Shew Thyself a Man
Apr 22“Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;” I Kings 2:1-2 The words of a Christian man spoken in his last days on this earth can be some of the most powerful counsel given. Such was the case of King David. Shortly before his falling asleep in the Lord, David summoned his son, Solomon, to his bedside. What he shared with his dear son back then, speaks to the hearts of every Christian man today. David commanded Solomon to “Shew thyself a man.” (I Kings 2:2)
David Wilkerson Predicting U.S. Catastrophe
Mar 11"Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons." Colossians 3:22-25 With all the credibility David Wilkerson seemingly has - apparently he nor those who follow after the validity of such "prophecies" forget God's admonition: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." II Peter 1:19-21 Enoch spoke of God's coming wrath and his words are found again in the book of Jude. Enoch (and all who prophesied in times past) were driven by God the Holy Spirit alone.
The pragmatic life in Christ demands daily living…
Feb 25"And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come." (Luke 19:13) This "parable of the pounds" indicated to His disciples that they should not wait idly for the second coming of Christ, thinking "that the kingdom of God should immediately appear" (Luke 19:11), but that they should stay busy, using whatever abilities and opportunities they had in the Lord's service until His return. The word "occupy" is an unusual word, the Greek pragmatenomai, from which we derive our modern word "pragmatic," meaning "practical," and it only occurs this one time in the New Testament. There is another related word, however, also occurring only one time, in 2 Timothy 2:4. "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." Here the word "affairs" is the Greek pragmateia, and Paul is cautioning those who would be "good soldiers of Jesus Christ" against becoming involved in the pragmatic affairs of civilian or business life, if they would really be pleasing to their commanding officer.
Walk by faith
Feb 25Although our text for today appears in parentheses in the King James Bible, it is a most important concept in Scripture and is the summary of an extensive passage which precedes it. Beginning with II Corinthians 4:8, Paul continually contrasts the seen and the unseen, finishing up with the admonition to "walk by faith." "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed" (vv.8-9). Though we have trials on the outside, through faith we have inward triumph. "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus . . . that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (vv.10-11). Even though "death worketh in us," that same persecution results in "life in you" (v.12). Through faith we know "that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus" (v.14).
Fools
Feb 25"Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not He thy father that hath bought thee? hath He not made thee, and established thee?" (Deuteronomy 32:6). fool This rebuke was by Moses, as he warned the people of God just before their entrance into the Promised Land. It contains the first use of the Hebrew nabal (translated "fool" or "foolish") in the Bible. Here it is applied to God's chosen people after they had been redeemed out of Egyptian slavery by God. This implies that the most foolish of all people are those who have known about God and His great salvation and yet have turned away from His Word. Paul writes in similar scathing terms of those who had known of God's great deliverance of their fathers from the evil world before the Flood, and yet then abandoned Him for idolatry. "When they knew God, . . . their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:21-22).