for October 16, 2022
He Is Worthy
Many people love the powerful message of “It is Well with My Soul.” There are those who should consider the words of this song and ask the question to themselves, “Is It Well, With My Soul?”
It can be well with anyone’s soul if they realize how worthy God is of their devotion. Is God worthy to us? Is He great to us? Is it well with us even when we don’t see Him through all the pain and suffering?
When we have been faithful, but life has been dreadful—do we ask, “Where is God?” Is He still worthy of our praise and our life (Romans 12:1)?
The Lord calls those who would, “Come after Him, those who will deny themselves and take up his cross and follow Him. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25). Notice the necessity to deny self and lose life, all for the benefit of Jesus’ sake. Are you willing to unselfishly suffer? Suffering is a part of Christianity. We can’t manifest the life of Jesus unless we are willing to carry the death of Jesus. (II Corinthians 4:10-11). We can’t boast of the blessings until we are ready to faithfully suffer in our own tribulations.
For those who identify themselves with Christ, they should understand that Jesus taught His followers -both then and now – that they must suffer as He did (John 15:18-20). Perhaps this is one reason why the very moment one is “baptized into Christ”, he is “baptized in His death” (Romans 6:3).
If we are going to join in life with Him, we must be willing to join Him in suffering until death. Suffering is appointed to Christians, so we shouldn’t be surprised or feel forsaken. Paul would, “encourage us concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions: for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this” (I Thessalonians 32-4).
The church at Smyrna (Revelation 2:8) experienced tribulation and poverty because of their faith in Christ. In other words, not only were they persecuted physically, but also financially. God urged them to remain faithful because the suffering will continue even until death! The motive for their continuation in Christianity wasn’t for blessings they would receive on earth; it was solely in order to receive a “crown of life.”
The thought of His worthiness should impact our lives daily. In all we say and do, may it be done knowing we are nothing and He is everything. May it be done knowing all is well with our soul. May you and I understand that our time of suffering is temporary, but the crown will be eternal.
May it be “Well with Your Soul”, for “He is Worthy”!
for October 9, 2022
Sin is a Trick and Hell is No Treat
The month of October signals campfires, hoodies, hunting season and of course Halloween. For some, Halloween is their favorite night of the year, and they will literally spend the month of October “spooking things up.” For most it’s about dressing up and go ng door to door reciting the words “Trick or Treat,” with the hope of having a hefty haul of sweet treats by the time they finish making their rounds.
For my article this week I want to play off the words “Trick or Treat.” As we think about these words we should understand that Satan is all about the trick and treat. In the book of Genesis Satan used his craftiness and lies to bring about the biggest trick he could impose upon God’s created humans. He would use the trick he uses today by appealing to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. His trick was to have mankind fall and sin and he achieved just that. The result for his trickery was no treat for man because it brought about death physically and spiritually (Romans 6:23).
In Luke 16:19-31 we read of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Both men died and the rich man went to torment and Lazarus went to paradise where he found rest. The treats the rich man enjoyed during his life were all part of Satan’s trickery, The rich man was clothed in fine apparel and ate well while Lazarus simply lay in wait for crumbs to fall from the table and dogs would lick his sores. After the death of these men, we read where the rich man wanted desperately for Lazarus to just dip his finger in water and touch his tongue. The tricks and treats he so enjoyed had now become his torment in flames. The tricks and treats of Satan will captivate you, entice you and eventually kill you spiritually. In Mark 9:48 we read the worm does not die and the flame is not quenched, speaking of the eternal consequences of sin. The devil has lots of tricks up his sleeve, but the so-called treat is nothing we want any part of. Sin is a trick and Hell is no treat.