Faithfulness

Faithfulness

By: Robert A. Searles

“A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” Proverbs 28: 20 (KJV)

What does it mean to be faithful? Consider the faithfulness of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. God is so faithful in all that he does and says, that we just take him for granted and expect things always to be as they are. The dictionary says that to be faithful means to be true or trustworthy in the performance of duty, especially in the fulfillment of promises, obligations, vows, and the like. God is faithful. He is true and trustworthy in the performance of his work. Each new day, God our Father causes the sun to rise, right on time. If he didn't, if God ever failed in the performance of his work, we would be terribly upset, and there would be chaos in the universe. God regulates our heart beat and respiration, and keeps it steady. God brings about the change of seasons, right on time. God gives the rain and the sun, and brings forth the harvest at the proper time, so that we might have food. God was faithful to send the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem us. God is faithful to sustain us, and when we see the faithfulness of God all around us, we can be sure that he will be faithful in punishing sin, and in the return to earth of the Lord Jesus Christ. How faithful are we? God gives us the grace to be faithful if we want to be. We have to choose and make choices daily whether or not we want to be faithful in our duties and promises or, if we just want to indulge in pleasure and please ourselves.

It is very easy to pledge ourselves to God and pledge our faithfulness to him when we need his blessing and assistance in something. Maybe one day when we didn't have so much, or we were in trouble, we promised God that we would put him first in our lives. Since then, perhaps, times have changed, and things have become better for us.. Have we been faithful? Perhaps we promised God that we would spend more time in his word, and in a time of quietness before God, and meditate and fellowship with him; but recently God has opened the windows of heaven and poured out blessings upon us, and now we are so busy picking up the blessings that we don't really have the time to be faithful to our promises to love, honor, and serve him. These things ought to follow in this order: - to love God because he first loved us and to be eternally grateful because he gave himself for us. Then, to honor him with our lives, and then comes service.

“Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.” Psalm 101: 6 (KJV)

Don't allow the flesh to tell you what to do. On the contrary, it is the spirit that ought to tell the flesh what to do, even if we don't feel like spending time in God's word or praying, and meditating alone with God, if we will discipline ourselves to please God, God will bless our faithfulness.

So Send I You!

So Send I You!

By: Robert A. Searles

“Then said Jesus to them again, peace be unto you; as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” John 20:21 (KJV)

Jesus gave his disciples the commission to continue his ministry on earth after he had ascended into heaven.., He gave them the Holy Spirit to help them. We who are the children of God, have been given the same commission from him. We are told to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. As God sent Jesus to reconcile the world to himself, so Jesus sends us into the world among sinners, to tell them of his love and redeeming power. There is no purpose for living on earth other than for service to God. The unsaved person from the time he is old enough to think for himself is constantly searching for something that will fulfill his purpose in life. It is called the pursuit of happiness. It is the common thought that happiness is something which we can run after, and some day catch, and when it has been caught, hang onto it and never let it go. No wonder there are so many frustrated people in the world. They go from one thing to another, without ever finding any real satisfaction in life, and no purpose for living. Education won't satisfy, houses and property and wealth won't satisfy, even good health won't satisfy, and the reason being, that we were designed to be satisfied only from within when we have found the perfect will of God and are doing it.

The most miserable people of all are those who have become the sons of God, if they have never yielded themselves to serve God and win souls to Christ. The greatest joy and satisfaction that any of us can ever experience is to know that we are doing the very thing that we were sent to do after we were saved, that is, to magnify and exalt the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; to win souls; and to continue the ministry of love and compassion, and reconciliation to God through Christ, and help those in need.

When a person has no purpose in life other than to satisfy his own flesh, then life itself becomes nothing but a continual state of boredom and depression, and can become a living hell. We have been sent by Jesus to do a job, to work in his vineyard, to bring in the harvest. There is much joy in laboring for the Lord. We are told that: “they that sow in tears, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them.”

I want to be one of the sent ones. I don't want to be just sitting around feeling miserable because I have reached a certain age, and feeling sorry for myself that all my yesterdays could not continue until today. I pray that the Lord will fill me to overflowing with the Holy Spirit and give me a ministry and service for him that will keep me busy magnifying and exalting his name forever. I want to keep my eyes on the future, not on the past. That which is ahead is greater and more exciting than anything we have ever known in the past. I want to keep pressing forward to the prize of the high calling of God, as Paul said, and to keep my eyes fixed firmly on Jesus. I want to seek first the kingdom of God, and accept with thanksgiving any blessing that God wants to shower upon me.

Praise And Thanksgiving

Praise And Thanksgiving

By: Robert A. Searles

      “Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.” Psalm 22: 23 (KJV)

      To fear the Lord does not mean that we are afraid of God as some one who is out to get even with us or to catch up with us and take vengeance upon us. If we have sought the redemption offered to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, then we are the children of God by adoption, and we can enter into a wonderful relationship and fellowship with God. To fear God means to be fully aware of his great power, and omnipotence, and his right to rule the universe; it means that we recognize ourselves as helpless creatures on this ball of earth, and that we are completely dependent upon the spirit of God to guide us and lead us in right paths.

