YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD it said many times, "A little bit goes a long way." And, that is true if you are talking about salt, pure vanilla, or cayenne pepper. It might also be said of strong perfume, or a vaccine. However, there are areas of life where a little bit is not sufficient. If you are in the ICU ward of the hospital, a little care will certainly not suffice. If you are in an arid desert, a little bit of water will not be seen as adequate. If you are having a family reunion during the holidays, a little bit of food will not be seen as a good thing.
THERE IS ALSO AN ESSENTIAL FACET in which "a little bit" goes nowhere. It is a domain where "a little bit"is dangerous, and brings great jeopardy to the individual. I am speaking of spiritual life. You might refer to it as religious life, or that dimension of life where strength, help, and stability must come from outside of your own feeble resources. It is the area of life that tends to be seen as more important at the time of death, or when one's world is caving in on them. This is a part of life where FAITH becomes all important – faith in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
PERHAPS YOU HAVE HEARD people speak of "mustard seed faith." In some people's mind, that is a reference to something Jesus once said of faith. "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Matt 17:20). Jesus, however, was not referring to a small amount of faith. A "mustard seed" was not a reference to the size or amount of faith, but to its potential. Although it is exceedingly small at first, Jesus said of this seed, "Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof" (Matt 13:32).
FAITH "AS A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED" cannot stay small, and has no lasting value while it remains small. Do you remember when Peter attempted to walk on water? He did so in response to the word of Jesus. However, while he was traversing on top of the water, the storm caught his eye. His attention was diverted from Jesus, who Himself was walking on the water. The consequence was that Peter began to sink in the stormy deep. He cried out to Jesus saying, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately caught him, and lifted him to the top of the water again. He then told him why he had failed to walk on the water. "O thou of LITTLE FAITH, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matt 14:30-31). He had a "little faith" – enough to get him out of the boat and begin walking on the water. But that "little bit" got him NOWHERE! It was not enough to keep him on top of the water, or bring him all the way to Jesus.
YOU MAY BE TEMPTED TO THINK that a little bit of faith is enough to get you through life – but it is not. The kind of faith God expects from you is one that is "strong" (Rom 4:20), and does not "doubt" (Matt 21:21). Jesus never did commend anyone with "little" faith. He did, however, bring marvelous benefits to those whose faith was "great" (Matt 8:10; 15:28). One of the times Jesus was said to have "marveled," was occasioned by the "great faith" of a Centurion who sought His help. There have also been people who were "full of faith" (Acts 6:5,8; 11:24). There is also such a thing as "the full assurance of faith"(Heb 10:22). This speaks of having confidence to come to God and obtain what He offers, and what you need. One church in the Bible was commended because their faith was growing "exceedingly," or was "greatly enlarged" (2 Thess 1:3, NASB). But no one was ever commended or praised for having a little faith, weak faith, or a faith that was not growing.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR FAITH? How strong is it? Would you say you have a "little faith," or are you filled with faith? Perhaps you are somewhere in between the inadequate "little" and the all sufficient fulness. But wherever you are, you must settle it in your heart that a "little faith"will really take you nowhere. At some point, your faith has got to grow, advance, and become more dominant within you. It will, indeed, start small, but it cannot stay small. Your faith must mature, just like your body.
FAITH COMES TO YOU BY "HEARING" – hearing the Gospel of Christ (Rom 10:17). It is also brought to you on the wings of the grace of God, which is said to be "exceeding abundant with faith and love"(1 Tim 1:14). Additionally, it is said to come to you "from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph 6:23).
WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN? It means to have a growing faith, you must be hearing a lot of the Word of God, especially what it has to say about Jesus Christ's Person and accomplishments. It means your life must be lived within the framework of an acute consciousness of God – an awareness of Him. If these two things do not happen, your faith, at best, will be "little," and will take you nowhere. Now, examine yourself to see if you are in the faith, as God tells you to do (2 Cor 13:5).
– Given O. Blakely
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
THE DEMISE OF THE DEVIL
"The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10, NKJV)
HOW WE NEED TO HEAR of the end of the devil – of his conclusion, his demise, and his cursing! In the very beginning, before the transgressing pair was expelled from the Garden, God told the devil of his end, or demise. We must never tire of hearing it. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen 3:15). To give us hope in the good fight of faith, we are told the bruise has already been delivered to the devil. It was administered in Christ's death, during which the "heel" of the Messiah was bruised. How glorious the words. "That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14). Now our adversary is powerless in the heavenly places where we have been raised and place (Eph 2:6). He will yet be powerless in every place. Though it sometimes appears as though he is gaining strength, he is really succumbing because of the bruise Jesus has delivered to his head. What appears to be an increase of strength in him is really death-throes. His time is running out, and he knows it: "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because HE KNOWETH THAT HE HATH BUT A SHORT TIME." (Rev 12:12).
BY THE TIME DESCRIBED IBN THIS TEXT, two of Satan's wicked initiatives have already been absolutely thwarted. The "beast and the false prophet" have already been removed, and their dominancy brought to a grinding halt. Political tyranny against the saints, and religious corruption will both be absent when the "knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea." Unregenerate hearts will still exist, but they will not be able to form coalitions or launch an initiative against the saints. There is coming a time when Israel will again be received by the Lord. When this occurs it will be like the world being given an injection of new life. Thus it is written, "For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" (Rom 11:15). And that is not the end of the matter! God has appointed a time when all tares will be rooted out, everything that offends Him will be gathered out, and a new heavens and a new earth will appear wherein only righteousness will dwell.
THIS PERSPECTIVE IS SEEN in the words, "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are." There is no battle here, no resistence by the devil, and no retaliation by his forces. The devil is simply removed from the scene, and cast into the place "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt 25:41). The lake of fire, however, will also house all who have been "deceived" by the devil. Just as all those who have embraced Jesus will be with Him, so those who have espoused the cause of Satan will dwell with him, his angels, and his champions of evil.
THE "LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE" does not denote annihilation but Divine cursing and removal from the arena of influence. It is also a place of unutterable suffering. The devil and his confederation "will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Earlier, the future of those who were deceived by the devil is described in similar terms. One additional perspective, however, is added. Such "shall be tormented with fire and brimstone IN THE PRESENCE of the holy angels, and IN THE PRESENCE of the Lamb" (14:10).
THE LAKE OF FIRE will afford those consigned to it the vision of the holy angels and the Lamb of God, Whom they rejected. The emphasis is on the condemned beholding the angels and Jesus, not on the angels and Jesus beholding them. It is not that the sight will provoke a desire to be with the Lord – that will be an impossible thing for the damned. The devil hated the sight of Jesus when He was upon the earth. He will hate it even more from the lake of fire. His torment will be accentuated by his inability to do anything about his foaming hatred. The same will be true of "the beast and the false prophet." Their utter frustration, as well as their surrounding, will contribute to unspeakable suffering and torment.
THOSE IMAGINING GOD is incapable of consigning people to such a state must consider the destiny of the devil. It is exactly the same destiny to be shared by everyone who made a place for the devil, embracing his delusion and ignoring the Lord's Christ. There is altogether too little said and thought about these matters in the contemporary church. It is true, this is not to be the emphasis of our preaching, or the primary motivation behind our exhortations. However, enough must be said about the devil's demise to make the slothful ill at ease with their manners. Jesus said that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit was convincing men that "the prince of this world IS judged" (John 16:11). Truly, "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31).
– Given O. Blakely
HOW WE NEED TO HEAR of the end of the devil – of his conclusion, his demise, and his cursing! In the very beginning, before the transgressing pair was expelled from the Garden, God told the devil of his end, or demise. We must never tire of hearing it. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen 3:15). To give us hope in the good fight of faith, we are told the bruise has already been delivered to the devil. It was administered in Christ's death, during which the "heel" of the Messiah was bruised. How glorious the words. "That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14). Now our adversary is powerless in the heavenly places where we have been raised and place (Eph 2:6). He will yet be powerless in every place. Though it sometimes appears as though he is gaining strength, he is really succumbing because of the bruise Jesus has delivered to his head. What appears to be an increase of strength in him is really death-throes. His time is running out, and he knows it: "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because HE KNOWETH THAT HE HATH BUT A SHORT TIME." (Rev 12:12).
BY THE TIME DESCRIBED IBN THIS TEXT, two of Satan's wicked initiatives have already been absolutely thwarted. The "beast and the false prophet" have already been removed, and their dominancy brought to a grinding halt. Political tyranny against the saints, and religious corruption will both be absent when the "knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea." Unregenerate hearts will still exist, but they will not be able to form coalitions or launch an initiative against the saints. There is coming a time when Israel will again be received by the Lord. When this occurs it will be like the world being given an injection of new life. Thus it is written, "For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" (Rom 11:15). And that is not the end of the matter! God has appointed a time when all tares will be rooted out, everything that offends Him will be gathered out, and a new heavens and a new earth will appear wherein only righteousness will dwell.
THIS PERSPECTIVE IS SEEN in the words, "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are." There is no battle here, no resistence by the devil, and no retaliation by his forces. The devil is simply removed from the scene, and cast into the place "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt 25:41). The lake of fire, however, will also house all who have been "deceived" by the devil. Just as all those who have embraced Jesus will be with Him, so those who have espoused the cause of Satan will dwell with him, his angels, and his champions of evil.
THE "LAKE OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE" does not denote annihilation but Divine cursing and removal from the arena of influence. It is also a place of unutterable suffering. The devil and his confederation "will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Earlier, the future of those who were deceived by the devil is described in similar terms. One additional perspective, however, is added. Such "shall be tormented with fire and brimstone IN THE PRESENCE of the holy angels, and IN THE PRESENCE of the Lamb" (14:10).
THE LAKE OF FIRE will afford those consigned to it the vision of the holy angels and the Lamb of God, Whom they rejected. The emphasis is on the condemned beholding the angels and Jesus, not on the angels and Jesus beholding them. It is not that the sight will provoke a desire to be with the Lord – that will be an impossible thing for the damned. The devil hated the sight of Jesus when He was upon the earth. He will hate it even more from the lake of fire. His torment will be accentuated by his inability to do anything about his foaming hatred. The same will be true of "the beast and the false prophet." Their utter frustration, as well as their surrounding, will contribute to unspeakable suffering and torment.
THOSE IMAGINING GOD is incapable of consigning people to such a state must consider the destiny of the devil. It is exactly the same destiny to be shared by everyone who made a place for the devil, embracing his delusion and ignoring the Lord's Christ. There is altogether too little said and thought about these matters in the contemporary church. It is true, this is not to be the emphasis of our preaching, or the primary motivation behind our exhortations. However, enough must be said about the devil's demise to make the slothful ill at ease with their manners. Jesus said that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit was convincing men that "the prince of this world IS judged" (John 16:11). Truly, "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31).
