Bible Teaching by Wanda Ritter: Home

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"Behold I Will Do A New Thing" Isaiah 43:19

Have you heard it said, “...there is nothing new under the sun.” (Eccl. 1:9)  Yet, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said, “Look, I’m going to do something new”.  Is this a contradiction in the Word of God? 

As we are about to begin a new year in the history of humanity, our thoughts reflect on the past year.  As Christians, we must ask ourselves the question, “What have I done for Christ?”  Did we minister inward or outward?  Whom did we reach with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? 

From the December issue of “The Something Better News," I came across an article by Dorcas Aid, out of Grand Rapids.  The writer was talking about a field missionary who lives in Russia and had stopped in Grand Rapids to visit the bookstores.  After a lengthy time of browsing, he was asked if he found some good books.  His reply was the following:  “You know, I walked all through that store.  Out of the thousands of new books on the shelves, I found only 14 books that focused on world missions.  Everything else seems to focus on personal meditations, personal growth, church growth, personal healing, healing marriages, and strengthening relationships and on and on and on.”  The writer then asked, “Have we traded the noble calling of the Great commission for the fleeting pleasures of the American Dream?”

            We have become an inward, pleasure seeking people.  This is not new, as Ecclesiastes would tell us.  From the dawn of history, man has sought pleasure for himself.  Today, more than ever, we understand what the apostle Paul was telling Timothy.  “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--”  (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

            Men cannot be ‘lovers of self’ and also reach out to others.  Can they share the importance of the gospel and love only themselves. Christ left us with the great commission - “He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  (Mark 16:15)  We can only do that, if we set aside self and have care and concern about their souls.  God wants to do a “new thing” in the lives of the lost.

            In God’s Word, we find Him ‘doing a new thing’ in three groups of people.  [One] In Isaiah, he speaks of the Israelites and how he will lead them through a historical process of captivity and then return the land to them. “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.  This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.”  (Isa. 43:19-21)  [Two] In New Testament times, he speaks of converts to Christianity, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)   [Three] In Revelation, he tells us about the new heaven and new earth prepared for the over comer, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”  (Rev. 21:5)

             These three areas show God creating something new that had never been before.  Israel had been divided many times, but God promised them a time would come when the deserts would bloom and highways would cross even its barren areas.  Today, after Israel was restored as a nation (1948), through means of irrigation, desert areas now bloom with flowers and vegetables.  Tributaries of rivers run like streams in the desert.  Highways stretch from border to border of this little country.  The eyes of the world are turned towards Jerusalem. 

Christ came into this world for one purpose, to save the lost by drawing all men to him.  From the Cross of Calvary, every person who has truly believed Jesus was the Son of God, who died to set them free, was converted into a new creature.  The old fleshly nature passed away and a new inner spiritual being arose.  Only God could create a miracle that would change the inner man.

            There is one New Thing that has not yet taken place, but is sure to do so.  When the enemy is destroyed and all God’s people are with Jesus for eternity, behold, He will do a new thing; heaven and earth will be changed; will become new.  Who can accomplish that, but God Almighty, who is the Creator?  

            Today, we are still in the era of converts.   God still desires to do a ‘new thing’ in millions of unsaved people around the world.  We are the instruments to take the gift of salvation to the lost.

Time is running out for mankind.  “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”  (Luke 10:2)  We must shake off the fleshly temptations that keep us in bondage and use the time remaining to reach out to those who don’t know him.  ".behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”  (John 4:35)

            We stand at the threshold of a new year.  It may be the last year to have the freedom of Christ, as we now know it.  It may be our last year to live, or it could be the year Jesus returns.  What will he find us doing?  Will it be reading books on how to minister to our inner self or just ‘hanging on,' waiting for someone to minister to us?  It may find us with a box of tissues as we hold a big pity party.  Wouldn’t you rather be found leading someone to Christ?

At the New Year, everyone makes resolutions for self improvement. How did you do last year on fulfilling your resolutions?  Did you lead anyone to Christ last year?  Why not?  What could have been more important than that?  This year could be different.  If we all did our job, our churches would be full.

During the holidays, there is a time when all the children come home.  There may be a total of twenty-eight adults and children, but if only twenty-seven are there, it’s not complete.  The moment the last family member walks through the door, everyone hoots and hollers, “We’re all here”.   A sigh of relief escapes; they’re all safe in the fold.  Our heavenly Father feels the same way; he waits for all that belong to him to come into the fold. Then it will be ‘home going’ time. 

