“THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART!”

 Luke 6:43-45                                                        (ESV)

“43 "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,

44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.

45 The GOOD PERSON out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the EVIL PERSON out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of “THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART” his mouth speaks.”

Recently I wrote a devotional that had a sentence in a verse of the Bible (Daniel 12:1) that said “And there shall be A TIME OF TROUBLE, SUCH AS NEVER HAS BEEN since there was a nation till that time. But at that time YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE DELIVERED, everyone WHOSE NAME shall be FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK.”  We are swayed by “the enemy” to focus on the “bad” things in life, and the “news media” (as they are wrongly identified) generally creates narratives that ignore anything “good” in an effort to focus on the negative.  

People, we have a choice NOT to listen to “this world” and the gloom and doom prognosis they attempt to sell us.  There are those who cannot SEE anything “good”, maybe because they aren’t looking for anything “good”?  If we absorb all of our information from television and other instruments of “the enemy”, we can be expected to grow what bad seeds produce....bad fruits!  A “good tree” produces “good fruit”, and a “bad tree” brings forth “bad fruit”!  

JESUS, our CREATOR, says “each TREE (person) is known by its fruit”!  How can one be expected to deliver “good fruit” when we constantly flood our minds with anything other than the WORD OF GOD?  Even listening to “religious” programming is not listening to THE FATHER give direction and WISDOM to your life!  Listening to Christian music is fine....at the appropriate time, which is after your Quiet Time.  When we are too busy to spend time listening to our CREATOR, we are TOO BUSY!

When I was a child watching my grandpa raise gardens, I was captivated by “volunteer” plants that would occasionally grow in his garden.  Those seeds were inside of the soil, sometimes from the previous season.  They produced fruit with hardly any effort.  The WORK done beforehand was reaping rewards FAR down the road.  Our hearts are like the “volunteers”!  For out of “THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART” words are used that can be used by GOD to change a heart!  Saul has his heart changed in Acts 9 by “THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART” of Ananias of Damascus.  What are you putting into “THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART” in your life, “good” seeds or “bad” seeds???

“YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE DELIVERED!”

 Daniel 12:1-4                                                             (ESV)

“1 "At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be A TIME OF TROUBLE, SUCH AS NEVER HAS BEEN since there was a nation till that time. But at that time “YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE DELIVERED”, everyone WHOSE NAME shall be FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK.

2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, SOME TO EVERLASTING LIFE, and SOME TO SHAME and EVERLASTING CONTEMPT.

3 And THOSE WHO ARE WISE SHALL SHINE LIKE THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE SKY ABOVE; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. MANY SHALL RUN TO AND FRO, and KNOWLEDGE SHALL INCREASE."”

The Book of Daniel was likely written between 540 and 530 B.C. according to some scholars.  Others claim that the book was written less than 2 centuries before the birth of JESUS, maybe around 165 B.C.  Who ever is correct, the focal passages today show that Daniel was undoubtedly used by ALMIGHTY GOD to give a glimpse of what to expect IN THE LAST DAYS!

Could you agree this is “A TIME OF TROUBLE, SUCH AS NEVER HAS BEEN”?  And “MANY SHALL RUN TO AND FRO, and KNOWLEDGE SHALL INCREASE” sounds just like the headlines on current day news programs.  When will GOD tell HIS SON to go bring HIS children home?  HIS Mercy, Grace, and long suffering are being exhibited in measures that will ring in the minds of those who experience SHAME and EVERLASTING CONTEMPT for ETERNITY!  This sickness will NOT have a cure!  

But THE CHURCH can rest assured that “YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE DELIVERED” from carnage and mayhem that grips “this world” so grotesquely today.  THOSE WHO ARE WISE SHALL SHINE LIKE THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE SKY ABOVE says that HIS CHOSEN will illuminate the darkness around them so that others will have NO EXCUSE when JUDGMENT comes.  We aren’t better than others, our EYES have just been OPENED to see that FAITH in JESUS is our only HOPE!

