Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Sermon of the Week
THE BITTERNESS OF SIN:
“And Solomon made affinity with
Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the
city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house
of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.”1KI 3:1.
It is important to understand the
spiritual meanings of some of the terms in Scripture. Egypt throughout Scripture
is referred to as “the world,” in other words, sin. “Solomon
made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter” to be his
wife. The Lord had commanded Moses that the children of Israel were not to take
wives from among the heathen. They were not to have affinity with Egypt. The
Lord had warned them through Moses, yet this was the first move of the Kingdom
of Solomon. This affinity with Pharaoh became his downfall. I want to dwell on
how he became hardened to the Word of God.
One of the greatest dangers for
those privileged to be under the preaching of the Word of God is to become
gospel-hardened. We can have so many blessings and enjoy the Lord’s presence,
yet become gospel-hardened. This is a dangerous thing, and I believe that the
history of Solomon teaches us the solemn reality of this.
How do we see Solomon? The Lord
spoke to him and gave him excellent wisdom, yet he offered sacrifices at the
high places. When the Lord gave him wisdom, he went back to Jerusalem and
sacrificed burnt offerings before the Ark of the Covenant. He knew where
sacrifices should have been made, but he later went to the high places. When he
experienced the Lord’s nearness, he went to the proper place: he went to the Ark
in Jerusalem and there sacrificed his burnt offerings.
This offering in the high places
was an exception. It says in 1KI 3:3, “And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in
the statutes of David his father: only [with this exception] he sacrificed and
burnt incense in high places.” This exception was so dangerous because Solomon
became gospel-hardened and fell as an idolater. Yet he was a man who had known
the nearness and the preciousness of the Lord. That is such a warning to you and
me.
Solomon had great respect for
God’s house and was morally clean, but with exceptions, which we see all through
his life. These exceptions led to his becoming gospel-hardened, which is
claiming to love God and His Word and obey it, but not acting upon it. This is a
warning to us in the history of King Solomon.
Solomon told the Lord, “Thou hast
shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked
before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with
thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a
son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast
made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child,”
1KI 3:6-7. Solomon realized that the Lord had given his father David “great
mercy, according as he walked” before Him. Solomon realized that it was David’s
walk in the ways of the Lord that pleased the Lord, but Solomon did not walk in
the ways of the Lord.
I want to show you some
Scriptural references of those who were gospel-hardened. First I will show you
some who did not obtain the favor of the Lord and did not receive the Lord’s
love.
King Saul heard a clear, strong
word. Samuel told him in 1SA 15:3, “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy
all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and
suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”
King Saul claimed to obey that
command in 1SA 15:13; “And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed
be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” King Saul
disobeyed this command, yet he boldly affirmed, “I have performed the
commandment of the LORD.” He was gospel-hardened. He was commanded to kill all
of the Amalekites and all of their animals, yet in 1SA 15:9 we read, “But Saul
and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of
the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly
destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed
utterly.”
Those who are gospel-hardened
will disobey yet claim that they have obeyed. If we compromise the Word of God
with our human reasoning and claim we are obeying the Word, it is very
dangerous.
After becoming gospel-hardened,
Saul refused to repent and blamed his sin on the people. That is the next thing
that happens when we become gospel-hardened is that we put the blame on someone
else. In 1SA 15:20-21 we read, “And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed
the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have
brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But
the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which
should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in
Gilgal.” He used his human reasoning to justify his disobedience and glorify God
by sacrificing that which he was supposed to have destroyed.
Samuel pointed out that Saul’s
heart was already given over to rebellion, which is witchcraft. Samuel said
in1SA 15:23, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as
iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath
also rejected thee from being king.”
When we reject the Lord, the Lord
rejects us. The Lord rejected Solomon. Solomon was told that because of his sin,
his son would not be king over all Israel; but for His servant David’s sake,
because of his walking in righteousness, He would yet let one of Solomon’s sons
have the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
Israel and Judah had become
gospel-proof. They loved to hear the Word of God, but refused to act upon it.
Solomon was a man who dearly understood the Lord, but he became gospel-proof.
That is what happened to the children of Israel and the tribe of Judah. We read
that in EZE 33:30-32; “Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still
are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak
one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear
what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. And they come unto thee as the
people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words,
but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their
heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very
lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an
instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them
not.”
The Lord Jesus Christ says that
the man who hears His words and does them is like a man who builds his house
upon a rock, but the man who hears His words and does not do them is like a man
who builds his house upon the sand. The gospel is not legalism, but doing His
words is the evidence that the gospel has reached our souls.
Was Judas Iscariot
gospel-hardened? He was one of Christ’s disciples! He was chosen. He was called
to preach the gospel, to cast out devils, and to heal the sick. Most important
of all he sat under the ministry of the Son of God for three years! You may
think Judas became the most gospel-hardened of all, but that is not true. Judas
never did have the love of God in his heart.
All these I mentioned, King Saul,
Judah, Israel, and Judas, were gospel-hardened, but Solomon started out so
spiritual, so close to God and blessed with God’s anointing. He was anointed of
the Lord to be king, and he is the most shocking example of all. That makes it
necessary for you and I to examine our hearts carefully. If we have the Lord’s
blessing, if the Lord speaks to us and is near to us, we must not get caught
off-guard and become gospel-hardened. King Solomon began as a tenderhearted,
God-fearing servant of God, but he ended up a gospel-hardened idolater,
wallowing in sexual lust and perversion. He fell because he did not obey the
Lord.
For the first
point,
let us consider those commandments that Solomon had full knowledge of, yet
disobeyed.
For the second
point,
let us consider Solomon’s half-and-half religion.
For the third
point,
let us consider the distinction between Solomon and Moses.
First, let us consider the
commandments, which Solomon had full knowledge of, yet disobeyed. Solomon was
well aware of God’s commandments. We read in 1KI 3:3, “And Solomon loved the
LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father.” He was well trained in the
commandments of the Lord.
The Lord spoke by Moses in DEU
17:14-16, “When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,
and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king
over me, like as all the nations that are about me; Thou shalt in any wise set
him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose [Solomon was in
compliance with this]: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over
thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother
[Solomon was in compliance with this also]. But he shall not multiply horses to
himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should
multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth
return no more that way.” Solomon disobeyed all three of those final
commandments. He multiplied horses unto himself, he returned unto Egypt (he had
an affinity with Pharaoh and married his daughter), and he received horses from
Egypt. He opened a trade agreement with the Egyptians and traded with them
constantly.