      When we approach the throne of God and the mercy seat, we ought to come before God with fear and trembling, in the sense that we realize that we can enter God's presence only by his grace, and only after a terrible price was paid for our redemption, namely, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to come before God, uplifting the name of Jesus. Our chief purpose ought to be to praise God, and glorify him.

      God is spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit. God is a rewarder of all those who diligently seek him. Many times we fail to worship God properly. We ought to be absorbing the essence and spirit of God as as a sponge absorbs water, so that when God sees fit to squeeze us a little, his spirit will be poured out on others through us like water pours from a saturated sponge. Most of the time that we are in prayer or fellowship with God ought to be in praise and it ought to glorify his name. All the host of heaven are watching and listening to see if God is glorified in us. We ought to always lift up the name of Jesus; praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God for salvation; praise God for life everlasting; praise God for our homes; praise God for each others companionship; praise God for the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; and praise God for opportunity to serve.

      “Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.” Psalm 33: 1 (KJV)

“Praise ye the lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely.” Psalm 147: 1 (KJV)

      “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34: 1 (KJV) “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34: 3 (KJV) “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:” 23. “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: sing forth the honor of his name: make his praise glorious.” Psalm 66: 1,2 (KJV) “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp (out in the world) bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13: 13, 14, 15 (KJV)

     Then following praise and worship and thanksgiving, comes service. “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Hebrews 13: 16 (KJV)

I Am Greatly Blessed

I Am Greatly Blessed

      “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.” Psalm 65: 4 (KJV)

       God in his abundant grace and mercy has chosen me from among multitudes to approach unto him and to dwell in his house, and sit at his table, and be satisfied with the goodness of all his provision for me. Therefore, I am among the blessed of the earth, and have much to be thankful for. I cannot fathom the depths of God's love that he would choose me from the foundation of the earth. It is all to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has lifted me out of the horrible pit and placed my feet on higher ground and caused me to dwell in high places with him. I owe him my life, my devotion, and service throughout all eternity, and yet, a gift is a gift, with no strings attached given freely by grace alone, not deserved, and not earned, howbeit, I want to be devoted and to serve him out of gratitude for all he has done for me.

      How about you, are you greatly blessed?

Our Riches At Christ's Expense

Our Riches At Christ's Expense

By: Robert A.Searles

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” 2 Corinthians 8: 9 (KJV)

I wonder if we who call ourselves Christians have ever really contemplated the abundance of the love and grace of our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who was infinitely rich and abounding in all that he had created; he who had an inexhaustible supply of grace; and inexhaustible supply of love; and inexhaustible fellowship with God the Father, should put it all aside for awhile, and become the poorest of the poor for our sake, so that he would not enjoy all the beauty and splendor and wonders of heaven without us. He had no place on earth to lay his head so that we might have mansions in our father's house forevermore. He became sin for us so that our sins could be forgiven. He was separated from God the Father for a season so that we could be reconciled to God our father. He allowed himself to feel pain, suffer hunger, and experience death, so that we might experience the joy and the goodness of our Father's house. Oh! Let us consider the abundant riches of his grace in that he hath done all this for us, and let us be eternally grateful.

Here To Serve

Here To Serve

By: Robert A. Searles

      Once we are saved, we are left here on earth to serve the Lord, and to continue his ministry of reconciliation and good works which Jesus began when he was with us on earth. Now, the members of his body, being many and scattered throughout the world, having been anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit, can accomplish great things for him if we are willing and obedient servants. We are left here on earth after we are saved, not to do our own will but the will of him who saved us. The repeated routine of every day life does not make a lot of sense unless we realize why we are doing it. We work to buy food, clothing, and shelter, and some luxuries so that we can take proper care of these bodies, and be happy. Why do we do these things? It ought to be so that the Holy Spirit which lives within us can use us to accomplish great things for the glory of God.

      “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100: 1-5 (KJV)

Absolute Truth For all Generations

Absolute Truth for all Generations

By: Robert a. Searles

      “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100: 1-5 (KJV)

      One generation after another cannot come along and rightly say that the things of God which were true for our forefathers are no longer true for us today. God never changes, he is the same yesterday, today and forever. His law and his power is immutable. The principles which God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And his people, Israel, and the principles which Jesus taught are as relevant for us today as they were when he taught them. People are at fault and in gross error when they adopt the attitude of permissiveness, and situation ethics which is so prevalent in the world today. God changes not, and he expects his children not to be given to change as far as believing his truth and acting upon it is concerned. Just because God has allowed us to have technological improvements to make us more comfortable and more effective in serving him; and because he has allowed us to put aside the horse and mule, as it were and given us automobiles, planes, and computers instead, in no way implies that God has made of truth something different from what it always was and still is from everlasting to everlasting.

      We would all do well to abolish the idea of being “politically correct” and adhere to the teaching, and being obedient to the absolute truth of the word of God.

      God is steadfast and unmovable. Let us pray that he will keep us rooted and grounded in love and in truth, and stand our ground against the lies and wiles of the devil.