“He who testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”  (Rev. 22:20)

Bible Teaching by Wanda Ritter: “BEHOLD, I WILL DO A NEW THING!” (Isaiah 43:19)

Bible Teaching by Wanda Ritter: “BEHOLD, I WILL DO A NEW THING!” (Isaiah 43:19): Have you heard it said, “...there is nothing new under the sun.” (Eccl. 1:9) Yet, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said, “Look, I’...

"Behold, I Will Do a New Thing!" Isaiah 43:19

Have you heard it said, “...there is nothing new under the sun.” (Eccl. 1:9)  Yet, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said, “Look, I’m going to do something new”.  Is this a contradiction in the Word of God? 

As we are about to begin a new year in the history of humanity, our thoughts reflect on the past year.  As Christians, we must ask ourselves the question, “What have I done for Christ?”  Did we minister inward or outward?  Whom did we reach with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? 

From the December issue of “The Something Better News," I came across an article by Dorcas Aid, out of Grand Rapids.  The writer was talking about a field missionary who lives in Russia and had stopped in Grand Rapids to visit the bookstores.  After a lengthy time of browsing, he was asked if he found some good books.  His reply was the following:  “You know, I walked all through that store.  Out of the thousands of new books on the shelves, I found only 14 books that focused on world missions.  Everything else seems to focus on personal meditations, personal growth, church growth, personal healing, healing marriages, and strengthening relationships and on and on and on.”  The writer then asked, “Have we traded the noble calling of the Great commission for the fleeting pleasures of the American Dream?”

            We have become an inward, pleasure seeking people.  This is not new, as Ecclesiastes would tell us.  From the dawn of history, man has sought pleasure for himself.  Today, more than ever, we understand what the apostle Paul was telling Timothy.  “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--”  (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

            Men cannot be ‘lovers of self’ and also reach out to others.  Can they share the importance of the gospel and love only themselves. Christ left us with the great commission - “He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  (Mark 16:15)  We can only do that, if we set aside self and have care and concern about their souls.  God wants to do a “new thing” in the lives of the lost.

            In God’s Word, we find Him ‘doing a new thing’ in three groups of people.  [One] In Isaiah, he speaks of the Israelites and how he will lead them through a historical process of captivity and then return the land to them. “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.  This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.”  (Isa. 43:19-21)  [Two] In New Testament times, he speaks of converts to Christianity, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)   [Three] In Revelation, he tells us about the new heaven and new earth prepared for the over comer, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”  (Rev. 21:5)

             These three areas show God creating something new that had never been before.  Israel had been divided many times, but God promised them a time would come when the deserts would bloom and highways would cross even its barren areas.  Today, after Israel was restored as a nation (1948), through means of irrigation, desert areas now bloom with flowers and vegetables.  Tributaries of rivers run like streams in the desert.  Highways stretch from border to border of this little country.  The eyes of the world are turned towards Jerusalem. 
            Christ came into this world for one purpose, to save the lost by drawing all men to him.  From the Cross of Calvary, every person who has truly believed Jesus was the Son of God, who died to set them free, was converted into a new creature.  The old fleshly nature passed away and a new inner spiritual being arose.  Only God could create a miracle that would change the inner man.

            There is one New Thing that has not yet taken place, but is sure to do so.  When the enemy is destroyed and all God’s people are with Jesus for eternity, behold, He will do a new thing; heaven and earth will be changed; will become new.  Who can accomplish that, but God Almighty, who is the Creator?  

            Today, we are still in the era of converts.   God still desires to do a ‘new thing’ in millions of unsaved people around the world.  We are the instruments to take the gift of salvation to the lost.

Time is running out for mankind.  “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”  (Luke 10:2)  We must shake off the fleshly temptations that keep us in bondage and use the time remaining to reach out to those who don’t know him.  ".behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”  (John 4:35)

            We stand at the threshold of a new year.  It may be the last year to have the freedom of Christ, as we now know it.  It may be our last year to live, or it could be the year Jesus returns.  What will he find us doing?  Will it be reading books on how to minister to our inner self or just ‘hanging on,' waiting for someone to minister to us?  It may find us with a box of tissues as we hold a big pity party.  Wouldn’t you rather be found leading someone to Christ?

