A lamp for my feet!

(J.R. Miller)  LISTEN to audio!  Download audio

(You will find it helpful to listen to the audio above, as you read the text below.)

“Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105

God’s Word is represented as a lamp for the feet.

It is a “lamp”–not a blazing sun, nor even a lighthouse–but a plain, common lamp or lantern which one can carry about in the hand.

It is a lamp “for the feet,” not throwing its beams afar, not illumining a hemisphere–but shining only on the one little bit of road on which the pilgrim’s feet are walking.

The law of divine guidance is, “Step by step”. One who carries a lantern on a country-road at night, sees only one step before him. If he takes that step, he carries his lantern forward, and thus makes another step plain. At length he reaches his destination in safety, without once stepping into darkness. The whole way has been made light for him, though only a single step of it at a time. This illustrates the usual method of God’s guidance.

If this is the way God guides, it ought never to be hard for us to find our duty. It never lies far away, inaccessible to us–but is always near. It never lies out of our sight, in the darkness, for God never puts our duty where we cannot see it. The thing that we think may be our duty, but which is still lying in obscurity and uncertainty–is not our duty yet, whatever it may be a little farther on. The duty for the very moment is always clear, and that is as far as we need concern ourselves; for when we do the little that is clear, we will carry the light on, and it will shine on the next moment’s step.

Jesus said, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness.” Prompt, unquestioning, undoubting following of Christ–takes all the perplexity out of Christian life and gives unbroken peace. There never is a moment without its duty; and if we are living near to Christ and following Him closely, we shall never be left in ignorance of what He wants us to do.

Our daily prayer should be, “Direct my footsteps according to Your Word; let no sin rule over me.” Psalm 119:133

found on The Whole Armour Of God

Glorifying God

Glorifying God goes beyond just attending a worship service once a week in a church building. It’s a mindset. A lifestyle. A responsibility in every relationship.

Think about the situations and experiences in which God is glorified through our daily lives.

#1 We glorify God by our good works.

In Jesus’ Mountain message he urged His followers to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” In doing so, He said others will see “your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Little acts of kindness and deeds of service don’t go unnoticed either by those who are recipients of our ministry or by the Lord. A kind word. An encouraging note. A phone call. A text message. A lawn mowed. A meal served. Or even a simple cup of cold water (Mt. 10:42) glorifies God.

#2 We glorify God through our moral purity.

In a world gone mad with lust, license, and self-gratification, Christians view morality and sexual relationships differently. After admonishing the Corinthian brethren to “Flee sexual immorality,” Paul offered this rationale. “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:18-20).

When we resist being squeezed into the world’s mold of morality and be spiritually transformed, we glorify God (Rom. 12:1-2). When we refuse to run with the wild crowd pursuing a life of debauchery and dissipation, they may think it strange, but our choice glorifies God (1 Pet.4:1-4).

#3 We glorify God when we behave honorably even when we’re slandered for our faith.

Peter says that even evildoers, while they wrongfully accuse us, can “see our good deeds and glorify God” (1 Pet. 2:11-12). When we suffer persecution, abuse, and ridicule for our religious convictions, without retaliation or revenge, we glorify God.

#4 We glorify God in our professions, jobs, and occupations.

Not everyone has a professional platform like Derek Carr to express their faith. You’re probably not going to be interviewed by Fox News or CNN at your workplace, or job site. But you can glorify God in the quality and excellence of your work.

Even slaves in New Testament times were commanded to work not with “eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man” (Eph. 6:5-8).

Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed this idea eloquently when he said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. ‘”

Today, tomorrow, and this week, remember each day and in every way, you and I are called to glorify God.

Anne Graham Lotz was right when she wrote, “Our ultimate aim in life is not to be healthy, wealthy, prosperous, or problem-free. Our ultimate aim in life is to bring glory to God.”

from ThePreachersWord

The Blessings of Inadequacy

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 ⁴ We can say these things because of our faith in God through Christ. ⁵ We know we are not able in ourselves to do any of this work. God makes us able to do these things. ⁶ God is the One Who made us preachers of a New Way of Worship. This New Way of Worship is not of the Law. It is of the Holy Spirit. The Law brings death, but the Holy Spirit gives life.

Have you ever considered inadequacy a blessing? Life is filled with struggles that reveal our insufficiency, and it arouses uncomfortable emotions that make us feel useless, insignificant, and weak. No one likes the frustration and fear of facing challenges that are too big to handle, but God can use them for our good. Our job is to acknowledge our helplessness, depend on His strength, and step out with confidence in Him.

Inadequacy can be a blessing since it …

• Drives us to the Lord as we recognize our helplessness.
• Relieves us of trying to do God’s will in our own strength.
• Motivates us to live in the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Provides opportunity for God to demonstrate His power.
• Humbles our pride.
• Allows Christ to receive all the glory.
• Produces peace as we rely on Him.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers have the ability to endure difficulty and accomplish whatever the Lord calls them to do. By claiming the adequacy of Christ, we can face every circumstance with confidence—not in ourselves but in God, who is totally capable.

