february 1 are you qualified?

 Are you qualified?  Do you meet the requirements?  Life has many requirements.  If you are going to drive a car lawfully you must pass both a written and driving exam.  Plus keep the car insured and with current registration. A doctor certainly has to prove he is qualified before he can practice medicine.  What about Heaven?  Are you qualified to go there when you die?  Do you meet the requirements?  What is the most important requirement?  Deuteronomy 6:5   And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  If you have never sinned, you are qualified.  But the Bible tells us we have all sinned.  Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  None of us who are able to understand these words have loved the Lord our God to the point that we have never sinned.  We have disqualified ourselves for Heaven.  God does not send us to eternal punishment.  We send ourselves. None of us deserve to go to Heaven.  So how do we meet the requirement?  Simply put, we can’t.  The only door to Heaven is through Jesus.  John 10:9   I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved…  There is only one way to Heaven.  Jesus.  John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  When God knocks on the door of your heart convicting you of sin you can turn to Him and find salvation.  John 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.  Today Jesus is spiritually knocking on the door of your heart.  If you repent and cry out to Him for mercy you will find it.  Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Only Jesus can qualify you for Heaven. Colossians 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:   Jesus allowed our sins to kill Him.  1 Peter 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:  He suffered and died for us.  The Holy Spirit brought Him back to life.  If we realize how lost we are, if we realize He paid the penalty for our sins and if we repent and ask Him for mercy, He will save us.  He qualifies us.  Faith in Him alone.  Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…  He is speaking to your heart, will you ask Him in? 

 Ashamed to ask.  Around the year 459 BC a Jewish priest in Babylon was moved by God to lead a group of exiles to Jerusalem. Their assignment was to work on getting the Lord’s house in order.  His name was Ezra.  The Lord had given permission to the Babylonians to conquer and destroy Jerusalem because of their unfaithfulness to Him in the year 586 BC.  About 127 years had passed and their punishment was over.  God still corrects His wayward children.  Are you going through hard times because He is getting your attention that you need to repent? The King gave Ezra permission to go and gave many gifts to be used in the house of God.  About 5000 Israelites were prepared to make the journey of about 500 miles.  Ezra had explained to the king that God was leading them and would provide for them.  However now as they get ready to make the journey Ezra is wondering if he should ask the king for soldiers to escort and protect them.  However, he was ashamed to ask for protection.   Ezra 8:21-23  Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 22  For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23  So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us .  How do you ask the King for protection when you have already told the King your God is with you?  He was ashamed to ask.  So, he didn’t. They made the trip safely.  Someone has said when you go to a prayer meeting to pray for rain carry an umbrella. In other words, believe God will provide. One time several of us had scheduled an outdoor event in a park in town where three preachers would be preaching.  We also would have singing and testimony for the public who were interested.  For several days before the event the forecast was for rain.  Should we cancel the event?  The day before the event the forecast called for about a 47% chance of rain, I believe. Gloom was in our hearts.  Someone suggested we show up anyway.  A 47% chance of rain translates into a 53% chance of no rain.  If we show up and get rained out, we at least did what we believed the Lord wanted us to do.  It didn’t rain.  That is until at the pre-appointed time to pack up it didn’t rain.  It began drizzling as we took down the tents and chairs and tables.  Then it poured. Live by faith and don’t be ashamed. 