At the New Year, everyone makes resolutions for self improvement. How did you do last year on fulfilling your resolutions?  Did you lead anyone to Christ last year?  Why not?  What could have been more important than that?  This year could be different.  If we all did our job, our churches would be full.

During the holidays, there is a time when all the children come home.  There may be a total of twenty-eight adults and children, but if only twenty-seven are there, it’s not complete.  The moment the last family member walks through the door, everyone hoots and hollers, “We’re all here”.   A sigh of relief escapes; they’re all safe in the fold.  Our heavenly Father feels the same way; he waits for all that belong to him to come into the fold. Then it will be ‘home going’ time. 

“He who testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”  (Rev. 22:20)

“BEHOLD, I WILL DO A NEW THING!” (Isaiah 43:19)

Have you heard it said, “...there is nothing new under the sun.” (Eccl. 1:9)  Yet, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said, “Look, I’m going to do something new”.  Is this a contradiction in the Word of God? 

As we are about to begin a new year in the history of humanity, our thoughts reflect on the past year.  As Christians, we must ask ourselves the question, “What have I done for Christ?”  Did we minister inward or outward?  Whom did we reach with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? 

From the December issue of “The Something Better News," I came across an article by Dorcas Aid, out of Grand Rapids.  The writer was talking about a field missionary who lives in Russia and had stopped in Grand Rapids to visit the bookstores.  After a lengthy time of browsing, he was asked if he found some good books.  His reply was the following:  “You know, I walked all through that store.  Out of the thousands of new books on the shelves, I found only 14 books that focused on world missions.  Everything else seems to focus on personal meditations, personal growth, church growth, personal healing, healing marriages, and strengthening relationships and on and on and on.”  The writer then asked, “Have we traded the noble calling of the Great commission for the fleeting pleasures of the American Dream?”

            We have become an inward, pleasure seeking people.  This is not new, as Ecclesiastes would tell us.  From the dawn of history, man has sought pleasure for himself.  Today, more than ever, we understand what the apostle Paul was telling Timothy.  “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--”  (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

            Men cannot be ‘lovers of self’ and also reach out to others.  Can they share the importance of the gospel and love only themselves. Christ left us with the great commission - “He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  (Mark 16:15)  We can only do that, if we set aside self and have care and concern about their souls.  God wants to do a “new thing” in the lives of the lost.

            In God’s Word, we find Him ‘doing a new thing’ in three groups of people.  [One] In Isaiah, he speaks of the Israelites and how he will lead them through a historical process of captivity and then return the land to them. “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.  This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.”  (Isa. 43:19-21)  [Two] In New Testament times, he speaks of converts to Christianity, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)   [Three] In Revelation, he tells us about the new heaven and new earth prepared for the over comer, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”  (Rev. 21:5)

             These three areas show God creating something new that had never been before.  Israel had been divided many times, but God promised them a time would come when the deserts would bloom and highways would cross even its barren areas.  Today, after Israel was restored as a nation (1948), through means of irrigation, desert areas now bloom with flowers and vegetables.  Tributaries of rivers run like streams in the desert.  Highways stretch from border to border of this little country.  The eyes of the world are turned towards Jerusalem. 
            Christ came into this world for one purpose, to save the lost by drawing all men to him.  From the Cross of Calvary, every person who has truly believed Jesus was the Son of God, who died to set them free, was converted into a new creature.  The old fleshly nature passed away and a new inner spiritual being arose.  Only God could create a miracle that would change the inner man.

            There is one New Thing that has not yet taken place, but is sure to do so.  When the enemy is destroyed and all God’s people are with Jesus for eternity, behold, He will do a new thing; heaven and earth will be changed; will become new.  Who can accomplish that, but God Almighty, who is the Creator?  

            Today, we are still in the era of converts.   God still desires to do a ‘new thing’ in millions of unsaved people around the world.  We are the instruments to take the gift of salvation to the lost.

Time is running out for mankind.  “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”  (Luke 10:2)  We must shake off the fleshly temptations that keep us in bondage and use the time remaining to reach out to those who don’t know him.  ".behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”  (John 4:35)

            We stand at the threshold of a new year.  It may be the last year to have the freedom of Christ, as we now know it.  It may be our last year to live, or it could be the year Jesus returns.  What will he find us doing?  Will it be reading books on how to minister to our inner self or just ‘hanging on,' waiting for someone to minister to us?  It may find us with a box of tissues as we hold a big pity party.  Wouldn’t you rather be found leading someone to Christ?