Is the Bible Just Another Book?

 

A Broadcast with Steven Lawson Why do Christians believe that Scripture is the Word of God? Today, Steven Lawson sets forth several stirring reasons why it is impossible for the Bible to be “just another book.” LISTEN NOW

The Bible

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12  Numerous anecdotal examples have been recorded of pairs of individuals—twins, spouses, best friends—being able to “finish one another’s sentences.” That is, they know each other so well that one person knows what the other is going to say or is thinking.

Even more remarkable is the existence of a Book that is able to discern “the thoughts and intents of the heart.” That book being the Bible, of course. How is the Bible able to speak to the deepest parts of our being? Because it is a living Book. Not the pages or ink, but the words and messages of the Bible as the Holy Spirit applies them to our heart. That’s why it is so important to prayerfully read the Bible, asking the Spirit of God to show us how to conform our life to God’s righteous and holy character. Reading the Bible is not like reading any other book in the world. It’s the only Book able to conform us to the image of its Author. The Bible was the only book Jesus ever quoted. Leon Morris by Dr. Jeremiah

Forever Home

 Revelation 21-22 21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away. There was no more sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. It was made ready like a bride is made ready for her husband. ³ I heard a loud voice coming from heaven. It said, “See! God’s home is with men. He will live with them. They will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will be their God. ⁴ God will take away all their tears. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All the old things have passed away.” ⁵ Then the One sitting on the throne said, “See! I am making all things new. Write, for these words are true and faithful.” ⁶ Then He said to me, “These things have happened! I am the First and the Last. I am the beginning and the end. To anyone who is thirsty, I will give the water of life. It is a free gift. ⁷ He who has power and wins will receive these things. I will be his God and he will be My son. ⁸ But those who are afraid and those who do not have faith and the sinful-minded people and those who kill other people and those who do sex sins and those who follow witchcraft and those who worship false gods and all those who tell lies will be put into the lake of fire and sulphur. This is the second death.” ⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven jars full of the seven last troubles came to me and said, “Come! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ I was carried away in the Spirit by the angel to a very high mountain. He showed me the Holy City of Jerusalem. It was coming out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It was filled with the shining-greatness of God. It shone like a stone worth much money, like a jasper stone. It was clear like glass. ¹² It had a very high wall, and there were twelve gates. Twelve angels stood by the gates. The names of the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation were written on the gates. ¹³ There were three gates on each side. There were three on the east side and three on the north side and three on the south side and three on the west side. ¹⁴ The walls were on twelve stones. The names of the twelve missionaries of the Lamb were written on the stones. ¹⁵ The angel had a stick in his hand. It was used to find out how big the city and its gates and the walls were. ¹⁶ He found out that the city was as wide as it was long and it was as high as it was wide. It was as long as a man could walk in fifty days. It was the same each way. ¹⁷ The angel found out that the walls were the same as a man taking seventy-two long steps. The angel used the same way to find out about the city as a man would have used. ¹⁸ The wall was made of jasper. The city was made of pure gold. This gold was as clear as glass. ¹⁹ The city was built on every kind of stone that was worth much money. The first stone was jasper. The second was sapphire. The third was chalcedony. The fourth was emerald. ²⁰ The fifth was sardonyx. The sixth was sardius. The seventh was chrysolite. The eighth was beryl. The ninth was topaz. The tenth was chrysoprase. The eleventh was jacinth and the twelfth was amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each gate was made from one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold. It was as clear as glass. ²² I did not see a house of God in the city. The All-powerful Lord God and the Lamb are the house of God in this city. ²³ There is no need for the sun and moon to shine in the city. The shining-greatness of God makes it full of light. The Lamb is its light. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light. The kings of the earth will bring their greatness into it. ²⁵ The gates are open all day. They will never be shut. There will be no night there. ²⁶ The greatness and honor of all the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷ Nothing sinful will go into the city. No one who is sinful-minded or tells lies can go in. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life can go in.

