Month: June 2024

“Put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?” (Psalm 56:8).

“Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

I am sure everyone reading this page has had a good cry once in a while! Sometimes we shed tears because we are sad. Perhaps someone we loved very much was taken from us in death. Other times we may cry because we are injured and in pain, and again at other times, we may shed tears because we are frustrated, or our feelings are hurt.

Our verse today shows us that the Lord Jesus notices all the times in our lives when we are sad, and He keeps a record of it. It is as if our tears were put into a bottle, or our sorrows written in a book. And we know that He understands because we have the shortest verse in the Bible that tells us something very important — “Jesus wept”. The Lord Jesus was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. Then that sorrow would be erased! But He felt the tears and sadness of those around Him who loved Lazarus and had had to bury him four days before. He is the God who created the universe, yet He understands you!

Once there was a father who was having an evening Bible time with his children. He was telling them that the Lord Jesus was coming very soon, and that they would want to be found pleasing Jesus when He came back. He asked each of his four children what they might like to be doing at the moment when Jesus came back. One said he’d like Jesus to find him praying. Another said she’d like to be helping her mom. The third one said he’d like to be reading his Bible. When he came to the youngest little girl, her answer surprised them all. She said she’d like to be crying when Jesus came back. “Why would you want to be doing that”? her father asked. “Well,” she said, “I won’t ever be crying in heaven, and I’d like one chance to have Jesus wipe my tears away”.

Let’s remember that we have a loving Father in heaven who takes notice of every moment of our lives, and is ready to comfort us when we are sad.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“And he (Jesse) sent, and brought him (David) in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance [face]” (1 Samuel 16:12).

“The north wind bringeth forth rain, and the angry countenance a backbiting tongue” (Proverbs 25:23 JND).

Our faces usually tell what is in our hearts, and over a period of time, our faces become a more or less permanent picture of what we think about. When Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States, he once said to someone in his government, “I don’t like that man.” He was referring to someone both of them had seen. The government official remarked that since Lincoln did not know the man, he wondered how he could dislike him. Lincoln’s reply was, “I don’t like his face.” When the other man questioned this way of judging people, Lincoln again replied, “Every man over forty is responsible for his face.”

There is a good deal of truth in this. We may not be handsome or beautiful, but we can still have a “beautiful countenance.” The expression on our face means far more than whether we are naturally good-looking. David walked with the Lord, and even as a young man he had an expression on his face that commended itself to others. As time goes on in our lives, we can cultivate good thoughts — happy thoughts, that bring about a good expression on our face.

On the other hand, we can be like the man described in our second verse today, who was characterized by an angry countenance. We have all seen people like that, who have a face that looks as if they would like to “pick a fight” with someone. When other people see that kind of a face, they may avoid that person, but often they want to say something to him, just to see him get upset. That is why it says in our second verse that an angry countenance brings forth a backbiting tongue.

As Christians, we must remember what Paul said to the Philippians, in chapter 4, verse 8. Look up this verse, and memorize it if you can. It will help you to think about the right things and have a nice face.

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

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“But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body” (1 Corinthians 15:38).

We all know that every plant and tree is distinct, and that every seed is distinct too. If you plant bean seeds in your garden, you will get bean plants. If you were to plant an apple seed, it would grow an apple tree. But there is something interesting about fruit trees.

There are many different kinds of apples, but suppose you took a seed from a MacIntosh apple, and planted it. You would get an apple tree, but would it bear MacIntosh apples on it? No, it would not. You would get wild apples — the kind you sometimes see on wild apple trees growing by the side of a road, or occasionally near a forest. They are small, usually bitter, and not very good to eat. How then do you get a tree to bear MacIntosh apples, or any other kind of good apple that we like to eat?

When the tree is young, you have to graft it. This means that you get a bud from a MacIntosh apple tree, and then make a cut in the bark of the tree you have grown from seed. You fit the bud underneath the bark of the wild tree, and then the growth of the tree from that bud will produce MacIntosh apples. The tree now has a “new life” — it has a different life from what it had before. This is true for any kind of fruit, whether it is peaches, or pears, or things like olives that grow in warm climates. Paul talks about grafting in Romans 11, in connection with the future of Israel.

Before we are saved, we are all like a wild apple tree. Even if our parents are saved, they do not automatically produce saved children. No, we need a new life in Christ, just as the wild apple tree needs a graft from a tree that produces good apples. We must all be saved individually.

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

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“The word of the Lord was precious in those days … and Samuel was laid down to sleep … the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me” (1 Samuel 3:1, 3-5).

Samuel had been living at the tabernacle with Eli for some time, but he was still only a boy. The Lord wanted to give a message to Eli, and He had already sent a prophet to speak to him some time before this. Sadly, Eli had evidently not done anything about the serious message the prophet had given him. You can read about this in 1 Samuel 2.

Now the Lord was going to give another stern message to Eli, and He chose to give it through Samuel. But Samuel did not yet know the Lord personally, and when the Lord called him, he thought it was Eli that had called. Finally after the Lord had called three times, Eli realized that it was the Lord, and told Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord: for Thy servant heareth.” Samuel did this and received a solemn message from the Lord. You can read about this in 1 Samuel 3.