Verse 17 says, “Neither shall he
multiply wives to himself [Solomon disobeyed that], that his heart turn not
away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” We read how
Solomon’s wives turned his heart away from the Lord. He heard and he knew, but
he did not obey. He did the very things the Lord cautioned him against. He
compromised the Word of God. “[N]either shall he greatly multiply to himself
silver and gold.” Solomon made silver as common as the gravel in the streets. He
sent ships to Haran to get gold year by year, multiplying unto himself silver
and gold. He fell miserably disobeying the Lord; he heard the Word but did not
do it.
Solomon was fully aware of God’s
warning in EXO 34:14-16. “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD,
whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do
sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And
thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring
after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.” Solomon did
not obey and ignored the Word of God. He took wives from among the heathen. He
bowed down and worshipped their idol gods.
Solomon truly loved the Lord, but
his heart was not right with the Lord. Not only was it an exception to God’s
commands that he offered in the high places, but also his whole life was filled
with exceptions to the Word of God.
God granted Solomon’s request, as
we find in 1KI 3:9, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge
thy people, that I may discern between good and bad:for who is able to judge this
thy so great a people?” He was given the wisdom to discern between right and
wrong, but he did not do it. This makes our hearts tremble, to see how the Lord
is such a jealous God.
He gave Solomon what he
requested: a spiritual understanding to discern what was good and what was bad.
This promise was granted with a warning in 1KI 3:14; “And if thou wilt walk in
my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk,
then I will lengthen thy days.” The Lord gave a warning not to turn from His
ways when He granted Solomon’s request.
Solomon had the Psalms and
sermons of his father David ringing in his ears. His father was the sweet
Psalmist of Israel. He had the example of his father’s sin and consequent
judgment. He saw that the Lord would not tolerate sin. David had warned his son,
when he gave him the crown, in 1KI 2:3, “And keep the charge of the LORD thy
God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his
judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou
mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.”
Solomon was fully aware, as were the men of Judah and Israel. They loved to hear
the Word, but they did not obey it.
Let us look at Solomon’s total
disregard for these commandments of the Lord. The Lord had commanded in DEU
17:16, “But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to
return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the
LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.” That is a
specific command. No little child could misunderstand that, yet Solomon violated
all of these commands.
We read in 1KI 10:28, “And
Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants
received the linen yarn at a price.” The commandment was that “Ye shall
henceforth return no more that way,” but he set up open trade with Egypt. 1KI
10:29 says, “And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels
of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of
the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their
means.” He had a regular route of transportation back and forth and a set price
for the horses.
1KI 11:1-7 tells us, “But king
Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women
of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: Of the nations
concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in
to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away
your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven
hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned
away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned
away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his
God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the
goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as
did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the
abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the
abomination of the children of Ammon.”
That is how Solomon fell. Let us
look at the consequences of his fall. The Lord had told Solomon that if he would
obey and walk in the ways of David his father, He would establish his kingdom
forever. The twelve tribes of Israel would have remained under the leadership of
Solomon and David forever. The consequences were that ten tribes were broken off
and went under Jereboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin more and
more. Those ten tribes of Israel never turned back to the Lord. They continued
to decay further and further. Those were the consequences of the sin of Solomon.
Think of the responsibility that lay upon one man!
For my second
point,
let us consider Solomon’s half-and-half religion. This is something that you and
I understand the peril and watch out for, so that we do not have a half-and-half
religion.
Our text says in 1KI 3:1, “And
Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter,
and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his
own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.” He
not only took this heathen woman, the daughter of Pharaoh of Egypt, to be his
wife, when he was forbidden to go back to Egypt, but he brought her right into
Jerusalem, into the holy place and polluted it.
All of Solomon’s compromise can
be traced back to this one fatal flaw: He refused to close the door to Egypt,
which is the world, the flesh, and the devil. Solomon did not realize the
serpent that was lurking in his heart when he asked for wisdom to discern right
and wrong. He did not realize that he also needed the Lord to uphold him in His
ways.
In 1KI 3:11 we read, “And God
said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for
thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the
life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern
judgment.” At this point Solomon did not covet gold or silver, nor did he trust
in horses, nor had he opened up free trade with Egypt. It was at this point that
we read in 1KI 2:45-46, “And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of
David shall be established before the LORD for ever. And the kingdom was
established in the hand of Solomon.” He was anointed by the
Lord.
Solomon was warned when the Lord
appeared unto him the second time in 1KI 9:6-7, “But if ye shall at all turn
from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my
statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship
them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and
this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and
Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people.” God did not say that
he would cut off Solomon; He said He would “cut off Israel out of the land which
I have given them.” What a responsibility lay upon that man!
Solomon’s half-and-half religion
was revealed by his “affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt [which is the world],
and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David.” It was
most provocative to the Lord that he took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her
into the city of David.
Solomon was halfway convicted,
which led to a halfway repentance. In 2CH 8:11 we read, “And Solomon brought up
the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had
built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king
of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath
come.” He knew that she did not belong there, so he built her a house and moved
her out of the city.
In the time of Ezra, Israel had
gone out and taken strange wives and Ezra commanded them to put away the strange
wives. Solomon should have sent the daughter of Pharaoh home. In EZR 10:10-11 we
read, “And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed,
and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore
make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and
separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.”
Ezra commanded that they turn their backs upon the world, but Solomon
compromised. He had two places: in the city of David, he had a place where he
could worship the Lord, but in the house of Pharaoh’s daughter, he had a place
where he could serve the world. That was a halfway religion.
For the third
point,
let us consider the distinction between Solomon and Moses.
Solomon was anointed by the Lord
to be king of His people, but he disobeyed God’s clear command in DEU 17:16;
“But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to
Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath
said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he
multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he
greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” Solomon, the anointed one,
transgressed the commandments of the Lord with his eyes wide open.
Solomon married Pharaoh’s
daughter; Moses fled from her. Moses was held to be the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter, because she took him out of the water. Moses lived in the king’s
palace. He could have inherited a kingly state. He could have inherited all of
the riches of Egypt. He could have inherited all of the horses and all the gold
and silver of Egypt, but we read in HEB 11:24-27, “By faith Moses, when he was
come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” He fled from
her; he fled from the world by faith. That is the distinction between Moses and
Solomon. Moses could have had all the gold, silver, horses, luxuries, and
pleasures of Egypt; they were his, but we read in HEB 11:25 that he chose
“rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season.”
When Solomon was in the Promised
Land, and was exalted as king and given rich wisdom, he coveted that which Moses
rejected. Moses was brought up in the palace of Pharaoh. Moses had all these
riches, yet he turned his back upon it and refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh’s daughter, “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the
recompence of the reward,” HEB 11:25-26.