22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was as clear as glass and came from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² It runs down the center of the street in the city. On each side of the river was the tree of life. It gives twelve different kinds of fruit. It gives this fruit twelve times a year, new fruit each month. Its leaves are used to heal the nations. ³ There will be nothing in the city that is sinful. The place where God and the Lamb sit will be there. The servants He owns will serve Him. ⁴ They will see His face and His name will be written on their foreheads. ⁵ There will be no night there. There will be no need for a light or for the sun. Because the Lord God will be their light. They will be leaders forever. ⁶ Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the early preachers has sent His angel to show the servants He owns what must happen soon.” ⁷ “See! I am coming soon. The one who obeys what is written in this Book is happy!” ⁸ It was I, John, who heard and saw these things. Then I got down at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. I was going to worship him. ⁹ But he said to me, “No! You must not do that. I am a servant together with you and with your Christian brothers and the early preachers and with all those who obey the words in this Book. You must worship God!” ¹⁰ Then he said to me, “Do not lock up the words of this Book. These things will happen soon. ¹¹ And let the sinful people keep on being sinful. Let the dirty-minded people keep on being dirty-minded. And let those right with God keep on being right with God. Let the holy people keep on being holy. ¹² “See! I am coming soon. I am bringing with Me the reward I will give to everyone for what he has done. ¹³ I am the First and the Last. I am the beginning and the end. ¹⁴ Those who wash their clothes clean are happy (who are washed by the blood of the Lamb). They will have the right to go into the city through the gates. They will have the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life. ¹⁵ Outside the city are the dogs. They are people who follow witchcraft and those who do sex sins and those who kill other people and those who worship false gods and those who like lies and tell them. ¹⁶ “I am Jesus. I have sent My angel to you with these words to the churches. I am the beginning of David and of his family. I am the bright Morning Star.” ¹⁷ The Holy Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty, come. Let the one who wants to drink of the water of life, drink it. It is a free gift. ¹⁸ I am telling everyone who hears the words that are written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written in this book, God will add to him the kinds of trouble that this book tells about. ¹⁹ If anyone takes away any part of this book that tells what will happen in the future, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the Holy City, which are told about in this book. ²⁰ He Who tells these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Let it be so. Come, Lord Jesus. ²¹ May all of you have the loving-favor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let it be so.

It’s easy to throw away broken things, but mercifully, that’s not what God does. Rather, He’s interested in restoring this world. It’s reassuring to know this beautiful planet we call home, broken and marred as it is, won’t be forgotten in eternity.

In Revelation 21-22, we are shown a time in the future, when the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven to join a fully restored earth. And in that holy place, “the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them” (Revelation 21:3).

Our God redeems and renews all things. Why? Because He called it all good and loves it completely (Then God called the dry land Earth. He called the gathering of the waters Seas. And God saw that it was good. Gen. 1:10). That should influence how we view both ourselves and the world around us. After all, this is ultimately our forever home. Yes, we anticipate a time when sin and suffering no longer exist. But all creation, even in its incomplete, fallen state is still lovely and should be treated as such.

Think about it
• Do you truly appreciate the natural world around you? How can you do so more fully?

The Freedom of Relinquishment

Matthew 19:16-26 ¹⁶ A man came to Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what good work must I do to have life that lasts forever?” ¹⁷ Jesus said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One Who is good. If you want to have life that lasts forever, you must obey the Laws.” ¹⁸ The man said to Him, “What kind of laws?” Jesus said, “You must not kill another person. You must not be guilty of sex sins. You must not steal. You must not lie. ¹⁹ Show respect to your father and your mother. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to Jesus, “I have obeyed all these Laws. What more should I do?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will have riches in heaven. Come and follow Me.” ²² When the young man heard these words, he went away sad for he had many riches.

 ²³ Jesus said to His followers, “For sure, I tell you, it will be hard for a rich man to get into the holy nation of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the holy nation of heaven.” ²⁵ When His followers heard this, they could not understand it. They said, “Then who can be saved from the punishment of sin?” ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “This cannot be done by men. But with God all things can be done.

We may think we have no attachments that come between us and the Lord, but He knows our heart better than we ourselves do. One Sunday as I was about to preach a sermon along those lines, God showed me something I had prioritized too highly. Then He let me know I needed to reconsider the place it held in my thinking. So I was glad when the choir’s song took a while, because I had time to come to the place of being able to say, “Lord, if that’s what You desire, I want to commit it to You. It’s Yours right now.”

It’s difficult to be obedient if we’re holding onto something too tightly. The Lord wants our attachment to be exclusively to Him so we can shine His light in the world. You may have multitudes of things that God has blessed you with, but the moment any of it controls you, His work is stunted. When you open your hands, however, you allow the Holy Spirit’s power to flow freely through you.

Think about what captivates you, and honestly consider whether it also enslaves you. Is there anything you feel you could never give up? I challenge you to release the relationship or situation to the Lord right now so He can have your full devotion.

Understanding the Hebrew Word for ‘Listen’ Will Change Your Relationship with God

https://churchleaders.com/pastors/videos-for-pastors/301627-understanding-hebrew-word-listen-will-change-relationship-god.html

The Unpardonable Sin

A Broadcast with R.C. Sproul Jesus warns of a sin that will not be forgiven. What is this unpardonable sin, and how do we know whether we have committed it? Today, R.C. Sproul identifies the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. LISTEN NOW

Humans in the Image of God

by timstafford

I preached on Genesis 1 on Sunday. Here’s the sound, in case you’d like to listen:

https://www.fpcsantarosa.org/2021/09/humans-in-the-image-of-god/