Be Hospitable to Others

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Heb 13:2 NASB)

The Lord reminds us to be warm, welcoming, and friendly to strangers. It includes the concept of being open, generous, and kind to those we have never met before. At some point, we may even unknowingly show kindness to angels from God.

. . . for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in . . . (Mt 25:35 NKJV)

God sees what we do for other people, those who are strangers to us who may be hungry, thirsty, or need a place to stay. When we help such people, when we give to the one that God sends in our direction, Jesus considers that whatever we have done to them, we have done to Him.

“The King will answer, ‘Truly I say to you, as you have done it for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you have done it for Me.’ (Mt 25:40 MEV)

In this verse, we see that the eternal King is showing us how He views our hospitality shown to strangers. Some of us don’t often have the opportunity to minister in these ways due to our earthly responsibilities or calling, but there are other ways to bless people in such dire circumstances. When we give donations to charitable organizations who feed the poor, shelter the homeless, and help the destitute, we have given to the Lord Himself. When we give offerings for the poor to our local church, or to worldwide ministries who engage in ministering like this in other countries, we have given to the Lord.

We must always desire to share our blessings with others, thereby fulfilling the law of love. Have a great day!

Pure, Spiritual Drink

Stop being hateful! Quit trying to fool people, and start being sincere. Don’t be jealous or say cruel things about others. ²Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be saved. (1 Pet 2:1-2 CEV)

This passage from the Bible first urges us to refrain from being entangled in evil and duplicity. We must desire to lay aside all jealousy and the use of crushing words. Rather, like innocent newborn children of God, desire the nourishing and maturing drink of God’s holy Word which will sustain and develop our spirit as well as our souls.

. . . since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God . . . (1 Pet 1:23 ESV)

We have been given a new life and made an entirely new creation through the imperishable seed of the never-ending Word of God. Christian brotherhood flows from our new birth from this perpetual, holy seed.

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. ⁸The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. ⁹The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. (Ps 19:7-9 NASB)

God’s Word is unlike any other! It is separate and certain, reliable, right, pure, holy, and true. By faith in God and His Word, it revives those depressed by doubts, makes wise the simple, gives joy to the lover of truth, strengthens the despondent, and affords to us permanent principles of conduct, and by God’s grace bestows upon us a rich reward.

It is truly a pure spiritual drink for every believer. Glory to God!

Resist Evil

We are looking at how to resist evil in the form of various temptations.

The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. (Isa 2:11 ESV)

In the day of judgments, God will so thoroughly vindicate His honor, that no one else and no other god will be praised or elevated except the Supreme God of Heaven. In that day, no proud person shall be able to stand in God’s presence.

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” (Lk 4:8 NKJV)

Here, Jesus triumphed over temptation and the devil with this response. Thank God! Jesus stood firmly against Satan and answered him with, “It is written.” Jesus demonstrated that God’s Word had more authority and His will has more power than anything that the enemy could ever offer. The Lord also honored the Word by using it in this way. Jesus declared that God, and God ALONE, was the One whom Jesus worshiped and served.

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” (Mt 4:10)

This is an outright rejection of Satan. The enemy wanted Jesus to worship him and essentially to become a partner with him. Jesus answered at once. Jesus firmly declares that ONLY THE LORD should be worshiped and ONLY THE LORD should be served. And Jesus worshiped only His Father; He served only His Father.

Rejoice that we are worshipers and servants of the One, true living God. Praise the Lord!

Purify Yourself as Unto the Lord

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 Joh 3:2-3 NKJV)

Just as the Lord is holy, He desires His children to live morally clean, wholesome lives guided by obedience to the Word of God.

When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Col 3:4)

If we live a life of Christian purity and devotion now, ‘when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we shall also appear with him in glory.’ This is a promise from God that shall absolutely be fulfilled.

That’s why it’s crucial that we keep our relationship with the Lord Jesus in good shape and current by reviewing ourselves daily. If we slip and commit sin, turn to the Lord in repentance, knowing that He forgives and provides repentance and the grace that we need to renew our commitment to holiness.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18)

Living obediently for the Lord has its certain rewards. One day, we won’t even remember the pain and suffering that is a consequence of living on this sin-filled planet! All of the pains that we receive from human frailties, betrayal, abuse or wickedness will be as nothing when compared with the glories that will be revealed in the future to all who believe in Christ. Such glory is incomprehensible to us now but God promises that we will surely experience it. Glory to God!

The Importance of Forgiveness

Today we meditate upon God’s Word concerning forgiveness.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Mt 18:21-22 NIV)

The Lord is telling us that we must practice forgiveness, and grow so accustomed to it that it becomes habitual. Does that surprise you? But that is the way that God forgives each and every one of us! Whenever we repent of any sin, whether small or large, God faithfully forgives us.

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” (Lk 17:3-4 NKJV)

Again, we understand that forgiveness is something that all who follow Jesus Christ must do without grudging.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Mt 6:14-15 NKJV)

Now, we see that it can even be self-serving to forgive other people, because God’s Word says that if we forgive other people’s sins that God also forgives our sins. Thank God!

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” (Mk 11:25 NKJV)

This verse encourages us to forgive anyone who has injured us.