This is where Solomon fell so
miserably. In the books of Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, you will
see that Solomon understood the beauty that there is in Christ. Moses esteemed
“the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt,” while
Solomon, sitting in the middle of all these treasures, coveted those things of
Egypt and it became his downfall. Verse 27 says, “By faith [Moses] forsook
Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is
invisible.” By faith he looked unto the Lord, not fearing what the king would do
when he forsook all the luxury, wealth, and honor.
At the end of his life Solomon
made this confession in ECC 2:10-11, “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept
not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in
all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all
the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to
do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit
under the sun.” That word vanitymeans empty; it had no value;
there were no durable riches; it was the work of iniquity. He saw the emptiness
of all the things of this world that he had so coveted. He saw the emptiness of
his life and how his life was a failure. He saw there was no value in all his
gold, silver, horses, and all his labor. He saw that it was “vexation of
spirit;” it was nothing but a vexation of his soul when the Lord opened his eyes
to see the emptiness.
Solomon goes on to say in ECC
2:17, “Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is
grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” His life was
unprofitable. See the misery he brought in his soul and in his life. He hated
life “because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me.” He
saw the emptiness.
He also said in ECC 7:26, “And I
find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her
hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall
be taken by her.” He realized that his life was not pleasing to the Lord; his
life was empty and unfruitful. That was why the Lord allowed him to fall into
that pit. “[W]hoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be
taken by her.” Do you know what sin is? It is transgressing the law, God’s
revealed will. He openly violated the revealed will of God. He walked in open
sin and so was taken by “her.”
Solomon, who dedicated the temple
and saw the Lord’s presence come with such mighty force, received such a
revelation of God, saw such sweetness and rich promises, and loved the Lord was
speaking here - not Judas, not King Saul. Think of the warning this is for you
and me. We may love the Lord, but are we gospel-proof? Do we hear but not obey
the Word of God?
Of Moses we have a different
testimony in DEU 34:10-11; “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like
unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders,
which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his
servants, and to all his land.” There never arose another like him, because he
had a heart that was tender for the Lord. Solomon married the daughter of
Pharaoh, but Moses refused her. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter. By faith, he chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” That is the distinction
between Moses and Solomon.
Those who become gospel-hardened
are not those like King Saul, Judas, or their kind, but the Solomons, who start
out right but were hardened through compromise.
When my children were young, we
would go to different congregations with great groups of young children. They
would say, “See that your children find a partner within those circles.” It
bothered me to see those who had been brought up under the truth, who had the
gospel preached to them all their lives, walking in open sin. They were
gospel-hardened. I said, “That is not a partner that I would covet for my
children.” They and their parents may be members of the church, they may attend
church, and they may have been brought up under the truth, yet they are hardened
against it, and that is a scary situation! It is very dangerous and does not
make a desirable partner.
Solomon was hardened through
compromise. Those people who are gospel-hardened cling to their idols, areas of
disobedience, and little sins. Those who are gospel-hardened can be cautioned.
The Lord Jesus says that we must wash each other’s feet. That means our walk of
life. You and I must be able to observe in each other things in our lives that
need to be corrected and wash each other’s feet. Those who are gospel-hardened
do not want you to show them their little sins. They do not want to leave them.
They do not want to correct those little areas of disobedience. They love the
Lord, and as far as they are concerned the Lord loves them, but there is one
thing they overlook: the Lord loved Solomon and Solomon loved the Lord, but his
sin brought emptiness and grief in his life. Not only that, but look at the
consequences of his sin for the nation of Israel. What a weight that would be to
carry, to know that it was my sin that had caused a nation to fall in sin and
fall in the displeasure of the Lord! That becomes a very weighty matter. When we
will not step over those little sins, those little compromises, and do what is
right, then we are becoming gospel-hardened. That is a very dangerous
thing.
Our text says, “And Solomon made
affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought
her into the city of David.” We cannot serve both God and mammon! We cannot be
the friends of the world and the friends of the Lord. Solomon made affinity with
the world, with Egypt, with Pharaoh, and took his daughter. That was the
beginning of his downfall because he took her for his wife and brought her into
Jerusalem. He wanted to have the world in one hand and the Lord in the other. He
brought her into the city of David, into his religion, and into the inner circle
of his life.
We must be jealous for the Word
of God, because the Lord is so jealous. His name is jealous. He is a jealous God
and He is jealous of His Word.
I would tremble to think of
murdering a man, of violating such a command. The average person would probably
tremble to think of killing another, but violating the Lord’s commands and
commit “little” sins is a much greater offense to Him. Why? If we are willing to
disobey Him and show our disrespect for His will for such a “trifling” thing, it
is especially offensive to the Lord because they are “little.” If we trample
upon His Word and disobey “little” commandments, just commit “little” sins shows
our lack of love and godliness. Godliness is a desire to love, to honor, and to
obey Him with our whole heart, soul, and mind. When we bring dishonor upon the
Lord for a trifle, for a small thing, it is especially offensive to the Lord.
We could learn from the life of
Solomon and Moses. Moses chose, by faith, to refuse to be called the son of
Pharaoh’s daughter and chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” He chose the truth. He
chose to obey the Lord and to walk in His ways.
We will not enjoy the pleasures
of sin and then come to the riches of Christ. We must choose one or the other.
By faith, Moses forsook Egypt. He was born there, he was raised in the house of
Pharaoh’s daughter, and he forsook it. That was the difference between Moses and
Solomon.
Amen.
Recipe of the Day
Cherry Crumb Recipe:
Prep: 15 min. Bake: 30 min.
Yield: 12-16 Servings
15 30 45
Ingredients
•1/2 cup cold butter
•1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
•1 can (21 ounces) cherry or blueberry pie filling
•1/2 cup chopped walnuts
•Whipped cream or ice cream, optional
Directions
•In a large bowl, cut butter into cake mix until crumbly. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Pat remaining crumbs onto the bottom and 1/2 in. up the sides of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.
• Spread pie filling over crust. Combine the walnuts with reserved crumbs; sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm, with whipped cream or ice cream if desired. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 piece) equals 294 calories, 11 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 290 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.
Poem of the Day
The Gift of Friendship
Friendship is a priceless gift
That cannot be bought or sold,
But its value is far greater
Than a mountain made of gold -
For gold is cold and lifeless,
It can neither see nor hear,
And in the time of trouble
It is powerless to cheer
It has no ears to listen,
No heart to understand,
It cannot bring you comfort
Or reach out a helping hand -
So when you ask God for a Gift,
Be thankful if He sends
Nor diamonds, pearls or riches,
But the love of real true friends.
