From Rubble to Rejoicing

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Many of us maybe have come out of the wreckage of damaged lives. But because of God’s offer of forgiveness and His ability of rebuilding broken lives we can be lifted and secured in faith. Praise the One, the Only One, who can! We can be used again for His glory and majesty to bring honor, glory, unto the Almighty.

The Bible is filled with stories of saints who have served God in the most of trying circumstances. Noah was a shipbuilder and he preached and worked for one hundred and twenty years to get others to go with him. Joseph was a slave who later became prime minister of Egypt. Moses and Joshua fought through much pain and sorrow as military generals and leaders of God’s people.

God takes those who are willing and calls us away from the rubble of exiled living to the rejoicing of having rebuilt lives and homes. Many do not escape the damage done to their lives or even the damage they have caused themselves. But there are some who excelled in Christ. They go through life with faith in God, facing the trials, opposition, and setbacks of life with the strong, secure defense that God provides.

If you are sitting in the midst of broken down walls, damaged relationships, or feeling isolated, turn the page with me–and let the rebuilding begin. God is good. He made the stone which makes the wall. He will take us and rebuild us into the people He has predestined us to be.

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  • They Didn’t Want To Hear

    “And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times” (Judges 20:28).

    In the closing pages of Judges you find reports of wife abuse, blatant homosexuality, gang rape leading to murder, injustice, brother killing brother, and kidnapping.  When David Jeremiah said, “I never thought I’d see the day,” you and I have never encountered a day as the day we live in. It is bad. Violence, vice, immorality, idolatry, and blasphemy are rampant.

    This is the daily food people enjoy. TV and film violence is habitual and routinely accepted. It has become the fodder of unredeemed America. What is happening on the screen is being duplicated in the streets. When a nation is entertained by acts of violence, is there much hope for that nation?

    Brother went against brother in Israel because evil was not properly dealt with punitive action. The Word of God tells us that “brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child; and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death” (Matthew 10:21).

    Sin in the city will infect those in it and around and it will lead to war. The center cannot hold with stability. The home, the ministry, and society are disintegrating before our very eyes, and it seems as if people disdain the truth! But whether people want truth or not, the world must be told that Jesus Christ died for lost sinners, and that the power of Christ can transform homes, hearts, churches, and society if people will only trust Him.

    “Christ beats His drum, but He does not press men,” said English preacher and poet John Donne in 1631; “Christ is served with voluntaries.”

  • The Third Day

    For God To Be Seen

    “And be ready on the third day; for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:11).

     

    Why the third day? Why not the first day, the second day, or even the fifth day? Everything God does He does in His whole Person. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are in total agreement. God is three in One. All is done together to show completeness and holiness. Without oneness there is fragmentation.

     

    Everything we do we ought to do as a whole person. We are to worship God with our “whole spirit and soul and body” (I Thessalonians 5:23). What God does in us He does through us. Why? Our worship of Him effects our wholeness in the world. When we are whole-the body of Christ-then God moves.

     

    We (all born again Christians) belong to God. He has redeemed us from our old way of life (individuality of choices). We have left that life behind and we belong to God. Because we belong to God, we must be separated from sin. We are set apart from the world and set apart unto the Lord together. Why? For oneness in Him. For His glory to be revealed in us.

     

    “Whether, therefore, you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” Paul admonishes the Church at Corinth (I Corinthians 10:31). We are not our own for we belong to Him and therefore to each other. When we realize we belong to Him then we will begin to understand we belong to each other in the household of faith. “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s well-being” (I Cor. 10:24).

     

    When does God reveal Himself in strength, holiness, and power? When God’s people ready themselves to become what we are already in the body of Christ: One body of believers. “Consecrate Yourselves” is for the whole church to know we are one body with many members in Him. Revival in great power happens when we see the power of the third day.

  • Why Do We Mourn? 

    “Can the sons of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast” (Matthew 9:15).

    One glad morning the Lord Jesus will return. There are many a tired preacher who will rejoice when He returns. There will be many a people whose hearts have been true to the One they love, who yearn for that day, and then it happens. The Lord Jesus will return to get His bride.