The JUDGMENT is a subject that many choose to not think about.  When we stand before our CREATOR and we offer anything except what HE has done for and through us, it will be a day of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth!  The painful TRUTH is that most people won’t experience the DELIVERANCE because their NAME’s shall NOT be FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK, the LAMBS BOOK OF LIFE!  “YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE DELIVERED” is our HOPE, our PROMISE from GOD!

“I BELIEVE; HELP MY UNBELIEF!”

 Mark 9:14-29                                       (ESV)

“14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.

15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw HIM, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted HIM.

16 And HE asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?"

17 And someone from the crowd answered him, "TEACHER, I brought my son to YOU, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.

18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked YOUR disciples to cast it out, and they were not able."

19 And HE answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me."

20 And they brought the boy to HIM. And when the spirit saw HIM, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

21 And JESUS asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.

22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But IF YOU CAN do anything, have compassion on us and help us."

23 And JESUS said to him, "'IF YOU CAN'! ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE FOR ONE WHO BELIEVES."

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "”I BELIEVE; HELP MY UNBELIEF!"”

25 And when JESUS saw that a crowd came running together, HE rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."

26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead."

27 But JESUS took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

28 And when HE had entered the house, HIS disciples asked HIM privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"

29 And HE said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."”

There is a song entitled “I BELIEVE; HELP THOU MY UNBELIEF” written by Bill Gaither.  The song was probably written using the King James Version of the Bible, as the words are almost precisely from the text.  The CEV (Contemporary English Version) puts it like this: “I do have faith!  Please help me to have even more.”  While I have never use this translation, it OPENED MY EYES to SEE this morning what this father was dealing with as his demon possessed son was being torn apart.  

While I have two sons, I have never feared that they were controlled by the devil, especially to the point of hurting themselves or those around them.  My sons are imperfect, as every human (outside of JESUS) is!  This man hoped that JESUS could rid his son of the spirit that had been with him "From childhood”.  This “unclean spirit” was causing the son to “often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him”!  The feeling of helplessness must have been overwhelming!  Could it be that this father saw JESUS as his last hope???

It might be that we experience trauma in our lives that seems to be beyond our abilities to conquer?  JESUS told the father of the afflicted son “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE FOR ONE WHO BELIEVES”.  Personally, my blood pressure has required medication since I was 33 years old.  Could JESUS cause it to be normal almost 27 years later?  “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE FOR ONE WHO BELIEVES”!  There are many things that cause me to Believe that this is IMPOSSIBLE, but JESUS says “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE FOR ONE WHO BELIEVES."  

LORD, “I BELIEVE; HELP MY UNBELIEF!" is the only thing that I can say about my healing from this disease.  Losing weight would probably help, but being a Brain Hemorrhage survivor would make it awfully difficult for a medical professional to admit that I no longer needed hypertension medication.  JESUS says in Mark 10:27 “With man it is impossible, but not with GOD. For all things are possible with GOD."  “I BELIEVE; HELP MY UNBELIEF”, GOD!  YOU can do anything, including saving a wretch like me!!!

“TRULY, TRULY, I SAY UNTO YOU!”

 John 3:1-6                                        (ESV)

“1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from GOD, for no one can do these signs that you do unless GOD is with him."

3 JESUS answered him, "”TRULY, TRULY, I SAY TO YOU”, unless one is BORN AGAIN he cannot see the kingdom of GOD."

4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

5 JESUS answered, "”TRULY, TRULY, I SAY TO YOU”, unless one is born of water and the SPIRIT, he cannot enter the kingdom of GOD.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the SPIRIT is spirit.”

