Tell Him All

"And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, with very much gold and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart."  I Kings 10:2.  The queen of Sheba had come to prove Solomon with hard questions.  She brought him lavish gifts.  We have a throne to which we may travel.  And, we go there not to prove Him, but to tell Him of those things that are in our heart.  God wants us to tell Him all that is in our heart.  His ear is ready for our utterance.  We have sorrows that trouble us.  Let us tell Him.  But, also, there is joy of which we may speak to Him freely.  Fear creeps into our very soul.  Let us lay it upon the bosom of the Father.  Life is a difficult road to travel.  But, we do not have to travel alone.  For, we can tell all of our heart to God, our Father.  God will listen even to those things that we think might be trifles.  The slightest thought that comes into our mind can be related unto Him in our communion.  God bids us tell Him all of our heart.  And, oh, what a blessing is found in telling Him.

We Deceive Ourselves

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  I John 1:8.  Sin comes through temptation.  Temptation is the work of the devil.  Satan wants us to sin against God.  And, Satan tempts everyone to sin.  Temptation challenges us.  The scripture affirms that we all have sin.  Unless we admit this truth, we are deceiving ourselves.  Sin is deceptive and the worst deception for us is the failure to confess our sin.  Sin can be overcome.  Every temptation can be defeated.  However, there has been a point when we did not overcome the temptation and have committed sin.  God wants us to admit that we have sinned and turn from sin.  With God's help, we can defeat the temptation that comes our way.  With the blood of Christ, all of our sin can be forgiven.  We can follow God's truth.  We must listen to God's instructions so that we live in obedience to His will.  When we obey God in baptism, all of our sin is removed.  We are guiltless.  Let us not be deceived into believing that we do not need the forgiveness of God and the cleansing of sin that is offered by the blood of Christ.

Abiding Mercy

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not."  Lamentations 3:22.  When we consider the holiness of God and our own sinfulness, we realize that we continue because of mercy.  God's mercy prevents the consumption of the wicked.  God through mercy allows repentance and continuance.  When we think of the power of God, we understand how swiftly we could be consumed.  God's mercy allows the opportunity to do right.  God is very merciful and compassionate.  His anger is quieted because of His mercy.  His wrath is delayed because of His mercy.  The mercy of God is not deserved.  We continue to fall short of His divine standard.  We err, and therefore, God in justice could consume us.  But, oh, the character of His mercy is revealed.  His compassion is showered upon the doers of iniquity.  Turn and live is His call.  Do what is good is His offer.  Compassion and mercy flow like a river from His throne.  The garments that clothe the Almighty are mercy and compassion.  Let us not linger in disobedience ere His compassion cease and His mercy fail.  Let us run to the God of mercy and bathe ourselves in His compassion.

Let Whosoever Will Come

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."  Revelation 22:17.  The grace of God is so freely given that it calls every one to come unto Him.  The poor and the rich can both come.  The unlearned and the learned can both come.  And, all who come are rewarded the same.  They who come are one in Christ Jesus.  One is no better than another.  One is no richer than another.  All may partake of the water of life and enjoy the blessings provided.  The thirsty may come and drink the water that will forever satisfy that thirst.  The invitation of the Spirit and the bride is sounded and invites from every land and every walk of life for the thirsty to come.  What an invitation that can satisfy the inward need of all.  Only God could issue such an invitation.  Only God can offer such a hope.  The invitation crosses every boundary and erases all borders.  Come and take the water of life.  Drink from the well of eternal hope.  Drink the water that gives everlasting life.  Come and drink.

They Had Been With Jesus

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."  Acts 4:13.  Those men whom Jesus called to be His disciples were understood by the enemies of Jesus to be "ignorant and unlearned."  But one thing was clear and it was that these had been with Jesus.  Formal learning did not make them who they were.  Jesus had transformed their lives. The influence of Jesus had changed them into men of boldness and purpose. Jesus has a profound influence upon those who have been with Him.  Jesus changes attitudes and dispositions.  Those who have been with Jesus think differently and act differently.  Those who have been with Jesus become bold instead of fearful.  The enemies of Jesus were not going to turn these disciples from the charge that had been given to them.  Jesus was the reason that Peter and John were standing in the presence of these enemies.  Jesus had drawn them into His way of life and into the mission for which He had come to earth.  The world of evil needs those who have been with Jesus.  This world needs those who are learned in the way of right, goodness, and holiness.  This world needs those who will stand for truth and principle.  They who have with Jesus are such.

He Came To Save

"For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which is lost."  Luke 19:10.  This statement explains the mission of why Jesus came into the world.  Jesus left heaven and came to earth because humanity was lost in sin.  The justice of God demanded a sacrifice for sin.  Jesus was that sacrifice.  All of His lessons and acts of compassion were done to lead humanity away from sin and back to God.  The lost must be sought in order to be saved.  The devil had led humanity into the darkness of sin.  Jesus came to lead us out of darkness into light.  His glorious journey from heaven to earth was to accomplish the salvation of the lost.  While upon the earth, Jesus did not seek his own desires, but rather the will of His heavenly Father.  He made every sacrifice for the eternal well being of others.  The single motivation that delivered Him into the human form and that lead Him to become the Son of man was the salvation of the lost.  The lost cannot be saved without Jesus.  He is the only Savior.  In Him only is redemption found.  Jesus desires for the lost to be saved.

Lest They Slip

"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."  Hebrews 2:1.  The Bible is filled with statements of caution.  Here is one such passage.  The gospel has been heard and obeyed by these Hebrew Christians.  But, there was a danger to which they needed to be alerted.  That danger was and is at this moment that those truths which have been accepted can slip away from us.  Through neglect, truth can slip.  The gospel is a message unto which one must take heed.  Careful and diligent attention must be given to God's divine truth.  The message can slip away at any time in life.  In the days of youth, truth can vanish from us.  In the days of the winter of our life, truth can slip from our heart.  Truth heard and believed does not simply run away from us.  Truth slips.  The idea in this passage is that of a leaking vessel.  The material in the container gradually goes away even without notice.  Those things of God which we have heard are no different.  They can gradually leave us.  We must give heed to those things that have the power to save our soul.  If they slip from us, that is a grave danger.  For if they slip from us, we will be lost.