– Given O. Blakely
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
THE HIGHER VIEW
"Come up here! . . . Come up here!" (Revelation 4:1; 11:12, NKJV)
IF A PERSON HAS "EARS TO HEAR," the call is still coming from heaven, "Come up here!" In these texts, the exhortation was spoken to John the Apostle – the "disciple whom Jesus loved." At the time, he was not groveling in despair, or wrestling with fleshly and mundane views. Instead, He was "in the Spirit," conscious of heaven and hearing from Jesus (Rev 1:10).
BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF FAITH, it must have the higher view. That does not obviate the necessity or value of the detailed views, of comprehending things having to do with this life and our various responsibilities in this world. However, the details of life can only be correctly seen within the context of the higher view. They must be seen from a heavenly perspective. This was the experience of John on the Isle of Patmos. He was given to see events that took place upon the earth. However, he was given to see them from a high and lofty perspective. In this view, he saw the real nature of things, whether of conflict and blessing, or life and of death.
IN THE WORLD, learning takes place at the lowest, or detailed, level. Thus we first learn about words, then use sentences, then express thoughts, etc. But this is not the manner of the Kingdom. Spiritual learning begins at the highest level. The Gospel, for example, is the proclamation of what the Lord has done in Christ Jesus – the higher view. Once faith lays hold of that, the details of obedience, following the Lamb, etc., are provided, and can be comprehended. It is "in light" that we are able to "see light" (Psa 36:9): i.e., within the higher view, or Divine summation, the details of doctrine come into sharper focus. If, for example, you can see that Christ has "destroyed" the devil (Heb 2:14), it makes sense that you can "resist" him (James 4:17).
THOSE WHO MAJOR ON THE DETAILS of Christian living, even though they mean well, have greatly handicapped the saints. Men dispatched by the Lord "preach Christ," not obligations (Acts 8:5; 17:3; 2 Cor 4:5; Col 1:28). This does NOT mean they never declare the responsibilities of men, or warn against the neglect of those responsibilities. It DOES mean the focus of their preaching was the Lord Jesus Himself. The heart of their proclamation was the Lord and what He had done. They consistently spoke of the duty of men WITHIN the context of Christ Jesus and His great salvation. Their exposition was NOT of duty, but of Christ and salvation. Within that greater context commandments, exhortation, and instruction in righteousness make perfect sense.
COME UP HIGHER! Even though John was "in the Spirit on the Lord's day," the heavenly summons was "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this" (4:1). The Lord, in a sense, did not bring the Revelation down to John, but brought John UP to it. He was being given a higher view of the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. The higher view would allow for a glorious summation that would actually clarify what was occurring on the earth.
IN THESE LOFTY SPIRITUAL REALMS, the development of theological positions is not at all the point. The definition of historical events is not the focus. That does not mean theological positions are wrong, or that historical events cannot be, to some degree, identified – even in the book of the Revelation. However, such things are not the intention of the Book. Should we pursue that approach, we will not gain the benefit God's Word is intended to bring. Too, we will set ourselves against one another over matters of opinion.
WE MUST BE CHALLENGED to "come up higher" (KJV) – to enter the realms where the consummation looms larger than the means through which it is accomplished. Every believer, regardless of their level of spiritual attainment, can grasp the conclusions affirmed in Scripture. We are told of the destiny of the saints, the devil, political opposition, and religious corruption. We are told of a lake of fire as well as a place where God and His people will be joined together – and we are told who will occupy both places. All of these are quite clear.
DO NOT TAKE FOR GRANTED that these things are known by everyone. The best of saints can easily forget them in the wake of persecution, frustration, and protracted warfare. They must be reminded of them – having their "pure minds" stirred up with the recollection of them. Persecution and hardship will be easier to endure if we can see "the end of all things." Faithfulness and obedience will be more cheerfully and consistently rendered if we are convinced our labor is not vain in the Lord.
SO, COME UP HIGHER! Do your best not to get caught up in the minutia of life, or attach too much meaning to what you are presently experiencing. Pleasure is good, and pain is bad. But pleasure is not the best thing, and pain is not the worst thing. When you come up higher, you are given to see both the best and the worst. Then, from that lofty perspective, you are assured you can have the best!
– Given O. Blakely
IF A PERSON HAS "EARS TO HEAR," the call is still coming from heaven, "Come up here!" In these texts, the exhortation was spoken to John the Apostle – the "disciple whom Jesus loved." At the time, he was not groveling in despair, or wrestling with fleshly and mundane views. Instead, He was "in the Spirit," conscious of heaven and hearing from Jesus (Rev 1:10).
BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF FAITH, it must have the higher view. That does not obviate the necessity or value of the detailed views, of comprehending things having to do with this life and our various responsibilities in this world. However, the details of life can only be correctly seen within the context of the higher view. They must be seen from a heavenly perspective. This was the experience of John on the Isle of Patmos. He was given to see events that took place upon the earth. However, he was given to see them from a high and lofty perspective. In this view, he saw the real nature of things, whether of conflict and blessing, or life and of death.
IN THE WORLD, learning takes place at the lowest, or detailed, level. Thus we first learn about words, then use sentences, then express thoughts, etc. But this is not the manner of the Kingdom. Spiritual learning begins at the highest level. The Gospel, for example, is the proclamation of what the Lord has done in Christ Jesus – the higher view. Once faith lays hold of that, the details of obedience, following the Lamb, etc., are provided, and can be comprehended. It is "in light" that we are able to "see light" (Psa 36:9): i.e., within the higher view, or Divine summation, the details of doctrine come into sharper focus. If, for example, you can see that Christ has "destroyed" the devil (Heb 2:14), it makes sense that you can "resist" him (James 4:17).
THOSE WHO MAJOR ON THE DETAILS of Christian living, even though they mean well, have greatly handicapped the saints. Men dispatched by the Lord "preach Christ," not obligations (Acts 8:5; 17:3; 2 Cor 4:5; Col 1:28). This does NOT mean they never declare the responsibilities of men, or warn against the neglect of those responsibilities. It DOES mean the focus of their preaching was the Lord Jesus Himself. The heart of their proclamation was the Lord and what He had done. They consistently spoke of the duty of men WITHIN the context of Christ Jesus and His great salvation. Their exposition was NOT of duty, but of Christ and salvation. Within that greater context commandments, exhortation, and instruction in righteousness make perfect sense.
COME UP HIGHER! Even though John was "in the Spirit on the Lord's day," the heavenly summons was "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this" (4:1). The Lord, in a sense, did not bring the Revelation down to John, but brought John UP to it. He was being given a higher view of the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. The higher view would allow for a glorious summation that would actually clarify what was occurring on the earth.
IN THESE LOFTY SPIRITUAL REALMS, the development of theological positions is not at all the point. The definition of historical events is not the focus. That does not mean theological positions are wrong, or that historical events cannot be, to some degree, identified – even in the book of the Revelation. However, such things are not the intention of the Book. Should we pursue that approach, we will not gain the benefit God's Word is intended to bring. Too, we will set ourselves against one another over matters of opinion.
WE MUST BE CHALLENGED to "come up higher" (KJV) – to enter the realms where the consummation looms larger than the means through which it is accomplished. Every believer, regardless of their level of spiritual attainment, can grasp the conclusions affirmed in Scripture. We are told of the destiny of the saints, the devil, political opposition, and religious corruption. We are told of a lake of fire as well as a place where God and His people will be joined together – and we are told who will occupy both places. All of these are quite clear.
DO NOT TAKE FOR GRANTED that these things are known by everyone. The best of saints can easily forget them in the wake of persecution, frustration, and protracted warfare. They must be reminded of them – having their "pure minds" stirred up with the recollection of them. Persecution and hardship will be easier to endure if we can see "the end of all things." Faithfulness and obedience will be more cheerfully and consistently rendered if we are convinced our labor is not vain in the Lord.
SO, COME UP HIGHER! Do your best not to get caught up in the minutia of life, or attach too much meaning to what you are presently experiencing. Pleasure is good, and pain is bad. But pleasure is not the best thing, and pain is not the worst thing. When you come up higher, you are given to see both the best and the worst. Then, from that lofty perspective, you are assured you can have the best!
– Given O. Blakely
Monday, August 23, 2010
BEGINNINGS NEEDED
"Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase." (Job 8:7)
WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME that cries out for an outbreak of spiritual newness and freshness – particularly in the United States. Here and there awakenings are occurring, but we need one in our area, and among the people with whom we have been identified. A spirit of mediocrity has settled over the professed church, and a cloak of casualness and indifference is suffocating the lives of many. This is a time when insightful souls are longing for another fulfillment of the promise, "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" (Isa 43:19). There is a wilderness in the Christian world that can, and must, be turned into "a pool of water," and dry land that can receive "springs of water" (Isa 41:18). It is still possible for the desert to "blossom as the rose" (Isa 35:1), waters to break out in the wilderness, and "streams in the desert" (Isa 35:6). How sorely it is needed!
HOW WILL IT HAPPEN? How can such refreshment and renewal occur? It will probably begin like all Divine workings, with a "small beginning." It will start with a seed, and grow into a tree. It will begin like a small stone, and become a mountain. It will start like a leaven hidden in three measures of meal that will eventually penetrate all those measures.
IT WILL NOT BE by the wisdom of men. That is not how God works. He will begin with something that is "foolish" and "weak" in the eyes of the world (1 Cor 1:27). If it ranks high in the estimation of the world, it will not be employed by God, for the success of such things does not bring glory to Him.
THE WORK WILL BEGIN where there is faith and hope – where men are calling upon the name of the Lord. It will be preceded by a longing – a "looking for" the good working of the Lord (Lk 2:38). Valid beginnings include a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt 5:6), and a determination to seek, ask, and knock (Matt 7:7-8). The "love of the truth" will be prominent (2 Thess 2:10), and a disdain will be held for lifeless religion (2 Tim 3:5). Where these qualities are found, a Divine beginning is either in existence, or is close at hand. God works in such an environment.
THE EYES OF THE LORD continue to "run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" (2 Chron 16:9, NKJV). He is looking for someone He can use, someone with a cause He can undergird. He is looking for stewards who will be "faithful," handling the truth to His glory (1 Cor 4:2). Such individuals will be faithful custodians of that truth, and the Lord will strengthen them.
WE MUST MAKE IT our aim to embrace the cause of Christ and the purpose of God. Our hearts are to be set on being laborers in His vineyard, with no competing interests. There is a Divine work to be done, and we can be part of it!
WHERE SUCH SOULS ARE FOUND, a Divine beginning is being revealed. That is precisely how God begins His works. He starts with an Abram in Ur of the Chaldees who will do what God says. He finds a Moses in the wilderness who will investigate a burning bush, and obey the voice of the Lord. He will start with a Gideon who is faithfully threshing wheat at night, or a holy quartet (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) who will leave earthly interests to follow Jesus. He also stirs up the spirits of people to do His work.