We can learn some important lessons from all this. First of all, it is not always an older person who is most faithful to the Lord. Although he was an older man, Eli was not a faithful priest, and the Lord spoke to Samuel instead of speaking directly to Eli. Secondly, we see that Samuel respected and obeyed Eli, and came immediately when he thought Eli had called him. Samuel was already in bed, and he could have pretended that he was asleep, or that he did not hear the voice that spoke to him. But Samuel responded right away, and eventually received a message directly from the Lord. When we are obedient to those in authority over us, it is pleasing to the Lord, and He will use us in His service.

Thirdly, we notice that it was a very sad message that Samuel received, for the Lord told him that He was going to judge Eli’s sons for their wickedness. More than this, the Lord would eventually destroy all Eli’s family for their sin. This was a hard message for a young boy to hear, but Samuel repeated it all carefully to Eli, when Eli asked him the next day. Sometimes, even as young people, we have to learn about some serious things that are happening in this world, and among the people of God. As we might say, Samuel had to “grow up quickly,” and take some real responsibility. Maybe some of you will have to do that too.

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

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“And she [Hannah] vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, If Thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of Thine handmaid … but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life … For this child I prayed … therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:11, 27-28).

The story of Samuel is a very interesting one for children and young people to read. Samuel’s mother Hannah did not have any children, and she prayed earnestly to the Lord about it. She told the Lord that if He would give her a little boy, she would give him to the Lord all his life. The Lord heard her prayer and gave her a son whom she named Samuel, which means “God’s name,” or “Asked of God.”

As soon as Samuel was big enough to live away from home, Hannah took him up to the tabernacle, and from then on, he lived there. His mother saw him only once a year, when she would bring him another coat to wear. Samuel was very small when this happened, possibly not more than four or five years old. He had to live with a very old priest named Eli, and he helped Eli in the service of the tabernacle in a place called Shiloh.

How would you like to go away from home at that age, and live with an older man? It must have been hard for Samuel, for later he had some brothers and sisters, and he would never have been able to play with them, or spend time with them. It is doubtful if he had any other children to be friends with; his main companion would have been Eli.

Sometimes we feel that we must have other children or young people with whom to spend time, to play, and to enjoy fellowship, and it is nice when this can happen. In the assembly where I live there are quite a few children, and they have a great time playing together. But it is not like that everywhere. Sometimes there are no other children or young people.

The story of Samuel shows us that we do not need others in our life in order to serve the Lord. Samuel grew up without other children, and the Lord really used him as a prophet. If the Lord gives us others to encourage us, we can be thankful for it, but if not, let us ask the Lord to help us honor Him wherever He has placed us.

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“He that committeth sin is of the devil … Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin … he cannot sin, because he is born of God … In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil” (1 John 3:8-10).

Many people, and even Christians, have been confused by these verses. First of all, it is hard for people to believe that God sees only two families in this world — the family of God, and the family of the devil. Most unsaved people in the world today would be shocked and insulted if we told them that they belonged to the family of Satan. Yet this world is under the devil’s power today, for since the Lord Jesus was crucified, Scripture calls him the god and prince of this world. Those who are not part of God’s family are under Satan, whether they realize it or not.

Our first verse today does not mean that if we sin, we are suddenly part of the devil’s family. It simply means that if we sin, we are acting like Satan’s family, and not God’s family. The family of God is characterized by having new life in Christ, and that new nature we have cannot sin. That is what it means when it says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” If we sin, it is the old sinful nature that does it, not our new nature. The new nature cannot sin; the old nature cannot do anything but sin.

Some who have translated the Bible, and have not understood how John writes have actually mistranslated this verse, and have made it say, “Whosoever is born of God should not commit sin.” Of course this is true, but here John is not speaking of what we might or might not do; rather, he is speaking of our nature, and what is characteristic of the believer. Our new nature is the same life as Christ has, and we also read in this same chapter, “In Him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). The Lord Jesus never had a sinful nature, and He could not sin. Our new nature is the same; it cannot sin either.

God wants this new nature to be displayed in our life in this world. This requires care on our part, and we need to ask the Lord for help, so that we do not display the old sinful nature.

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

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14).

“Ah Lord God … there is nothing too hard for Thee” (Jeremiah 32:17).

When I was going to university, I remember a discussion among some of my classmates about God. One of them asked another one, “Do you believe that there is a God?” The other student responded, “Yes, I do.” Then the first one asked again, “Do you think God understands radar?’ The second student quickly replied, “No, I don’t think He does.” I am not sure what kind of logic got him to say this, for if God could create this world, and the whole universe, surely He could understand something that He Himself had made. Yet somehow this student felt that man was actually smarter than God. You and I as Christians know that this is ridiculous, yet man keeps on thinking this way.

