Talk to Your Tears

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:5–6)

There is nothing sad about sowing seed. It takes no more work than reaping. The days can be beautiful. There can be great hope of harvest. 

Yet the psalm speaks of sowing “in tears.” It says that someone “goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing.” So, why are they weeping?

I think the reason is not that sowing is sad, or that sowing is hard. I think the reason has nothing to do with sowing. Sowing is simply the work that has to be done, even when there are things in life that make us cry. 

The crops won’t wait while we finish our grief or solve all our problems. If we are going to eat next winter, we must get out in the field and sow the seed, whether we are crying or not.

If you do that, the promise of the psalm is that you will “reap with shouts of joy.” You will “come home with shouts of joy, bringing [your] sheaves with [you].” Not because the tears of sowing produce the joy of reaping, but because the sheer sowing produces the reaping, and you need to remember this even when your tears tempt you to give up sowing.

So, here’s the lesson: When there are simple, straightforward jobs to be done, and you are full of sadness, and tears are flowing easily, go ahead and do the jobs with tears. Be realistic. Say to your tears, “Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life. But there is a field to be sown (dishes to be washed, car to be fixed, sermon to be written).”

Then say, on the basis of God’s word, “Tears, I know that you will not stay forever. The very fact that I just do my work (tears and all) will in the end bring a harvest of blessing. So, go ahead and flow if you must. But I believe — though I do not yet see it or feel it fully — I believe that the simple work of my sowing will bring sheaves of harvest. And my tears will be turned to joy.”

You Cannot Lose in the End

“You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” (Matthew 27:65)

When Jesus was dead and buried, with a big stone rolled against the tomb, the Pharisees came to Pilate and asked for permission to seal the stone and guard the tomb.

They gave it their best shot — in vain.

It was hopeless then, it is hopeless today, and it will always be hopeless. Try as they may, people can’t keep Jesus down. They can’t keep him buried. 

It’s not hard to figure out: He can break out because he wasn’t forced in. He let himself be libeled and harassed and blackballed and scorned and shoved around and killed.

I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17–18) 

No one can keep him down because no one ever knocked him down. He lay down when he was ready.

When it looks like he is buried for good, Jesus is doing something awesome in the dark. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how” (Mark 4:26–27). 

The world thinks Jesus is done for — out of the way — but Jesus is at work in the dark places. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). He let himself be buried — “no one takes [my life] from me” — and he will come out in power when and where he pleases — “I have authority to take it up again.” 

“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Jesus has his priesthood today “by the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16).

For twenty centuries, the world has given it their best shot — in vain. They can’t bury him. They can’t hold him in. They can’t silence him or limit him. Jesus is alive and utterly free to go and come wherever he pleases. 

Trust him and go with him, no matter what. You cannot lose in the end.

GET RID OF YOUR WORRY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY APRIL 12, 2021.

SUBJECT: GET RID OF YOUR WORRY! 

Memory verse: "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink: nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6 vs 25.)

READ: Matthew 6 vs 25 - 30:

6:25: Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink: nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

6:26: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into bans; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

6:27: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

6:28: So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;

6:29: and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

6:30: Now if God so cloths the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

INTIMATION:

Worry is having faith in fear; it is the high interest we pay on tomorrow's troubles. Most of the problems we worry about never happen. Most of them today, in future when you look back, will seem trivial, petty, and inappropriate to consume you and your precious time. The Lord says that there is no gain in worrying. Worry enables fear to take hold of our minds in such a way that hope can find no home. Get your eyes off the problem, and fix it on God.

Worry is one of the very destructive emotions. It reveals lack of faith that God loves us and is in control. We should not worry; instead, we should trust God, giving ourselves to Him for His use and safekeeping. When you dwell on your problems, you will become anxious and angry. But if you concentrate on God and His goodness, you will find peace. Worry cannot inhabit in the secret places of the Most High. It cannot breathe in the atmosphere made vital by prayer and knowledge of the Word of God. Worry dies when we ascend to the Lord through prayer, offer praise in His holy name, and have faith in Him and His Word.

When a problem presents itself, the worst thing you can do is worry about it. Worry robs the mind of its creative powers to analyze the problem. Jesus, knowing the ill effects of worry, tells us, "do not worry" He tells us not to worry about those needs that God promises to supply. Worry may (1) damage your health, (2) disrupt your productivity, (3) negatively affect the way you treat others, and (4) reduce your ability to trust God.