BEFORE A WORK CAN SPREAD for God's glory, it must be worthy of spreading. The seeds of Divinity must be in it, and the life of God must be in the people. If this is the case, look not on the appearance. The work may be small now, but it will not stay small! The Word of God can grow, increase, be multiplied, and prevail (Acts 12:24; 19:20).
SPEAKING FOR THE BRETHREN in The word of Truth Fellowship in Joplin Missouri, the matters with which we have become familiar in our meetings are from God. We ourselves have been changed by them, and our views of God and His work are being expanded. We may presently be involved in a "small beginning," but we must not despise it as flesh invariable does. If God has given us a foundation to put in place, He will help us to finish the building that is to be placed upon it. This can be said of any body of believers who are experiencing growth in both insight and character – where the vast expanse of truth is opening up, and the vistas of salvation are perceived on a more grand scale.
SMALL BEGINNINGS NEED Haggais and Zechariahs to encourage the workers (Ezra 6:14). They need laborers whose hearts have been stirred up to put their hand to the work. Where such encouragements and devotion are found, the Lord will make men strong to finish the work!
IT ONLY REMAINS for us to be sure we have embraced the Lord's will – that we are working on His building. If we are, "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). The work He has ordained will be completed! You can believe that! Now, put your hand on the plow, and refuse to look back.
– Given O. Blakely
WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME that cries out for an outbreak of spiritual newness and freshness – particularly in the United States. Here and there awakenings are occurring, but we need one in our area, and among the people with whom we have been identified. A spirit of mediocrity has settled over the professed church, and a cloak of casualness and indifference is suffocating the lives of many. This is a time when insightful souls are longing for another fulfillment of the promise, "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" (Isa 43:19). There is a wilderness in the Christian world that can, and must, be turned into "a pool of water," and dry land that can receive "springs of water" (Isa 41:18). It is still possible for the desert to "blossom as the rose" (Isa 35:1), waters to break out in the wilderness, and "streams in the desert" (Isa 35:6). How sorely it is needed!
HOW WILL IT HAPPEN? How can such refreshment and renewal occur? It will probably begin like all Divine workings, with a "small beginning." It will start with a seed, and grow into a tree. It will begin like a small stone, and become a mountain. It will start like a leaven hidden in three measures of meal that will eventually penetrate all those measures.
IT WILL NOT BE by the wisdom of men. That is not how God works. He will begin with something that is "foolish" and "weak" in the eyes of the world (1 Cor 1:27). If it ranks high in the estimation of the world, it will not be employed by God, for the success of such things does not bring glory to Him.
THE WORK WILL BEGIN where there is faith and hope – where men are calling upon the name of the Lord. It will be preceded by a longing – a "looking for" the good working of the Lord (Lk 2:38). Valid beginnings include a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt 5:6), and a determination to seek, ask, and knock (Matt 7:7-8). The "love of the truth" will be prominent (2 Thess 2:10), and a disdain will be held for lifeless religion (2 Tim 3:5). Where these qualities are found, a Divine beginning is either in existence, or is close at hand. God works in such an environment.
THE EYES OF THE LORD continue to "run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" (2 Chron 16:9, NKJV). He is looking for someone He can use, someone with a cause He can undergird. He is looking for stewards who will be "faithful," handling the truth to His glory (1 Cor 4:2). Such individuals will be faithful custodians of that truth, and the Lord will strengthen them.
WE MUST MAKE IT our aim to embrace the cause of Christ and the purpose of God. Our hearts are to be set on being laborers in His vineyard, with no competing interests. There is a Divine work to be done, and we can be part of it!
WHERE SUCH SOULS ARE FOUND, a Divine beginning is being revealed. That is precisely how God begins His works. He starts with an Abram in Ur of the Chaldees who will do what God says. He finds a Moses in the wilderness who will investigate a burning bush, and obey the voice of the Lord. He will start with a Gideon who is faithfully threshing wheat at night, or a holy quartet (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) who will leave earthly interests to follow Jesus. He also stirs up the spirits of people to do His work.
BEFORE A WORK CAN SPREAD for God's glory, it must be worthy of spreading. The seeds of Divinity must be in it, and the life of God must be in the people. If this is the case, look not on the appearance. The work may be small now, but it will not stay small! The Word of God can grow, increase, be multiplied, and prevail (Acts 12:24; 19:20).
SPEAKING FOR THE BRETHREN in The word of Truth Fellowship in Joplin Missouri, the matters with which we have become familiar in our meetings are from God. We ourselves have been changed by them, and our views of God and His work are being expanded. We may presently be involved in a "small beginning," but we must not despise it as flesh invariable does. If God has given us a foundation to put in place, He will help us to finish the building that is to be placed upon it. This can be said of any body of believers who are experiencing growth in both insight and character – where the vast expanse of truth is opening up, and the vistas of salvation are perceived on a more grand scale.
SMALL BEGINNINGS NEED Haggais and Zechariahs to encourage the workers (Ezra 6:14). They need laborers whose hearts have been stirred up to put their hand to the work. Where such encouragements and devotion are found, the Lord will make men strong to finish the work!
IT ONLY REMAINS for us to be sure we have embraced the Lord's will – that we are working on His building. If we are, "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). The work He has ordained will be completed! You can believe that! Now, put your hand on the plow, and refuse to look back.
– Given O. Blakely
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
THEN YOU WILL KNOW
"Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you." (Zech 4:9, NKJV)
THESE ARE THE WORDS of the revealing angel who was instructing Zechariah concerning the completion of the Temple (4:1,4,5), and with whom he was talking (4:2,5,13). The project was being supervised by Zerubbabel, and the prophet would no doubt relay these words to him and the people. The idea is that the satisfactory completion of the building of the Temple would confirm that the work itself had been ordained and commissioned by God. Although the work involved the labors of men, it was not originated by them. This was an appointed work – one that was initiated from heaven, and into which men were drawn by God.
THE LORD HAD "stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia" to commission that the temple be built (2 Chron 36:22; Ezra 1:1; Isa 45:13). He had also summoned kings Darius are Artaxerses to the work, moving them to command the work to be done (Ezra 6:14). The spirits of the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, the Levites, and others, had been "raised," or stirred up, by God to "go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:5). Ezra would be moved to prepare the people for the Temple by returning to holiness (Ezra 10:10-16). Nehemiah would be moved to rebuild the walls around the holy city (Neh 2:13-18). There was no question about it, this was the work of God!
THE POINT, however, was the completion of the work – finishing what God had commissioned to be done. The angel apprizes the prophet that when the house of God was completed, then he and the people would "know the Lord of hosts" had sent him. The people were not to assume the sending of the various workers, and of the angel himself, was from the Lord. Only the satisfactory completion of the work would confirm that to be true.
TWICE HEARD. This is not initial knowledge, but confirming knowledge. It is when the truth comes home to the heart the second time. David referred to this kind of knowledge when he said, "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God" (Psa 62:11). This is the knowledge that confirms the soul – the inner witness that brings stability. It is a deeper knowledge that is more related to faith than the intellect.
THE ANGEL HAS ALREADY mentioned this kind of knowledge twice to Zechariah. "For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and YE SHALL KNOW that the LORD of hosts hath sent me" (2:9). And again, "And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and THOU SHALT KNOW that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee" (2:11). What a precious knowledge this is!
EZEKIEL. The Lord frequently speaks of this kind of knowledge – the knowledge that comes from seeing the fulfillment of what He has promised. How poignantly it was revealed to Ezekiel. "And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: THEN SHALL YE KNOW that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD" (Ezek 37:14). And again, "And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and YE SHALL KNOW that I am the LORD" (Ezek 20:38).
ISAIAH. Isaiah also spoke in this manner when he foretold the restoration of the Jews. "Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and THOU SHALT KNOW that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me" (Isa 49:22-23).
JOEL. In his declaration of the era of the New Covenant, Joel also mentioned this kind of knowledge. "The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So SHALL YE KNOW that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more" (Joel 3:17).
JESUS. Jesus also spoke in this manner. "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall YE SHALL KNOW that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught. Me, I speak these things" (John 8:28).
WE DO WELL to look for the fruition of Divine beginnings, and not merely rest in what was started. The recognition of that fruit will bring about knowledge that it was of God, and thus will be fully accepted by Him. The people of God must wrestle against the tendency to glory in beginnings and linger in spiritual infancy. It is not enough to simply belong to the body. There must be a completion of the work God has begun.
– Given O. Blakely
THESE ARE THE WORDS of the revealing angel who was instructing Zechariah concerning the completion of the Temple (4:1,4,5), and with whom he was talking (4:2,5,13). The project was being supervised by Zerubbabel, and the prophet would no doubt relay these words to him and the people. The idea is that the satisfactory completion of the building of the Temple would confirm that the work itself had been ordained and commissioned by God. Although the work involved the labors of men, it was not originated by them. This was an appointed work – one that was initiated from heaven, and into which men were drawn by God.
THE LORD HAD "stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia" to commission that the temple be built (2 Chron 36:22; Ezra 1:1; Isa 45:13). He had also summoned kings Darius are Artaxerses to the work, moving them to command the work to be done (Ezra 6:14). The spirits of the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, the priests, the Levites, and others, had been "raised," or stirred up, by God to "go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:5). Ezra would be moved to prepare the people for the Temple by returning to holiness (Ezra 10:10-16). Nehemiah would be moved to rebuild the walls around the holy city (Neh 2:13-18). There was no question about it, this was the work of God!
THE POINT, however, was the completion of the work – finishing what God had commissioned to be done. The angel apprizes the prophet that when the house of God was completed, then he and the people would "know the Lord of hosts" had sent him. The people were not to assume the sending of the various workers, and of the angel himself, was from the Lord. Only the satisfactory completion of the work would confirm that to be true.
TWICE HEARD. This is not initial knowledge, but confirming knowledge. It is when the truth comes home to the heart the second time. David referred to this kind of knowledge when he said, "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God" (Psa 62:11). This is the knowledge that confirms the soul – the inner witness that brings stability. It is a deeper knowledge that is more related to faith than the intellect.
THE ANGEL HAS ALREADY mentioned this kind of knowledge twice to Zechariah. "For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and YE SHALL KNOW that the LORD of hosts hath sent me" (2:9). And again, "And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and THOU SHALT KNOW that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee" (2:11). What a precious knowledge this is!
EZEKIEL. The Lord frequently speaks of this kind of knowledge – the knowledge that comes from seeing the fulfillment of what He has promised. How poignantly it was revealed to Ezekiel. "And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: THEN SHALL YE KNOW that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD" (Ezek 37:14). And again, "And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and YE SHALL KNOW that I am the LORD" (Ezek 20:38).
