August - Obedience
There was a mountain climber who wanted to climb the highest mountain. He began his adventure after many years of preparation. He had decided to climb the mountain alone because he wanted all the glory for himself. The night felt heavy in the heights of the mountain, and the man could not see anything. All was black. The moon and stars were covered by the clouds and there was zero visibility. As he was climbing, he slipped and fell into the air, falling at a great speed. The climber could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being pulled down by gravity. He was thinking about how close death was getting, when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard. His body was hanging in the air. Only the rope was holding him, and in that moment of stillness he had no other choice but to call to God for help. All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from the sky answered:
What do you want me to do?
Save me!
Do you really think I can save you?
Of course, I believe you can.
Then cut the rope tied to your waist….
There was a moment of silence; and the man decided to hold on to the rope with all of his strength. The next day, the rescue team found the climber dead and frozen. His body was hanging from a rope with his hands holding tightly to it…. Only 10 feet away from the ground.
This makes me think of James 2:14-20.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
When one has true faith in God, he will obey the commands of God. Faith without obedience is dead just as the body without man’s spirit is dead
15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
James proves that faith without deeds can not save you with this illustration. You cannot satisfy one’s physical needs with wishes alone. When one has trust and faith in God, he will obey God and do well to others.
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
There is no profit in faith without works. Faith which is alive obeys through action. Faith without absolute obedience to the Lord’s will is as worthless as the expression of empty wishes for the needy with no effort spent to relieve their condition.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
Works of charity and mercy will show faith as a living tree whose root is love to both God and man, and whose fruit is good works. Faith can not be seen, but its existence is evidenced through the works which it produces. It is implied here that true faith leads to a holy life, and such a life would be the correct evidence of the existence of faith. By their fruits the principles held by men are known.
19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.
If all one had to do is to believe in God and Jesus to be saved, the demons would be saved. Demons believe, but do not obey. Those exercising faith without works exhibit the same kind of profitless faith which the demons possess.
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
Faith without works is faith only, such faith is dead. As you know, later in the book of James Abraham and Rahab are given as examples of faith. The best definition of faith is Hebrews chapter eleven where great men of faith are named. The climber had faith in God but was unwilling to obey. His faith was not true. The illustration of the climber also makes me think of Luke 6:46-49
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Lord means master or ruler, therefore, it is not consistent to call one “Lord” and not obey him. Obedience is an essential part of the saving faith.
47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.
The word of God must be received into the heart in order to spring into spiritual life. It is not enough simply to hear and receive it; one must also be obedient to it. As you know, there are those in every congregation who attend services regularly and who sit passively where the truth is preached, but who never profit by the word preached, nor translate it into their life.
48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
Christians should be invested in their reliance on God’s promises, confident in his protection and have a hope of heaven through his blood. Earthly misfortunes should not have a lasting effect on us. The only foundation that will stand the storms of life and death is Jesus Christ, and possessing him as our cornerstone; all the storms and tempests of life may beat harmlessly around us.
49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
The house built without a foundation is beat upon by the floods and rains; it is gradually worn away; it falls, and is carried down the stream and is destroyed. So goes the sinner. The floods are wearing away his house; and soon one tremendous storm shall beat upon him. He has laid for himself no true foundation, and soon an eternal tempest shall beat around his lost soul.
How great will his fall be!
August - Christian Example
Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, “You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet.”
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change.” The driver, with a smile, replied, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I’ll see you at church on Sunday.”
When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, “I almost sold your Son for a quarter.”
Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read.
7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
-Titus 2:7-8
Paul mentions some characterizations that Titus and the young Christians should demonstrate. Christians must live what they preach.
16 I exhort you therefore, be imitators of me.
-1 Corinthians 4:16 (I Corinthians 11:1)
Paul urges the Corinthians to try to be like him because he is emulating Christ in his actions. The word of God teaches that we are to follow Christ in his gentleness, in his bearing of the cross, and in his offering himself for us.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
-Philippians 2:5-7
Paul encouraged the Philippians to live in harmony and unity, and to have the unselfish and humble attitude in which Jesus displayed. Jesus was the example not only by his actions, but also in his attitudes and motives. Paul was stressing the humbleness and helpfulness of Jesus, which he wanted the Philippians to follow.
15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
-John 13:13-15
Jesus teaches an inner attitude, that of humility and an eagerness to serve others. It was common custom to wash others’ feet when they came into your home, due to open sandals and dusty streets. The lesson of this foot washing was the need for disciples to be willing to render humble service, whatever it may be.
12 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation
-1 Peter 2:2
Babes must have milk to grow. Likewise, Christians must long for the word of God as a babe longs for milk. One must go by the word of God and it alone. When one continues to study the word of God and obeys its teachings, the result will be spiritual growth that results in eternal salvation.