If your life's course is being tormented by worry, climb.....climb.....climb into the atmosphere of faith. Climb until you sense the presence of the living God! Climb until you feel His peace that suppresses all understanding and His joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. Climb until you feel His love and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that worry cannot live in the atmosphere of faith. You will then conquer the problem and enter the promised land of God's favor and abundance!

When faced with a problem, don't deny that it exists. Acknowledge it, but don't embrace it, for it doesn't belong in your life. Have your genuine concern for the problem and move into action. Obtain all the facts surrounding your difficult circumstances. Next analyze the facts; go through your spiritual checklist to make sure you meet God's conditions for your provision. Pray for wisdom and discernment. 

Worry is pointless because it can't fill any of our needs: it is foolish because the Creator of the universe and Owner of all things loves us and knows what we need. He promises to meet all our real needs, but not necessarily all our desires. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. Never allow your worries affect your relationship with God. It is unhealthy, and destructive!

The Scripture gives us seven reasons not to worry:-

1. The same God who created life in you can be trusted with details of your life.

2. Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today.

3. Worrying is more harmful than helpful.

4. God does not ignore those who depend on Him.

5. Worrying shows a lack of faith in, and understanding of God.

6. Worrying keeps us from real challenges God wants us to pursue.

7. Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to get rid of worry, knowing that You have given me the right to become Your son, and promised to take care of me, in any circumstances I found myself, and You that promised is faithful and will do it, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Great King’s Wine

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

I have never heard anyone say, “The really deep lessons of my life have come through times of ease and comfort.” But I have heard strong saints say, “Every significant advance I have ever made in grasping the depths of God’s love and growing deep with him, has come through suffering.”

This is a sobering biblical truth. For example: “For [Christ’s] sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Paraphrase: No pain, no gain. Or:

Now let it all be sacrificed, if it will get me more of Christ. 

Here’s another example: “Although he was a son, [Jesus] learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The same book said he never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). 

So learning obedience does not mean switching from disobedience to obedience. It means growing deeper and deeper with God in the experience of obedience. It means experiencing depths of yieldedness to God that would not have been otherwise attained. This is what came through suffering. No pain, no gain.

Samuel Rutherford said that when he was cast into the cellars of affliction, he remembered that the great King always kept his wine there. Charles Spurgeon said, “They who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls.”

Do you not love your beloved more when you feel some strange pain that makes you think you have cancer? We are strange creatures indeed. If we have health and peace and time to love, it can become a thin and hasty thing. But if we are dying, love becomes a deep, slow river of inexpressible joy, and we can scarcely endure to give it up.

Therefore brothers and sisters, “Count it all joy . . . when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2).

THE LOVE OF MONEY AND DESIRE TO BE RICH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 11, 2021.

SUBJECT : THE LOVE OF MONEY AND DESIRE TO BE RICH!

Memory verse: "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drawn men in destruction and perdition." (First Timothy 6 vs 9.) 

READ: First Timothy 6 vs 6 - 10:

6:6: Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

6:7: For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

6:8: And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

6:9: But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drawn men in destruction and perdition.

6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

INTIMATION:

Having riches is being wealthy, having abundant resources. Desiring riches is having lust, passion or strong wish for it. The person who is seeking to be rich will lose the contentment with the basic necessities of life. In their worldly desire, they will lose sight of that which brings spiritual fulfillment. Such ungodly desire makes many to do all that is possible to obtain riches. In so doing, they fall into various temptations, and snares, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which consequently, draw them into destruction and perdition. 

The snare into which they fall is the fact they lead themselves to believe that if they surround themselves with possessions and involves themselves in activities, they will be happy. Their test for financial influence will bankrupt them spiritually. However, one should never allow the possessions of this world to possess him or her. We have heard about people involving themselves in all kinds of evil to get rich. Eventually, when the reality of the temporary nature of their sojourn on earth, as well as their riches, dawn on them, remembering that one day they will die, leaving all the riches behind, they are sorrowful.

The apostle James clearly describes their situation: “But the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; it’s flowers falls, and it’s beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.” (James 1 vs 10 - 11.) Prophet Jeremiah further describes them: “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right; it will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool.” (Jeremiah 17 vs 11.)

Riches mean nothing to God. Our true wealth is in our development of our spiritual life—our relationship with our Creator and others. And that is the only thing we take with us as we depart this earth. Riches are not evil. What is evil is the materialistic heart that is obsessed with obtaining it. Some of us, in our desire to satisfy our test for wealth, have marginalized our relationships with friends, families, and others. The sorrows that they produced through their striving to be rich manifested the error of the greedy motives of their hearts. 