ISAIAH. Isaiah also spoke in this manner when he foretold the restoration of the Jews. "Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and THOU SHALT KNOW that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me" (Isa 49:22-23).
JOEL. In his declaration of the era of the New Covenant, Joel also mentioned this kind of knowledge. "The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So SHALL YE KNOW that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more" (Joel 3:17).
JESUS. Jesus also spoke in this manner. "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall YE SHALL KNOW that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught. Me, I speak these things" (John 8:28).
WE DO WELL to look for the fruition of Divine beginnings, and not merely rest in what was started. The recognition of that fruit will bring about knowledge that it was of God, and thus will be fully accepted by Him. The people of God must wrestle against the tendency to glory in beginnings and linger in spiritual infancy. It is not enough to simply belong to the body. There must be a completion of the work God has begun.
– Given O. Blakely
Monday, August 16, 2010
ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED?
"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10:28)
ON THIS SUBJECT, the religious community is divided. However, God has spoken too clearly on this matter for such divisions to be justified. First, no one who IS believing is in jeopardy of being lost. Consistently, the Word of God affirms salvation for those who ARE believing. A believer is someone who IS believing – not someone who HAS believed. Someone in a state of unbelief cannot claim the promises of God, for they can be realized only by faith.
THE WORD OF GOD does not take faith for granted. It challenges believers to "earnestly contend for the faith" (Jude 3), "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12), and "continue in the faith" (Acts 14:22). We are also admonished to "examine" ourselves to see if we ARE "in the faith" (2 Cor 13:5). The Spirit tells us of people who have "departed from the faith" (1 Tim 4:1), made "shipwreck of the faith" (1 Tim 1:19), and believed "for a while" (Luke 8:13). On the subject of falling away, or being lost after once saved, it is not in order to cite promises that are made to those who ARE believing! What has God said on falling away? What is declared by the Spirit on THAT subject?
GOD HAS SPOKEN on the subject of falling away, and His words are quite clear. Believers do not live in a moral vacuum. They are in a cursed world, hounded by a fierce adversary, and living in a frail house of clay. They are not in heaven yet, and to get there will require effort on their part. It is inconceivable that God Himself, the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and even the holy angels could involve themselves in our salvation, without us being involved ourselves. Such a thought is an absurdity unworthy of consideration. God speaks of a fallen state that is worse than never having known the Lord at all (2 Peter 2:20-21). The Spirit also speaks of those who have had extensive involvement with heavenly things, yet through unbelief, have fallen into a condition from which they cannot be recovered (Hebrews 6:4-6).
IF A PERSON DOUBTS this can happen, a sober reflection on several accounts of Scripture should serve to awaken them from their self-induced stupor. Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden by God Himself. They had no sin, and were in some form of fellowship with the Lord. Yet, they were expelled from the very Garden in which God placed them. Who is the person willing to affirm they were really never in the Garden at all? Also, Israel was given the land of Canaan. They entered the land, possessing it for a while. Yet, they were also expelled from it because of their unbelief. Would anyone be foolhardy enough to affirm Israel never really occupied Canaan? And what about Judas, chosen by Jesus Himself to be an Apostle. We are told he "fell by transgression," and was thus excluded from the Apostolic office. His place, according to prophecy, was taken by another. Will any one dare to affirm Judas was really never an Apostle.
YET, SOME WOULD HAVE US believe those who fall away were never really saved. To those daring to take such a view, the Holy Spirit says, "You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked" (2 Peter 3:17, NKJV). And again, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Can a person be lost once he is saved? As long as they are in the realm of hostility – "this present evil world" – they can again be ensnared by the devil. Ultimate safety will be experienced only when we are removed from this world. Until then, our only safety is found in our faith, which is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4-5). Now, that is our sole means of connection with the eternal. If, in this world, you could not fall from the heavenly places, there would be no need for an Intercessor (Heb 7:25). The angels would not be required to minister to the saved (Heb 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit would not be required to indwell the believer (Rom 15:13). If one imagines that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the angels engage in their indispensable ministries apart from the willing involvement of the individual, Satan has surely deceived them. No such thought is ever expressed in Scripture! The reasoning is flawed that assumes heaven is involved in our salvation, but we are not. It is OUR involvement that is the weak point, so to speak. At the point we "draw back," God ceases to be pleased with us (Heb 10:38-39). It is then that we move outside of the circumference of Divine grace and protection.
WHILE THERE IS A DANGER of being lost once we are saved, it is certainly not necessary. God is "able to keep you from falling, and present you faultless before His throne with exceeding joy" (Jude 24-25). As you place your faith in Him, walking in the Spirit and living by faith, you WILL be kept safe. But do not assume that process is automatic. It does require all of your effort. It is YOU that must "fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life" (1 Tim 6:12). Rather than waste time speculating about the possibility of falling away, engage all of your powers to ensure you do not!
– Given O. Blakely
ON THIS SUBJECT, the religious community is divided. However, God has spoken too clearly on this matter for such divisions to be justified. First, no one who IS believing is in jeopardy of being lost. Consistently, the Word of God affirms salvation for those who ARE believing. A believer is someone who IS believing – not someone who HAS believed. Someone in a state of unbelief cannot claim the promises of God, for they can be realized only by faith.
THE WORD OF GOD does not take faith for granted. It challenges believers to "earnestly contend for the faith" (Jude 3), "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12), and "continue in the faith" (Acts 14:22). We are also admonished to "examine" ourselves to see if we ARE "in the faith" (2 Cor 13:5). The Spirit tells us of people who have "departed from the faith" (1 Tim 4:1), made "shipwreck of the faith" (1 Tim 1:19), and believed "for a while" (Luke 8:13). On the subject of falling away, or being lost after once saved, it is not in order to cite promises that are made to those who ARE believing! What has God said on falling away? What is declared by the Spirit on THAT subject?
GOD HAS SPOKEN on the subject of falling away, and His words are quite clear. Believers do not live in a moral vacuum. They are in a cursed world, hounded by a fierce adversary, and living in a frail house of clay. They are not in heaven yet, and to get there will require effort on their part. It is inconceivable that God Himself, the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and even the holy angels could involve themselves in our salvation, without us being involved ourselves. Such a thought is an absurdity unworthy of consideration. God speaks of a fallen state that is worse than never having known the Lord at all (2 Peter 2:20-21). The Spirit also speaks of those who have had extensive involvement with heavenly things, yet through unbelief, have fallen into a condition from which they cannot be recovered (Hebrews 6:4-6).
IF A PERSON DOUBTS this can happen, a sober reflection on several accounts of Scripture should serve to awaken them from their self-induced stupor. Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden by God Himself. They had no sin, and were in some form of fellowship with the Lord. Yet, they were expelled from the very Garden in which God placed them. Who is the person willing to affirm they were really never in the Garden at all? Also, Israel was given the land of Canaan. They entered the land, possessing it for a while. Yet, they were also expelled from it because of their unbelief. Would anyone be foolhardy enough to affirm Israel never really occupied Canaan? And what about Judas, chosen by Jesus Himself to be an Apostle. We are told he "fell by transgression," and was thus excluded from the Apostolic office. His place, according to prophecy, was taken by another. Will any one dare to affirm Judas was really never an Apostle.
YET, SOME WOULD HAVE US believe those who fall away were never really saved. To those daring to take such a view, the Holy Spirit says, "You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked" (2 Peter 3:17, NKJV). And again, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Can a person be lost once he is saved? As long as they are in the realm of hostility – "this present evil world" – they can again be ensnared by the devil. Ultimate safety will be experienced only when we are removed from this world. Until then, our only safety is found in our faith, which is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4-5). Now, that is our sole means of connection with the eternal. If, in this world, you could not fall from the heavenly places, there would be no need for an Intercessor (Heb 7:25). The angels would not be required to minister to the saved (Heb 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit would not be required to indwell the believer (Rom 15:13). If one imagines that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the angels engage in their indispensable ministries apart from the willing involvement of the individual, Satan has surely deceived them. No such thought is ever expressed in Scripture! The reasoning is flawed that assumes heaven is involved in our salvation, but we are not. It is OUR involvement that is the weak point, so to speak. At the point we "draw back," God ceases to be pleased with us (Heb 10:38-39). It is then that we move outside of the circumference of Divine grace and protection.
WHILE THERE IS A DANGER of being lost once we are saved, it is certainly not necessary. God is "able to keep you from falling, and present you faultless before His throne with exceeding joy" (Jude 24-25). As you place your faith in Him, walking in the Spirit and living by faith, you WILL be kept safe. But do not assume that process is automatic. It does require all of your effort. It is YOU that must "fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life" (1 Tim 6:12). Rather than waste time speculating about the possibility of falling away, engage all of your powers to ensure you do not!
– Given O. Blakely
Friday, August 13, 2010
IS SICKNESS FROM GOD?
THE QUESTION IS SOMETIMES ASKED, "Does cancer come from God?" or, "Does God make people sick?" Or, "Is it God's will for us to be sick?" What are the possible answers? Is sickness from God? From Satan? From nature? From men? From food? From environment? From neglect? From foolishness? Or does it have no cause at all? Are illnesses random? Do they occur by mere happenstance? Are they in some human gene? Well, there is little satisfaction in such speculations. They are only a display of vanity.
EVERY "GOOD AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT" does come from God (James 1:17). However, as ordinarily perceived, everything from God is not a "gift." Further, everything that comes from God is not "good," as ordinarily perceived. The Lord "sent fiery serpents" among the Israelites (Num 21:6). God sent "an evil spirit" to Saul (1 Sam 16:14), and "an evil spirit between Abimilech and the men of Shechem" (Judges 9:23). Once he "sent a pestilence upon Israel" that killed seventy thousand men (1 Chron 21:14). Further, those involved in this instances were a covenanted people. Upon others, the "Lord sent thunder and hail: (Ex 9:23). He "sent lions" among some who "feared not the Lord" (2 Kgs 17:25)
PAUL SAID HIS "THORN" was GIVEN to him (2 Cor 12:7). Its intent, he confessed, was to keep him from being "exalted above measure" – that is, exalted by other men who might otherwise be tempted to think of him "above what" they saw him "to be," or that heard him (2 Cor 12:6). That situation was created by the "abundance of the revelations" that he received -- a circumstance few today, or at any other time, could confess.
WHEN JOB WAS GRIEVOUSLY AFFLICTED WITH BOILS, he reasoned, "Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10). At that time, he did not know everything about his situation that we know. Yet, it is said of his remark, "In all THIS Job did not sin with his lips."
THE POINT OF SCRIPTURE is not whether or not diseases come from God, but whether or not they can come without being filtered through Him. And, if the latter is true, there is a certain Divine consideration related with them, as well as grace to endure them. They fall into the category of God not allowing us to be tempted above our ability (1 Cor 10:13). In addition, the God who allows them can easily dismiss them if He pleases.
