Drifting

Main Text: Acts 27: 13-17

If we pay closer attention to nature and to everyday occurrences we can learn some vital lessons about life and how to avoid its pitfalls. The incident recorded in our text is one of those common occurrences in the life of a sailor but it is very instructive to us if we look at it a bit closer.

The apostle Paul was on his way to appeal his sentence before Caesar in Rome. Along with some other prisoners, they set sail for the island of Crete. After arriving at Crete a storm began to brew and Paul advised the sailors not to leave Crete yet. They persisted however in moving further only to get hammed by a storm called Euroclydon (Northeaster). The crew began to throw supplies, chains, and tackles overboard to lighten the ship and after many days, unable to rescue the boat, they cut anchor, drop sails and let the boat drift. The narrator says in verse 15, “We let her drive.” They had gone into ‘drift’ mode. Control had passed from them to Euroclydon.

Just as it is with this boat, many people have given up themselves over to a life of drift. They are either unwilling to fight for their destiny. Many are deterred by the adversities of life or with the pounding from daily cares, or the incessant battering from diseases, or the pressure from peers to conform, or the weariness of the Christian pilgrimage, and so they just remove their anchorage and let the winds of nature take over and take them where it will. And so many are drifting, aimlessly, hoping and praying that some by some good hand of fortune they will find safe harbor. But that is not how the life of drift ends. If we read on we will discover that this boat ended in a shipwreck. The life of drift cannot avoid waste and shipwreck. The chances of a life of drift realizing its purpose is well nigh impossible.

Are you in control of your destiny or are others forcing you down their path? Do you feel like you are being carried about by other people’s opinion, the tide of the world system, or by pressure from peers? If so, you are drifting. Of course the drifting life is easy. You simply shut down and allow everyone to make decisions for you. You need no moral resistance and no eager purpose. But be assured of this: Every drifter ends in a wreck. Soon you will hit rocks, or a sandbank or another ship.

The Bible says that “everyone will give an account of himself to God.” Blaming others will not bail you out when you stand before the Judgment. You need to take control of your life, make the decisions that are right for you, please yourself above every other person, and do the right thing regardless whether or not it is the popular thing.

If you do not know Christ as Savior you need to stop drifting and get anchored in Jesus. It is a personal decision not one for friends or the world to make for you. Jesus is able to stop the drift. The disciples were drifting on the Sea of Galilee when he appeared on the water. The moment they invited him into the boat the storm subsided. Drifting stops when Jesus is brought aboard.

 

Found at Last - The Remedy for Evil

Proverbs 16: 6: By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
 

The subject here is the putting away or expiation of evil. The language used in this text makes reference to the bloody Old Testament sacrifices that were required to atone for sin, but with an eye, as are all OT rituals, to future fulfillment in Christ, the Lamb of God who would be slain for the sins of the world. Mercy is the basis for the pardoning of sin, and truth is the guarantee of sin’s continual subjection. Mercy forgives and wipes the slate clean and truth ensures we remain free from entanglement or bondage to sin. Mercy is pardon from God to man while truth speaks to the obedience expected of man to God. But these two graces work together. Truth without mercy will honor God but destroy offenders. Mercy without truth will protect transgressors but dishonor God with unholy living. Thus, mercy without truth will lead to presumptuousness, and truth without mercy will lead to despair.

Thankfully both mercy and truth are found in Christ (Jn. 1:14-17). He shed his blood to atone for our sin and to secure mercy for our transgressions. And he offers us his truth as the way to a life of holiness that pleases God and one which will keep us at arm’s length from the grasp of evil. This is why God has appointed him the Mediator between God and men.

In conclusion, I will posit the idea that if mercy and truth will bring individuals forgiveness and empower us to live a life of righteousness, then it will do the same for society, for governments and for the nations of our world. We struggle daily against evil and crime and try all sorts of methods to purge iniquity from our lives and from our world but to no avail. Morals continue to break down and crime continues to escalate. Maybe it is time to try mercy and truth. This balm is found in Jesus Christ, and it is free of cost.

Unconscious Ministries Abound

Main Text: Paul and Silas in Prison (Acts 16: 16-28)

Ministries abound! We all exercise unconscious ministries in the simple duties of life - at work, home, school or on the playground. We are constantly preaching without a pulpit.

