"Eternal Pleasures"

"You make known to me the path of life; You fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand."  (Psalm 16:11, NIV)

This time reading Psalm 16, I wondered, How much "pleasure" do I have in Jesus Christ, His Church, His Kingdom, and what Wesley called, "the means of grace," viz., prayer, Bible reading, service in His Church and Kingdom, in short, doing the will of, "Our Father Who is in Heaven"?

For many religious people, it is unspiritual to speak of, "pleasure," but there it is, in our text today, in the Bible.  So much of "pleasure" carries the connotation of sin, something to be shunned.  Yet, when we face reality, much of our praying is the pursuit of pleasure, e.g., health for our bodies, provision (or the bad word, prosperity), a vocation which we actually enjoy (The Bible says that there is no greater blessing), the salvation of family and friends. 

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you , My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you."  Whatever "peace" one may think he derives from, "the world," it is not pleasurable.  Most of what appears to be so comes back in the form of pain, regret.  Not so the, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you."  Jesus' Peace is indeed the, "peace which passes all understanding,"  Yet, do we not know how pleasurable is Jesus' Peace?

Maybe today we need to ask ourselves just what "pleasures" are we seeking?  You know as well as I that, "eternal pleasures," cannot be compared with whatever counterfeit pleasure the world offers, those of which Hebrews 11 speaks, "pleasures of sin for a season."  What I "received" today is that, "the path of life," in Jesus Christ, "joy in Your presence," in Jesus Christ, are the root of, "eternal pleasures," in Jesus Christ.  "Walk on."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I thank You that you are the only One Who can bring pleasure.  Forgive me when I have attempted to find "pleasure" elsewhere.  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

Time For More "Campmeetigs"?

"How long, Lord?  Will You forget me forever?...But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.  I will sing the Lord's praises, for He had been good to me."  (From Psalm 13, NIV)

I don't know why I thought of this earlier today, but I played the song, "Deep River," for my first piano recital at the age of six.  Here are some of the words:

"Deep river,

My home is over Jordan,

Deep river, Lord,

I want to cross over into campground.

Oh, don't you want to go,

To the Gospel feast;

That Promised Land,

Where all is peace?

Oh, deep river, Lord,

I want to cross over into campground."

What does a six year old know about this, or even think about this?  It is, however, one of the many "spirituals" which kept many a slave going through the centuries of slavery in the American South.  "I want to cross over into campground."  Think of it.  The slaves actually held "camp meetings."  The Black slaves of the United States of America surely identified with today's text.  Yet they composed many songs which encouraged each other to keep pressing on., "I will sing the Lord's praise, for He has been good to me"?------ "The Gospel feast"

I can remember "camp meetings."  They were better than traditional "revival" or "evangelistic" meetings.  They were not in church buildings; they were in campgrounds, where else?  Some lasted a week, two, and some went on most of the summer.  Of course, this seems so remote when you consider today's Western Culture.  It is quite rare to hear of "special meetings" going for even one week. 

There were camp meetings held regularly at the Mahaffey Campground, not far from Punxsutawney, PA.  This was a Christian and Missionary Alliance Campground, but no matter to my United Brethren in Christ Grandparents, Grandpa and Grandma Barnette.  They attended the meetings quite often.  I don't know if I can remember any "gatherings" quite like camp meetings.  People would stay in cabins, share meals together, participate in great worship and experience great preaching.  I have only ever attended a couple. 

Today's text reminds us that at times there can seem to be a "Deep River" between us and our Heavenly Home, "How long, Lord?  Will You forget me forever?"  Ezekiel speaks of seeing a river which was ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep, then it rose to a depth in which one could only swim.  Life seem like that, but I encourage all of us to have the attitude of many of the African Slaves, "Oh, don't you want to go to the Gospel Feast?"

Father, in Jesus' Name, "I want to cross over into campground."   Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

One Thing Which Is Impossible

"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"  (Psalm 11:3)

From what I have gathered over the years, our text basically says, "The foundations are destroyed; there is nothing the righteous can do." 

The United States of America is not what it used to be, because its citizens allowed its highest court to outlaw the Prayer of Jesus and the Words of Jesus in its education system.  And there is nothing the, "the righteous [can] do", without The Foundation, Jesus Christ, no matter what the "latest word from the Lord" might be.  But it is not only the American Government which has departed from its foundation.

"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."  The Church in America needs to do as the First Century Church, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus Christ."  It is only the Church which can do this.  The growing trend for some decades now in America has been an ever-increasing departure from, "....teaching and preaching Jesus Christ."  Pray that the Church Universal will "get back" to the "pattern" of the Early Church, the Foundation, the Rock upon which Jesus said that He builds His Church, HIMSELF.  This alone must be, "....what...the righteous do."

Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to do all I can to maintain, "the foundations."  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

"Enslaved To God--The Outcome, Eternal God"

"But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life."  (Romans 6:22, NASB)

I am either a slave to Jesus Christ or to sin; this is the only choice for humanity.  Romans 6:6 tells us that before we surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ, we were, "slaves to sin."  Verse 16 says, "....you are slaves of the one whom you obey."  Obedience to Jesus Christ is the, "obedience resulting in righteousness," which is Salvation.

Notice that Eternal Life is for those who are, "....enslaved to God,..."  It is not just some "sinners' prayer," or other belief system.  Rather, the claim to, "born again," or, "saved," which manifests in, "enslaved to God,..resulting in sanctification," is the only "spiritual experience," life-style change which leads to, "the outcome, eternal life."

I'm sure I have shared this at some point in the past, but I share again what Leonard Ravenhill once said: "One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it.  Then the rest of us will be embarrassed."

Father, in Jesus' Name, deliver me from such embarrassment.  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

Paradigm Shift"?

"John the Baptist came preaching,..Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!...From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'...And Jesus went about all Galilee,..preaching the gospel of the Kingdom...." (From Matthew 3 & 4)

If my devotional procedure appears a little different, it is because I am reading through the Bible every two months until the end of the year, at least.  Honestly, I am doing this mostly for my own "salvation," of course, not as in, "born again," but as in the day to day overcoming, walking in Jesus and His Kingdom Purposes.  If so many church-goers would just skip some of the frivolities of life, they would discover that you can do more Bible reading than you ever thought possible.  "Religious spirit," some would say.  Not if you were 27 years old and lost a most precious friend. 

The pop phrase, "paradigm shift," tries to tell me that what I propound, preach, teach, write, or in other words, my theological approach to life, has been bypassed by more relevant, adaptable thinking.  Nonsense.  Do pray, however, for today's "five-fold" ministries; they are under constant temptation to build their "ministries," churches, missions by listening to the cacophony of "how-to-be-successful" ministry books, seminars, conferences.  Reading the Bible daily will keep them and us from the great deception, which the Bible tells us will be ever louder, more clever, and so much so, "as the day draws near."  Cleverness will not. 

No amount of anything else a Believer does will substitute for Bible reading.  Jesus tells us of, "....men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the power of the heavens will be shaken."  But this will NOT happen to the People, "who follow the Lamb wherever He goes," the people who, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness," the people who are, "in His law...day and night."

Father, in Jesus' Name, though a painful process, I thank You for "making" this all very real to me.  Amen.

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When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2