GOD TOLD ISRAEL He had brought diseases upon Egypt, would NOT put them upon Israel if they did what was right in His sight, and was the God who heals them (Exodus 15:26). He also told them He would bring diseases upon them if they refused to keep His laws (Deut 28:60). Through Paul, He also informed the Corinthians some of them were "sick" because of their conduct around the Lord's table (1 Cor 11:30). Additionally, the Lord brought disease upon Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27), Uzziah (2 Chron 26:17-20), and Jehoram (2 Chron 21:18). I must confess I sometimes wish such people could come back and respond to questions like the ones men have posed. What do you imagine THEY would say?
WHEN JESUS HEARD that Lazarus was "sick," He affirmed the condition was not "unto death." That is, death would not be the final result of it. He said the sickness was "for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified through it" (John 11:4). It certainly would not have been good for Martha and Mary to speculate why Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, got sick in the first place.
WHEN CHRIST'S DISCIPLES saw a certain man blind from birth, they assumed the condition was caused by sin, and asked if the sin of the man himself had brought the condition, or the sin of his parents. Jesus rejected both possibilities, affirming the circumstance was in order "that the works of God should be revealed in him" (John 9:2-4).
THUS DISEASE, OR INFIRMITY, IS REPRESENTED AS:• A protecting gift to Paul.• A means of confirming the faith and stability of Job.• A judgment from God.• An occasion through which the Son of God can be glorified.• An occasion through which the works of God can be made known.
ALL OF THIS CONFIRMS the analysis of sickness is not simplistic. There are no candid answers that quickly explain why people are sick. Illness may be a thorn to ensure others are not distracted by legitimate greatness. It may be a test to show heavenly intelligences the power of God's grace. It may be a circumstance through which God will show others how a person can be sustained by faith. It may be a judgment from God. It may be a circumstance through which God will gain special glory, and Jesus as well.
A PERSON WHO IS SERIOUSLY SICK address his situation BEGINNING with God -- like Job did. Asa died of a disease in his feet because he "did not seek the Lord, but physicians" (2 Chron 16:12). Those who are sick must conclude their sickness did not occur independently of some kind of Divine involvement or permission. If they have lived in a sloven manner, it is also quite possible that it is a judgment. They should use the occasion to search their own hearts. They should lay their cause before the Lord first, and then proceed with whatever measures they discern to be necessary.
BUT THEY ARE NOT IN ORDER to philosophize about WHY disease occurs. That is a door that will lead to no good. Unless they receive some special revelation from God, they simply cannot produce a satisfactory explanation for sickness or disease in general. Whatever the cause, sickness cannot alienate a person from God. It cannot push the person beyond the reach of His grace. It does not close the door into His presence. The infirm can make their request, concerning that illness, known to God -- in fact, God invites them to do so (Phil 4:6-7).
– Given O. Blakely
EVERY "GOOD AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT" does come from God (James 1:17). However, as ordinarily perceived, everything from God is not a "gift." Further, everything that comes from God is not "good," as ordinarily perceived. The Lord "sent fiery serpents" among the Israelites (Num 21:6). God sent "an evil spirit" to Saul (1 Sam 16:14), and "an evil spirit between Abimilech and the men of Shechem" (Judges 9:23). Once he "sent a pestilence upon Israel" that killed seventy thousand men (1 Chron 21:14). Further, those involved in this instances were a covenanted people. Upon others, the "Lord sent thunder and hail: (Ex 9:23). He "sent lions" among some who "feared not the Lord" (2 Kgs 17:25)
PAUL SAID HIS "THORN" was GIVEN to him (2 Cor 12:7). Its intent, he confessed, was to keep him from being "exalted above measure" – that is, exalted by other men who might otherwise be tempted to think of him "above what" they saw him "to be," or that heard him (2 Cor 12:6). That situation was created by the "abundance of the revelations" that he received -- a circumstance few today, or at any other time, could confess.
WHEN JOB WAS GRIEVOUSLY AFFLICTED WITH BOILS, he reasoned, "Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10). At that time, he did not know everything about his situation that we know. Yet, it is said of his remark, "In all THIS Job did not sin with his lips."
THE POINT OF SCRIPTURE is not whether or not diseases come from God, but whether or not they can come without being filtered through Him. And, if the latter is true, there is a certain Divine consideration related with them, as well as grace to endure them. They fall into the category of God not allowing us to be tempted above our ability (1 Cor 10:13). In addition, the God who allows them can easily dismiss them if He pleases.
GOD TOLD ISRAEL He had brought diseases upon Egypt, would NOT put them upon Israel if they did what was right in His sight, and was the God who heals them (Exodus 15:26). He also told them He would bring diseases upon them if they refused to keep His laws (Deut 28:60). Through Paul, He also informed the Corinthians some of them were "sick" because of their conduct around the Lord's table (1 Cor 11:30). Additionally, the Lord brought disease upon Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27), Uzziah (2 Chron 26:17-20), and Jehoram (2 Chron 21:18). I must confess I sometimes wish such people could come back and respond to questions like the ones men have posed. What do you imagine THEY would say?
WHEN JESUS HEARD that Lazarus was "sick," He affirmed the condition was not "unto death." That is, death would not be the final result of it. He said the sickness was "for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified through it" (John 11:4). It certainly would not have been good for Martha and Mary to speculate why Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, got sick in the first place.
WHEN CHRIST'S DISCIPLES saw a certain man blind from birth, they assumed the condition was caused by sin, and asked if the sin of the man himself had brought the condition, or the sin of his parents. Jesus rejected both possibilities, affirming the circumstance was in order "that the works of God should be revealed in him" (John 9:2-4).
THUS DISEASE, OR INFIRMITY, IS REPRESENTED AS:• A protecting gift to Paul.• A means of confirming the faith and stability of Job.• A judgment from God.• An occasion through which the Son of God can be glorified.• An occasion through which the works of God can be made known.
ALL OF THIS CONFIRMS the analysis of sickness is not simplistic. There are no candid answers that quickly explain why people are sick. Illness may be a thorn to ensure others are not distracted by legitimate greatness. It may be a test to show heavenly intelligences the power of God's grace. It may be a circumstance through which God will show others how a person can be sustained by faith. It may be a judgment from God. It may be a circumstance through which God will gain special glory, and Jesus as well.
A PERSON WHO IS SERIOUSLY SICK address his situation BEGINNING with God -- like Job did. Asa died of a disease in his feet because he "did not seek the Lord, but physicians" (2 Chron 16:12). Those who are sick must conclude their sickness did not occur independently of some kind of Divine involvement or permission. If they have lived in a sloven manner, it is also quite possible that it is a judgment. They should use the occasion to search their own hearts. They should lay their cause before the Lord first, and then proceed with whatever measures they discern to be necessary.
BUT THEY ARE NOT IN ORDER to philosophize about WHY disease occurs. That is a door that will lead to no good. Unless they receive some special revelation from God, they simply cannot produce a satisfactory explanation for sickness or disease in general. Whatever the cause, sickness cannot alienate a person from God. It cannot push the person beyond the reach of His grace. It does not close the door into His presence. The infirm can make their request, concerning that illness, known to God -- in fact, God invites them to do so (Phil 4:6-7).
– Given O. Blakely
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
THE SCOPE OF PATIENCE
"For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." (Hebrews 10:36)
THE WORD "PATIENCE," or "perseverance," comes from a word meaning "cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy – enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting)." A number of marvelous things are seen in this academic definition.
CHEERFUL HOPE. First, endurance, or perseverance is associated with a cheerful hope. There is an expectancy of good things. The race may be tedious, but a wonderful outcome is expected.
OF OLD TIME, Israel languished in captivity, hanging their harps on the willow trees and refusing to sing the songs of Zion. As it is written, "By the rivers of Babylon-- there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' How could we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?" (Psalm 137:1-3, NRSV).
WITHOUT DIMINISHING THE GRIEF of the ancient people, it should be remembered that we have a superior covenant. We are actually prompted by our alien environment to sing the Lord's songs! That is because our primary blessing is in the future. It not only consists of what we have already received, but what we will obtain in the future as well! In fact, the bulk of our salvation is yet to come. Thus, Paul and Silas could sing in prison (Acts 16:25), the Apostles could rejoice they were "counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41), and Paul could glory in infirmities and weaknesses (2 Cor 11:30; 2 Cor 12:5,7).
CONSISTENCY. Second, perseverance is marked by consistency, or constancy. Unlike the effects of Sinaitic Law, faithfulness in Christ is not by fits and starts. An excursion through the book of Judges will confirm the inability of a Law-system to produce spiritual consistency. Those who must be regulated by Law are easily distracted to the unlawful. Their hearts are not strong enough to remain in the path of blessing. Because "the law is not based on faith" (Gal 3:12), it cannot produce an unwavering effort for God. Of old time, there were some who maintained a faithful walk with God. The list, not impressive because of its size, included men like Abraham, Moses, David, and the holy prophets. These people, however, did not live by the principle of law, but by the law of faith (Heb 11)!
THE NEW COVENANT PERSON continues to trust the Lord when times are relatively easy, or when they are exceedingly difficult. As Paul expressed it, "I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:12-13, NRSV). That marvelous condition is the heritage of every person in Christ Jesus.
IT IS UNFORTUNATE that much of what is called "Christianity" today is characterized by inconsistency. Highly polished professionals have carved out careers for themselves by offering remedies for inactivity. They know how to generate hype and surface enthusiasm – but their programs cannot sustain "excitement" or generate consistency. Only the endurance that comes from faith can produce this spiritual quality.
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO REMEMBER that consistency is not a luxury, or even an option. Without it, the individual cannot be saved! God is consistent in all of His ways and works. Christ Jesus is consistent in His total ministry. The Holy Spirit is consistent in His redemptive role. Angelic hosts are consistent in their commissioned ministry to the saints. It is inconceivable that inconsistency could be welcomed into such an environment!
WAITING. Third, the element of "waiting" is found in perseverance. Here the Scripture is fulfilled. "Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary" (Isa 40:31, NASB). Observe the total absence of failure in this affirmation. The sure way to strength is waiting on the Lord! This also involves persistence. As the Psalmist said elsewhere, "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry" (Psa 40:1). It is not possible to "wait for the Lord" and be disappointed (Isa 49:23)! Those who "wait on the Lord" are always pleased with the outcome.
WAITING IS NOT IDLENESS, it is trust! It is optimistic dependency. This is the channel through which Divine strength is ministered to us. As our stamina begins to wane, His power is given to us. Divine enablement is provided for finishing the race that is set before us. When faith grasps this reality, the individual is willing to "wait upon the Lord." He is unwilling to proceed without the Lord. Without exception, the one who "waits" on the Lord is enabled to navigate where mere mortals fail!
– Given O. Blakely
THE WORD "PATIENCE," or "perseverance," comes from a word meaning "cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy – enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting)." A number of marvelous things are seen in this academic definition.