    What a day that will be! What a glorious day when we shall see Jesus. What a wonderful day when all we have lived for, yearned for, longed for – when Jesus shall return. What a great getting-up moment that will be. Loved ones will return with Jesus. Their bodies will be raised from the dead graves from all over, and the power of the resurrection will reverberate throughout all the kingdom of Satan, and the bodies will be released.

    We mourn when the Bridegroom is not here. But one day we will be joined to Him. The older I get, the more I see, and the better I feel about the coming of our Lord. The sin I see, the unfaithfulness that surrounds, with the nations becoming more and more like Sodom, God’s bride yearns for the coming again of Jesus.

    May we say today, “Even so come, Lord Jesus!” We are in the days when the bridegroom is not here with us physically; He has been taken from us, and we fast while we wait. We mourn for Him but it will not be too much longer when we shall rejoice! For He will be with us. Hallelujah! Amen!

     

     

  • Plunged In

    “The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing” (Isaiah 14:7).

    One glorious day the whole earth will be at rest. The world system will be defeated and the one behind the world’s unrest will be arrested and placed into hell. All carnal behavior will be forever undone and completely diminished.

    The question for us today is the question of our rest in Christ. Are we resting in the Lord? Is the Lord of glory our constant, daily joy? Or, is it someone or something else that gives us our supposed rest.

    The Lord is the joy of faith, hope, and love. To know Him is to be known. If it is in God’s lot for His children to be stripped from creature comforts can we lift up our eyes and say that God is all we need?

  • How To Give Gifts This Christmas

    gifts

    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

     

    Why do we give? Is it because it is traditional, seasonal, or even promotional? God gave because He loves us and He desires to meet a need. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves–He forgave us and washed away our sin and guilt. We should give to others because we love and we desire to meet a need.

     

    How do we give? We give according to our means. We don’t break the bank. Also, we should plan what we give ahead of time. It should be thoughtfully and joyfully given. Your presentation of the gift reflects a part of you and your love for them.

     

    What do we give? When we give we do according to how well we know the recipient. What are their likes, needs, and experiences? Will the gift match them? It takes thought and contemplation to find the right gift for the right person.

     

    How do we receive a gift? Remember that our relationship to the giver is more important than the gift. We should be thankful and appreciative for the thoughtfulness, effort, and cost of the gift. We should receive the gift with a humble attitude. After the gift is opened expressing gratitude sincerely is appropriate and right.

     

    There are some gifts that cost little in monetary value. It could be to keep the children for an evening, helping a neighbor clean their house, taking someone to the doctor, helping to fix a dripping sink, etc. God blesses those who give and He enables all to give.

     

  • One More Night With The Frogs

     
    “Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for these that remain in the Nile.’ “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.'”     (Exodus 8:9-10).

    Frogs everywhere. The nation of Egypt was in trouble with toads. Everywhere! The bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, playgrounds, school class rooms, on the ground, in the sink, by the river, everywhere they went it was frogs between the toes.

    Pharaoh had the opportunity to rid the nation of the frogs and he wanted them gone but can you believe he said, “Tomorrow.” So many people are like that. We do want to get right with God, just not yet. We would rather drown in our misery one more night. Stay like we are just one more night. The Bible, God’s Word, oh, we will read it another time.

    It is a sad indictment upon the human race and heart to live one more night with the frogs. Just one more night and then…. tomorrow. Well, tomorrow may never come. Our families will suffer, our churches will suffer, and our nation will suffer because we don’t want to admit we are stubborn and prideful.
     
    One day the frogs will disappear.     But it will be too late. When we stand before the Lord to give account of our lives we will see the folly of saying, “Tomorrow.” When our children could have been for God, when our families could have impacted a world, and when we could have allowed the Good Shepherd to lead us into green pastures and by still waters, the words, “Tomorrow” will sting, and we will feel the toads beneath our feet once more. Don’t say, “Tomorrow” but say, “Today.”