition to His having died for us.

Then Peter reminds us that He is also the chief Shepherd, meaning that there are other shepherds who work under Him. When the Lord Jesus restored Peter publicly after Peter had denied Him, He says to Peter, “Shepherd my sheep” (John 21:16 JND). I am sure that Peter never forgot this, and he did shepherd his Master’s sheep. You and I can be shepherds too, for every believer who cares about other believers can be a shepherd.

The Lord Jesus has under-shepherds, but no sheep dogs. Many years ago, when my wife and I were visiting in the county of Yorkshire in northern England, we saw sheep dogs at work. The best sheep dogs are border collies. The ones we saw were very clever and had been well trained. They knew how to round up a flock of sheep and herd them down into the right place, just where the shepherd wanted them. But these sheep dogs did not really care for the sheep; sometimes they nipped at their heels, to get them going faster. The dogs simply did what their master wanted. But a real under-shepherd cares for the sheep and wants them to be looked after properly. The Lord Jesus wants you and me to do that for His sheep, for in doing this we are serving Him.

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).

“I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

It is interesting and instructive for us that in these verses, we find the Lord Jesus as both a sheep and a shepherd. We would never find such a thing naturally, for a sheep is only an animal, while a shepherd (or a shepherdess) is a human being. But in these verses the Lord Jesus is pictured as both.

As a sheep (or a lamb) He went to the cross, and was the sacrifice for sin. In the Old Testament, many lambs and sheep were offered up to the Lord as sacrifices, and especially at the Passover, when all Israel were to remember how the Lord delivered them from Egypt. Once a year they were to celebrate the Passover, and to sacrifice a lamb. On that occasion the blood was to be sprinkled on the doors of their houses, and then they were to go inside and have a meal, eating of the roast lamb.

But the Lord Jesus was the true Passover, and we read in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that “even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” Now we no longer keep the Passover as Christians, but rather remember the Lord with a loaf and cup, as He has asked us to do.

The Lord Jesus is also pictured to us as a Shepherd, and as we see in our second verse today, He Himself said, “I am the good Shepherd.” A shepherd looks after sheep, and defends them from danger, even if it means that he must risk his life to do so. But the Lord Jesus did more than risk His life; He gave His life so that the sheep might be saved. He knew who His sheep were, and who they would be; He not only thought of those who lived when He was on earth, but He looked on to the time when you and I would be living. Then He gave His life for us, His sheep, whom He would save hundreds of years later.

April 2024 S M T W T F S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers