GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

[nChrist]

THE SHUT DOOR AND THE CLOSED GATE
 Part 2  of  2
By Mel Flogel


Others, are like King Agrippa in his response to Paul in Acts 26, when he replied, "You ALMOST persuade me to be a Christian." (Acts 26:28 )

The day of grace will shut also. It shuts for people individually when their lives come to an end, or when they lose their mental capabilities to embrace spiritual truth. God does not bypass our minds when it comes to communicating with mankind. But just as the "master of the house" closes the door of opportunity in this way, He will also close the day of grace to the Gentiles. The door which opened at Israel's fall will also swing shut again.

 After the resurrection and ascension of our Lord, Israel stood-by their decision not to have Jesus rule over them. God, therefore concluded them in unbelief nationally, and opened the door of salvation to the Gentiles, announcing:
"Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." (Acts 28:28 ) But with this announcement we Gentiles are warned by Jesus Christ (thru Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles) to "Be not high minded, but fear, for if God spared not the natural branches, (Israel nationally) take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity, but toward thee (the Gentiles) goodness, IF THOU CONTINUE IN HIS GOODNESS, otherwise THOU SHALT ALSO BE CUT OFF." (Romans 11 :20-22)

So here we have a stem warning to the Gentiles not to be arrogant in this matter and to continue in God's goodness (by accepting and embracing seriously the salvation offer from God thru Christ) or they will also be cut off or shut out.

Paul goes on to predict this event, revealing a mystery saying, "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." (Romans 11 :25) He predicts this again in his second letter to the Thessalonians where it says "seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them" and "in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. " (II Thessalonians 1 :6,8,9)

Friend, what about you? Which side of the door would you be on if it were to shut right now? The choice is yours. His invitation to you is to enter the "strait gate" immediately. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2) See the need to enter, step thru the gate by trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and as the only way of salvation. Believe His claims to be God manifested in the flesh. Be reconciled to God by believing what was accomplished in His cross for you. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (II Corinthians 5:21)

If you have entered the strait gate by believing the gospel of the grace of God, why not join us in getting this message out? Spread the word by telling others. Devote yourself to Christ, to live for Him out of gratitude for His shed blood on your behalf. Be a good example for others in your manner of life.
 
 Become a good testimony and a good reflection upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not saved by good works, but good works result from trusting Him and should be evident in our lives. "For we are his worksmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2: 1 0) Be among those who will be found inside when the door closes, and have lasting reward to go along with it. Remember, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. "

Mel Flogel

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

The True Battle
by Anabel Gillham


How I pray that these thoughts will be a source of strength to you, for you, and through you (and all of those are different). Ponder them carefully, prayerfully. Listen, the Lord is talking to you. . . .

Do you see that the Life in you that the enemy longs to crush is the same as it was when I threw him from Heaven? His battle is against Me—you are the battleground.

I am conforming your soul into the likeness of Christ. Because Satan, as the Deceiver, knows what that will mean for him, he uses all of his resources against that goal of Mine. He attacks through whatever circumstance he can to defeat My plan and so keep you from setting your mind on My provision for the battle. His goal is to keep you from becoming conformed to the image of My Son and to keep you from walking by faith.

You are no threat to Satan as you accept his lies and temptations, but as you come closer and closer to the image he battles more intensely. His goal is and always has been to crush Jesus Christ. That is why I provided a way for you to die and be "born again," thus creating your New Life in Christ Jesus. He is the One who will do battle. But you must let Him and trust Him.

Dear One, you are My creation. I dwell within you. You must begin to realize: The battle is Mine, not yours! I have delivered you.

Your salvation is in Christ Jesus . . .

His Life in you is your victory . . .

His strength is what will win the battle that rages against your mind as the enemy seeks to destroy—longs to destroy—the temple of God . . . YOU!

Psalms 25:4-5
John 16:33
Romans 8:28-29
I Corinthians 6:19
Ephesians 2:10
Philippians 4:13

We don't change the message, the message changes us.

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN LIFE?



   Is the Christian life just a process of believing the Christian doctrines, going to church, doing our "bit" for the church and Jesus? Is that it?