Much has been made being BORN AGAIN, and rightly so, as JESUS said in the Gospel of John that one HAS to be BORN AGAIN to see the Kingdom of GOD.  The King James Version of the Bible uses VERILY for TRULY.  When one looks up the word VERILY in the dictionary it says “in TRUTH : CERTAINLY”.  The CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES is explaining to a learned man, a ruler of THE JEWS, that we ALL MUST BE BORN AGAIN to see the Kingdom of GOD!  But Nicodemus’ EYES were not yet opened to SEE the TRUTH, even though HE was standing in the midst of him! John 3:10 is a telling, yet widely overlooked verse, of Scripture, as it says “JESUS answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?”

The UNTRUTHS that come from mankind today are so camouflaged in half-truths that they are sometimes hard to identify.  It can take a lot LESS EFFORT to accept a lie than to dig into FACTS and find THE TRUTH!  JESUS said in John 8:32 “and YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH, and THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE."  Being able to recognize THE TRUTH amidst the lies of “the enemy” is not something that a person can do within themselves.  It is a GIFT from GOD, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-10)!  

It can be puzzling why GOD hasn’t revealed HIMSELF to more people than HE has of late, but even a leader of THE JEWS wasn’t able to SEE TRUTH over two thousand years ago.  Unless our EYES are Supernaturally opened (Acts 9:18) by the HOLY SPIRIT, we cannot SEE and REPENT (turn from) our sinful lives.  The only thing that makes me a member of GOD’s CHOSEN is the GRACE OF GOD, not because of anything that I have done, or will do!

Unless GOD Supernaturally changes things , “this world” is doomed to HIS eternal judgement, HIS WRATH!  The are many places I’m Scripture informing us about THE LAST DAYS, but “the church” is largely “uninformed” and fearful of what is currently transpiring. “On that day many will say to me, 'LORD, LORD, did we not prophesy in YOUR name, and cast out demons in YOUR name, and do many mighty works in YOUR name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from ME, you workers of lawlessness.'”  We need to be SUPERNATURALLY CHANGED by the CREATOR, because JESUS is saying “TRULY, TRULY, I SAY TO YOU”, unless one is BORN AGAIN he cannot see the kingdom of GOD."

“You shall have no other gods before ME!”

Exodus 20:3                                     (ESV)

“"You shall have no other gods before ME.””

For almost ten years I have been writing devotionals that THE LORD has impresses on my heart to share, never considering  exactly why mankind is becoming so vile.  Watching the carnage, unruliness, and straight out lawlessness currently is troubling, discouraging, and downright tumultuous.  

In Exodus 20, the Children of Israel and all of humanity were given Ten Commandments by which to abide.  The very first one is “You shall have no other gods before ME”, but I don’t know of a person who can honestly say that they have kept the first commandment, myself at the front of the list!  How many times have I/we done whatever I/we wanted, giving no thought to that which ALMIGHTY GOD was directing me/us to do!  

Romans 3:10-11 says “as it is written: "NONE is righteous, no, not one; NO ONE understands; NO ONE seeks for GOD.”  Folks, we are ALL rejected by a THRICE HOLY GOD!  Even the best human falls short of HIS GLORY.  We are unable to keep the even first of the Commandments, and yet some of us think that we will be “good enough” to stay out of hell?!?  We don’t have a clear understanding of the HOLINESS of GOD if that is the case.

Because there is NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE, confusion and despair will be the norm........without the CHRIST!  When we get to the point where “You shall have no other gods before ME”, then and only then will we be able to SEE PEACE and CONTROL!  Living without JESUS is confusion and despair.  JESUS says in John 14:27 “PEACE I leave with you; MY peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” When our EYES are opened to SEE that JESUS is GOD (John 10:30), and GOD IS IN CONTROL (Luke 12:22-26), “You shall have no other gods before ME” becomes more than a memory verse!!!  

“JEHOVAHJIREH!”