At the New Year, everyone makes resolutions for self improvement. How did you do last year on fulfilling your resolutions?  Did you lead anyone to Christ last year?  Why not?  What could have been more important than that?  This year could be different.  If we all did our job, our churches would be full.

During the holidays, there is a time when all the children come home.  There may be a total of twenty-eight adults and children, but if only twenty-seven are there, it’s not complete.  The moment the last family member walks through the door, everyone hoots and hollers, “We’re all here”.   A sigh of relief escapes; they’re all safe in the fold.  Our heavenly Father feels the same way; he waits for all that belong to him to come into the fold. Then it will be ‘home going’ time. 

“He who testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”  (Rev. 22:20)

One Christmas Morning

Over the years, there were several Christmases that stand out in my memory.  There was the Christmas morning that I awakened to find the doll I prayed for and the one when I found the white figure skates.  Another time it was a pair of skis just my size and the year there was a sled I wanted.  It seemed as though each year brought delights to my expectant heart. 

However, one Christmas morning I hold most dear.  I was probably eight or nine years old.  I don’t recall what I asked for that year, but I remember it was during war time.  Many things were very scarce and sugar was one of them. What a wonderful treat it was to smell the homemade fudge cooking on our kerosene range.   There were apples, walnuts in the shell and even a few oranges in a bowl on the kitchen table. 

            I went to bed early and had great difficulty falling asleep due to excitement.  Mother had told me that Santa probably would not be able to leave much, because of the war, but as he had never failed to stop at our house; I was still excited.   I kept thinking I heard something on the roof, but was too scared to look out my window.  Dreaming of peppermint sticks and dollies, the next thing I knew, it was morning.  Jumping out of bed and running into the living room, a wondrous sight met my eyes.  Sitting across the top of our sofa, was every doll and stuffed animal that I had and each of them was dressed in a new outfit.  Even Teddy was decked out in a new hat and scarf.  The thought that Santa had dressed all my dolls in new clothes made me feel very special. 

There were other presents under the tree, like paper dolls, books, games and colors; small inexpensive things, but it didn’t matter. I was so happy and excited as I examined each of my doll’s clothes and found some of them were made of the same material as my own clothes.  How Santa did that, I couldn’t imagine.

It was years later that I heard the story of how poor we were that Christmas and my parents couldn’t afford to buy me anything but the few little things wrapped under the tree.  My dear mother had stayed up, night after night, hand sewing little dresses, coats and nighties.  She crocheted each small sweater and scarf and even made doll shoes from cardboard covered with material.

I believe that one Christmas morning was so special, because there was so much love put into it.  The care given to the tiniest detail, like the dolls having dresses that matched mine, made it a never-to-be-forgotten day.

It reminds me of long ago, One Christmas Morning, when a new life began that was God-created.  He knew his people needed a Savior.  He had known from the beginning of time and foretold it over the years to the faithful, who were expectant.  They knew God would not let them down, but someday would visit them on planet earth.  The prophet, Isaiah, rejoiced in the coming event, years before it happened: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”   (Isa. 9:6)

Not only did the Father give His gift to mankind as promised, but he paid attention to every little detail.  The Gift was called, “Jesus” and comes from the Hebrew word, Joshua, meaning, “Yahweh delivered”.   Other names give us understanding of who he was.  Immanuel [God with us], (Matt. 1:23), Son of God (Mark 1:1), Savior [Christ the Lord]  (Luke 2:11), The Word (John 1:1-3), the Life (John 1:4), the Light (John 1:5) and the Glory of God (John 1:14).  He is also called, the Water of life, Bread of life, the Door, the Good Shepherd, the Way, the Truth and the Life.  There are many other names referring to him that explain His character.  God did not give us this special Gift without forethought.

Without a Savior, mankind would be lost forever.  He would need tremendous power to triumph over the enemy.  He must always be there for the people, never leaving or forsaking anyone (Heb. 13:5).  Most of all he must have a love that would cause him to be willing to die for even the most un-deserving  (Luke 23:33-46).  He must have such perfect faith to be raised from the dead (Matt. 28:5-6).  He would deserve to sit at God’s right hand in heaven and intercede for those who believed on him.  (Rom. 8:34).

