Author Archives: lrbartel

Sep 14 2016
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Devos

God speaking… Listen up!

listenUP_test6

Just a word of caution… It is possible to be near the Lord, to sense His presence, to hear His voice, and to enjoy His wonderful blessing (even in unusual and special ways) and be drawn away from the Lord – even to turn away from the Lord!  I mean it isn’t as though the Bible doesn’t warn against this!  A significant passage in this regard is I Corinthians 10:12-13: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall!  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful!  He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

King Solomon, blessed with incredible wisdom (and about every other imaginable blessing) is a case study in this truth and a warning for us…  I probably could paraphrase it, but I won’t.  Here it is, right out of the Bible!  Please read the whole thing…

“Solomon loved the Lord! … At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’  And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your sevant David, my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward You… Now, O Lord my God you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child.  I do not know how to go out or come in.  And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people… Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil for who is able to govern this your great people.

“It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this!  And God said to him, ‘because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold I now do according to your word!  Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.  I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you all your days.  And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments…I will lengthen your days” (from I Kings 3:3-14)

But here is the sad story – the tragic reality – “the rest of the story”…

“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women… from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, ‘You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.’ Solomon clung to these in love…  And his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God.  Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord.  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem… And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.  Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.’” (from I Kings 11:1-11)

How did the writer of Hebrews put it?  “Take care, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the Living God!  But exhort [encourage] one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin!”  (Hebrews 3:12–13)

Sep 13 2016
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Devos

God’s grace… Not only saves me, but provides everything I need to please Him and do His will!

amazing-grace“Amazing Grace” … the best known hymn of all time! John Newton (1725-1807) – former slave trader, blasphemer, and profligate sinner who experienced God’s marvelous, life-transforming grace wrote the song. He never ceased to marvel at God’s great, generous, undeserved favor! If you’ve never read the book, “John Newton” by Jonathan Aitken, you really should… My quote after reading the book: “If God can save John Newton, he can save ANYONE!”

Grace brings salvation to undeserving sinners (and we ALL are sinners! Romans 3:23-25)! But it does MORE… It teaches – It trains us how to live our lives as Christ followers! It enables us to live righteous, godly lives, for the Lord in any and every age, culture and situation! It sustains us in “our blessed hope” as we wait for the Lord’s coming!

So you see, grace is not only what we get from God that we don’t deserve – it’s also EVERYTHING He freely gives us that we desperately need in order to do His will and please Him! … EVERYTHING!!! Wow!!! Hey, It’s grace from beginning to end!
I read about it this morning in the Bible during “coffee with the Lord!”

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works!” (Titus 2:11-14 ESV)

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.

“’Twas Grace that taught,
my heart to fear.
And grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear,
the hour I first believed.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come.
‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead us home.

“The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
as long as life endures.

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,
than when we first begun.”

John Newton – Traditional

Sep 12 2016
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Devos

“Sound doctrine” … What’s included anyway?

sound-doctrine
Apostle Paul in his advice to Titus, who was leading the church in Crete, emphasized the importance of “Sound doctrine.”
 
Usually that term is associated with orthodox doctrine – things the Church through the centuries has believed about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, sanctification, and other theological themes. Some of them have big, high-fluting, terms: Christology, pneumatology, soteriology, anthropology, hamartiology, angiology, eschatology, to name just a few. It is often Intimidating, sounds stuffy, and tends to communicate that “sound doctrine” is out of the reach of the average person!
 
That, however, is NOT how the Bible uses the term “sound doctrine!” To be sure, the core beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, and our future as Christians are all included… But it should be noted that Jesus never resorted to technical sounding terminology to communicate the truth of the “Gospel!” And Apostle Paul in writing to Titus, didn’t either when He talked about “sound doctrine.”
 
I read about it this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord”… It was the stuff of practical Christian living in a work-a-day world! It had to do being a consistent Christian, a faithful spouse, raising kids, being a godly-good neighbor, paying your bills, doing good, watching your mouth, being an employee with integrity… that was “sound doctrine!”
 
Doubt it? Here, read it for yourself!
 
“But as for you, TEACH WHAT ACCORDS WITH SOUND DOCTRINE. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, SO THAT IN EVERYTHING WE MAY ADORN THE DOCTRINE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR!” (Titus 2:1–10 ESV)
 
Believe me, that’s the kind of “sound doctrine” I was to exhibit! Don’t get me wrong, I want to believe what the Bible teaches about the other things – that’s really important. But I want to “adorn the doctrine of God my Savior” with practical Christian living as well!
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