 Backfire.  A mistimed explosion in the exhaust or a plan rebounding adversely on the originator; to have the opposite effect to what was intended. Around 400 years before Christ some of the Jewish exiles still lived in Persia. The second person under the king was named Haman.  A Jew named Mordecai refused to bow to Haman.  Haman devised a plan to kill all of the Jews in the land because of this one man, Mordecai.  Satan wanted to prevent the Messiah from being born. The king agreed to the plan. A lottery determined the day which was almost a year later. All of the Jews including Mordecai and Queen Esther (who had not told the king she was a Jew) were going to be killed without the right to defend themselves.  Meanwhile Haman had gallows built about 75 feet high to hang Mordecai on.  Queen Esther invited the King and Haman to a banquet. Asked what she would like the queen she answered:  Esther 7:3 … If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:  Haman was horrified as he did not know she was a Jew.  Enraged the king went to his garden while Haman begged for his life.  He fell on Queen Esther who was reclining on a couch as the king walked back in and thought Haman was forcing his wife.  One of the servants told the king about the gallows built to hang Mordecai.  Haman was ordered to be executed on it.  The Hebrew of the Old Testament suggests that instead of a gallows it may have been a sharpened pole in which the person to be executed was impaled on.  The point going into the rectum and the person being pushed down the pole till the tip came out the side of his neck.  Hamans wicked plan backfired.  The king issued a new law allowing the Jews to kill those who wanted to kill them on the day appointed. Thus, the Jews were saved.  Today they still celebrate this victory called Purim. (the lot) Satan’s plan to kill the Jews backfired.  Big time. Years later the dummy, I mean the devil devised a plan to kill the Messiah.  Mark 15:12-14 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? 13  And they cried out again, Crucify him.14  Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.   Satan had victory.  Jesus was executed.  However, Sunday morning He arose.  Talk about a backfire.  Satan is a loser.  Don’t believe his lies.  Ask God to reveal the truth to you and read the Gospel of John with a prayerful heart.  Jesus will show you the truth.  Embrace it.  Satan has reserved a place for you.  Let Jesus make his plan backfire. 

 Be humble or be humbled. Pride. Vanity.  Considering ourselves to be more important than others.   Self-centered people wonder why people shy away from them.  In the Bible we see a self-centered man who was served a large helping of humble pie. His name was Haman. Ahasuerus was king of Persia. He appointed a new queen named Esther.  Esthers cousin, Mordechai who raised her instructed her to not reveal she was a Jew.  Mordechai overheard a plot by two of the kings’ officials to assassinate the king.  Esther told the king.  The men were found guilty and executed.  Meantime Haman was promoted to be second in all of Persia. Mordechai refused to bow to Haman. Haman could not stand the fact that this Jew did not give him the respect he thought he deserved. Haman devised a plot to kill all of the Jews in the land.  Haman and the king didn’t know Queen Esther was a Jew.  The plan was approved by the king and the date drawn by lot to kill all the Jews on a day almost a year later.  Esther 4:1 …Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; One night the king couldn’t sleep and called for the book of records to be read.  When reminded how Mordecai saved his life, he asked how he had shown his thanks to him.  He had not thanked him.  When Haman came to work the next day the king asked him how he should treat a man to whom honor was due.  Haman thought the king was talking about him.  Esther 6:8 Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head: 9  And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.  Haman led Mordecai through the streets wearing the kings robe and crown riding the kings horse proclaiming “This is how the king treats the man worthy of honor.”  Then he went home and pouted.  He himself was executed shortly thereafter.  His execution is explained in Esther chapter 7.  Esther 7:10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai… The devotion for February 3rd  titled “Backfire” will explain Haman’s death in more detail.  Haman was humbled.  Jesus said: Matthew 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Someday you will be abased.  It’s best to humble yourself before Jesus now rather than to wait until you die and lose the opportunity to repent. 

 Cremation.  What an unpleasant thought.  How pagan!  Or so I thought.  September 11, 2001 caused me to rethink the subject.  Planes and passengers vaporized in just seconds.  How can their bodies be resurrected?  Their souls instantly departed to hell or to Heaven.  Yet someday the soul and body must be reunited.  John 5:28-29  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. But the question comes to mind, “How can God bring the vaporized bodies back into a physical body?”  Let’s drill deeper.  Man was lovingly created by Jesus out of the dust of the earth.  Genesis 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Man came from dust.  Man returns to dust.  Vaporizing does not destroy the molecules.  Since Jesus brought molecules together to make man, He has the power to make molecules come back together to bring about the resurrection.  In reality, cremation just hastens the process of turning the body to dust.  Now understand in the Bible it was important that a corpse be given a proper burial.  Bones of defeated armies polluting the land was a disgrace.  In the future during the great tribulation, it will take seven months to collect the bones of the fallen.  Ezekiel 39:12  And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. The land is polluted with dead man’s bones. Most of our Jewish friends and Muslim friends try to bury their dead the same day they die or at the most two or three days later.  The Civil War brought embalming into popularity.  The desire was to ship the remains back to their family.  Today cremation is becoming more popular due to economic pressure.  I have also found that many people in grief may try to recompense their loved one for neglect or respect with more than necessary expenses for a funeral.  Today the average funeral in America costs $7,360.  The average cost for simple cremation is $2,108.  Death is a reality.  I suggest you consider going to a funeral home and preplanning your funeral.  Sign the paperwork.  Peg the price down in a contract so it won’t increase with time.  Make decisions based on logic and not the emotion of grief.  Or guilt.  But more important, make sure your soul is ready for the journey.  Your soul will take a trip.  Reject Christ and spend eternity in the torments of hell.  Or repent and ask Jesus for mercy and become one of His children and live eternally with Him .  The decision is eternal.  Please don’t put off salvation. 