~Helen Steiner Rice
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Poem of the Day
Heaven takes the best, And leaves us in a mess, Our hearts incomplete, Our thoughts forever deep, A pain that stays inside, Our tears forever hide.
Happy Memorial Day weekend! & remember those that have sacrificed for us! Thank you to those who are sacrificing for our freedom, & for those who have died fighting for us! We love you!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Pain
I simply HATE pain!! UGH!!! For those of you who know me know I have been 3 months now battling pneumonia & broken ribs which were caused by excessive coughing from the pneumonia. After countless hours, & tons of money thrown down the drain, & all this agony for well, 4 months now, my Doctor realized what was causing it.....my blood pressure medicine! Lisinopril...fort hose of you who may be on it, be fore warned, it can, & does cause chronic & excessive coughing! So, once we gathered that, last Monday, I went off of it. And so, the healing immediately began. I was, & is so happy! I had stopped coughing at once, & immediately started feeling better, & my ribs started healing as well, which meant less pain & fewer pain pills......until now....I had went back to work, have been doing great, but then this heat wave has struck our area, & for those of you like me, who suffer with COPD, you know that well, heat can make you cough. So, Hubby installed air conditioning in our home which helped immensely, but then work.....well, I work part time at a charity fundraising joint, & on Tuesday it was extremely hot in there, which lead me to once again, yep, dare I say, coughing.....!!!
& so, I was on the phone, raising funds for Hospice, & started a coughing fit, & voila'...Crack!! OUCH!!! Yep, a rib cracked.....O, the agony!! I had to leave immediately, & have been in bed since. I am SO angry! I was doing SO well! & now, another set back!
But, you know, if life has taught me 1 thing....I have learned way more than that, lol, but in any case, if life has taught me anything, it's that these set backs are usually things out of our control, yes, but they are also life lessons we are to learn in Life's journey.
We may not understand them, or like them, but usually it's for some unforeseen reason we have them. I think for me, it's God really doesn't want me working. He wants me back at writing, since, when I work, I seem to neglect that comepletely, usually only gathering my strength for my Employer. But, as we all know, it's hard nowadays, on just 1 person's income. & although my Husband makes way more than me, & we now have our latest book out, "From Screams to Whispers".....I just hate sitting at home & doing what I feel is nothing. &, for another truth, try telling my Husband that I'm supposed to stay home....lol
He doesn't believe in that....so, I don't know what to do, I'm caught in a constant struggle & battle with God with me physically, & I'm SO tired of the pain! But, on the other hand, Gos doesn't have to live with my husband! hahaha Why God doesn't come down & have a talk with him, I just don't know....make him see what he's trying to say. I don't know exactly why God doesn't want me working...I can only guess....but it just seems that as soon as I get better from 1 ailment or another, boom, here comes another ailment to keep me down....so, I don't know? I would appreciate any & all comments or suggestions you may have on this matter.
Poem of the Day
sugar is smoking
by Jason Schneiderman
it's amazing how death
is always around the corner,
or not even so far away
as that, hiding in the little pleasures
that some of us would go
so far as to say
are the only things
keeping us alive
Recipe of the Day
Apricot-Cashew Salad Sandwiches:
2 c. cooked turkey, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 c. celery, chopped
1/4 c. dried apricots, finely chopped
1/4 c. cashews, chopped
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. sour cream
2 T. apricot preserves
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/8. pepper
8 slices sandwich bread
4 lettuce leaves
Toss together turkey, apple, celery, apricots and cashews in a large bowl set aside. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, preserves, ginger, nutmeg and pepper in a separate bowl; spoon over turkey mixture and fold in until well blended. Spoon evenly onto 4 slices of bread. Top with lettuce leaf and remaining bread slices. Makes 4 sandwiches.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Recipe of the Day
Amazing Muffin Cups:
3 cups frozen hash browns, thawed
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
14 links breakfast sausage
6 eggs
2 cups shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
Chopped fresh chives or green onions
Directions:
1.In a bowl, combine the hash browns, butter, salt and pepper. Press mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of greased non-stick muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
2.Meanwhile, cook sausage according to package directions; cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Divide sausage among muffin cups. Combine the eggs, cheese and bell pepper. Spoon over sausage. Sprinkle with chives. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until set.
PublishAmerica Presents From Screams to Whispers by Joseph Williams
Frederick, MD May 16, 2013 -- PublishAmerica is proud to present From Screams to Whispers by Winchester, Virginia author Joseph Williams.
This masterfully written book is a story of someone very close to the author, and her journey through some horrific events. This is an inside look at what a victim feels like; what they go through; why they feel the way they do; how it isn’t easy for them to just forget, or let go of the pain, nightmares, and torment.
“Even after, sometimes like in my wife’s case, many years after, it still haunts her how she couldn’t get away from her tormenters even long after they hurt her,” Williams explained. “This is a look inside what it’s been like for her. It hasn’t been easy. My hopes are that you find her special, just as I do. Because what she has had to overcome hasn’t been easy. So open the pages and take a journey with us into her life, her story.”
PublishAmerica is the home of almost 50,000 talented authors. PublishAmerica is a traditional publishing company whose primary goal is to encourage and promote the works of new, previously undiscovered writers. Like more mainstream publishers, PublishAmerica pays its authors advances and royalties and makes its books available through all bookstores. PublishAmerica offers a distinctly personal, supportive alternative to vanity presses and less accessible publishers.
Visit us online at http://www.facebook.com/publishamerica.publisher and www.publishamerica.com.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Recipe of the Day
Blue Cheese Stuffed Strawberries:
Prep/Total Time: 25 min.
Yield: 16 Servings
15 10 25
Ingredients
•1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
•3 ounces fat-free cream cheese
•2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
•16 fresh strawberries
•3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans, toasted
Directions
•Place vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in blue cheese. Remove stems and scoop out centers from strawberries; fill each with about 2 teaspoons cheese mixture. Sprinkle pecans over filling, pressing lightly. Chill until serving. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Yield: 16 appetizers.
Sermon for the Week
God’s Gracious Leading
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I
will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which
have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest
they come near unto thee (Psalm 32:8-9).
The psalm from which
our text is taken reflects the joy of soul enjoyed by one who has been
delivered from the power and the guilt of sin. We need to see our text in
context to fully understand what the Lord is teaching us. Notice verses 1 and
2: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose
spirit there is no guile.” This psalm dwells on a man who has struggled over
the power of sin and who has experienced salvation and deliverance from sin. It
talks about a man who has understood the work of regeneration and the new
creation in the heart.
