“What is truth?”

Before the execution of Jesus, he was brought before Pilate And examined. Pilate unsure of who he was, asked him Plainly, “are you the king of the Jews.” Jesus responded, “ everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.” To this Pilate asked, “What is truth?” Unfortunately this is the same question that too many people are asking themselves today. Why? Because they no longer are being taught that there is an absolute truth. Not long ago we were a nation of Bible believers, but today we are a nation of Bible doubters. Most likely this has happened because our pulpits no longer use the Bible, nor do they preach God’s Word as absolute. Those of us that have been saved by the precious blood of Jesus know that He is God and the only way, and we hear and follow his voice over the voice of men or religion. To us Jesus is the only “way, truth, and life.” Pilate didn’t know Jesus at all, and neither do they who doubt the Bible as God’s final and absolute Word. To those who doubt God’s Book, there is no absolute right or wrong. Sin therefore is up to private interpretation, and the way of salvation up to whatever you choose. They therefore are not of the truth, nor do they know anything for sure. So is their absolutely truth today? Absolutely! Whether we choose to believe or not!

Be Faithful To God

I have often asked the Lord why it is that sometimes people give and at other times they don’t, and His answer has always been the same to me; it’s about their faith. True faith does not waver, nor should it be affected by the ups and downs in life. Most people consistently earn around the same amount of money weekly or bi-weekly, so giving 10% of one’s income to the Lord ought to be routine. But why then is the giving of some so inconsistant? I realize that sometimes we may be short of money, or miss a service, but that should never cause someone who is saved to not give. The Bible is clear that we need to make up our minds to give ahead of time . “make up beforehand your bounty,… that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness… Every man according as he hath purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." (2 Cor.9:5-7) It’s sin to promise God and not give, or to covet that which belongs to God. Our giving ought to be governed by a faith in God's promises, rather than by our circumstances. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (Ja. 4:17) It's about time we just admit that it's just plain sin to not give, instead of making excuses for not being faithful to God.

The Prodigal's Father

Today I thought that it would be a good idea to look at the father in the “Prodigal Son’s Story” in (Luke 15). Since the prodigal’s father is a reflection of God Himself, there are some godly characteristics of a good father that can be pointed out. 1) F- He was faithful . Faithful not only to his God, but to his family, and to his calling as a dad, and even though his heart was broken by his son, he never lost his faith. 2) A – He was accessible. He was both approachable and compassionate. When his son came to himself and desired to come home, he knew that his father would not turn him away. 3) T- Trustworthy. He was always there for his sons. He was trustworthy in his word, in his providing, in his forgiveness, and in his unconditional love. He never stopped loving his son even though his son rejected him. 4) H – Headship. The mother was never mentioned in this story, because it’s the father’s job to lead the home. He handled the business, the servants, the farming, the problems, and the spirituality. 5) E- Example. Fathers are called by God to lead by example, and to reflect our heavenly Father’s word. 6) R - Responsive. He never failed at responding to his son’s needs. He was always diligent, loving, counseling, forgiving, complimenting, correcting, & blessing: he was involved in his son’s lives. So, the example of the prodigal’s father is an example of true fatherhood in practice.

So be careful to think before you choose to sin !

There is a principle in the Word of God in (Galatians 6:7) that says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” This is an eternal principle that simply states that for every action or choice that we make in life, there is a consequence. If our choices therefore are righteous we will reap righteous consequences, but if our choices are evil, evil consequences. We have seen from our study in the life of King David that even a righteous man after he repents of sin, still has to deal with the consequences of his sin, even though he is forgiven by God. When we choose the path of sin, we need to realize that at the end of the road lies judgment and death. No man, because of the above principle, can practice sin without consequences later. Although King David immediately repented of his sin after being confronted by the prophet of God, he still reaped the consequence of the death of his child and the judgment of God upon his family for years after. Our God is a forgiving God, but his Word will not be mocked. We need to be careful to remind ourselves that repentance does not always mean that God will remove the consequences, and while it is true that a repentant man will find mercy with God, it is also true that God is the one who ultimately decides the duration or the type consequences after we sin. So be careful to think before you choose to sin !

Sin always progresses downward

Since the Garden of Eden, man has had to fight his sin nature to stay right with God. Whether we are the most spiritual person on earth or not, we still need to be careful to fight the temptations of sin. In the story of David and Bathsheba, David fell into sin because he allowed himself to give into it. Sin always starts in the mind and progresses downward into sinful actions. How? 1) David was idle. While his comrades were busy fighting and serving God, David stayed behind. His guard was down and his thoughts free to wander. Unfortunately that’s precisely when temptation strikes. 2) David gave into lust. “…every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust…” Temptation is not sin, but lust is. David allowed himself to dwell in lust long enough for lust to take him captive. 3) Lust then moved David to action. “Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin.” David, no longer satisfied with just a look, gave into the sin of adultery. 4) Adultery then moved David to murder. “Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.” David killed Bathsheba’s husband, his baby died, and later the judgment of God took the life of some of his children. Sin always progresses downward.

"A mature believer knows"

As believers we need to realize that life is a series of ups and downs, and as believers we are supposed to be able to ride them out without quitting. While others seem to throw in the towel, a mature believer knows how to encourage himself in the Lord. 1) Don’t forsake church, it’s the very place you need to be when discouraged. 2) Stop being so self-centered, learn to be actively involved in helping others. 3) Start rejoicing again in the Lord, stop looking at what is wrong and praise the Lord for what is right. 4) Stop worrying about everything, some people aren’t happy unless they worry all the time. 5) Stop thinking negatively, faith is always positive. God’s promises are always I will, or you can. Let God’s Word and the Lord be your strength, and trust not in the flesh.

Spiritual Integrity

As we continue our series on the life of David, one the greatest characteristics of David was his Spiritual Integrity. Spiritual Integrity comes from a heart that places God above the things of this world, the Word of God above the word of men, the authorities of God above our pride, and a love for God’s people above our self. As we read this story in (1 Samuel), we see that for nearly 17 years David had to hide and run for his life because King Saul was corrupted by his pride, bitterness, jealousy, and a lack of respect for God’s people and His Word. His only thought was to destroy David, not realizing that in David’s heart, there was only respect and love for this King that God had placed in authority. We might ask ourselves, how can two people think so differently? It’s easy when one forgets to put God and His Word first. David did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, because his heart was governed by the integrity of God’s Word, and not by his flesh.