by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | What Do You Think?
Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ! (Observation) In view of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul tells the Thessalonians to encourage and build one another up and gives a series of commands while they wait. In the midst is verse 18 saying “in everything give thanks.” ! (Interpretation) If we are to give thanks “in everything,” then it follows that there is no circumstance in which we are not to give thanks. I submit to you that thanksgiving in the midst of worldly trouble is only possible if our hope is in the eternal provision of God through Jesus Christ. It is in view of the promised return of Jesus and eternity with Him, that this command is given. It is because of this hope that we trust that the circumstances, even troubles, in which we find ourselves, are in our best interest. Also because of this hope, we are able look upon current circumstances and trouble as being small in comparison to the life to come. Paul ends his letter saying in verse 28 “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” It is by His grace that we have this hope in Him. It is also by His grace that we can “in everything give thanks.” ! (Cross-reference) Ephesians 5:20 “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;” 21 “and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” ! Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | What Do You Think?
Jesus answers Satan in Luke 4:12 that we are not to test (NASB) the Lord our God. God tells the Israelites in Malachi 3:10 to test Him by bringing their tithes and watching Him provide blessings. If Jesus says not to test God and God says to test Him, what are we to do? Jesus answers Satan who quoted Psalm 91:11-12 in his challenge to Jesus. The devil took the Psalm out of context, making an application not intended by the author, who was speaking of the security of the one who abides with God-nothing can touch such a one without God’s permission. Jesus quotes Deut. 6:16 which in turn is a reference to Exodus 12:7 where, after camping at Rephidim according to God’s command (v. 1), the Israelites complained to Moses about a lack of water. Moses rightly pointed out their problem was with God, not him. After he struck the rock according to God’s command and water flowed, he named the place Massah which means “testing”. The Greek word translated “test” in Luke 4:12 is variously translated “test” or “tempt” in other usages, depending on the translation (Matt. 4:7, Luke 10:25, 1 Cor. 10:9). The Greek word for “test” used in the Septuagint in Deut. 6:16 is the same as in Luke 4:12. Interestingly, the Septuagint also uses the equivalent Greek word translated as “Temptation” for the place name. The scene is different in Mal. 3:10. The English translation of the Septuagint reads, “The year is completed, and ye have brought all the produce into the storehouses; but there shall be the plunder thereof in its house:...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | What Do You Think?
Luke 12: 22 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? 26 “If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? (Observation) Worry is futile. The disciples are valuable to God and He will care for them. (Interpretation) The disciples are and even every believer is, a valuable possession of God Almighty. God is in control of all things and knows the outcome of all circumstances. We believers, on the other hand, have control only over our obedience to His commands and must trust God for the outcome of our circumstances. Therefore, I submit for your consideration, that worry has no value whatever and is a complete waste of time. It is an exercise in futility. (Cross-reference) Philippians 4: 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Luke 10:38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Testimonies
I never served in the military, but have had the privilege of meeting many current and former active duty soldiers at different stages of my life. I often feel like a “thank you for your service” is not nearly enough to express how grateful I am for their commitment to keeping our country safe. In many cases, you hear stories about long deployments that kept them away from their families, assignments that placed them in harms-way where they were permanently injured; or even times where they were constantly threatened in a foreign land where they were sent to protect the local residents. The life of an active soldier seems to be filled with opposition. The life of a disciple of Jesus often follows a similar pattern. In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, right after Paul reminds Timothy that he wants him to share what he has learned with others, he points out the fact that Timothy will “suffer hardship with as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. He follows it up with, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” For the follower of Christ, avoiding entanglement is critical to fully and completely letting Jesus be Lord of our lives. But what entangles men? What are some of the daily battles we fight and how can we gain victory over these areas of our life that can derail our “active service” for the Lord? Different parts of the world provide their own unique challenges for followers of Jesus who are engaged in active ministry. In first world...
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