    Sad to say, that is about all that "it" is for many. Is this what God had in mind when He gave His only Son to die on a cross? If it is, then all the facts which we believe with incredible tenacity are nothing more than evangelical fiction.
 
    Jesus didn't die on a cross to give us facts of history, or His story, as some have said. He gave us the facts concerning Himself in order that the facts would function within and through us. The question that looms large in my mind is, "How do these facts function?" How can I as a believer have the fact of His indwelling function within me?
 
    Ready? Here's how! Paul, the apostle, writing to the Thessalonians in his first epistle, chapter 5, verse 18 says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." This is not a suggestion of something we might think about as a good idea. This is an imperative, a command.

    How can we possibly "Give thanks in every situation," you ask? I know of only one way. In the knowledge that He, the Lord Jesus, is in absolute control of every circumstance with which we will ever be confronted.
 
    We have the privilege of thanking Him in advance for what He is going to do. We can rest in His ability in response to our availability.
 
    There is a catch. Verse 19 of 1 Thessalonians 5, "Quench not the Spirit." Ominous words. Within the context, how does one "quench the Spirit?" Quite simply, by not giving thanks. Another way to put it is to grumble and complain. We cannot give thanks and whine at the same time. It is impossible. If we want the activity of God to cease in our life, all we need to do is grumble and complain.

1Th 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

WE SHALL NOT ALL SLEEP
By PAUL SADLER, Pastor


Scripture Reading: I Corinthians 15:51,52

In [ Corinthians 15:5 I, 52 the Apostle Paul addresses the subject of the Rapture of the Church. Here the Apostle reveals to us a number of important truths concerning this blessed event. First, he tells us, "we shall not all sleep." Paul here reveals that there shall be one generation of believers that will not see death when Christ returns in the secret coming for the Church, the Body of Christ. It should also be noted that in referring to this truth he is not making a reference to those who have gone on before us that they are in a state of soul sleep. When the word "sleep" is used in relation to death it refers to the body. Let God's Word minister to us and not the theologian. In Matthew 27:52 it states, "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints that slept arose."

Secondly, Paul tells us, "we shall all be changed." Christ is going to catch us off the earth to go home to Glory with Him. Please note, God is not going to alter the law of gravity, it shall not be changed, but we the believer shall be changed. We will be given our glorified, resurrected bodies which are fashioned like unto His glorious body.

Thirdly, this catching away and change will take place "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." In less than a split second we will be with the Lord. It is my personal belief that on earth at the time of the Rapture automobiles will not be going off bridges or planes falling from the sky or trains colliding. God is not the author of confusion, also we must remember this is a secret coming, the world shall not see or understand. For the saint of God we have a blessed Hope, let us begin to live for Him in light and expectation of the Rapture.

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

LIBERTY FOR ALL
By Miles Stanford
 
 

 "If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances?" (Col. 2:20, R.v.).

When it comes to spiritual growth and walk, any help from ourselves is a hindrance to us. The source is wrong. On the death side, we are to receive deliverance from sin's power through the Spirit from the Cross; on the life side, we are to receive growth through the Spirit from the Lord Jesus. It is a matter of receiving, not contributing. We are branches, not vines.
 
"The old elementary legal rudiments of a legal age are for those 'living in the world' (having an earthly temple and worship). Believers are seated in the heavenlies in Christ, and are spiritual people with a sanctuary in Heaven. 'Touch not,' 'taste not,' 'handle not'; such commandments of men have no value. They perish with the using.
 
"'Voluntary humility,' 'neglecting of the body,' 'fasting,' etc., have a show of wisdom. They gratify religious pride and self righteousness, they 'puff up the fleshly mind,' but they are 'not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.' The flesh is not subdued by fasting, nor pride by whipping, nor worldliness by neglect of the body. These are of 'no avail' though men glory in them. Only the Holy Spirit brings one into liberty - and that via the Cross. 'The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death' (Rom. 8:2)."  -G.G.
 
"Stand fast, then, in the freedom which Christ has given us, and turn not back again to entangle yourselves in the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1, Cony.).