When people move from church to church in search of ministry it tells me they do not understand that ministry is not locked up behind a pulpit or that it is not the exclusive domain of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Every member of the body of Christ has a ministry and are sending out messages daily.

 

According to Paul, there are many ministries in the body. In Romans 12, he lists a few:

If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully (Rom.12:7-8).

How many times do we think of someone giving encouragement as a ministry? Or showing of mercy as preaching the gospel of compassion? Or that generous giving to other is a ministry in itself? We need a mind shift in the church. We need to see ministry beyond the pulpit. And we need to see it as an expression of a lifestyle, not a list of premeditated do’s and don’ts but the natural outflows from a life that abides in the True Vine.

If we are connected continually to Christ, his life will flow through ours and people will see him and glorify God. And so let us also live with the consciousness that we are not preaching only when we are behind a pulpit or in a religious setting but that we are constantly sending forth messages. And often what people see in us send them a louder message than what they hear us say. As they say, “actions speak louder than words.”

And so it that the cup of cold water that we bring to a thirsty soul, and the visit to a friend in hospital and to an inmate in jail, speak loudly of the grace of our Lord Jesus and will yield its own rewards (Mt.10: 42).

God Hates Prayers?

Psalm 102: 17: "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer"

Despise is a harsh word. If I say I don’t like someone it does not sound so bad. After all we all know someone who rubs us the wrong way – a toxic personality if you will. But if I say I despise someone people will look at me in a weird way, more so if I claim to be a religious or spiritual person. So it is all the more interesting that God, the quintessential good person, actually says that there are some prayers that he despises. Prayer and despise in the same sentence? So this got my attention. Why would God who wants us to pray despise a prayer?

I discovered that God despises certain types of prayers:

1. God despises long-winded prayers.

In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said, “But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

 2. God also despises the prayer that seeks to do evil or harm, which is, malicious or vengeful prayers.

In some religious traditions one can go to a priest and seek some potion or prayer for the purpose of doing harm to a neighbor. In the Old Testament we read of the prophet Balaam who promised to put a curse on his own people if the price was right. So King Balak paid him well and asked him to curse Israel. Balaam found out that God despises prayers that seek to do harm to others. Jude refers to this incident as the “error of Balaam” (Jude 11), Peter makes reference to it in 2Peter 2: 15-16, and Jesus pointed to it in Revelation 2: 14.

3. God despises prayers that are done to impress others.

In Matthew 6:5, Jesus said, “And when you pray, you will not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.”

So let us make our prayer time count. Let us pray according to the will of God, with sincere hearts, driven by love and humility. Then God will not despise our prayer. Rather, he will hear from heaven and answer.

Lessons on covetousness

Luke 12:13-21

The parable of the rich fool is not about being mistaken. It is about covetousness which is insatiable and is also idolatry. Covetousness can seek to overthrow God and attempt equality with God like Lucifer, and Adam and Eve. The frightening potentials of covetousness are that it leads to inordinate desires and hurts others.

Lessons on covetousness:

1. Blinds us to the fact that life on earth is not forever and that we should live with a view to eternity
2. Blinds us to the contribution that God and others have made to our success - Ps 62:10; Pro 11:24, 3:9-10
3. Leads us to an improper valuation of the meaning of life - Job 31:24
4. Never allows us to enjoy what it earns

Ways to detect the spirit of covetousness:

• When our pursuit is for our enhancement as an end in itself
• When there is a desire for gain or riches beyond what is necessary for our want
• When we spend more time on material pursuit than spiritual and eternal matters
• When we are disposed to worldliness, to be better than someone else, to have more than them, and be more popular

Contentment is the opposite of covetousness; hence it is great gain – 1Timothy 6:6.

Feed My Lambs

John 21:15-17

1. The person to whom this particular commission was given: Peter - a 3-time denier, an unlearned man but skilled in the Word. There is the need to study the Word of God

 
2. Target group for this commission: the Lord's lambs. We need to be careful how we relate to God's people

 3. The scope of the commission: feed the lambs and sheep, john 10:15-17 feed the lambs who are not yet home (unbelievers). There is the need to develop relationship with the unsaved and preach to them

There is a connection between love and obedience - if you love me, feed my sheep. The love of God constraints us.... Relationship with God builds our love for Him.