CHEERFUL HOPE. First, endurance, or perseverance is associated with a cheerful hope. There is an expectancy of good things. The race may be tedious, but a wonderful outcome is expected.
OF OLD TIME, Israel languished in captivity, hanging their harps on the willow trees and refusing to sing the songs of Zion. As it is written, "By the rivers of Babylon-- there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' How could we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?" (Psalm 137:1-3, NRSV).
WITHOUT DIMINISHING THE GRIEF of the ancient people, it should be remembered that we have a superior covenant. We are actually prompted by our alien environment to sing the Lord's songs! That is because our primary blessing is in the future. It not only consists of what we have already received, but what we will obtain in the future as well! In fact, the bulk of our salvation is yet to come. Thus, Paul and Silas could sing in prison (Acts 16:25), the Apostles could rejoice they were "counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41), and Paul could glory in infirmities and weaknesses (2 Cor 11:30; 2 Cor 12:5,7).
CONSISTENCY. Second, perseverance is marked by consistency, or constancy. Unlike the effects of Sinaitic Law, faithfulness in Christ is not by fits and starts. An excursion through the book of Judges will confirm the inability of a Law-system to produce spiritual consistency. Those who must be regulated by Law are easily distracted to the unlawful. Their hearts are not strong enough to remain in the path of blessing. Because "the law is not based on faith" (Gal 3:12), it cannot produce an unwavering effort for God. Of old time, there were some who maintained a faithful walk with God. The list, not impressive because of its size, included men like Abraham, Moses, David, and the holy prophets. These people, however, did not live by the principle of law, but by the law of faith (Heb 11)!
THE NEW COVENANT PERSON continues to trust the Lord when times are relatively easy, or when they are exceedingly difficult. As Paul expressed it, "I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:12-13, NRSV). That marvelous condition is the heritage of every person in Christ Jesus.
IT IS UNFORTUNATE that much of what is called "Christianity" today is characterized by inconsistency. Highly polished professionals have carved out careers for themselves by offering remedies for inactivity. They know how to generate hype and surface enthusiasm – but their programs cannot sustain "excitement" or generate consistency. Only the endurance that comes from faith can produce this spiritual quality.
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO REMEMBER that consistency is not a luxury, or even an option. Without it, the individual cannot be saved! God is consistent in all of His ways and works. Christ Jesus is consistent in His total ministry. The Holy Spirit is consistent in His redemptive role. Angelic hosts are consistent in their commissioned ministry to the saints. It is inconceivable that inconsistency could be welcomed into such an environment!
WAITING. Third, the element of "waiting" is found in perseverance. Here the Scripture is fulfilled. "Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary" (Isa 40:31, NASB). Observe the total absence of failure in this affirmation. The sure way to strength is waiting on the Lord! This also involves persistence. As the Psalmist said elsewhere, "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry" (Psa 40:1). It is not possible to "wait for the Lord" and be disappointed (Isa 49:23)! Those who "wait on the Lord" are always pleased with the outcome.
WAITING IS NOT IDLENESS, it is trust! It is optimistic dependency. This is the channel through which Divine strength is ministered to us. As our stamina begins to wane, His power is given to us. Divine enablement is provided for finishing the race that is set before us. When faith grasps this reality, the individual is willing to "wait upon the Lord." He is unwilling to proceed without the Lord. Without exception, the one who "waits" on the Lord is enabled to navigate where mere mortals fail!
– Given O. Blakely
Monday, August 9, 2010
GIFT OF SUFFERING
"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ . . . to suffer for his sake" (Phil 1:29)
EVERYTHING RELATED TO SALVATION is associated with the Lord Jesus Christ. Remove Him from the picture, and there is no salvation, either doctrinally or experientially. For example, God has forgiven us for Jesus' sake: "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God FOR CHRIST'S SAKE hath forgiven you" (Eph 4:32). Other versions read "God in Christ." The idea is that were it not for Christ, God would not have forgiven us. He, and He alone, removed our sins, and He alone has the merit.
THE WORD "SAKE" MEANS by reason of, or on account of. For "Christ's sake," therefore, means on account of, or because of, Him. It is important that we see the implications of this declaration. First, this puts the salvation of God, in all of its fulness, well within our grasp. While God does behold our persons and our progress, He is primarily motivated by His Son. He has not only exalted Jesus, but deals favorably with men because of Him.
THIS IS PRECISELY WHY the Kingdom of God is Christ-centered. Anything that pushes Jesus to the periphery moves us beyond the blessing of God. Neither faith nor the fellowship of Christ's suffering will ever be realized while Jesus remains in the background of men's thinking.
JUST AS GOD HIMSELF is motivated by the Lord Jesus, so those who are blessed in Him are constrained by the consideration of Him. The Apostles preached, placing themselves in the background, because of Jesus. "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor 4:5). They subjected themselves to great dangers, in order that the life of Jesus might be made known through them. "For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor 4:11). Jesus is the reason for the grace of God toward men. He is also the reason for all valid Kingdom labors.
IN THE LAST ANALYSIS, Jesus Christ is the only man God totally honors. Everything hinges on Him! God will NOT confer a blessing independently of Him. Our faith and our suffering are both determined by Christ – both by His relation to God, and our relation to Him.
SUFFERING IS NOT PLEASANT, but it is sanctified in Christ Jesus. In our text the Spirit brings us to consider the ultimate reason for our suffering – it is a gracious gift from God, for Jesus' sake. The suffering of reference is "for His sake." Such suffering does result from righteousness, but it is also evidence that the Kingdom of God already belongs to us (Matt 5:10). This is the perspective of our text.
THE GIFT OF SUFFERING is NOT an end of itself, but the means to an end. The objective is to "reign" with Christ. The means to that end is suffering with Christ (2 Tim 2:12). Because this world is "evil" (Gal 1:4), and those belonging to its order are "alienated from the life of God" (Eph 4:18; Col 1:21), there are temporary consequences while being identified with Christ Jesus. Well did Jesus say, "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20).
IF GOD HAS "GRANTED" US TO SUFFER for Christ's sake, that suffering cannot alienate us from Him. This is involved in the Spirit's affirmation, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Rom 8:35-37). Rather than such adversities being viewed as curses, or evidences of Divine withdrawal, they are to be seen as gifts – that is, they are preludes to glorification.
THE GIFT OF SUFFERING for Jesus' sake is a means of qualifying us for glory. As it is written, "your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer" (2 Thess 1:4-5, NKJV). The "righteous judgment of God" is to be seen in the suffering itself, as well as those through whom it came. In it, saints are "counted worthy of the Kingdom" and their persecutors made worthy of tribulation God will heap on them (2 Thess 1:6).
IT IS NO WONDER the Apostles, after being beaten, "departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41). In their sufferings they saw a confirmation of Divine acceptance and future reward. Their rejection by the enemies of God verified their reconciliation to Him.
SUFFERING IS GRANTED in direct proportion to the reward reserved for us in heaven. Remember, our role in the Kingdom is appointed; i.e., God places the members in the body where it has pleased Him (John 15:16; 1 Cor 12:18,28). Take Paul as an example. The Lord placed him in a high position, therefore great suffering was also allotted to him (Acts 9:16). In suffering for Jesus' sake, "the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you" (1 Pet 4:14). Believe it!
– Given O. Blakely
EVERYTHING RELATED TO SALVATION is associated with the Lord Jesus Christ. Remove Him from the picture, and there is no salvation, either doctrinally or experientially. For example, God has forgiven us for Jesus' sake: "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God FOR CHRIST'S SAKE hath forgiven you" (Eph 4:32). Other versions read "God in Christ." The idea is that were it not for Christ, God would not have forgiven us. He, and He alone, removed our sins, and He alone has the merit.
THE WORD "SAKE" MEANS by reason of, or on account of. For "Christ's sake," therefore, means on account of, or because of, Him. It is important that we see the implications of this declaration. First, this puts the salvation of God, in all of its fulness, well within our grasp. While God does behold our persons and our progress, He is primarily motivated by His Son. He has not only exalted Jesus, but deals favorably with men because of Him.
THIS IS PRECISELY WHY the Kingdom of God is Christ-centered. Anything that pushes Jesus to the periphery moves us beyond the blessing of God. Neither faith nor the fellowship of Christ's suffering will ever be realized while Jesus remains in the background of men's thinking.
JUST AS GOD HIMSELF is motivated by the Lord Jesus, so those who are blessed in Him are constrained by the consideration of Him. The Apostles preached, placing themselves in the background, because of Jesus. "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor 4:5). They subjected themselves to great dangers, in order that the life of Jesus might be made known through them. "For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor 4:11). Jesus is the reason for the grace of God toward men. He is also the reason for all valid Kingdom labors.
IN THE LAST ANALYSIS, Jesus Christ is the only man God totally honors. Everything hinges on Him! God will NOT confer a blessing independently of Him. Our faith and our suffering are both determined by Christ – both by His relation to God, and our relation to Him.
SUFFERING IS NOT PLEASANT, but it is sanctified in Christ Jesus. In our text the Spirit brings us to consider the ultimate reason for our suffering – it is a gracious gift from God, for Jesus' sake. The suffering of reference is "for His sake." Such suffering does result from righteousness, but it is also evidence that the Kingdom of God already belongs to us (Matt 5:10). This is the perspective of our text.
THE GIFT OF SUFFERING is NOT an end of itself, but the means to an end. The objective is to "reign" with Christ. The means to that end is suffering with Christ (2 Tim 2:12). Because this world is "evil" (Gal 1:4), and those belonging to its order are "alienated from the life of God" (Eph 4:18; Col 1:21), there are temporary consequences while being identified with Christ Jesus. Well did Jesus say, "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20).
IF GOD HAS "GRANTED" US TO SUFFER for Christ's sake, that suffering cannot alienate us from Him. This is involved in the Spirit's affirmation, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Rom 8:35-37). Rather than such adversities being viewed as curses, or evidences of Divine withdrawal, they are to be seen as gifts – that is, they are preludes to glorification.
THE GIFT OF SUFFERING for Jesus' sake is a means of qualifying us for glory. As it is written, "your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer" (2 Thess 1:4-5, NKJV). The "righteous judgment of God" is to be seen in the suffering itself, as well as those through whom it came. In it, saints are "counted worthy of the Kingdom" and their persecutors made worthy of tribulation God will heap on them (2 Thess 1:6).
IT IS NO WONDER the Apostles, after being beaten, "departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41). In their sufferings they saw a confirmation of Divine acceptance and future reward. Their rejection by the enemies of God verified their reconciliation to Him.