Don't trust to hold God's hand; let Him hold yours. Let Him do the holding, and you the trusting.
-- Hammer William Webb-Peploe

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

GRACIOUS COMMUNICATION
By DICK WARE, Pastor

Scripture Reading:

Proverbs 15:1;
Colossians 4:6;
Ephesians 4:29

"A. soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1)." What is said here, is not as much the issue, as the tone in which it is said. Something said in a harsh Way: is rough, disagreeable, and irritating. It stirs up anger. It is like Ephesians 6:4, where fathers are told not to provoke their children to wrath. Something said in a soft way, is smooth, agreeable, and soothing. A certain man told me; his grandfather was the only one he knew, who could rebuke someone, and make them like it. That would definitely entail "speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4: I 5).
 
"Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one (Colossians 4:6)." You are not to be saying: 'Take this with a grain of salt." You are to be "... singing with grace in your hearts ... (Col. 3:16)", and "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt...(4:6)." Col. 4:5,6, is dealing with buying up the opportunities to witness to the lost through your conduct and speech. It's not enough to walk wisely before the lost; you're also to talk to them, and share the Gospel of Grace with them.
 
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers (Eph. 4:29)." Speech is a powerful gift from God. It can be used to accomplish great amounts of good or evil. Everyone needs edification, and your speech is God's instrument to impart (communicate) God's grace to them! With each new day, are you earnestly desiring the opportunities to communicate God's grace to lost souls, and fellow saints? When the opportunities come, What are you doing to take advantage of them?

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

WHY STRUGGLE?
By Miles Stanford


"But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord" (ll Cor. 3:18 ).

Our Father allows the believer to struggle with self, not for victory, but for defeat. Then the "wretched man" learns to rest in the Victor.
 
"Once you have begun the Christian walk, and know the blessedness of it, you are not trying to correct yourself, for you know that all has been removed from the eye of God; and you insist on the fact that self has been to the Cross, and that Christ is your life. The old man was crucified, and you cannot reform him; all attempts of amiable people to reform him are only denying the fact that he has been dealt with in judgment. The responsible (law) man is not before God now. It is now the day of grace. Everyone who receives His grace is set free from the domination of the old man. The appeal to the believer now is not to do, but to look." - J. B.S.
 
"The believer is never told to 'overcome sin,' but to reckon, on the ground of his death with Christ, that he has died to it. On the basis of death, he is told not to 'let' sin reign in his life. It is to be dealt with by an attitude of death not by 'overcoming.' The believer therefore is not to be spending his whole life in getting victory over sin, but understanding his position as having died unto sin."

" [We] are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Cor. 3:18 ).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

GIVING THAT HONORS GOD
By HAROLD STEINBRON

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 3:9; 11 Corinthians 9:6, 7

Verse 9 is the fourth admonition the wise teacher is putting forth to those who will listen: Verse 5-trust wholly in God and not in self. Verse 6---acknowledge God in every pursuit. Verse 7---true wisdom is to fear God and forsake evil. Now that that ground work has been laid, the wise teacher reaches to touch our wallet or purse. You see God does not request those earthly supporters of His work to give one nickel until they have truly given their life and person to God. Once the blessing of God has enriched our home, our work, our relation with others then we will be glad to invest some of the financial blessing God has graciously given. I must say personally, that God has not given me too much in the way of money; only so much as is good for me. In Proverbs 30:8, 9 the writer prays God to give him neither poverty nor riches lest he be poor and steal, or be rich and forget God.
 
Our handling of money is a good index of our level of true spirituality. Paul in these verses tells that if we send on ahead very little of the money God blesses us with here, we will reap a meagre harvest in the life that begins at the death of this body. God does not really need our money. We know God paves the streets with gold in that city that comes down out of Heaven. We need to give, to deny the old selfish, greedy, grasping nature that Paul says we have died to, but we want to keep it alive, and pamper it. God has put within us a nature that knows it is more blessed to give than receive. God loves hilarious givers.

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

RAGS TO RICHES
By Miles Stanford
 
"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:23).
 
Self is the believer's indwelling enemy; its degrading bondage is his deepest heartache. However, the reign of self is overthrown by its own enmity, since it creates the needs that cause us to hunger for and appropriate Christ's life and liberty.
 
