Holidays

Summer time brings much anticipated vacations. When school is out, both students and parents enjoy going on holiday. We look forward to time away from work and school, and to letting our guard down and having leisure time.

In the Christian's walk though, we don't get a vacation from living out our faith. Scripture speaks of us running a race and we must finish well.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

1 Cor 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. (NASB)

Paul compares the Christian to a soldier in Ephesians 6 and describes the armor he wears. This is armor we do not get to remove on this side of eternity. 

Our walk is further described in Galatians chapter 5.  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (verses 16-24 NASB)

Remember: testimonies take a lifetime to build but can be destroyed in only minutes.

Word to Him Who Halts

C. H. Spurgeon

I will save her that halteth. (Zephaniah 3:19)

There are plenty of these lame ones, both male and female. You may meet "her that halteth" twenty times in an hour. They are in the right road and exceedingly anxious to run in it with diligence, but they are lame and make a sorry walk of it. On the heavenly road there are many cripples. It may be that they say in their hearts—What will become of us? Sin will overtake us; Satan will throw us down. Ready-to-halt is our name and our nature; the Lord can never make good soldiers of us, nor even nimble messengers to go on His errands. 

Well, well! He will save us, and that is no small thing. He says, "I will save her that halteth." In saving us He will greatly glorify Himself. Everybody will ask—How came this lame woman to run the race and win the crown? And then the praise will all be given to almighty grace.

Lord, though I halt in faith, in prayer, in praise, in service, and in patience, save me, I beseech Thee! Only Thou canst save such a cripple as I am. Lord, let me not perish because I am among the hindmost, but gather up by Thy grace the slowest of Thy pilgrims—even me. Behold He hath said it shall be so, and therefore, like Jacob, prevailing in prayer, I go forward though my sinew be shrunk.

Never Separated from God

C. H. Spurgeon

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And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this? (John 11:26)

Yes, Lord, we believe it; we shall never die. Our soul may be separated from our body, and this is death of a kind; but our soul shall never be separated from God, which is the true death—the death which was threatened to sin—the death penalty which is the worst that can happen. We believe this most assuredly, for who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? We are members of the Body of Christ; will Christ lose parts of His Body? We are married to Jesus; will He be bereaved and widowed? It is not possible. 

There is a life within us which is not capable of being divided from God: yea, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and how then can we die? Jesus, Himself, is our life, and therefore there is no dying for us, for He cannot die again, In Him we died unto sin once, and the capital sentence cannot a second time be executed. Now we live, and live forever. The reward of righteousness is life everlasting, and we have nothing less than the righteousness of God, and therefore can claim the very highest reward.

Living and believing, we believe that we shall live and enjoy. Wherefore we press forward with full assurance that our life is secure in our living Head.

He who thinks he stands....take heed

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.  
-(1 Cor 10:12 NASB)

Our Christian walk has so many parts doesn't it? We need to be aware of every area of our walk with God because if one area gets a little "off", left unattended, it will likely become even more "off" - and then other areas will follow.

Compare it to someone that eats a very healthy diet, but has little control with sweets. They decide they will just have one bite of their favorite dessert, and that one bite turns into two and then they eat the whole piece and have seconds. The next day they crave sweets and eat even more junk food and eventually they have a two week binge on unhealthy choices.

Our walk with God is not so different. We must be aware of every area of our lives because if one part becomes dishonoring to God, more areas of our lives will likely follow. Underlying every action we take should be a subconscious evaluation: "Does what I am doing please the Lord?"

It is important that we listen for God's conviction and guidance on a daily basis. If we listen, He will waken us morning by morning and cause our ears to hear. He is faithful and ever merciful. Amen!

Isa 50:4b ...He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. 

You Can Help

2 Corinthians 8:14-15 At this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may becomea supply for your need, that there may be equality;  as it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.” (NASB)

We are so blessed to have the resources we do in our nation. Most of our necessities would considered luxuries in other countries.

If you have an old pair of glasses (daily or reading), they may be useful for people in the Congo who do not otherwise have access to eyeglasses. The Paul Carson Partnership evaluates glasses to be taken to the Congo when medical teams go to the area. Wendy Scott (who attends First Evangelical Free Church of Maine) is the local contact person for the collection of these glasses. There will be a collection box in the lobby at our church for the next month. The lasses that you have worn can now be worn by a Congolese man or woman who will be able to better see the world around them.

If you don't wear glasses and would like to help, Everything's a Dollar near the Maine Mall usually has cute reading glasses, as does Marden's.

Profit and Loss

by C.H. Spurgeon

“What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36

Spiritually man is a great trader—he is trading for his own welfare; he is trading for time and for eternity; he keeps two shops: one shop is kept by an apprentice of his, a rough unseemly hand, of clayey mould, called the body; the other business, which is an infinitely more vast concern, is kept by one that is called “the soul” a spiritual being, who does not traffic upon little things, but who deals with hell or heaven, and trades with the mighty realities of eternity. Now, a merchant would be very unwise who should pay all attention to some small off-hand shop of his, and take no account whatever of a large establishment. 

And he would, indeed, be negligent, who should very carefully jot down every trifle of the expenditure of his own household, but should never think of reckoning the expenses of some vast concern that may be hanging on his hands. But the most of men are just as foolish—they estimate the profits (as they conceive them to be) which are gained in that small corner shop called the body, but they too seldom reckon up the awful loss which is brought about by a negligence of the soul’s concerns in the great matters of eternity. 

Let me beseech you, my brethren, while you are not careless of the body, as, indeed, you ought not to be, seeing that it is, in the case of believers, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to take more especial care of your souls. Decorate the tenement, but do not suffer the inhabitant to die of starvation; do not paint the ship while you are letting the crew perish for want of stores on board. Look to your soul, as well as to your body; to the life, as well as to that by which you live.

For meditation: We can be so bodily minded that we are no heavenly use

(1 Timothy 4:8 gives the right balance).

Sermon no. 92
7 July (Preached 6 July 1856)

Double Resting Place

Remember the story in 2 Kings 4? A barren women went to Elijah who prophesied she would bear a son. She did, and some years later the son died working in the field and she went straight to the man of God. When anyone on the way asked her how she was, she replied, "It is well."

How could she say "It is well" when her only son was now dead? Because, she rested in God. She trusted in the Lord.

The town she lived in was named Shunem. The city's name, Shunem, means "Double Resting Place"

It is interesting how the Lord speaks about "doubles" in Scripture. Isaiah penned:  He blessed the righteous with double blessings: For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. -  Isaiah 61:7

In Christ, we have received more than double blessing, and He is our "Double Resting Place".
In times of joy and times of trouble, find your Shunem in the shadow of His wings.

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge...Psalm 51:1a