THE CHRISTIAN ROAD

THE CHRISTIAN ROAD

The Christian road is not for weak and vacillating souls.
Each day we need to boldly speak
of Christ and how His will we seek
to help set Godly goals.

While that we do, the devil tries to throw us off our course.
But by God's help we realise
that we must always keep our eyes
on Jesus, our Resource.

For He supplies all that we need to run the Christian race;
and if His Word we always heed
and let His Spirit take the lead,
we'll see Him face to face!

So do not be disheartened by the trials you undergo,
for they will strengthen you to run
the Christian road with God's own Son
while living here below.

Then one day we will hear Him say, 'Well done, my faithful one!
Come up above and sit with Me
in heaven for eternity;
and wear the crown you've won!'

Edward John Kidgell
April 2011

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Devotion Thoughts - 23/04/2011

Judges 1:1-36


After the death of Joshua the tribes acted in concert according to the Lord's directions. The tribes went to war against the Canaanites occupying their land allocations, but did not drive them out. Although the Canaanites became subservient to the tribes, they were still able to influence many Israelites away from God.


We might ridicule the Israelites for allowing the Canaanites to influence them into idolatry, but we are all guilty of similar behaviour. For example, to agree that 'all religions lead to God' and therefore we should be tolerant of other religions is to fall into this trap. As for absorbing ancestor worship into Christianity, it is an abominable practice; yet it is happening, even in some mainline churches.


Judges 2:1-9


Because the Israelites chose to not drive out the Canaanites, the Lord left them with the problem. Sexual aberrations were amongst Canaanite practices. The practise of homosexuality is an abomination to God; He abandons those who are determined to carry on with it (Romans 1:24-27). Some homosexuals have even becoming church leaders. Setting themselves up as authorities on what in the Bible to believe and what to reject, they lead many astray. We need to be on guard against such.


Former homosexuals who became born again, saved believers, witness to changed lives in which they now eschew homosexuality (1 Corinthians 5:11 and 6:9-11).


Luke 21:29-38


There is sometimes confusion about what Jesus meant when He spoke of, 'This generation' (v.32). When there is uncertainty, I always start with the premise that the Bible is trustworthy. Accepting that Jesus is not misquoted, I believe that the generation He is referring to is not the one of His time, but the one to which the signs of the end times appear. It then makes sense that the generation that saw the first of the signs come to pass will see the fulfilment of all the signs, followed by the end of the age. Taking the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 as the first sign, in our time we will see the fulfilment of all the signs. It is time for us to be ready for Jesus' return!


Luke 22:1-23


We read that 'Satan entered into Judas' (v.3). Because of his betrayal of Jesus, Judas will endure everlasting woe (v.22). Rejecting the salvation that Jesus offers freely is also a form of betrayal. Jesus having, in great and self-sacrificial love, died for the whole world, it is a form of betrayal for a mere man to reject out of hand what Almighty God has so gladly done for him.


When debating who was the one who would betray Jesus, the disciples were unsure. This was natural because Pentecost was still in the future and the Holy Spirit had not yet entered into them. Only after the Holy Spirit entered their hearts did they become rock solid and very bold men of faith.


Judas was a mercenary; the rest became missionaries for Jesus. We all have to make our choice.


Psalm 90:1-17


This great psalm is from the pen of Moses. From years of walking close to God, he knew something of God's power. I am intrigued by his reference to man living for 'three score and ten' or perhaps 'fourscore' (v.10), for Moses lived for one hundred and twenty years and was still healthy (Deuteronomy 34:7) when God took him. I assume that he was aware of being unusually blessed healthwise so as to get his job done (v.17). We, too, will be given the years and the health needed in order to do the work the Lord gives us.


Psalm 91:1-16


These are the words of someone who knew that Almighty God was utterly dependable; a secure dwelling place. This only happens through deliberately choosing to walk in fellowship with God every day.


Proverbs 13:24-25


Since the banning of corporal punishment in schools they have experienced an escalation in crime. This is another instance where godless men in authority think they know better than what God says. Those who ignore what the Bible teaches do so at their peril. Unfortunately, as a result of their sinful rejection of Biblical truth, the innocent get hurt.

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MINI MESSAGES

PROGRESSIVE REVELATION

Key Verse: 'But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'. 2 Peter 3:18
One advantage in having reached the age of 70 years is the many years of life from which I can learn lessons! There are those who, at the end of their lives, claim that they have no regrets about the way they have lived life. I can't say that; my biggest regret is that I did not allow God to have complete sway in my life from the day of my conversion. Had I done so I would not have been so arrogant and proud, so determined to be master of my Christian walk, and so sure that I understood the Bible better than others. As I think back I sometimes wish I could start again from the day of my conversion but with all my present experiences of life and understanding of the Bible. Ignorance of what an effective Christian walk is about caused me to hurt many. I wish I could undo those hurts; to have had the love of God flowing freely through me at all times; but we only have one crack at living our lives. As time went by I came to see how unkind a Christian I was. It took many years of worshipping Him and studying His Word before I understood that it was necessary for me to surrender my everything - my being; my hopes; my service - to God and allow Him to work through me. God has graciously used me in spite of my shortcomings as a minister; I can only imagine how many more people I would have blessed had I yielded my all to Him right from the start of my Christian walk. But I know He has forgiven me all my sins, so I don't have to live a life of remorse and regret. Nowadays I ask Him to cause me to live every day in total surrender to Him. It gets easier each day.
Two things that stand out as lessons from my life are:
(1) On a daily basis it pays to judge myself, confessing and making restitution for my sins where necessary (1 Corinthians 11:31; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). This is not about conducting a personal witch-hunt; I rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal to me those things that need my attention. For the rest, I live according to Paul's advice in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which reads, 'Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you'.
(2) My walk with God necessitates that I get to know Him and His Word better every day. It is a process called 'progressive revelation'. Just as a first grader will need years of study to acquire the depth of knowledge and understanding to cope with the tenth grade curriculum, so a new Christian needs to get to grips with God's word in order to grow in knowledge and understanding of His will. The speed of any Christian's spiritual growth depends on the determination to grow. The Holy Spirit will teach us whatever we need to know. Unfortunately, too many Christians remain 'infants' (1 Corinthians 3:2), not able to 'get their teeth into' the meat of God's Word. The ultimate Christian challenge is to obey God's command to love Him and our 'neighbours' with as much fervour as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). I have found it easy enough to be nice to people who are nice to me, but still tend to reject those I find disagreeable. Although not anywhere near loving my neighbours, there is progress: I'm far more tolerant and less critical these days!