"A sense of spiritual poverty is necessary to spiritual growth. This awareness of failure becomes acute to the believer during those days when he is attempting to attain holiness of heart through self-effort. Knowing what he ought to be and do, he proceeds to try to reach those goals. He purposes, resolves, promises, struggles, weeps, and fails again. His testimony, with Paul, is, 'The things that I want to do, I do not do, and the things that I do not want to do, I do' (Rom. 7:15).
 
"What a delightful day it is for him when he realizes that 'in him, that is, in his flesh, dwelleth no good thing' (Rom. 7:18 ). Only then does he, in his failure, cry out, 'Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' 'I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord' (Rom. 7:24, 25) comes back the reply. He begins to recognize that God expects only failure from the flesh, never success, but that 'in Christ' is his sanctification, his growth. Thus it is that freedom comes through bondage, life through death." - W.W.
 
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

INTERNAL PRIORITY
By Miles Stanford


"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1 :27).

Beware! The world, both secular and religious, is seeking to destroy your individuality by conforming you to the mass of faceless ones. But our heritage and destiny in the Lord Jesus Christ is to be conformed to His image - not at the loss of our individual personality, but by the gain of His nature and character. "I in you"; "Christ liveth in me" (John 15:4; Gal. 2:20).
 
"Something has got to be done in us as well as for us. We want to proceed on the line of having things done for us, heaven intervening for us, our difficulties removed for us, having a straight path made for us. Heaven may be ready to come in, the Lord may be prepared to work for us, but it is not sufficient for Him - and it would not prove good enough for us - if that were all. The very principle of spiritual growth and maturity demands that He keep the objective and the subjective balanced; that is, that something is done in us as well as for us." - T.A.S.
 
"We are apt to think that if and when the circumstances and conditions of our lives are changed and we are in another position than the one we now occupy, then something will happen, the purpose of God will begin to be fulfilled. But the Lord says, 'No, it is not circumstances, not conditions, at all; it is you.' "
 
"Being confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

THERE IS ONE FAITH
By HAROLD STEINBRON, Bible Teacher

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:5

Some speak of the Catholic "faith" or the Muslim "faith". I used to, until I studied God's Word. Since God gave His Word to reveal "one Faith", all other "faiths" must be spurious. They may be very similar, but if God has one Faith for our hearts to believe, then we better detail and define that One Faith, because there is none other! !!! The more some of these "faiths" look and sound like the One Faith, the more dangerous they become. Some are so far from the real one, only the most gullible are deceived.
 
I believe God permitted a variety of "faiths" to cloud our vision, so that only the student of the Word of God ever arrives at the One Faith. The reward for this demanding, even exhausting search, is Eternal Life! A heart void of offense before God! A life of tranquility in a very troubled age! If you have talked to some who are searching for "the truth" or "reality", you see in their eyes the unrest, the unsettled feeling, the uncertainty. No human is TRULY happy until he has discovered and settled his life on -THUS SAITH THE LORD. It is not enough to just read the Bible, good as that is. It is not enough to study the Bible, rewarding as that is. We must persevere in our reading and study until we arrive at the ONE FAITH Paul speaks of, lay hold of it, build our life upon it, and know it well enough to teach others also, then the joy of the Lord will permeate our being even though everything may be going wrong.
 
The price for this attainment is high. Five minutes a day devoted to a "quiet time" will not suffice.

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

ACCESS BY FAITH
By RUSSELL S. MILLER,

Scripture Reading: Romans 5:2

Everyone is invited, but everyone does not have access to God. God does not hear the "vain repetitions" (Matt. 6:7) of the heathen. Yet the true saint may enter the presence of God at his convenience; when and where he chooses. This, the president of the United States does not allow.

Our "great God and Saviour" does, however, allow the unsaved "access" into His presence "by faith" in the shed blood of Christ today. This is a privilege that those under the Law did not enjoy. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, once a year, with the blood of a lamb without blemish.
 