Of course, it requires the grace of God for us to be able to forgive someone who has betrayed us, wounded us emotionally, or injured us physically. All we need to do is to ask the Lord to give us His grace to be able to forgive. And He will.

When we give it all to God and know that God sees all of the hurts that we have endured and that He stands with us, empowering us to forgive, we find that we have the grace that we need to do what God has asked us to do. And never forget that He blesses our obedience to His Word. God bless you.

Don’t Choose to Oppress Others

Today we’re looking at the wisdom of God’s Word, as well as the grave importance of choosing to be on God’s side at all times.

Do not envy the oppressor, and choose none of his ways . . . (Pro 3:31 NKJV)

An oppressor is also known as a “man of mischief”—a person who is an evildoer and who is destined to reap the eternal harvest of his wickedness. That harvest of wickedness often begins to unfold while the oppressor is still on earth.

Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them . . . (Pro 24:1 NKJV)

This verse warns us all to recognize that there’s nothing whatsoever to envy in those who are evil. At times when evil men seem to succeed, we may become jealous of them, and then want to be with them. The type of evil this proverb is discussing is associated with troublemaking and violence. The Lord knows the end from the beginning, and He knows what torment awaits these cruel people.

If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. (Eccl 5:8 NKJV)

In this verse, we are told not to marvel over the fact that in a certain province [district, municipality, county, or state] there is a person or people in authority who practice violent perverting of judgment and justice, and who oppress the poor under rule of law, backed with power.

God is higher than the highest of officials. God has set other people in higher levels of authority who oversee the province where evil is being done. If those higher officials do nothing to correct the situation, rest assured that God wields his own hierarchy of power.

There is a realm of angels who are employed by divine justice to protect the injured and to punish those responsible for harming the poor. Our Supreme God in heaven demands that oppressors answer to Him. And they will certainly do so, and they will not escape God’s judgment. So in all of your trials and tribulations, trust the Lord to rescue and to deliver you. God bless you.

Instructions for Holy Living

Today we’re taking note of the Bible’s helpful ideas about holy living.

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. ²¹Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. ²²Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Tim 2:20-26 NIV)

The passage above is talking about different kinds of people who all attend the same church. Some are precious vessels of gold and silver who can withstand the fires of hardship, heartaches, or persecution. Others are vessels of wood and earth which are fragile and soon destroyed in the flames of hardship and misfortune.

The people who constantly purify themselves by “being cleansed by the washing of the water of the word” (Eph 5:26 NASB)—reading and obeying God’s Word regularly—are set apart and made holy unto God.

We’re told to run away from the lusts of the flesh. Instead, we should pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be diligent to avoid unwise and reckless squabbles. The Spirit of God instructs us to be kind to everyone, able to teach God’s ways to others, and that we should be thankful. We are urged to treat our enemies gently by sharing God’s Word and wisdom with them, and in so doing, hope to bring them to salvation.

Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. (Tit 1:7 NIV)

The book of Titus reminds us that anyone in a place of authority should be virtuous and approachable. We should not give in to human frailties such as intoxication; physical or verbal abuse; or chasing after or being corrupted by seeking wealth.

Keep away from worthless and useless talk. It only leads people farther away from God. (2 Tim 2:16 CEV)

Avoid discussions that have no spiritual or eternal value, which can only alienate people from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

These are fairly easy to understand guidelines which are challenging to fulfill without the ongoing grace of God and our obedience to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God bless you!

Don’t Be a Stumbling Stone

This study is about causing people to stumble spiritually, and it is a serious matter in God’s sight.

As followers of Jesus, we have a grave responsibility to expose people to the light of the true gospel of Jesus Christ as outlined throughout the entire scriptures. The gospel of salvation sets people free and makes the promises of God available to them. It also gives them the blessing of an eternity in heaven.

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! (Mt 18:7 NIV, emphasis added)

My reading of the verse above is this –

This present world is an evil and dangerous place. It’s full of attacks, sins, traps, and sorrows. We all recognize that it’s a treacherous road that we must travel through life, full of stumbling-blocks, precipices, and false guides. But God forbid that any one of us should be the cause of spiritual or moral stumbling on the part of another person.

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! (Lk 17:1 NIV)

Here a similar idea to that of Matthew, above. The truth of Luke 17:1 is that God is warning that a great wretchedness shall come upon anyone who causes injury or harm—in word or deed—to one of His little lambs. Who qualifies for God’s punishment?

1. Anyone who has in some way discouraged a believer in serving Christ and in fulfilling their calling. Or anyone who has discouraged a Christian so deeply that the believer is in danger of being driven away from serving Christ completely. DO NOT discourage other people in any way that would undermine them or discourage them from achieving their goals.
2. Those who corrupt the truths of Christ and His Word, and so distress and hassle the minds of believers. This is an evil practice of planting seeds of doubt into the hearts and minds of those who have faith. WE ARE NOT CALLED TO hassle or distress brothers and sisters in Christ.
3. Those who profess to be Christians, but who live scandalously (shamefully, sinfully), and thereby weaken the connections between and sadden the souls of God’s people. We must live in OBEDIENCE to and in agreement with the Word of God.

May each one of us live in harmony with the standards of God’s holy Word. Blessings upon you.

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Month: June 2021