Reverend Is His Name

The caller asked, "Is this Reverend Thomas?"  As a minister of the gospel of Christ, I am on occasion addressed as Reverend.  However, this should not be so.  "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."  Psalms 111:9.  The name of God is reverend.  No man should be identified with such a title.  All who have obeyed the gospel of Christ are the children of God.  We are all one in Christ Jesus.  The Bible identifies us as brethren.  To use a title for one violates the concept of unity.  A title lifts one above another.  A title makes one more important than another.  The blood of Jesus Christ has placed us on a plane of equality.  Jesus has forbidden us to use such titles of  hierarchy.  Matthew 23:6-12.  The followers of Jesus are servants.  As servants in the kingdom of God, we exalt God as "holy and reverend." 

Almost A Christian

"Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."  Acts 26:28.  Paul did not attempt to persuade Agrippa to become a Protestant, neither a Catholic, nor did he persuade him to become a Jew.  Paul's sermon to Agrippa was intended to persuade him to become a Christian.  A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ.  A Christian is a person who has heard Jesus preached, believed upon Him as the Christ, and obeyed the gospel.  A Christian has been united with Christ by being baptized into Christ and having put on Christ in that baptism.  Galatians 3:26-27.  This person who is reborn is now added to the church by God.  A Christian through his rebirth is now a member of God's family.  A Christian is one who lives by the power of Christ and seeks to imitate his life after the life of Christ.  A Christian is one who is saved and possesses the hope of everlasting life with Christ in heaven.  Being a Christian is a great and eternal blessing bestowed upon the obedient by God through Christ.  Be not almost, but fully, persuaded to become a Christian and continue to be a Christian until life ends.

God's Near Judgment

"For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head."  Obadiah 1:15.  God is pronouncing judgment upon Edom.  Edom had refused passage through their land to the children of Israel in their journey from Egypt.  Numbers 20:14-21.  The heart of Edom was also full of pride.  Edom was going to receive as they had given.  The actions and decisions of life will come back upon us either to bless us or curse us.  God allows no one to go without reprisal for his conduct.  His judgment lingers near.  None escape from the deeds of yesterday.  The good which one does will be rewarded.  The evil will be punished.  All are weighted in God's balance of justice.  God's mind retains all the works of men.  He does not forget.  He only delays.  The "day of the Lord" is always near.  Upon the heathen the hammer of eternal judgment will fall shattering into pieces all works of iniquity.  As we do, so shall it be done unto us.  Upon our head, our reward will fall.

Meditate In Thy Precepts

"I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways."  Psalm 119:15.  Meditation slows us down.  It causes us to assess our situation.  Like the Psalmist, let us meditate in God's precepts.  God has delivered His precepts unto us for our good.  God seeks our spiritual improvement as well as our physical betterment.  The mind controls the body.  A healthy mind makes for a healthy body.  A mind that meditates in God's way will free itself from the ugliness of the world.  God's precepts take us to a higher level.  We are on a plane with Him.  His precepts speak of comfort, assurance, and hope.  His precepts speak of victory, courage, and continuation.  His precepts speak of purity, holiness, and separation.  His precepts speak of selflessness, commitment, and devotion.  His precepts speak of beauty, serenity, and calmness.  The precepts of God are life changing.  They are heart changing.  They are destiny changing.  And, the psalmist will have respect unto God's way.  His way is a better way, a more enduring way, and a way that takes us into the realm of happiness and contentment.  Meditation in God's precepts will take us on a journey into the very heart of God.  If those precepts are respected, we will be translated into the very likeness of God.

The Impossible Made Possible

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Matthew 19:26.  God moves in the realm of the impossible.  There are no limits to His power.  What God wants to be accomplished will be.  With God a world can be destroyed with a flood.  A sea can be parted and His people pass over on dry land.  A shepherd boy with no military experience can take down an enemy with a sling and a stone.   God can provide human redemption with a cross and an empty tomb.  Man seeks power and thinks power.  But, so many ideas and engagements are beyond his ability to preform.  Not so with God.  God empowers.  God is the Almighty.  Bathing in a river cured leprosy.  Fire from heaven devoured the water soaked sacrifice.  A multitude was fed with a picnic lunch.  Jesus has impressed upon His disciples the ability that lies within the hand of God.  Faith is the link to the impossible.  Faith is the connection to the One who moves the world.  The sin that stains can be blotted out.  The enslaved soul can be released.  The heart that is dead can be renewed.  The life without purpose is reborn.  The hopeless become hopeful.  God makes the impossible possible. 

God Or Man

"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."  Acts 5:29.  The council had told the apostles to stop preaching Jesus.  Their response was quick and decisive.  They would listen to God.  The laws of man do not always interfere with the law of God, but when they do, God must be obeyed.  The laws of men change due to time and custom.  The laws of men are based upon personal feelings and interpretation.  God's law is not subject to any of those concerns.  God's law does not change and, of course, is without any flaw.  The law of God stands higher and seeks not only the physical well being of man, but also, the eternal well being of man.  Man's laws have long contradicted God's laws.  The natural law is taught whereas the creation law is not allowed to be taught.    Certain laws reject the humanity of man.  The law of the right to choose was a flagrant disregard of the law of God and the sanctity of human life.  Man has long disregarded God's law of marriage and the home.  The assault against the family has run rampant.  Standing on the side of right and human decency will require a price to be paid.  The refusal to stand will be a much higher cost.

Yet Learned He Obedience

"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered."  Hebrews 5:8.   Jesus was the Son of God.  He was sent by God to redeem sinful man.  He was born of a virgin and lived upon the earth as man.  He took the form of flesh and blood just as you and I.  Jesus left for us a perfect example to follow.  One of the many examples that He left for us was obedience.  Jesus was an obedient Son.  Jesus followed in every aspect of His life the will of God.  God not only desires obedience, but He demands obedience.  Jesus, as a man, learned obedience by the things which He suffered.  Jesus suffered for us.  He endured poverty, rejection, and death for the benefit of the human family.  Jesus experienced loss, sacrifice, and sorrow.  The pains and trials through which we must pass were endured by the Savior of all humanity.  We walk in the steps of a suffering Savior.  We imitate an obedient Savior.  God was well pleased with Jesus because Jesus sought always to fulfill all righteousness and do all things that were pleasing to the Father. As we see Jesus and seek to follow Him, let us be pleasing unto the Father through our obedient life.