The Sword of the LORD

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9).     I have often aspired to be one whose heart is perfect toward Him, but thought that it seemed like a very tall order to have a perfect heart; and yet, time and time again God has proven Himself strong on my behalf.   I have slowly learned that being perfect in heart is not the same thing as being perfect in thought, word, and deed.   No, it is simply this: believing the Lord, and trusting His Word.     Asa, king of Judah, was the man to whom these words were spoken.   In the beginning of his reign, he did that which was right before God.   He trusted the Lord for deliverance from a great army that came against his kingdom.   He also removed the idols out of the land and encouraged the people to keep the commandments and laws of God.   Later, however, when trouble arose again in the form of the king of

“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.But He [Jesus] turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. ” (Matthew 16:21-23).   Toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He began to teach His disciples about what was waiting for Him in Jerusalem at the hands of the chief priests and scribes.   The Jewish leaders’ hatred for Jesus was at the boiling point and was soon to erupt in violence and lies.   Jesus told His disciples plainly that He was to be killed soon.   He also spoke plainly about His resurrection on the third day after His death.   Without the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, though,

“ 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).   My wife, Terry, and I were both saved in 1971.   It was toward the end of the “hippie” era, and we considered ourselves part of that counter culture.   We were part of a rock and roll band along with a few of our friends.   We did covers of songs by many popular rock bands of the time.   We were involved with all of the experimentation and excess that went along with that culture.   We experienced much of the angst associated with the civil unrest, racial tensions, anger and frustration over the Vietnam War t

"And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided Him, saying, He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the chosen of God .  And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him, and offering Him vinegar, and saying, If Thou be the king of the Jews, save Thyself …And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us ." (Luke 23:35-39).   "And they that passed by railed on Him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself, and come down from the cross ." (Mark 15:29, 30).   Oh, the wisdom and the depth of God's great love!   His plan for our redemption was such that it could not be comprehended by all the forces of evil.   To think that a virgin would conceive, and bear a Son, and that that Son would grow up to be the Savior of mankind and the only begotten Son of God is astonishing enough; but to think

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13, 14).   One of the things that cripples people most in their present lives is not properly dealing with their past.  Our personal history can drastically alter the way we think, feel, and act in given situations.  It shapes our attitudes about ourselves and about others.  It can breed guilt, depression, anxiety, anger, impatience, and sorrow on the one hand, and pride, arrogance, and a false sense of one's own worth on the other.  It can trigger a whole host of emotional responses in us that would seem strange or unwarranted to the casual observer.  Often, even we can't explain our behavior.   The apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian church tells us that there is one thing that he h

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."   (Romans 10:8-11).   There is an important link between what we believe, and what we speak.   Whatever we truly believe in our hearts, we will be anxious to share, and not ashamed to verbalize.   What comes out of our mouth in unguarded moments is usually what we really hold as true in our hearts.   There are, unfortunately, many Christians who have failed to believe in the transforming power of the grace of God in their lives, and who walk in defeat and discouragement as a result.   Their conversation in turn tends to

In his letter to the church that was in Ephesus, Paul mentions many types of human relationships that we all experience in our lifetimes; and how we, as believers, ought to function harmoniously within those various relationships.   He expresses the idea that, in Christ, both gentiles and born-again Jews are now joint heirs of eternal life, and have access to the Father through the Holy Spirit that has been poured out on them.   Together, they have been placed in the same body, and are being built up into a spiritual temple, and a household of faith, so that the enmity that once existed between these two groups is now abolished in Christ (2:11-22).   Later, Paul addresses the oneness of the body of Christ and the importance of maintaining the unity of the Spirit in a bond of peace.   He recites the core beliefs that every believer should hold in common with one another: one body, one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all; and that