Practical Lessons

The Bible is full of practical lessons.  In fact, it is the most practical book ever written.  In this lesson we will look at just a small sample of Bible practicality.

Paul was writing to the Thessalonians in 2 Thes. 3, where he said, speaking of himself and his associates, "For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you....For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." 

This is a good lesson for us today.  And looking back at the teaching of Jesus, we see that He was a great example of kindness and generosity.  But we are not to support those who are not willing to work and use their own ability.

Then Paul's teaching continued:  "For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but busybodies.  Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread."

Thus we should not be disorderly, not busybodies.  In other words, we must learn to mind our own business....and tend to the things of our own, being responsible.  And he points out in Colossians 3, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.  It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

When we help someone, we do it not only in service to them, but we serve the Lord in that way.  In a sense, we are the hands of the Lord.  And we do it because we are in Christ; because we love the Lord.....and we remember His great gift:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

We all want to be saved, to enjoy all of the blessings that God has prepared for us.  Let's do our part in following Him....and serving Him.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Smart

I am a sailor.....a man of the sea.   Sailors watch the weather very carefully.  And this time of the year is especially interesting, watching the cold fronts come in every few days, sweeping in from the North. 

When the cold front arrives, it blows in with a cold North wind that shoots right through you.  But it is interesting that shortly after arrival, the wind shifts to the NE, then East, then SE, and South, , following a clockwise pattern that gets interrupted by the next cold front, starting the process all over again.

It is interesting, too, that this pattern is reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.  There the cold fronts come from the South and the wind directions are totally reversed.  It is like a bathtub.  When water drains out of the tub in the Northern Hemisphere, it swirls in a clockwise direction, whereas it is exactly opposite in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Now I know this sounds like a science lesson, but the point is about to come.  This information was known thousands of years ago; it is not new to us.  There is an old saying:  "Red sky in morning, sailor take warning.  Red sky at night, sailor's delight."  This is exactly what Jesus was saying in Matthew 16.  He said there, speaking to the Jewish leaders that they could read a red sky and predict the weather, but they couldn't read the "signs of the times." 

The point there in Matt. 16 was that they were smart.....but not really when it comes to important matters.  And the fact is, our society is just like that.  We are an educated society.  We have our computers, tablets, smart phones.  People know Apple, and Google, but don't know the Bible!

People at large are missing the point when it comes to life.  Jesus offers us life....life forever.....life after this life.  But most people don't care about that.  Let us be sure that God's Word is predominant in our lives.  And we must realize that He has prepared a far better place for us, for those of us who follow Him.  As Hebrews 11:6 says, "for those who diligently seek Him."

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week.....and sign on as a follower if not already. 

The Great Commission

After Jesus had gone to the cross and died there, and after He had been buried in the tomb for 3 days, and after He had risen from the dead, he appeared to His apostles and to many of His followers, teaching them things that He wanted them to remember and to do.  It was at this time that He made a statement that is often referenced as the "Great Commission." 

This statement is recorded at the end of the book of Matthew and the book of Mark, saying much the same thing, but with slightly different words.  Note the wording of each and the significance of His teaching:

Matthew 28:  Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Mark 16: And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

These passages/comments were written specifically to His apostles, giving them the charge of going out and preaching.  But we can certainly see that He would want us to carry on this charge, to spread the Good News of His teaching. 

As we read on into the book of Acts, we see the apostles doing just what He taught them to do: going into all the world, at least the known world to them, and converting people to the gospel.  Now it is up to us to do the same, both at home and abroad, starting with our neighbors and friends.  And of course, we must live it daily; easier said than done.

There is our challenge.  Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

The Prophet Joel

Joel was a prophet, a spokesman, for God sometime around the time of 835 BC.  It is interesting that the Bible gives us a great deal of human history many hundreds of years before the birth of Christ and is the only book to do so.  The book of Joel in the Bible tells of a terrible plague of locusts that has invaded the land.  Joel goes on to tell how God is upset with His people and will send even worse times upon them because they have failed to serve Him.  Following that calamity, there will be a great restoration to come.

The further calamity referenced here is the capturing of the land by outside nations, presumably Babylon, and the removal of most of the people from the land.  There would be eventually a return, a restoration of the nation, to some degree as recorded in Bible and secular history.  But the great restoration referenced in the book of Joel will be a spiritual one further defined in the book of Acts in the New Testament.

All of the Bible is leading up to the time of the New Testament, to the time of the coming Christ, and to the time of the beginnings of the church.  As we get to the first 4 books of the NT, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we read about Jesus and His teaching.  But He doesn't begin the church, establish churches, or form any organization whatsoever.  He simply gets His apostles ready to do that. 