And Paul declares in Romans 5: I, 2 that simply believing what God says today produces that initial "access by faith" into His presence. "Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Consequently the Apostle explains to saints far and wide, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, [not the old dead sacrificial way, but] BY A NEW AND LIVING WAY, which He hath consecrated for us .... And having an high priest over the house of God; [1.] Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith ... [2.] Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering ... [3.] And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:19-25).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

UNFEIGNED FAITH
By MARVIN DUNCAN, Pastor

Scripture Reading: I Timothy 1:5; II Timothy 1:5

Much of what men believe today is what they want to believe instead of what God's Word teaches. Faith is somehow taken to mean just being sincere in what you want to happen, or being sincere in what you think God would have you do and if your faith (your belief in your own idea) is strong enough, it will come to pass. This is far from what God's Word teaches about faith. Romans 10:17 tells us that the faith that pleases God comes from hearing, that is believing, the Word of God. God will only do that which He has said He will do and God will accept a person only on the basis He has proclaimed. Anything beyond what God has said is not faith--- it is wishful-thinking.
 
It is this taking God at His Word that Paul speaks of as "UNFEIGNED FAITH" in our text verses. This word, unfeigned, means genuine or sincere. It is the sincere trust in what God has said about Himself and about how a man can be justified in His sight that Paul was speaking about when he wrote Timothy that "the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith that is genuine and sincere" (I Timothy I:5). This genuine faith does not go beyond what God has said, but takes every word God has spoken and sincerely believes God will do exactly as He has promised.

Paul was confident that this was the kind of faith Timothy had and his sincere faith had been encouraged in him by his mother and his grand-mother who both had this same genuine faith in what God had said (II Timothy 1:5).
 
Is your faith based solely upon what God has said, or do you have some areas of wishful-thinking involved in your faith? If there is any area of your faith that is not exactly what God has said, you do not have "UNFEIGNED FAITH."

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

~SOLID GOLD TRIALS~
By M.Stanford


"For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God'" (II Cor. 4:15).

Since He is both my God and my Father, and since all of the hardships He takes me through are specifically designed to conform me to the image of the Lord Jesus, how can I help but trust Him and rejoice in His faithfulness?

"It is well to remember that the deepest and truest spiritual qualities are not learnt or established in us by our happy or enjoyable times, but in the difficult ones! There is nothing wrong in times of great joy and spiritual blessing; in fact we long for more of them, and look back perhaps to some days of much blessing in our lives or in the work of the Lord; but in the securing of Christ in greater measure in our lives, we find that it is by the things which we suffer that we learn most. So let us give thanks for the joyful days, and learn all that the Lord intends by the days of waiting and difficulty." - C.J.B.H.

"Faith asks for no props from the men and things around it; it finds 'all its springs' in God; and hence it is that faith never shines so brightly as when all around is dark. It is when nature's horizon is overcast with the blackest clouds, that faith basks in the sunshine of the divine favor and faithfulness." - C.H.M.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Cor. 4:17).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

PHILIPPIANS 4:1-7
Part 1 of 3
By Pastor Paul Sadler
 

The story is told that during the American Civil War, when the rival armies were encamped on the opposite banks of the Potomac River, the Union's band played one of its patriotic tunes, and the Confederate musicians quickly struck up a melody dear to any Southerner's heart. Then one of the bands started to play "Home, Sweet Home." The musical competition ceased, and the musicians from the other army joined in. Soon voices from both sides of the river could be heard singing, "There is no place like home."

In similar fashion, the members of the Body of Christ have a home, a home in heaven. While divisions have always plagued the Church, we all have a common destiny. So when Paul opens Philippians 4 with the term "there-fore," he is prefacing what he was about to say on the preceding passage where he established that we are citizens of heaven. He wanted the saints at Philippi to remember and remember well that they belonged to the Lord and were blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. Against this backdrop, the apostle is going to share with us how to effectively deal with a problem between two believers when a conflict arises within the local assembly. We might call this particular portion that is under consideration-Problem Solving 101!