When our faith is
tried over whether we are delivered from the guilt of sin, we must answer our
conscience by asking, am I delivered from the love of sin? If you and I have
not been delivered from the love of sin, we must not claim that we have been
delivered from the guilt of sin, because the Lord does not grant pardon and
seal it to your soul before He delivers you from loving the sin you are asking
to be pardoned from. How can you ever say you have remorse over a sin you
cherish and love? That soul has been cleansed from the pollution of sin as well
as from the guilt of sin if it has been cleansed at all. Sin cannot be covered
in a heart that still loves it. The Lord does not impugn iniquity over those
who have true remorse over sin.
A child who has been severely
burned will not play with fire, and a sinner who has been scorched by sin
trembles at even a distant approach to the flame. Do you think that David could
likely covet a woman after Nathan told him, “Thou art the man.” I want you to
picture David, when he said in 2 Samuel 18:33: “O my son Absalom, my son, my
son Absalom! would God I had died for thee.” David saw that it was for his sin
that Absalom died. Do you think that his heart could be attracted to a naked
woman any more? I think he would close his eyes and cover them to guard his heart
from lusting after the flesh. He had been scorched. He had seen the sinfulness
of sin. Then he would fear sin.
Isaiah 66:2 says: “For all those things hath mine hand
made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I
look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” This is not a slavish fear, but a holy awe and reverence for His Word.
This is what David was speaking about when he talked of those in whose spirit
is no guile. The Lord has taken them through that process of cleansing.
David had just
experienced a great deliverance from sin that crushed his soul as he confessed
in Psalm 32:3-5: “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring
all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is
turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and
mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the
LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” When we really learn
to see the sinfulness of sin, then we can acknowledge our sin before the Lord
in true remorse. This is the man whose words we see in our text.
As David sings the
songs of deliverance, he also expresses his dependence upon God’s preserving
care to keep him from the snares of the wicked and from sin. We read in verses
6 and 7: “For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when
thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come
nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble;
thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.”
For what? For what we
read in the previous verse: “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity
have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and
thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” Then David says, “For this….,” to have
our iniquities forgiven in the precious blood of Christ. We have learned to see
the sinfulness of it, and we have learned how the guilt of that sin starts to
weigh upon our hearts. Yet the heart can be delivered not only from the guilt
of sin, but from sin. Then we can sing songs about our deliverance from sin.
The Israelites could
sing the song of Moses at the Red Sea, but they still had to go through the
wilderness, and many times they became as the horse and the mule that needed to
be held “with bit and bridle.” This now becomes the emphasis of our text. David
understood being delivered from sin, from the power of sin. Not only do we want
to walk in the ways of the Lord, but we don’t want to do it begrudgingly so the
Lord has to use His chastening hand to keep us in His way.
This brings us to the
blessed assurance, but also the admonition of our text in Psalm 32:8-9: “I will
instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee
with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no
understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come
near unto thee.” When the Lord guides us, we must not act as those who have no
understanding. Don’t trample on what the Lord has given you in the way of
instruction and the understanding He has given you. When you do, you are
beckoning for the chastening hand of the Lord.
We read in Hebrews 10:26 about sinning
willfully after having received knowledge. “For if we
sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” The Lord tells us that after we have
been instructed, don’t rebel against Him. That is what happened to the children
of Israel, and many of them perished in the wilderness.
For our first point,
let’s consider the privilege to be sought.
For our second point,
let’s consider a character to be avoided.
For our third point,
let’s consider the blessedness of such freedom from the bit and bridle, that
is, the need of God’s chastisements to compel obedience—being guided by the eye
of God.
First, let’s consider
that the privilege of being guided by the Lord is a great privilege we must
earnestly seek after.
Psalm 32:8 speaks of
guidance of three different natures: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”
Our text says, “I will
instruct thee,” which implies that intellectually we must obtain a knowledge of
God’s ways in our mind to acknowledge the truth. We must go to school and
learn. We must have an understanding of God and His Word. We must understand
the nature of sin. We must understand the nature and character of God. We gain
this through the instruction of God. Intellectually, we must obtain a knowledge
of God’s ways in our minds so we are able to acknowledge the truth. He will
cause us to understand sin and the sinfulness of sin, and the nature of sin,
and what it takes to be delivered from it.
We see that there is a
need of acknowledging the truth as we read in Titus 1:1: “Paul, a servant of
God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and
the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.”
We must understand
with our hearts and our minds the distinction between godliness and
ungodliness.
God’s ordained way of
giving this knowledge is through preaching the gospel as we see in verses 2 and
3: “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the
world began; But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which
is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour.”
This instruction comes
through the administering of the gospel, through the searching of His Word.
This means to understand intellectually.
This knowledge is
essential to saving faith. We must have an intellectual knowledge. We see that
in Romans 10:13-14: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they
hear without a preacher?” See the essential element of having knowledge, of being
instructed in the Word of God. We must have knowledge to be able to believe. We
must have knowledge of the atonement, we must have knowledge of the saving
work, we must have knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and His precious blood to
wash us from our sins. We must have knowledge of our sins and how they have
separated us from God, to see our need of a Saviour. We need the preaching of
the gospel to instruct us in the ways of the Lord.
You and I can study
the Word of God, but God’s ordained way of coming to a saving knowledge of the
gospel is under the administration of the Word. I’m not saying that God does
not occasionally make exceptions to His own ordained way, but we must know that
we don’t just stay at home and have Bible study and think that on our own we
will come to a knowledge of the truth.
God bestows honor upon
His ordained way by sending those whom He has instructed to instruct. After He
has instructed His own servants, He ordains them to go forth and minister His
Word to His church. This is the first form of teaching.
We read in Acts
9:10-11, 15: “And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and
to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here,
Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called
Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus:
for, behold, he prayeth…. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a
chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the
children of Israel.”
The Lord sent an
instructor to the apostle Paul. It was a man of the Lord’s choosing, and the
Lord sent him to a specific street and a specific man, who was specifically
identified. The Lord gave him the message to proclaim. The Lord could have
spoken to Paul directly and said, “Paul, I am going to have you do this and
this.” Yet, it is the ordained way for God to speak to us through those He
ordains. The Lord has ordained the assembling of ourselves together. The Lord
has ordained His means whereby He will instruct.
I found throughout my life that I could be
struggling with something all week long, and I could truly say like Asaph in
Psalm 73:17 that when I went into the sanctuary all
was made plain. In the house of God, in His ordained way, under the
proclamation of the Word by His ordained servants, all was made plain. This is
what happened in the case of Paul. The Lord sent Ananias to instruct him of his
commission, that he was to go and bear the name of Jesus before the gentiles
and kings and the children of Israel. This instruction we may not overlook.
The second form of
guidance spoken of in our text is “I will ... teach thee.”