SUFFERING IS GRANTED in direct proportion to the reward reserved for us in heaven. Remember, our role in the Kingdom is appointed; i.e., God places the members in the body where it has pleased Him (John 15:16; 1 Cor 12:18,28). Take Paul as an example. The Lord placed him in a high position, therefore great suffering was also allotted to him (Acts 9:16). In suffering for Jesus' sake, "the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you" (1 Pet 4:14). Believe it!
– Given O. Blakely
Friday, August 6, 2010
THE SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT AND BURNING
"And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy; everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning." (Isaiah 4:3-4, NKJV)
THE VERY THOUGHT of being viewed as "holy" by the God of heaven is challenging. The thought of everyone in any given place being "holy" is even more arresting. But that is what our text says. Those who were "left" and "remained" were those who survived the chastening hand of God. From an immediate view, this was fulfilled in those who survived the Babylonian captivity. From the even higher vantage point, it speaks of those who have been made clean through Jesus Christ. By saying they "will be called holy," the Spirit is emphasizing that is how God Almighty views them. Rather than such holiness being the result of arduous activity on the part of the remnant, it is the consequence of God purging from them everything that defiles. It is a very real holiness.
THE TEXT ALSO REFERS to "everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem" – a sort of Divine catalog in heaven. Frequently reference is made to such people – those who are recognized in the chambers of glory. Malachi referred to "a book of remembrance" kept by the Lord (Mal 3:16). Moses spoke of a book God had written, containing the names of people (Ex 32:32). Ezekiel spoke of "the records of the house of Israel" (Ezek 13:9). Jesus spoke of names being "written in heaven" (Lk 10:20). Paul spoke of fellow workers whose names were "in the book of life" (Phil 4:3). Jesus spoke of "the book of life," in which the names of His people are recorded (Rev 3:5). John wrote of "the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8).
THOSE WHO ARE "holy" are those recorded in the books of heaven – those who are recognized and received by God – those who have been "made" holy, or righteous (Rom 5:17). There are no unholy people written in the books, and no holy people who are NOT written in them. Whatever the earth may think of these people is of little consequence. They are known in and defended by heaven.
BUT THERE IS SOMETHING that preceded the state of holiness and the acceptance of these persons by God. They could not be received as they were, for sin had defiled them. Their "filth" had to be washed away, and their guilt had to be taken from them. Cleansing first, then holiness and acceptance. Purging first, then purity and a place in heaven!
THIS CLEANSING AND PURGING, however, will not come easily. It will require judgment and burning – Divine assessment and consumption. For Israel, this was first accomplished in the Babylonian captivity. For us, there is a twofold sense in which it is accomplished.
FIRST, THE "SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT and the spirit of burning" fell upon Jesus. By Divine appointment, He was made responsible for the sins of the world, being "made to be sin for us" (2 Cor 5:21). As a result, the reproaches, or rebukes, due to the human race fell upon Christ. As it is written, "For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me" (Rom 15:3; Psa 69:9). Thus Jesus "was made a curse for us" (Gal 3:13), that through it we might be called "holy," and have our names "written in heaven." Through His experience of Divine judgment, when sin was "condemned in the flesh" (Rom 8:3), we are washed and purified.
SECOND, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS that is imputed unto us is joined to personal holiness – the transformation of our persons and character. In this process, the chastening of the Lord comes into play, "for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Heb 12:6). This chastening is the process of refinement, where dross is removed from the saints (Mal 3:3). As it is written, "For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried" (Psa 66:10).
THIS IS MORE THAN a mere formality. There is conscious betterment that comes from it – an acute awareness that we are being made "worthy" (2 Thess 1:5). How wonderfully this is stated in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews. "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS" (Heb 12:9-10). Let every child of God be quick to submit to the spirit of judgment and burning whereby we are made suitable to be holy, and recognized heaven.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I than you in Jesus name that you have provided a means to cleanse me from defilement.
THE VERY THOUGHT of being viewed as "holy" by the God of heaven is challenging. The thought of everyone in any given place being "holy" is even more arresting. But that is what our text says. Those who were "left" and "remained" were those who survived the chastening hand of God. From an immediate view, this was fulfilled in those who survived the Babylonian captivity. From the even higher vantage point, it speaks of those who have been made clean through Jesus Christ. By saying they "will be called holy," the Spirit is emphasizing that is how God Almighty views them. Rather than such holiness being the result of arduous activity on the part of the remnant, it is the consequence of God purging from them everything that defiles. It is a very real holiness.
THE TEXT ALSO REFERS to "everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem" – a sort of Divine catalog in heaven. Frequently reference is made to such people – those who are recognized in the chambers of glory. Malachi referred to "a book of remembrance" kept by the Lord (Mal 3:16). Moses spoke of a book God had written, containing the names of people (Ex 32:32). Ezekiel spoke of "the records of the house of Israel" (Ezek 13:9). Jesus spoke of names being "written in heaven" (Lk 10:20). Paul spoke of fellow workers whose names were "in the book of life" (Phil 4:3). Jesus spoke of "the book of life," in which the names of His people are recorded (Rev 3:5). John wrote of "the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8).
THOSE WHO ARE "holy" are those recorded in the books of heaven – those who are recognized and received by God – those who have been "made" holy, or righteous (Rom 5:17). There are no unholy people written in the books, and no holy people who are NOT written in them. Whatever the earth may think of these people is of little consequence. They are known in and defended by heaven.
BUT THERE IS SOMETHING that preceded the state of holiness and the acceptance of these persons by God. They could not be received as they were, for sin had defiled them. Their "filth" had to be washed away, and their guilt had to be taken from them. Cleansing first, then holiness and acceptance. Purging first, then purity and a place in heaven!
THIS CLEANSING AND PURGING, however, will not come easily. It will require judgment and burning – Divine assessment and consumption. For Israel, this was first accomplished in the Babylonian captivity. For us, there is a twofold sense in which it is accomplished.
FIRST, THE "SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT and the spirit of burning" fell upon Jesus. By Divine appointment, He was made responsible for the sins of the world, being "made to be sin for us" (2 Cor 5:21). As a result, the reproaches, or rebukes, due to the human race fell upon Christ. As it is written, "For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me" (Rom 15:3; Psa 69:9). Thus Jesus "was made a curse for us" (Gal 3:13), that through it we might be called "holy," and have our names "written in heaven." Through His experience of Divine judgment, when sin was "condemned in the flesh" (Rom 8:3), we are washed and purified.
SECOND, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS that is imputed unto us is joined to personal holiness – the transformation of our persons and character. In this process, the chastening of the Lord comes into play, "for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Heb 12:6). This chastening is the process of refinement, where dross is removed from the saints (Mal 3:3). As it is written, "For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried" (Psa 66:10).
THIS IS MORE THAN a mere formality. There is conscious betterment that comes from it – an acute awareness that we are being made "worthy" (2 Thess 1:5). How wonderfully this is stated in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews. "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS" (Heb 12:9-10). Let every child of God be quick to submit to the spirit of judgment and burning whereby we are made suitable to be holy, and recognized heaven.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I than you in Jesus name that you have provided a means to cleanse me from defilement.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
GONE INTO HEAVEN
" . . . Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him." (1 Peter 3:22, NKJV)
JESUS DID NOT STAY IN THIS WORLD. As soon as His work was completed, He went back to heaven. If we knew nothing more about the world than that, we would know it is not what the flesh thinks it to be. If Jesus left it, it surely cannot be considered the home of His brethren.
THE SPIRIT FREQUENTLY AFFIRMS that Jesus left this world and returned to heaven. "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19). "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Luke 24:51). "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
THE CENTER OF DIVINE ACTIVITY is found in heaven, not upon the earth. Jesus was not raised from the dead to remain in the world, but to minister to His people from heaven. He "has gone" where we are going – where our citizenship is presently located. The objective is to get us where He is, not bring Him to where we are (John 14:3). Jesus went back to heaven, because this world was not a suitable place for Him to remain. He is now ministering in prospect of His enemies becoming His footstool, and His children being gathered to Him forever. The church must not lose this perspective.
JESUS IS "AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD." Much is also made of this in Scripture. The Spirit tells us He is presently making intercession for us from that position (Rom 8:34; Heb 8:1). The things He is dispensing from that station are to be sought (Col 3:1). He was seated "at the right hand of the Majesty on high" only after He had by Himself purged our sins (Heb 1:3). If, therefore, He is there, then our sins have been purged! That is how the child of God must reason. A single offering accomplished the purpose. As it is written, "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God" (Heb 10:12).
THE "RIGHT HAND" OF GOD IS HIS WORKING SIDE. The days when He worked mightily among men are referred to as "the years of the right hand of the most High" (Psa 77:10). Again, it is written, "The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly" (Psa 118:15-16). So far as men is concerned, the significance of Jesus being "at the right hand of God,"is that God is presently working BECAUSE of the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son. Now, He is "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph 3:20).
GOD'S "RIGHT HAND" IS ALSO THE PLACE OF FAVOR, confirming that everything Christ did in our behalf has been accepted and is being honored by God. That is precisely why He is "able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God through Him" (Heb 7:25). If He was not in good standing with God, He could not bring many sons to glory.
POWERS HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO JESUS. The range of powers and authorities subject to Jesus is staggering. All angels, principalities, and powers are subject to Christ, whether they are good or they are evil. Holy angels and powers are dispatched by Jesus to minister to the heirs of salvation (Heb 1:13-14). They protect the saints, camping about them (Psa 34:7). Wicked angels bow at the feet of Jesus, and are not able to separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:39). The "principalities and powers" against which we "wrestle (Eph 6:12), are all subject to our Lord. He can rebuke them, and they will obey Him instantly. All powers have been "made subject" to Christ. This is something God has done. It is power or authority that has been "given" to Jesus (Matt 28:18).
ALL OF THIS IS CALCULATED to encourage us to hold up under suffering. Like Noah, we are in the process of building an ark – preparing for the end of the world. When we suffer unjustly, let us remember that Christ suffered for us. When life becomes a burden, consider that Jesus is bringing us to God. Your baptism, prefigured by Noah's deliverance, is a prelude to your coming salvation, to be revealed when Jesus appears again (1 Pet 1:5). Jesus has already been exalted, and He is our "Forerunner" (Heb 6:20). He has arrived ahead of us to ensure that we also arrive. He is exalted, and God listens to, and honors, Him. There is no power or authority that is not under Him; no influence, whether for good or evil, that does not answer to Him – and we are in Him, and He is in us!
THOSE WHO PLACE THEIR FAITH and hope in Christ have every reason to be joyfully optimistic – even in the midst of their suffering. They are intimately identified with the "one Lord," and He is for them, not against them. Even our foes recognize this, and are impotent to change anything about His reign over all, or His personal love and care for us.
– Given O. Blakely
JESUS DID NOT STAY IN THIS WORLD. As soon as His work was completed, He went back to heaven. If we knew nothing more about the world than that, we would know it is not what the flesh thinks it to be. If Jesus left it, it surely cannot be considered the home of His brethren.