When one focuses his or her life on behaving after the directions of the word of God, one becomes content with life in that his or her purpose of life is not to consume the things of this world upon his or her own lust. In contrast to those who focus on gaining that which is of this world, the godly person will focus on spiritual things that will result in eternal life. In order to acquire the mentality of focusing on spiritual things, one must come to the realization that our passing through this world is too brief to focus on the things of this world. God ordained that the things of this world are to sustain us on our brief stay here in preparation for that which is to come. 

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I put my absolute trust. Give me the grace to lead a life of steadfast pursuit of Your kingdom and righteousness, trusting You to add to me all other things that are pleasing to You, in Jesus Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

FELLOWSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 10, 2021.

SUBJECT : FELLOWSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST!

Memory verse: "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (First Corinthians 1 vs 9.)

READ: First John 1 vs 3: 

1:3: that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ.

INTIMATION:

Fellowship of Jesus Christ guarantees our being blameless when Jesus returns. This guarantee is not because of our great gifts or our shining performance, but because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us through His death and resurrection. All who believe in the Lord Jesus will be considered blameless when He returns. Today’s struggles, difficulties, and failures don’t tell the whole story. Keep the big picture in mind. If you have faith in Christ, even if it is weak, you are and will be saved.

Therefore, our fellowship in Jesus Christ is our bait to remain beneficiaries of God's divine nature. Fellowship means 'sharing together.' Our fellowship with Jesus is God's ordained plan. We were called into fellowship with His Son. This is a heavenly calling. We are living under grace (unmerited favor) of God. Christ ushered in the new era of grace and forgiveness. We are living now in the “end of ages.” The Day of the Lord has begun and will be completed at Christ’s return.

But will we be committing sin just because we know our sins are already forgiven by the abundant grace of God? Certainly not. Committing sin breaks our fellowship with Christ and broken fellowship is one of the the saddest facts of human experience. Though broken fellowship does not break the relationship, but it mars it and robs that relationship of its richest blessings and benefits. Yes, forgiveness is given, and is automatic by declaring Christ as your Lord and personal Savior, and your relationship with Father is restored. But the consequence of continuing in sin is the denial of fellowship with Christ whose right it is to, or not to, restore the fellowship with you. Just as it is required of us humans to forgive one another, but restoration of fellowship between us is by choice.

Do you look forward for Christ’s return or do you see it as a threat? As sure as death itself, judgement awaits. At God’s judgement there will be no higher court of appeal should the verdict not be to your liking. If you hope for a favorable verdict in the court, put your hope entirely on Jesus. Pray today, now if you haven’t before, for the freedom and pardon Jesus has won for you. Then rejoice that God’s judgement of you will be based on the perfect life of His Son, Jesus. After that, tell others, for many will face an unfavorable judgement without Jesus.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the redemption and forgiveness You wrought for us through the Sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Give me the grace to be steadfast in Christ until His return, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

What Is Well-Placed Shame?

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Romans 6:20–21)

When a Christian’s eyes are opened to the God-dishonoring evil of his former behavior, the Christian rightly feels ashamed. Paul says to the Roman church, “When you were slaves of sin . . . what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?”

There is a proper place for looking back and feeling the twinge of pain that we once lived in a way that was so belittling to God. To be sure, we are not to be paralyzed by dwelling on this. But a sensitive Christian heart cannot think back on the follies of youth and not feel echoes of shame, even if we have settled it all with the Lord. 

Well-placed shame can be very healthy and redemptive. Paul said to the Thessalonians, “If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed” (2 Thessalonians 3:14). This means that shame is a proper and redemptive step in conversion, and even in a believer’s repentance from a season of spiritual coldness and sin. Shame is not something to be avoided at all costs. There is a place for it in God’s good dealings with his people.

We can conclude that the biblical criterion for misplaced shame and for well-placed shame is radically God-centered. 

The biblical criterion for misplaced shame says, Don’t feel shame for something that honors God, no matter how weak or foolish or wrong it makes you look in the eyes of other people. Or another way to apply this God-centered criterion of misplaced shame: don’t feel shame because of a truly shameful situation unless you are in some way participating in the evil. 

The biblical criterion for well-placed shame says, Do feel shame for having a hand in anything that dishonors God, no matter how strong or wise or right it makes you look in the eyes of others.

The reason we should feel shame is disapproval for behavior that dishonors God. The reason we should not feel shame is behavior that honors God, even if people try to shame you for it.