Next we come to the book of Acts.  It is here that Peter and the rest of the apostles in Acts 2, lead by the Holy Spirit, begin to preach.....and the church begins.  And it is in this first speech by Peter that the prophet Joel is quoted:

"This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams, and on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.  I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapor of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord.  And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "

The Prophet Joel is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible but here in the book of Acts.  But he is quoted here because Joel had said centuries ago that a great day was coming.....and here it is, as recorded in Acts chapter 2.  We don't want to miss the significance of this great occurrence.  This is the beginnings of Christ's church...and the spreading of the Gospel of salvation that would be given to all people of the earth who would follow Jesus. 

The Bible is amazing!   Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful time of celebration on many levels.  Certainly it is a fun time for children who look forward to Santa Claus, presents, and fun times with family.  And families enjoy the togetherness that can come from getting together.  Often there are many memories from past Christmas celebrations.  There are a few observations from a spiritual stance that we can notice here.

It can be noted that the Bible does not teach us to observe the birth date of Jesus.  Jesus Himself taught in Matthew, Mark and Luke that He wanted His death to be remembered in the partaking of the communion, the Lord's Supper, after He was gone.  But there was never any mention of remembering His birth.  Still, we see detailed accounts of His birth in Matthew and Luke.  And certainly His birth was an amazing series of miracles; a wondrous event. 

We also can easily conclude that the birth of Jesus did not occur on December 25.  This date does not fit the circumstances, especially noting that shepherds would not be in the fields at that time.

And we can research the fact that Christmas did not begin until generations after the life of Christ.  It wasn't a true Christian beginning, one sanctioned by Christ.

But the birth of Jesus Christ was amazing, exciting, and miraculous, though humbling and lowly in the setting of a barn. 

"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.' "

And thus began the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Born there in that barn with the animals in the lowliest of beginnings.  Praise the Lord God and His only Son, Jesus Christ!

Thanks for reading.  Have a blessed week!

Memorizing the Bible

I am working on memorizing some key verses in the Bible.  And must say I am the worst at that.  I have never really tried to memorize much of anything and don't find that easy.  But I mention it here because I might encourage someone else to try it also.  In fact, in the last couple of weeks of work at it, I am finding it quite stimulating.  So in this lesson I will mention a few verses that you might try. 

Psalm 1:1,2   "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners
nor sits at the feet of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and he meditates in the law day and night."

This very beginning of the book of Psalms says a lot about the importance of following God.

Genesis 12:1-3   "God had said to Abram (Abraham),
'Get out of your country,
from your family, from your father's house,
to a land that I will show you,
and I will make you a great nation.
I will bless you and make your name great.
And you will be a blessing.
Whoever blesses you, I will bless.
But him who curses you, I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.' "

The blessing here is referencing the fact that one day a Messiah would be born, a descendant of Abraham, who would bless the whole world.

1Corinthians 10:13  "No temptation will overcome you, but such is common to man.
And God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.
But with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

Memorization can be fun; give it a try.  Thanks for reading. 

Hosea....and Harlotry

I have been reading the book of Hosea.  It is the first of the last 12 books of the Old Testament.  These 12 books that conclude the OT are called the Minor Prophets; minor, not in importance, just in length.

The prophet Hosea is an unusual character.  He prophesied during the latter days of the Northern kingdom of Israel.  The nation had gotten away from God and had gone to worshiping idols; and we know that God hates that.  When problems arose, they would seek help from other nations like Egypt and Assyria, not from God.  And God did not like that.

What makes Hosea unusual is that God instructed him to marry a harlot....a ho in today's vernacular.  And it appears that she continued her evil practices even after marrying Hosea.  But Hosea was patient and determined that he could restore his wife, Gomer.  It is clear in the book of Hosea that this marriage was symbolic of God trying to restore the wayward nation of Israel so that they would once again be reliant on Him, be His people....and quit their spiritual and physical harlotry.

Like all books of the Bible, this book has significance to us today.  God is not happy when His people stray; when His people seek other solutions, rather than follow Him.  But the beauty of this is that God always provides a solution to the problem.  God always allows His people to come back to Him; to restore and be accepted back fully.  In fact, God calls us to do that; encourages us.  Note Hosea 14:1:

"O Israel, return to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;
Take words with you,
And return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
'Take away all iniquity;
Receive us graciously...' "

And the book concludes:

"Who is wise?
Let him understand these things.
Who is prudent?
Let him know them.
For the ways of the Lord are right;
The righteous walk in them,
But transgressors stumble in them."

The lesson is clear to us.  We need to do things in God's ways....and avoid the ways that are evil....and destructive to us.  We need to love our God!

Thanks for reading.  Have a blessed week!