THE SPIRIT FREQUENTLY AFFIRMS that Jesus left this world and returned to heaven. "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19). "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Luke 24:51). "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
THE CENTER OF DIVINE ACTIVITY is found in heaven, not upon the earth. Jesus was not raised from the dead to remain in the world, but to minister to His people from heaven. He "has gone" where we are going – where our citizenship is presently located. The objective is to get us where He is, not bring Him to where we are (John 14:3). Jesus went back to heaven, because this world was not a suitable place for Him to remain. He is now ministering in prospect of His enemies becoming His footstool, and His children being gathered to Him forever. The church must not lose this perspective.
JESUS IS "AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD." Much is also made of this in Scripture. The Spirit tells us He is presently making intercession for us from that position (Rom 8:34; Heb 8:1). The things He is dispensing from that station are to be sought (Col 3:1). He was seated "at the right hand of the Majesty on high" only after He had by Himself purged our sins (Heb 1:3). If, therefore, He is there, then our sins have been purged! That is how the child of God must reason. A single offering accomplished the purpose. As it is written, "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God" (Heb 10:12).
THE "RIGHT HAND" OF GOD IS HIS WORKING SIDE. The days when He worked mightily among men are referred to as "the years of the right hand of the most High" (Psa 77:10). Again, it is written, "The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly" (Psa 118:15-16). So far as men is concerned, the significance of Jesus being "at the right hand of God,"is that God is presently working BECAUSE of the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son. Now, He is "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph 3:20).
GOD'S "RIGHT HAND" IS ALSO THE PLACE OF FAVOR, confirming that everything Christ did in our behalf has been accepted and is being honored by God. That is precisely why He is "able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God through Him" (Heb 7:25). If He was not in good standing with God, He could not bring many sons to glory.
POWERS HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO JESUS. The range of powers and authorities subject to Jesus is staggering. All angels, principalities, and powers are subject to Christ, whether they are good or they are evil. Holy angels and powers are dispatched by Jesus to minister to the heirs of salvation (Heb 1:13-14). They protect the saints, camping about them (Psa 34:7). Wicked angels bow at the feet of Jesus, and are not able to separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:39). The "principalities and powers" against which we "wrestle (Eph 6:12), are all subject to our Lord. He can rebuke them, and they will obey Him instantly. All powers have been "made subject" to Christ. This is something God has done. It is power or authority that has been "given" to Jesus (Matt 28:18).
ALL OF THIS IS CALCULATED to encourage us to hold up under suffering. Like Noah, we are in the process of building an ark – preparing for the end of the world. When we suffer unjustly, let us remember that Christ suffered for us. When life becomes a burden, consider that Jesus is bringing us to God. Your baptism, prefigured by Noah's deliverance, is a prelude to your coming salvation, to be revealed when Jesus appears again (1 Pet 1:5). Jesus has already been exalted, and He is our "Forerunner" (Heb 6:20). He has arrived ahead of us to ensure that we also arrive. He is exalted, and God listens to, and honors, Him. There is no power or authority that is not under Him; no influence, whether for good or evil, that does not answer to Him – and we are in Him, and He is in us!
THOSE WHO PLACE THEIR FAITH and hope in Christ have every reason to be joyfully optimistic – even in the midst of their suffering. They are intimately identified with the "one Lord," and He is for them, not against them. Even our foes recognize this, and are impotent to change anything about His reign over all, or His personal love and care for us.
– Given O. Blakely
Monday, August 2, 2010
IT IS RIGHT TO THINK SO
"Even as it is meet (right or proper) for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart . . . " (Phil 1:7)
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE for whom strong spiritual aspirations are questionable. Their condition is uncertain, and we do not know if they will finish the race or not. Compare the assurance in Paul's expression to the Philippians with his words to the Galatians: "I am afraid for you . . . I have doubts about you" (Gal 4:11,20, NKJV). For the Galatians, it was "right" to labor in travail, desiring that Christ be "formed" in them (Gal 4:19). With the Philippians, it was "right" to expect it would be accomplished. This is a higher level of expectation, prompted by the recognition of a present Divine working in the Philippians.
A CERTAIN RELIEF AND CONSOLATION comes with confidence that God will continue working in someone until the day of Christ. This is the opposite of "the deep concern (anxiety)" for the churches which came upon Paul (2 Cor 11:28). There are spiritual weights that are decidedly reduced when those with whom we labor are growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ. When doubt of them completing the race is replaced with a certainty of its victorious completion, grace is ministered to the heart of the concerned ones.
PAUL AFFIRMS THE RIGHTNESS of this confidence is owing to them being in his heart. This is an expression denoting the love of the brethren – having them in our heart. Remember, Paul's recollection of unbelieving Israel caused him to say, "I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart" (Rom 9:2). He could not forget their condition, and it weighed him down. But with the Philippians, great confidence was sanctified by having them in his heart. That is what "the love of the brethren" does for the soldier of Christ. This type of confidence was expressed by the aged John. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). That is having the people of God in your heart – and it is right!
CONSIDER THAT ALL OF THIS was prompted by the faith and faithfulness of the Philippians. Their spiritual demeanor confirmed that God had begun a good work in them. That is what endeared them to the Apostle – what God had already done in them. It also made it right to be confident He would complete the work.
THESE BRETHREN HAD STOOD with Paul when he was afflicted as well as when he was free from the restraints of men. " . . . inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace . . . " The manner in which Paul speaks of grace is refreshing, and contradicting of the world's way of reasoning. He associates grace with his bonds (chains) and defending and confirming the Gospel. In the former, men restrained him for preaching. In the latter he was granted liberty to do so. In both, grace was the consistent and present factor.
HE CALLS IT "my grace" because he had participated in it. Grace had enabled and sustained him, upheld and strengthened him. The Philippians had joined with him in this experience, identifying themselves with him. They had associated themselves with Paul by ministering to him and praying for him. Thus they were "partakers" with him in the grace he experienced.
PAUL CONSIDERS THIS LIFE in Christ as one contiguous whole. He does not view it as differing and contradicting segments. As he says later, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" 1:21). He associated all of his life with Christ and the experience of His grace. He takes the extremities of his life, and gathers them together under the canopy of grace.
THERE IS NOT ONLY GRACE, therefore, to sustain us in the bonds, but grace brings us into the afflictions themselves, giving us unspeakable benefit IN them. The steps of a good man ARE ordered by the Lord (Psa 37:23), and sometimes those steps lead to affliction and even incarceration. The Philippians had fellowshipped in this grace by sending Epaphroditus, who was with Paul in prison (2:25-27).
PAUL REFERS TO THE UNRESTRAINED preaching of the Gospel as "the defense and confirmation of the gospel." He knew grace had been given Him to minister "the Gospel of God" (Rom 15:15). To the Ephesians he confessed grace was "given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8). True preaching consists of defending and confirming the Gospel: showing its relevance, and substantiating its power. The substantiation of Gospel power is seen in its effects within those who embrace it. It is the means employed by God to accomplish salvation. The Philippians were participating in Paul's ministry of the Gospel, hereby confirming their acceptance by God. That is why it was RIGHT for Paul to have them in his heart, and be confident of their triumph.
– Given O. Blakely
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE for whom strong spiritual aspirations are questionable. Their condition is uncertain, and we do not know if they will finish the race or not. Compare the assurance in Paul's expression to the Philippians with his words to the Galatians: "I am afraid for you . . . I have doubts about you" (Gal 4:11,20, NKJV). For the Galatians, it was "right" to labor in travail, desiring that Christ be "formed" in them (Gal 4:19). With the Philippians, it was "right" to expect it would be accomplished. This is a higher level of expectation, prompted by the recognition of a present Divine working in the Philippians.
A CERTAIN RELIEF AND CONSOLATION comes with confidence that God will continue working in someone until the day of Christ. This is the opposite of "the deep concern (anxiety)" for the churches which came upon Paul (2 Cor 11:28). There are spiritual weights that are decidedly reduced when those with whom we labor are growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ. When doubt of them completing the race is replaced with a certainty of its victorious completion, grace is ministered to the heart of the concerned ones.
PAUL AFFIRMS THE RIGHTNESS of this confidence is owing to them being in his heart. This is an expression denoting the love of the brethren – having them in our heart. Remember, Paul's recollection of unbelieving Israel caused him to say, "I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart" (Rom 9:2). He could not forget their condition, and it weighed him down. But with the Philippians, great confidence was sanctified by having them in his heart. That is what "the love of the brethren" does for the soldier of Christ. This type of confidence was expressed by the aged John. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). That is having the people of God in your heart – and it is right!
CONSIDER THAT ALL OF THIS was prompted by the faith and faithfulness of the Philippians. Their spiritual demeanor confirmed that God had begun a good work in them. That is what endeared them to the Apostle – what God had already done in them. It also made it right to be confident He would complete the work.
THESE BRETHREN HAD STOOD with Paul when he was afflicted as well as when he was free from the restraints of men. " . . . inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace . . . " The manner in which Paul speaks of grace is refreshing, and contradicting of the world's way of reasoning. He associates grace with his bonds (chains) and defending and confirming the Gospel. In the former, men restrained him for preaching. In the latter he was granted liberty to do so. In both, grace was the consistent and present factor.
HE CALLS IT "my grace" because he had participated in it. Grace had enabled and sustained him, upheld and strengthened him. The Philippians had joined with him in this experience, identifying themselves with him. They had associated themselves with Paul by ministering to him and praying for him. Thus they were "partakers" with him in the grace he experienced.
PAUL CONSIDERS THIS LIFE in Christ as one contiguous whole. He does not view it as differing and contradicting segments. As he says later, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" 1:21). He associated all of his life with Christ and the experience of His grace. He takes the extremities of his life, and gathers them together under the canopy of grace.
THERE IS NOT ONLY GRACE, therefore, to sustain us in the bonds, but grace brings us into the afflictions themselves, giving us unspeakable benefit IN them. The steps of a good man ARE ordered by the Lord (Psa 37:23), and sometimes those steps lead to affliction and even incarceration. The Philippians had fellowshipped in this grace by sending Epaphroditus, who was with Paul in prison (2:25-27).
PAUL REFERS TO THE UNRESTRAINED preaching of the Gospel as "the defense and confirmation of the gospel." He knew grace had been given Him to minister "the Gospel of God" (Rom 15:15). To the Ephesians he confessed grace was "given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8). True preaching consists of defending and confirming the Gospel: showing its relevance, and substantiating its power. The substantiation of Gospel power is seen in its effects within those who embrace it. It is the means employed by God to accomplish salvation. The Philippians were participating in Paul's ministry of the Gospel, hereby confirming their acceptance by God. That is why it was RIGHT for Paul to have them in his heart, and be confident of their triumph.
– Given O. Blakely
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