Genesis 22:9-14                                     (KJV)

“9 And they came to the place which GOD had told him (Abraham) of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay HIS SON. 11 And the Angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, HERE AM I. 12 And HE said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for NOW I KNOW that thou fearest GOD, seeing thou hast not withheld THY SON, THINE ONLY SON from ME. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of HIS SON. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place “JEHOVAHJIREH”: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

Typically I use the English Standard Version of Scripture when doing my Bible Study.  A friend who is a Bible Scholar told me a few years ago that the ESV was probably the closest translation to the original text, and GOD has used it to grow me immensely.  However, I used the KJV for most of my life because that is what “everyone else” used.  A passage that I wrote in my KJV in the margin right after my wife and I were married was Genesis 22:12.  This morning, that passage is still speaking to me!  

GOD has always been, and forever will be, GOD!  HE has always been ALL KNOWING (Omniscient), so HE KNEW before Abraham was CREATED everything that Abraham would say and do.  GOD already KNEW that Abraham would lay Isaac on the altar in obedience to the command of GOD, but HE needed Abraham to know that the ALMIGHTY would provide whatever was necessary to complete HIS PLAN!  Although “JEHOVAHJIREH” is defined as “In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen” in verse 14, a more modern definition is “the LORD will provide”.  

Abraham already had a son, Ishmael, born from the handmaiden Hagar.  So why did GOD tell Abraham in verse 12 “thou hast not withheld THY SON, THINE ONLY SON from ME”?  Isaac was the younger of the two, but he was CHOSEN of GOD as the PROMISED SON, the one who the BLESSINGS OF GOD would be channeled through.  “JEHOVAHJIREH” would CHOOSE, not the son who Abraham had because he wouldn’t WAIT ON THE LORD, but the one who GOD PROVIDED through Sarah!  

Mankind has intelligence, but that intelligence is vastly inferior to GOD’S PLAN.  “JEHOVAHJIREH” doesn’t require the assistance of mankind to complete any part of HIS PLAN.  GOD KNEW that Abraham would be obedient and follow HIS PLAN, but Abraham had to know that HE WOULD PROVIDE!  It might be that I have to have my EYES OPENED to SEE that “JEHOVAHJIREH” is STILL showing HIS servants that HE WILL PROVIDE......IN HIS TIMING???

“WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP!”

Ephesians 2:8-10         

“8 For BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH. And this is not your own doing; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 FOR “WE ARE HIS (GODS) WORKMANSHIP”, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, which GOD prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Since Ephesians 2:8-9 have a tendency to be quoted so frequently by some, it can be easy to overlook what Ephesians 2:10 has to say.  Our CREATOR exquisitely designed us for HIS PURPOSE FOR GOOD WORKS, which GOD prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  We are not stumbling through “this world” with no meaning, without PURPOSE!  

According to one dictionary, the word “WORKMANSHIP” means “the quality of a piece of work; artwork; masterpiece”!  HE designed us for a SPECIFIC PURPOSE to be USED to Glorify HIS NAME!  We are not just placed on earth to use up HIS oxygen, but to serve GOD in whatever way HE sees fit.   Psalms 139:14 says “I praise YOU, for I am FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”  

Whenever we are besieged with thoughts of how insignificant and pathetic we are, it is comforting to KNOW that “WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP”, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, for the Glory of GOD!  Forgetting that HE CREATED me for a SPECIFIC reason is precisely why “the enemy” exists, to “deceive” us into believing that we are insignificant and unusable!  Everyone who has reached the age of accountability has violated the PURPOSE for which we were CREATED, thus Romans 3:23 says ALL HAVE SINNED!  

We MUST, however, always remember that “WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP”, HIS MASTERPIECE, to be used for HIS GLORY, and your PURPOSE WILL BE made known to you in HIS TIMING!  We are ALL imperfect, and HE IS PERFECT for the GLORY OF THE FATHER!  You SEE, having FAITH IN GOD is NOT simply that HE will elevate you above your trials.  It is to demonstrate that GOD is developing a MASTERPIECE, and to let the world know that “WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP”!!!