Tag Archives: sanctification

Some Thoughts On Revival 2

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If we are going to have revival we must start somewhere.  Notice the words of king Hezekiah in II Chronicles 29:5, “And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.”

Notice he is talking to the “Levites”.  He is addressing the religious crowd.  He did not go to the heathen and begin an evangelistic meeting.  He started right where he was.  He was the king so he could do as he pleased.  He demands their attention.  Then he goes on to tell them to “sanctify now”.  He was eliminating excuses.  He was commanding them to go now.  There was no time for turning back for this or that.  It is no different today.  We need to “sanctify now”.  The word “sanctify” is a primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally).  This is taken from the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

The problem is that we don’t want to be clean.  It will cost us.  We would have to give up something or somethings.  Once we have given up this or that thing then we must get cleaned up.  We have to come before Holy God and get clean through confession and forgiveness of sin.

Is there something in your life that you do not want to give up?  I hope not.  The songwriter penned the words right, “All to Jesus I surrender.  All to Him I freely give.”  “I surrender all.  I surrender all.”  Really?  Okay.

So, how are you doing?

Go With God 3

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Genesis 24:58, “And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.”

I do not know who said the following; but, it is true.  “Suffering, the gift nobody wants.”  None of us want to suffer.  Yet, in suffering we learn to trust the LORD.  It is not easy for sure.

My thought today is go with God in suffering.  We need to realize that suffering matures us.  It is not easy by any stretch of the imagination.  I don’t like it!  I have come to realize in this second half of my life that suffering has matured me into a man that I would never have been had I not suffered.  In light of eternity, my suffering will be insignificant.  I am no way there yet; but, one day I hope to be there.  With God helping me it is possible.  Guess what?  It is possible for you too.  Yes, it is.

Take a close look at where Job was in his walk with our Father.  Look at Job 13;15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”  Can you and I say that too?  This is easily said in a “Church” setting; but, much harder lived out in everyday life.

So, how are you doing?

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

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For a while we have been experiencing a stalled weather pattern that keeps bringing rain up from the south to the north.  This makes things in our house difficult.  The pressure changes are very difficult.

It is human to ask why during trials.  God is not worried about our asking why.  However we have to be careful that we do not question Him to the place of doubt.

It is the trials in our lives that mold us and make us into a stronger person.  For those of us who know Christ as our Saviour it makes us more like Jesus.  We either get bitter or better.  The choice is up to us with each and every trial.  I think the prophet Isaiah says something about this in Isaiah 48:10-11, “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.  For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.:”

So, how are you doing?

Strings

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Friday evening my wife and I watched a show on our local PBS station titled, “Note by Note:  The Making of Steinway L1037″.  It was very interesting.  I would like to order the DVD copy of the program.  I did not realize that Steinway located in New York.  That was really awesome to me.

One thing I noticed was how “hands on” the process of making one of these nine foot beauties.  As I watched each person they interviewed I hear from them a zeal for their job in the process.  It is their life.  They took great pride in that work.

I watched as the instrument was strung.  I immediately thought of the life of a Christian.  I thought how God takes the strings of our lives and tunes them to the exact pitch He desires for our individual lives.  Some strings are tuned tighter and give a higher pitch.  Others are not quite as tight and give a lower pitch.

It was amazing to watch these “masters” as they carried out their part in making the instrument.  It takes an entire year.  It is just like God because He does not get in a hurry.  God is more concerned with out character than our comfort.  I know this is not what we want to hear; but, it is the truth.  God has a plan for our lives and we must yield to that plan.  Look at Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

So, how are you doing?

My dear friend Brother Wes Gates sent me the following and I felt I needed to add it.  Here are his words of wisdom and truth.

“Note: each string has its own size and physical/mechanical properties.  One cannot replace a bass string with a high string…just wont work…

Maybe we in the Lord’s work should spend some time discovering OUR place rather then trying to copy or imitate a “higher” or lower string, most of us ain’t troubled with the latter choice. eh…”

Right on target Brother Wes Gates.  Thankyou!

You Don’t Need That

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While walking out of a photography club meeting last year I overheard a conversation between an older man and a younger man.  One of them said, “If you don’t know what it is and you don’t know where it is then what is the use in having it?”  There is a lot of truth in that statement.  I wish I knew who they were so that I could give them credit for this; but, I cannot.

As I visited a lady in the hospital the other evening I had some thoughts about this also.  I thought how life is crowded with “stuff” and “things”.  Our focus is all wrong in this country!  Drive through any neighborhood and you will see houses with multiple cars parked in the drive way because the garage is stuffed full of “stuff” and there is no room for a vehicle of any kind.  It is time to purge.

The reason I visited my photographer friend in the hospital?  She had her gallbladder removed.  It became inflamed and it was time for radical amputation.  This is exactly what we need to do in our lives.  We need to do some radical amputation of stuff and maybe even people.  Yes, people.  Maybe, our friends are pulling us away from God and not to Him.  If so, we need to have some radical amputation of friends.

So, how are you doing?

I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”