Third Day

When you and I see the future, we can face anything in the present. The outward form of religion is but a husk, and we must resolve to feed upon the kernel. Oh to have substance, not its shadows.

We are a people stuck on doing things that draw us away from God. We draw from pleasure, prosperity, power, and prominence. And yet these things do not satisfy nor give life. In and of themselves they are nothing without Christ!
We will not find what we need in this world or even what is inside of us. There is nothing outside of Jesus that truly satisfies with perpetuity. If you and I decided to retire, and could, we would find greater dissatisfaction if all we do is live for self. We can run up and down the east coast, east to west, jump on any and every airplane, and you will find the same conclusion:  what we are searching for is God and God alone. Just doing things to fill the day and to fill the soul, finding something new under the sun, just will not work.
There is an emptiness that only God can fill. God made us for Himself. For those who are saved from sin, self, Satan, and the selfish things of this world, we find that ONLY God fills and satisfies. One can be poor in this world and be rich in the world. One can have many sorrows in this world and yet have great joy inside.
Ask any movie star, any affluent person out there, any who has this world by the tail, and if they are honest, they will tell you they are not content. “Friends all around me are trying to find, what the heart yearns for, by sin undermined; I have the secret, I know where ’tis found, only true pleasures in Jesus abound.”
Take fast hold upon Christ. Take hold of that which is invisible. Have this clear conviction and devout reverence. Let criticism rattle your armor like a hailstone, stand fast and defile it all.

Abraham and Lot were men who both acquired wealth from God. Abraham developed his wealth to do the work of God, while Lot used his wealth to build his own empire, pleasure, and building.

At the end of life we find Abraham won more, for his inheritance was of the Lord. Lot lost it all, even his own family. His resources were depleted and he ended up in heaven with his soul but lost his life and all things he lived for.

Lot depended on Abram early on. He had a second-hand faith, a faith that was dependent on another, even though he had a genuine faith. But a Lot cannot live like that forever. It will show up eventually. His dependence was with Abraham as long as the heat was on. But one thing that Lot could not handle was his prosperity.

There is one type of test that a carnal Christian cannot handle or stand – it is the test of prosperity. And it will show up eventually. When all is going well then a Christian will let go of his dependence, a strong Abraham, and will find himself dependent in his prosperity. He has moved on

May we realize that if our faith is lived by the presence of another, that eventually we will fall to the test of prosperity, and most of the time prosperity and materialism will win. There are too many Lots in our midst who have lost their way to glory. May we learn from the lesson of Lot!

First of all there is vitality. The believer’s union with Jesus Christ is a living union. The Spirit of God lives in the believer. We are baptized into the body of Christ. It is God who does the work and it is God who gives life.

Secondly, there is unity. We are members of His body. The members of the body work together. They maintain the peace within the body. There is only one body (Ephesians 1:22-23). The church is more than an organization. The church is an organism.

Thirdly, the church has diversity. Though we are one we have different parts to play and to function in the world. The church operates together to build up the body of Christ. When one part of the body separates from its rightful position and place there is a cancer that develops.

Fourthly, the body of believers deals with maturity. We mature in Christ by demonstrating our love for Christ, for each other, and for the lost. I Corinthians emphasizes love while I Corinthians 14 shows how that love should be exercised in the practical activities of the church.

Fifthly, there is ministry. The Lord Jesus works through us, his body, to accomplish what he desires. He ministers and serves as we surrender to Him. We are his spiritual body. The birth of His physical body is found in Luke 2. The birth of His spiritual body is found in Acts 2, both written by Doctor Luke.

We speak of church membership as if it were only a matter of joining the church and supporting the church with our money, attendance, and occasional work. But membership means more than that. We are a part of a living body. We contribute to the strength and growth of that body, the spiritual body of Christ on earth. Membership in the body of Christ means much more than what most think about. May we today wake to the awesome joy of living in Christ.

Science may be able to explain the flight of birds, the movements of serpents, the currents of the atmosphere and of the ocean, and human sexuality, but that does not take away from the wonder of it all.
Life and love are not explained in the laboratory. Experiments or the formulas which are convenient to the experts do not take away the splendor and awe of God’s creation and created order.
So many times as we go through life, we tend to lose the sense of wonder. We become farsighted and forgetful linked to unthankfulness.  If someone lives near the ocean you can find in any day many who have not been to the shoreline all year. The stars shine above us and yet we forget that they do. The birth of a baby happens and we share stares and looks and comments but it’s “just a newborn.”
Today look at your salvation you received from God. He created you, gave you breath, drew you to Himself, changed you, remade you, and is coming back to receive you. What a great God who can change a heart into a heart like unto His. Don’t lose the wonder! It’s too precious.

We live in a world of evil. It doesn’t matter where one goes there is evil and wickedness. Sin abounds in every city, town, village, country, continent, and island.
One day the nations of the world will come to worship God. His kingdom is coming and all who love Him will see His appearing. While sin abounds grace doth more abound.
We should desire His kingdom more than our kingdom. Our lives are pretty selfish and come to a halt quickly. It is God who forgives us of our iniquities. “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”
Today, realize that God rules and His kingdom will not be overthrown. That means that all things and people will be brought under His sway and brought into His purpose.
The governments of the world try to eliminate health problems by giving good health coverage, and try to promise better education for our children, but it is an illusion to believe that it will happen. Yet there is One who is able to do more than we can ask or think. God and His just rule and compassion will not falter or fail.