There is a difference
between Him instructing us and teaching us.
This teaching is to be
taken in a practical sense, for the promise speaks of putting those
instructions into practice. “I will ... teach thee in the way which thou shalt
go.” I will teach you to practice what I have instructed you.
Turn with me to
Matthew 7:24: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” The
Lord Jesus is teaching us to do what He has told us. Throughout the Sermon on
the Mount, the Lord Jesus taught us by His sayings what we ought to do. We are
to love our brother. We should do to others as we would have them do to us. We
are to seek first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness, and all these
things will be added to us. We are to have faith. He teaches us about prayer.
We find all this instruction throughout the Sermon on the Mount. He teaches us
to put into practice what He has instructed us. He teaches us what it is to
turn from sin and start walking in the footsteps of the Saviour. Building on
the rock is building on Christ. We take what He has instructed us, and we start
observing His teaching to put it into practice.
After we have been
instructed by hearing Jesus’ sayings, we are taught to walk in them as
apprentices. If you go to school you can get a degree in a trade, but if you go
to work for someone who has been trained, you become trained as an apprentice.
Your apprenticeship is to work with one who has been trained, and thereby you
become a journeyman. You can work with a mechanic who has had all the skills taught
to him in school. But by merely working with him you can become a journeyman
mechanic. You now have become qualified to work in the trade, but as a
journeyman through apprenticeship. This is how the Lord Jesus teaches you and
me to walk according to His walk. We walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we follow our
Master in the way of the cross He teaches us the art and mysteries of holiness.
We learn this in the schools of apprenticeship. We learn this by walking with
the Lord Jesus Christ, by taking up our cross and following Him. And that is
how He teaches us.
We read in 1 Peter
1:14-16: “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the
former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be
ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I
am holy.” See the apprenticeship there. We observe our Master, whom we are
walking with, and we become holy because He is holy. We start to understand the
Spirit of Christ. You cannot walk with the Lord Jesus Christ in vanity and
lust. To walk with Him you must be holy because He is holy. That is how we are
being taught, by walking in the way.
As we grow in grace
and complete our apprenticeship, we become journeymen, that is “a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” as we read in 2
Timothy 2:15. Now we become workers. We are no longer walking just for
training, not just for teaching. We have been instructed, and we have now been
taught. Now we can be witnesses for Christ. We can start instructing by
becoming instructors and rightly dividing the word of truth. We have been
instructed in the way of God, and we have been taught by experience, and now we
become workmen.
After we have learned
the way of the cross by practical experience we can become teachers for Christ.
We read in Psalm 51:10-13: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a
right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy
holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me
with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners
shall be converted unto thee.”
This is not talking
about an ordained man of the gospel. This is a calling to every Christian.
David never was an ordained preacher, yet think of the instructions he has left
us in the Psalms and throughout the Word of God.
The third form of
guidance spoken of in our text is, “I will guide thee with mine eye.”
What does it mean to
be guided by the eye of God?
In her rebellion,
Hagar had run away from her mistress, Sarah, but when “the angel of the LORD
said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands,” in
Genesis 16:9, she realized the rebellion of her heart was naked and open before
the eye of God.
It is precious when
the Holy Spirit opens our understanding to realize how transparent we are
before the eyes of God. The angel of the Lord did not ask her where she was
going or why she was there. He just told her what her problem was and how to
correct it. The Lord had His eyes open to her problems.
After we have been
instructed in the ways of the Lord, and we have been taught by Christ’s
practical teaching what it is to walk in the way of the cross, then we
understand the words of Hagar in verse 13: “And she called the name of the LORD
that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked
after him that seeth me?” She understood what it was to be guided by the eye of
God. The God of heaven had opened her understanding to realize how transparent
she was, how that every wrong thought of her heart was naked before the Lord.
As the Lord opens our understanding to see this, it purges our heart because we
understand that we cannot even in the deepest, innermost chambers of our
hearts, imagine evil without the Lord knowing it. That becomes a guide to us.
That becomes restraining grace to us. It keeps us from evil.
That word submit is an ugly word to many people.
Until we understand the rebellion of our hearts, and until the Lord dissolves
that rebellion, that word submit is
an ugly word to us.
Christ’s journeymen,
who have learned what it is to walk with Him in the way of the cross, have
learned to realize that they are totally transparent before the eyes of God.
That becomes such a directing course. We see this in 2 Chronicles 16:9a: “For
the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself
strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” This is those
who have gone through the process of sanctification, those who have understood
that their hearts are naked and open before God. He shows Himself strong in
their behalf.
Those who have been
enrolled in the schools of Christ, that is, those whose understanding has been
opened for the instruction He gives in His Word, and have been taught through
practical experience what it is to not only hear, but do His sayings, realize
how transparent they are before the eye of God.
We read in 1 Peter
3:10-12: “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil,
and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are
over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of
the Lord is against them that do evil.”
The apostle is
pointing out what we do because we have the eye of God upon us. This becomes
our guide. Our guide becomes the transparency of our heart before the Word of
God, where we have received all of this instruction. Our hearts become
transparent before that all-seeing eye. The motivation is that the eyes of the
Lord are upon us. This is why we have to realize we are to turn away from all
evil, do good and pursue peace. When our eyes are open to see as God sees, it
becomes a guide. We see speaking evil as evil because we see what it is in the
sight of God.
God’s Word tells us in
1 Kings 15:5: “David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD,” and in
1 Kings16:25, “But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD.” What is right in
the eyes of the Lord? That is how He guides us with His eyes. The eye of the
Lord helps us to discern what is right and what is wrong. Is it right in the
eyes of the Lord? Is it wrong in the eyes of the Lord?
As God’s people
advance in the schools of Christ, the eye of God, that is, seeing as God sees,
becomes our guide and consolation. We read that David did that which was right
in the sight of the Lord. We learn to start seeing right and wrong as God sees
right and wrong. We start seeing as God sees. Pride becomes evil in our eyes.
Why? Because it is evil in the eyes of the Lord. Lust and covetousness become
evil in our eyes because they are evil in the eyes of the Lord.
We read in Psalm
33:17-19: “An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by
his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep
them alive in famine.”
We are told in our
text: “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding.” We
have been instructed in the Word of God. You have been taught to walk in His
ways. You understand what it means to be guided by His eye. You see as evil
what God sees as evil. You see as good what God sees as good. It is not good
for us to tempt God and deliberately do what we know is wrong. The Lord is open
to those who fear Him and hope in His mercy. He hears their cry.
For our second point,
let’s consider a character to be avoided.