 Earnest Money.  A deposit to a seller that represents a buyer’s good faith to make a purchase.  In real estate the property is taken off of the market until the purchase is completed or negated.  The Bible speaks of the earnest of the Holy Spirit.    2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.  Paul is talking about a sinner repenting of his sins and asking Jesus to forgive him.  Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. We see a transaction taking place.  A sinner is touched by God’s Holy Spirit and realizes he is unholy.  He realizes God is holy.  Our sinfulness has separated us from God.  When we grieve over our sinfulness we should desire to be cleansed from our sins and be made clean by God.  Jesus was God’s final sacrifice for sin.  Our sins killed Him.  Then three days later He arose. As we grieve over our sinfulness His Holy Spirit draws us to believe in His grace and confess our sinfulness asking Him for forgiveness.  We cry out to Him asking for mercy.  He hears our prayer. He forgives us. At the moment He forgives us He gives us the earnest of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have a clue what is happening.  All we know is we need God and in anguish we cry out to Him asking for mercy.  When He comes in, we know He is there.  We are instantly forgiven.  We have supernatural peace.  And joy. His Holy Spirit now in our heart begins to produce the fruits of the Spirit.  Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance... We have become a new creation.  2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  What a joy it is to be made new.  To be born again. John 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  Ephesians 1:12-14  …who first trusted in Christ. 13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.  Now that we are His child, we are taken off the market.  He purchases us but He allows us to stay down here for a while to serve Him.  To bring others to Him. Then in His time, He will take us home.  How exciting!  Does He live in your heart?  Have you yielded your will to His will? 

 Finding God’s will.    Psalm 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.   God has a plan for each of us.  It is our responsibility to seek it.  The first key is to have His law within our heart.  Read His Word the Bible every day.  Be faithful to a Bible teaching church.  Pray.  Be a blessing to others as God has gifted you.  Our prayers within His will are favorably answered.  1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  The name it and claim it kind of prayers are not Biblical.  We must ask according to His will. Back in the late 1800’s in England  there was a Christian evangelist who directed an orphanage and cared for over 10,000 orphans.  His name was George Muller.  He completely depended on God to supply all of their needs.  He wrote down six steps to determining God’s will.  I wish to share them with you.  “Rule 1.  I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be.  When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.  Rule 2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impressions. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions. Rule 3. I seek the will of the Spirit of God through or in connection with the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined.  If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. Rule 4. Next, I take into account providential circumstances.  These plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit. Rule 5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.  Rule 6. Thus through prayer to God, the study of the Word and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.” Perhaps these six steps will bless you as they have blessed me.  One more thought.  Benjamin Franklin had a plan for decision making. Draw a line in the middle of a page from the top to the bottom. On the left side list, the reasons to go ahead with a decision.  On the right side list, the reasons to not do what you are considering.  Evaluate both sides. Remember some reasons on one side may outweigh 3 or 4 reasons on the other side. Proceed prayerfully. I hope you find these suggestions helpful. 

 He chased me through the woods.  Not me.  A preacher friend of mine.  He was our guest speaker at our church breakfast.  God saved him from a dark past and made him a new man and called him to preach.  How wonderful God is.  This particular morning our county sheriff and his jailer came to fellowship with us.  My preacher friend asked me, “What am I going to do? The jailer is here.  He raided a drug house and chased me through the woods.  He caught me and put me in jail.  Twice. What am I going to do?” I told him to just preach the Word.  Don’t worry about what has happened in the past. Serve the Lord.  Well, the jailer was both surprised and pleased. The Lord used this preacher to be a blessing and He will use you too if you will turn to Him. It’s amazing how God can take damaged goods and remake them into something beautiful.  He wants to reason with you.  Isaiah 1:18   Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.   Many men and women who have been used by God were terrible sinners before they turned to Him.  We are all sinners. Romans 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  It seems that some people sin more than others, however the Bible teaches you are either guilty or innocent. To be guilty of sin separates you from God.  Committing one sin makes you as guilty as if you had committed all sins.  James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Jesus lived a pure and sinless life so He could go to the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.  For your sins.  For the sins of the world. But we must repent from our wicked ways and call out to Him in order to be saved.  Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. When you turn to Jesus your life is changed.  You are forgiven.  Clean.  You experience wonderful peace.  Your old friends will wonder what happened to you.  You will no longer enjoy participating in the sins you used to enjoy.   1 Peter 4:4  Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:  The unbelievers spoke evil of Jesus.  They will speak evil of you.  However, those in God’s family, like this jailer, will rejoice that you have given your heart to Jesus.  Now you have a new family of believers.  Be faithful to the Bible teaching church the Lord leads you to.  Enjoy the Christian adventure. 