However, even as believers we can somehow think that something is too hard for the Lord, and think that we need to help something happen, because the Lord is not doing it. Jacob fell into this way of thinking in the Old Testament, and even Abraham’s wife Sarah laughed when the Lord said that she would have a child. She knew that she was naturally too old to have children. But the Lord could make it happen, and He did. Jacob knew the Lord, and trusted Him too, but he felt that he had to scheme and plan things, and look after his own interests, even though he was trusting the Lord. Often we do trust the Lord, but not completely. As a result of his lack of faith, Jacob had to learn some hard lessons in his life, until he realized that all his own tricks and planning did not work; only the Lord could work things out for him in the right way.

It is important for us to realize that there is indeed nothing too hard for the Lord. However, it may not be the mind of the Lord for Him to use this power to do everything we want. He orders our lives for our blessing and His glory, and all His power is behind us in the pathway of His will. We have only to walk in fellowship with Him, and seek His mind. Then we will get all the power we need.

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“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee” (Psalm 56:3).

Many people today want to be powerful, and sometimes we see pictures in magazines or on posters of people who would not naturally be considered powerful, with a caption underneath saying, “I am powerful.” We like to think we are powerful, even if we are not. However, we have to admit that we are often afraid, and since this Covid pandemic has been here, many more people have become afraid of what is going to happen. Some people are very scared of getting the Covid virus, while others wonder how long the disruption in our lives will go on. Supply chains of goods are being interrupted, and billions of dollars are being spent to try and control the situation. The stable world that many of us were used to is not here any longer, and no one knows for sure what the future holds.

There are many things in this world that can make us afraid. When we are young, perhaps we are fearful of how our life will go, or whether we will be able to have a successful career. With house prices so high today, perhaps some of you are afraid that you will never be able to own a home. Those in developing countries sometimes have more basic fears, such as whether they will be able to live in peace, and be able to afford food.

If there is fear in our hearts, we can be sure that it is not God who has put it there. No, God has not given us this spirit, but rather the spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. What does this mean? It means that God has promised us His power, the enjoyment of His love, and a mind under the control of the Spirit of God. When people talk about power in this world, they are referring to natural power, and men take pride in that. But when we rely on God’s power, it does not lift up our hearts in pride; rather we give God the glory for what He has done for us. We can safely trust Him, for whatever happens in this world, He has promised to bring us safely to our heavenly home. He will always make a clean path for us, and one that will honor Him.

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

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Notes:

Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins … If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:9-10).

Naturally, we do not like to confess our sins. We may be willing to say, in a general way, “Yes, I have sinned,” for we all know that we have done wrong things. But if we are accused of a particular sin, we like to try and “wiggle out of it” by making excuses, or even saying that we did not do it. Of course, to say that we did not do it, when we know that we did do it, is to tell a lie. Then, since God knows about the sin, we are really making God a liar.

Many years ago I used to visit regularly in a detention center for young offenders in a large city here in Canada. They were all under sixteen years of age, and all had been accused of committing serious crimes. They were held in that place, like a jail, until they came before a judge the following week. We used to go in and tell them about the Lord Jesus, and some of them got saved.

I asked some of them once what was going to happen the next week. They told me that they would go to court and stand before a judge. The judge would listen to the evidence presented, and then decide whether they were guilty or innocent. Then, if they were found guilty, they would be sentenced to some sort of punishment. Then I asked them a question. I asked, “What if the judge had seen you commit the crime?” (This was assuming that they were guilty, and almost all of them were guilty. It was very rare that someone ended up there who had not committed the crime of which he was accused.) One boy answered me in the typical language he was used to speaking. He said, “Then man, you’re dead!” That expressed it well. You could not argue your innocence with a judge who had seen you commit the crime.

So it is with God. He sees everything, and there is no use trying to hide our sins from Him. To lie about it only makes matters worse. But if we confess our sins, God can forgive them, because the Lord Jesus died for us, and His blood has power to wash away all our sins.

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

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:8).

“God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

Yesterday we were reminded that God is light, and it is significant that this is mentioned first in this first epistle of John. God’s holiness is important, and we need to be reminded of it. Since the Lord Jesus died and the gospel has been preached, men have sometimes emphasized the love of God, and forgotten that God is also light. The Spirit of God reminds us of this, for God cannot act against His holy nature. God never shows His love at the expense of His holiness.

But God is also love, and He wants to emphasize this to us. For this reason we find that the phrase “God is love,” is mentioned twice in the book of first John, and in addition, there are many other references to His love. The love of God is mentioned in the second chapter, and also the third chapter. It is mentioned not only as God’s love for us, but also as an example of our love for others. Then in the fourth chapter we are clearly told that “God is love;” it is His character — part of what He is. God is light, and we force Him to be our judge by our sins. God is also love; that is His nature, and nothing can change that. The love of God is mentioned in the fifth chapter too.

We can be so thankful for the love of God, for it was His love that first thought about us when we were sinners, and it was His love that sent His Son to die for us. It is His love that we can enjoy all through our lives, and that we will enjoy for all eternity. We must never forget that God is light, but He wants us to enjoy His love.

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