38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
-Matthew 10:38
When a man was sentenced to die by crucifixion, he was compelled to carry his own cross to the place of execution. Bearing a cross after Jesus thus became a symbol of willingness to endure pain, shame, and persecution for his sake and in his cause. For one to bear his cross and follow Jesus a Christian must be willing to accept whatever consequences come from following Jesus. It could be persecution, ridicule, loss of a job, rejection of friends and/or even family. Jesus bore his cross which was crucifixion. We as Christians do not have the same cross to bear, but every Christian has a cross to bear.
Thomas Shepherd wrote:
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for everyone,
And there’s a cross for me
How happy are the saints above,
Who once went sorr’wing here!
But now they taste unmingled love,
And joy without a tear.
The consecrated cross I’ll bear
Till death shall set me free;
And then go home my crown to wear,
For there’s a crown for me.
Upon the crystal pavement down
At Jesus’ pierced feet,
Joyful I’ll cast my golden crown
And His dear Name repeat.
O precious cross! O glorious crown!
O resurrection day!
When Christ the Lord from heav’n comes down
And bears my soul away.
The story was a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians and will put us to the test! Always be on guard and remember that you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself “Christian.”
June - Studying the Bible to Know God’s Will
These points are given to allow you a comprehensive study of the New Testament in a panoramic, or entire, reading.
As you plan to study the Word of God, consider these truths - God is our Absolute Authority, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. He gave a covenant for the Jewish people the Law of Moses (the Old Testament); then He ‘gave Jesus’ to fulfill that covenant and ‘nail it to the cross,’ abolishing it. Then He gave the entire world of human beings - including the Jews, who would believe Jesus Christ - a covenant, the Law of Grace (the New Testament). The Old Testament is for our learning, while the New Testament is for our LIVING.
From the New Testament we learn a lot of things that has bearing on our lives today. It teaches us all we need to know about obeying and serving God so as to be able to be Christians and to live eternally. The New Testament teaches us basically these kinds of things:
- what to think
- what to believe
- what to be
- what to say
- what to do
- what to expect
There are the 27 New Testament books from which we get all that. Some are a bit harder to understand than others, namely Hebrews and Revelation.
But, all of it is for us to learn so that we can know the will of God and live to obey that will.
BEFORE you read each day pray for understanding.
Allow me to number the points I want to make about Studying the Bible.
1…As Christians we should concentrate on studying the overall message of the New Testament beginning with Matthew and following right on through the New Testament to get an overview or a survey of the entire book written for Christians.
2…Select one version to read through from among your favorite versions, for example, consider the ASV, NKJV, or NASV. One of these may be your favorite, and they all are near the true word as the Greek language was used in these translations. They are not paraphrases; they are versions. Choose one you want to read every day for almost two months.
3…If you will read about 5 chapters EVERY MORNING (get up an hour early!!) from your chosen version, you can read the entire New Testament in about 50 - 55 days.
4…Try to read early in the morning, before your day’s activities begin and when your mind is at ‘peak performance.’
5…Read quietly with the attitude that “I want to know what God intends for me to know about the New Testament.” Avoid reading as an obligation or to prepare for a lesson or to repeat….just read for “what God wants you to know.”
6…Avoid getting “hung up” on a passage that is not quickly understood - read on. Get what you can from the reading. You want a good “overview” of the New Testament in this “read through in less than two months.” Details can be studied later as you try to really learn the harder passages. (If you desire, keep a note pad near where you read, and make notes of verses you want to go back to and study more in-depth later.)
7…Try to determine to whom the passage you are reading is addressed, note who wrote the verses or book you are reading, and discern who is speaking when a quote is made. Red letter editions let you know, at least, when Christ is speaking.
8…Realize that God had the Holy Spirit direct the writing, and it is written for us to learn to live in a way that we will be able to please Him and live with Him forever.
9…You should plan to buy a good set of commentaries on the bible written by good, solid church members. Burton Coffman has written a good set. You might want to check with one or more of the ministers or one or more of the elders…or other good bible teacher, to see what they would recommend.
10..After you have read the New Testament for “overall comprehension,” then read from the Old Testament, looking for the scriptures pointing to Christ and the Christian Age.
11..Keep in mind that THIS study is one to learn the content of the New Testament for yourself. It is not to prepare a lesson for teaching. You will need a good grasp of the entire New Testament to be a good teacher. This method presented here will give you a good, strong idea of all that is in the New Testament. Then, when you do want to concentrate on some specific topic or passage to learn more deeply or to teach to another you will understand better the ‘context’ of the writing.
AFTER you read each day pray for application.