ISOLATING THE PROBLEM

"Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord."  Phil. 4:1,2

As we have seen, Paul hinted in the previous chapters that there was an underlying conflict at Philippi, but he now isolates the problem and names names. It involved two women in the assembly whose names were Euodias and Syntyche, often referred to by humorists as "Odious" and "Soon-touchy." These two women had worked closely with Paul in the furtherance of the gospel when the apostle first came to Philippi, but in the course of time they became archenemies. Of course, Paul's concern, and justifiably so, was that should this rift continue it could eventually divide the assembly and greatly hinder the cause of Christ, which is something God does not take lightly.

Having observed these types of conflicts over the years in the local church, they usually begin between two dominant personalities in the assembly who are both leaders in their own right, or could be. The very thing that made them so effective in the Lord's service oftentimes becomes the very thing that ends up dividing them. Since the fall, disputes among the Lord's people have been all too common. For example:

"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath He not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it" (Num. 12:1,2).
 
According to this passage, the conflict between Moses and Miriam arose over his marriage to an Ethiopian woman. We are not told what happened to Moses' first wife, Zipporah, but one thing is certain, Miriam and Aaron weren't happy with this new union, at least that's how it appeared on the surface. During times of conflict, it's important to remember there is usually the "problem," and then there's the "real issue" underlying it! That's exactly what we have here. The problem was Miriam's displeasure with Moses' decision to take another wife, but the real issue was his authority. She was jealous that Moses was the Deliverer through whom God spoke!
 
"And the LORD heard it," and was displeased. As you continue to read the narrative, it is interesting that God by passes the smokescreen and deals directly with Miriam's rebellion. Under the law, questioning God's ordained spokesman had serious consequences, as Miriam found out when she became white as snow with leprosy for seven days (Num. 12:5-15).
 
As we pass from the law to the present age of Grace, conflicts between believers persist to this very day, due to the fact that we still possess a sin nature after we are saved. Needless to say, Satan is a master at bringing out the worst in us. And, sadly, some believers play right into his hand. Paul had seen this firsthand when he received the report that Euodias and Syntyche weren't seeing eye-to-eye. This portion of Scripture is a clinic in how to effectively deal with problems in the local church.
 
"Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord" (Phil. 4:1,2).
 
Imagine these ladies sitting there listening to Epaphroditus read this letter publicly and hearing their name read aloud. It would have undoubtedly gotten their undivided attention. It is noteworthy that the apostle didn't take sides. If he were to do so he would lose his objectivity. Of course, by not taking sides he ran the risk of getting shot at by both sides. But he was more than willing to take this friendly fire if it meant resolving the problem.
 
As Paul ministered the gospel he did so with impartiality, a lesson every spiritual leader is well served to remember. Notice how the apostle includes Euodias and Syntyche in his greeting to the assembly at Philippi. They, too. were "dearly beloved and longed for" and were also his "joy and crown." Those Paul had won to Christ were his joy and his crow of rejoicing, as he says in Thessalonians. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Lord will acknowledge Paul's labor of love in evangelizing the lost; they will be his, "crown of rejoicing." The same is, true of all those who have a love for lost souls.
 
"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy" (I Thes 2:19,20).

Like many of those at Thessalonica, Paul had personally brought Euodias (flagrant) and Syntyche (fortunate) to Christ when he first visited Philippi (Acts 16:12,13). These two women had faithfully served the Lord together for many years, but something came between them. Before we consider how Paul handled this problem, we first need to consider what the problem may have been. While we are not told the nature of the conflict, we can conclude it did not involve a dispute over a major doctrinal issue, simply because the apostle doesn't instruct the assembly to separate from one or both of these women, as he did with the church at Rome.
 
"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them" (Rom. 16:17).
 
Nor was the problem of an immoral nature such as we witness at Corinth. In that case Paul instructed the Corinthians to put the offender out of the assembly until a time of repentance (l Cor. 5:1-7). Thankfully, this cannot be said of Euodias and Syntyche. The issue was probably over a secondary doctrine of the faith or jealousy. Perhaps one was preferred above the other or one of the two ladies received what the other one felt was unwarranted praise. Whatever the case, the quarrel was causing disunity within the assembly. Some were apparently already taking sides. The battle lines were drawn and reinforcements were being recruited to shore up the frontlines on each side. In all likelihood it was one of those cases where you could cut the atmosphere with a knife.

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
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