Our text says: “Be ye
not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must
be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”
When the Lord has
brought us to this point, we understand the ways of the Lord. We have been
taught and we see the guiding eye of the Lord. We must not start acting like
horses or mules who have had no instruction or understanding.
If you have raised a
family you understand that the Lord’s children are something like your own
children: for the first, the least sign of disapproval, of a frown, already is
a strong rebuke, but the second one is not corrected by anything short of
chastening. They must be chastened every time to get their attention before
they are able to be instructed again. The Lord is saying: Don’t be this way.
Why? Because we are beckoning for the chastening of the Lord. If you have been
burnt and scorched with sin and have seen God’s displeasure with sin, and He
has brought you through chastening, don’t act like a horse that has no
understanding. You have been taught.
This portion of our
text is an admonition against unbelief, that is, not trusting God enough to
obey Him. Unbelief, as it unfolds in
scripture, means a person who does not trust Christ enough to obey Him. You
cannot separate unbelief from disobedience, neither can you separate faith from
obedience. The obedience of faith is the exercise of saving faith.
The following is an
admonition against unbelief, that is, not trusting God enough to obey Him. We
read in Hebrews 4:11-13: “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest
any man fall after the same example of unbelief [or disobedience as it is in
the original]. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all
things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
This shows us why we
must walk in obedience to God—that we not fall into the example of unbelief or
disobedience. After the Lord has taught us, after the Lord has instructed us,
after the Lord has guided us with His eye, He tells us to be careful. The
children of Israel drank from the rock that was Christ, who followed them
throughout the wilderness. They had tremendously rich experiences, yet they
perished in the wilderness, and this is what we are being cautioned about.
When you and I have
been instructed in the Word, and see in the Word that it demands of us that we
love our brothers as ourselves, that we do to them as we would that they do to
us, that we love God above all, that we walk in the ways that Christ has
taught, then we must not fall into disobedience.
The next verses
admonish Christ’s church who have been instructed by that Word of God before
whom we are so transparent, to guard against being “as the horse, or as the
mule, which have no understanding,” by lifting our eyes unto our Great High
Priest that His righteousness might be imputed and imparted to us. We will
never take one step in the way of the cross in our own strength. We read in
verses 14 to 16: “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed
into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we
have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.”
In our own strength we
will fall, we will sin, we will do everything against what we have been
instructed, even knowing how transparent we are before God. We are such weak
vessels of clay and can fall into sin, even after we have been taught. Yet,
every time we fall short, every time we allow a sin to pass through our hearts,
we must immediately lift our eyes to our blessed High Priest for our hearts to
be cleansed, not only from the guilt but from the pollution of that sin, that
we do not continue walking in it. You see, David fell in sin, but he did not
walk in sin. David’s heart never turned aside from serving the Lord.
Our High Priest
understands our weaknesses. Every time we find that we have fallen short, we
must not despair. We can come boldly to the throne of grace. That is the
solution to our problem.
For our third point,
let’s consider the blessedness of such freedom from the bit and bridle, that
is, the need of God's chastisements to compel obedience—being guided by the eye
of God.
If God has chosen to
save you, your stubbornness will not be a hindrance, but it will be a curb on
your freedom. It will bring much grief in your life. If you are a child of God,
you did not become one by doing His will. We have been brought to birth by the
Holy Spirit. I have eight children. Not one of them became a child of mine by
walking in obedience to my will. It was through birth that they became my
children.
David was a child of
God even after he fell in sin with Bathsheba and had killed Uriah. On David’s
part he would have never returned to the Lord, but the Lord sent Nathan to him.
But think of the grief David brought into his life. His children committed adultery
with his own sister. His own son murdered his own brother. His son Absalom came
to kill him. Absalom went into his father’s concubines before all Israel. The
Lord rewarded David according to his sin.
We want freedom from
this. And how do we gain that freedom? The bit and bridle are not applied
unless they are needed. Unless we fall in sin, the Lord does not use the bit
and the bridle. He does not use chastening. He does not line His children up
every morning and beat them with a strap because they are children. That is not
the way a father treats his children. A child is chastened for disobedience,
for disrespect, for irreverence. But if a child is walking with tender love
with a loving father see what happens here. Mark that word must in Psalm 32:9: “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which
have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest
they come near unto thee.” The bit and bridle are for those who rebel. They
call for correction and they get it. God says: Don’t do that. Walk with a heart
that is tender with the Lord and you won’t be chastened.
The Lord’s chastening
is for those who rebel against being guided with God’s eye. Those who keep
Truth, that is, God’s Word, shall have peace. I want you to see this in Isaiah
26:2: “Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may
enter in.” There is a difference between those who walk in rebellion and those
who keep Truth. In verse 3 we read: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” There is that blessed
deliverance from the bit and the bridle if we don’t compel the Lord to use
it.
See the contrast
between those who are guided by God’s eye through His Word, and those who
rebel, in verses 4 through 7: “Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD
JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: For he bringeth down them that dwell on high;
the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he
bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of
the poor, and the steps of the needy. The way of the just is uprightness: thou,
most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.”
What foot will tread
on those who make themselves big and proud? Those who walk in humble dependence
on God. Their feet will tread on the proud. The Lord will bring them down. The
Lord weighs our actions. The Lord observes our practical application of His
teaching. He has instructed us and tells us not to be as a horse or a mule that
He must use His chastening hand with.
God’s dear children
are just like mine. One may need to be held by bit and bridle, but another
enjoys what we find in Psalm 37:3-6: “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt
thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in
the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way
unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall
bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”
There is such
preciousness in God’s Word for those who walk in His favor. When you and I walk
in God’s favor, the world will see it. It will be as obvious as the sun. Why?
Because they see Christ manifested in you.
Our text says, “I will
instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee
with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse,
or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with
bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”
We read in 2
Corinthians 3:17b: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” There
is liberty from chastisement by walking in the ways of the Lord. The Lord is a
loving Father, and the Lord loves His people, and He sent His own Son for His
people, but because the Lord loves us, He chastens us. Because He loves us He
will not allow us to go out and destroy ourselves.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Poem of the Day
After Catullus
by Matthew Rohrer
If you, Tom, could see this inflight video map
of the world turning wildly on its axis
you would not, I think, be mad, though it is not
on paper, and that is what you do, but it is
a useful thing to see the earth twisted up like this;
it is our minds that are twisted, and you
are twisted too around a spoon, and drunk, I'm sure
by now, like me, past Newfoundland's shore
with other peoples' wine and dotted lines
to Bruxelles where I will only be
to switch planes, but you, I think, first went
there of all the other places you've been,
gobbling up the light as you went,
sending presents wrapped in maps.
Joke of the Day
Why You Shouldn't Lie
A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17."
The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. Several hands went up.