 He pops my suspenders.  In a previous pastorate we had a church member who wore suspenders.  Seldom a coat.  Always suspenders.  Every Sunday morning the same church member sat behind him.  Every Sunday the member sitting behind would pop the suspenders of the member in front of him as they were standing.  This greatly irritated the suspender wearer. This greatly entertained the member behind him.  The offended one never complained or even pretended to be irritated.  But he told me how much it irritated him. The complaints pastors get.  Should he have decided to always wear a coat?  Should he move to another pew?  Should he explain to the offender how much he disliked it?  Should he just ignore it?   Scripturally if he was offended enough, he should have explained his dislike.  Matthew 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  Trespass means to miss the mark; to offend.  I am not sure popping his suspenders rates a trespass however if the suspender, I mean shoe fits….    I certainly hope the next step in the process is not needed.  That is to take one or two others and repeat your complaint.  Then if he still pops your suspenders bring it to the church. Oh please, just wear a coat.  Satan is such an agitator.  And sinning is so entertaining.  Shame on us.  Can we act like adults?  But the bottom line is offenses are sure to come.  Luke 17:1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! Be sensitive to the feelings of others.  Paul would not eat meat if a brother was offended that it may have been offered to idols.  Paul would prefer to bless the food and enjoy it and not worry about where it had been.  But if a weaker brother would be offended Paul would not eat the meat.  1 Corinthians 8:13  Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend. Care about the convictions of others.  Perhaps it is okay for you to have a television in your home but please don’t make fun of the brother convicted to not have one.  People are irritating.  Some people get their feelings hurt over such little things.  Then Satan’s temptation is to leave the church.  We must keep our eyes on Jesus and not others or we never will settle down and be productive in a church.  Forgive. Matthew 6:14-15   For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  I need my trespasses forgiven.  That means I must forgive others.  Is there anyone you need to forgive? 

 How’s the Lord treating you?  When I was a preacher boy attending East Texas Baptist College. another preacher boy always asked us, “How is the Lord treating you?”  How do you answer that?  I answered, “Oh He is treating me just fine.”  To which he replied, “How are you treating the Lord?”  The first time he asked that I was taken somewhat aback.  How am I treating the Lord?  The answer to that can be self-incriminating.  I wanted to answer honestly but I didn’t want to sound like I was boasting.  Or self-righteous.  Or pretend that there was nothing in my life that I didn’t need improvement on.  So, I said something like, “I am still trying to be what He wants me to be.”  His question was thought provoking. However, after several months of the same question each day when I saw him, the question became just plain provoking.  That was his standard greeting to everyone the first time he saw them every day. After all these years I still remember the irritation his question produced.  Not that it’s not a good question.  I need to reevaluate my faithfulness to Jesus each day.  I need to make course corrections every day. What do people think when you approach them?  Are they pleased to see you?  Or are they irritated to see you coming?  Do they expect you to say something that will irritate them?  Or do they expect a pleasant greeting and a smile of encouragement?  We all need correction from time to time.  But we all need encouragement also.  Every one of us have heart aches no one else knows about. Seek to encourage others, not bring them down.  Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  May I add we should not only think on these things, we should also speak on these things?  Speak things that build people up.  Acts 20:32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.  Live the Bible and it will rub off on others. Romans 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Exhorteth in the Greek means “to comfort or to come along side.”  Think of helping someone handicapped get into a car.  Come along side.  We all need to be encouragers.  All of us are called to love and care for one another.  There is a time to reprimand.  There is a time to encourage.  May others smile when they see you coming.  By the way, how are you treating the Lord?