The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying."
Recipe of the Day
Rhubarb Berry Cheesecake:
Prep: 35 min. + chilling
Yield: 6-8 Servings
35 35
Ingredients
•1 package (8 ounces) Philadelphia® Cream Cheese, softened
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•1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
•6 tablespoons lemon juice
•1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•Dash salt
•1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
•TOPPING:
•2 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb
•1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
•1-1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
•1/2 cup sugar
•2 teaspoons lemon juice
•1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
Directions
•In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla and salt. Pour into crust. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring rhubarb and 1/4 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Drain. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over remaining water; let stand for 1 minute. Stir gelatin and sugar into rhubarb. Bring to a boil.
• Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until slightly thickened. Stir in strawberries. Spoon over pie. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until set. Yield: 6-8 servings.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Poem of the Day
The Paltry Nude Starts on a Spring Voyage
by Wallace Stevens
But not on a shell, she starts,
Archaic, for the sea.
But on the first-found weed
She scuds the glitters,
Noiselessly, like one more wave.
She too is discontent
And would have purple stuff upon her arms,
Tired of the salty harbors,
Eager for the brine and bellowing
Of the high interiors of the sea.
The wind speeds her on,
Blowing upon her hands
And watery back.
She touches the clouds, where she goes,
In the circle of her traverse of the sea.
Yet this is meagre play
In the scrurry and water-shine,
As her heels foam--
Not as when the goldener nude
Of a later day
Will go, like the centre of sea-green pomp,
In an intenser calm,
Scullion of fate,
Across the spick torrent, ceaselessly,
Upon her irretrievable way.
Prayer
When you come to God in prayer you come to your Father. He wants you to come as a child who is loved, who is accepted, who is cared for, and who is secure. He wants you to come in openness, in confidence, in truthfulness. He waits to hear your heart, and to share His heart with you.
Through prayer you can gather the riches of heaven and bring them down to earth...
You can delight in the beauty of heaven and carry it in your heart...
You can enjoy the fellowship of heaven and walk in it throughout the day.
Recipe of the Day
Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Yield: 8-10 Servings
15 15 30
Ingredients
•1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
•1 pound bulk pork sausage
•1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
•1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
•1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
•Separate crescent roll dough into eight triangles and place on an ungreased 12-in. round pizza pan with points toward the center. Press over bottom and up sides to form a crust; seal perforations. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook and crumble sausage. Drain; place over crust. Sprinkle with mushrooms and cheeses.
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 8-10 servings.
Movie of the week
This movie is an awesome family movie. About forgiveness, love, ignorance, etc...I give it 5 stars.
http://youtu.be/OZ1zH41xqJc
Friday, May 3, 2013
Recipe of the Day
Prep: 15 min. Cook: 2-1/2 hours + cooling
Yield: 8 Servings
15 150 165
Ingredients
Savings in winchester, VA 22601 Change Zip
•10 plum tomatoes
•2 garlic cloves
•1 small onion, cut into wedges
•2 jalapeno peppers
•1/4 cup cilantro leaves
•1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
Directions
•Core tomatoes. Cut a small slit in two tomatoes; insert a garlic clove into each slit. Place tomatoes and onion in a 3-qt. slow cooker.
• Cut stems off jalapenos; remove seeds if a milder salsa is desired. Place jalapenos in the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on high for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until vegetables are softened (some may brown slightly); cool.
• In a blender, combine the tomato mixture, cilantro and salt if desired; cover and process until blended. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: about 2 cups.
Editor's Note: Wear disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers; the oils can burn skin. Avoid touching your face.
Poem of the Day
"I'm afraid of death"
by Kathleen Ossip
I'm afraid of death
because it inflates
the definition
of what a person
is, or love, until
they become the same,
love, the beloved,
immaterial.
I'm afraid of death
because it invents
a different kind of
time, a stopped clock
that can't be reset,
only repurchased,
an antiquity.
I'm afraid of death,
the magician who
makes vanish and who
makes odd things appear
in odd places--your
name engraves itself
on a stranger's chest
in letters of char.
Your Choice!
Then they [those who rejected God] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. Matthew 25:46 NIV
It would be nice if God let us order life like we order a meal.
“I’ll take good health and a high IQ, please!”
Would’ve been nice. But it didn’t happen. When it came to your life on earth, you weren’t given a voice or a vote. But when it comes to life after death, you were!
Have you been given any greater privilege than that of choice? You’ve made some bad choices in life, haven’t you? You’ve chosen the wrong friends, maybe the wrong career, even the wrong spouse. You say, “If only… if only I could make up for those bad choices.”
You can! One good choice for eternity offsets a thousand bad ones on earth
The choice is yours!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Pain
Had a pretty rough day today...:-( These broken ribs are really taking forever to heal, & a toll on my body....I couldn't get to sleep at all last night, finally got some sleep this evening, & hopefully will be able to sleep some tonight. The problem is, no matter how I try to lay, the ribs are moving, rubbing around, & it's very painful....ugh! I hate this SO much...this constant sickness, or pain! I don't remember ever signing up for this! lol So, anyway, keep me in your prayers...I'd appreciate it.,...& just know that I have started on another book, well, 3 actually, hahaha, I do that all the time, start 1, then I get another idea, sometimes up to 4 different ideas, anyway, gonna try to get back to it, & then hopefully, get some shut eye....g'night all, & God bless!! :-D--Angela
The righteousness of God is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…Romans 3:22
Perhaps the heaviest burden we try to carry is the burden of mistakes and failures. What do you do with your failures?
Even if you’ve fallen, even if you’ve failed, even if everyone else has rejected you, Christ will not turn away from you.
Psalm 68:19 says, “Praise the Lord, God our Savior, who helps us every day.” Every day!
Christ came first and foremost to those who have not hope. He goes to those no one else would go to and says, “I’ll give you eternity!”
Only you can surrender your concerns to the Father. No one else can take those away and give them to God.
What better way to start the day than by laying your cares at Jesus’ feet?
Prayers....selfish or not?
Moses could have said, "This is my chance to rid myself of the troublesome burden of these people. If God can't stand them, why should I? God said he'd make me into a mighty nation. Yes!" But he did not think about himself. His concern was for God's reputation. That approach had power to change God's mind. Are your prayers more concerned about God than yourself? Those are the kinds of prayers that move God.
New Book
The newest book, "From Screams to Whispers", is now out & ready!! This book was a long time coming, & sometimes, I didn't think I could make it.....re telling my story...but, thanks to my husband, he kept me going.....so, it's about my life, my story...please buy!!
http://www.publishamerica.net/product52024.html
http://www.publishamerica.net/product52024.html
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