Finally, this wonderful Gift from God would accomplish the ultimate; he would return as the King of Kings and cause all of God’s people to leave the earth, rising to meet him in the air. “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”  (I Thess. 4:16-17)

There will be a time when One Christmas Morning will arrive and likely a quarter of the population on earth will have disappeared.  What will happen that Christmas following the great disappearance?  Will there still be children in churches portraying the Nativity scene?  Will Christmas carols ring out over the air as carolers wander the streets?  Will families still gather around the tree on Christmas Eve and read from Gospel of Luke?  Will they continue to sing, “Joy to The World, The Lord Has Come” and not understand that He did?

There will be those who know what happened and will spend the day grieving for what they missed.  There will be those not wanting to believe the truth, but the nagging thought continues, that they were left behind.  There will be families where some were taken and others left - what will they celebrate?  For many, fear will replace joy and instead of gladness there will be sorrow.

One Christmas Morning, in a place of indescribable wonder and beauty, God’s children will be rejoicing for The Blessed Hope will have come.  “...we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ....” (Titus 2:13)  There will be no need for Yule trees with twinkling lights; the light of God will shine upon us. “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” (Rev. 21:11)  “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Rev. 21:23)  We won’t need to hold pageants that show the splendor of the wise men.  “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.”  (Rev. 21:24)  There will be choirs of angels singing glorious songs we have never heard, “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"  Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"  (Rev. 5:11-13) 

One Christmas Morning, we will be with the Christ of Christmas, forever more!

BEAM ME UP, SCOTTIE

Almost everyone at some time has either watched Star Trek, or has seen pictures or articles about this program that first came to the television screen in 1966.  It has held its popularity for thirty years.

Why?  It looks toward a future in which humankind has achieved world peace and equality for all.  Captain James Kirk of the Enterprise made the statement, “There are always possibilities.” 

A statement like that may be the reason the program has held such an appeal for people all these years.

One of several technical items used on the early programs was similar to our cellular flip phones.  In 1966 this was a possibility; today it is a fact.  The one thing that still holds fascination for today’s “Trekkies” was the transport room where Captain Kirk, or Spock’s voice was heard from the surface of a planet saying, “Beam me up, Scottie”.  Then we would first see the beams of light that transformed into the actual person.  People in their living rooms across the country would breathe a sigh of relief, “Whew, they made it," as the outline, then the body of a crew member appeared out of the light.

For a Christian, this is not just “possibilities”, but is an absolute.  When we are obedient to God, we are constantly being transformed into God’s likeness. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  (2 Cor. 3:18)

 It is not in the realm of science fiction that we are being transformed from the darkness of the unknown, into the light of God.  We are chosen and belong to God and it is the realm of spiritual reality that we are changed into the whole person. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  (I Pet. 2: 9)   He called us out of the darkness, much like the crew of the Enterprise.  They would leave the dark of the unknown planet and suddenly find themselves in the wonderful light and safety of their ship.

In the book of Psalms, we find the writers (sons of Korah) calling out to God to send the light to them so they could be transported to the place where He dwells.  “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.”  (Ps. 43:3)  The light of God shines out like a beacon and the truth is revealed to those who are calling out to him.  Once the Truth is revealed, there is a deep longing to draw closer to God; to know him better.

Once we are transformed by the light, we must let others see it in us, so they will also long to know our heavenly Father.  Matt. 5:16 explains this.  “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  There is a light that shines from the born again believer who communes with the Lord and walks in obedience.  Like Moses, as he came down from the mountain, or when he was in God’s presence, his face shone with the Glory of God.  He wore a veil, for the people unable to look at him.  “But whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.” (Ex. 34: 34-35) 

Many of the things we see on television that seem to be beyond our human capabilities, are as nothing to God.  “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”  (I Cor. 2: 9)  Time travel will definitely be at “warp speed”; strange and wonderful sights will await the believer and the “Glory of God” will light the Celestial City. “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.  On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.  For that will be our eternal dwelling place.” (Rev. 21:23-25)    This makes Star Trek look like child’s play.

There are two ways for a Christian to gain access to this Celestial City.  The first is for these mortal bodies to die.  Now I want to tell you, that over the years, I have grown rather fond of this worn out, aging body. That’s how I feel about my body.  We’ve been through a lot together; I’m not ready to give it up yet. 

 It may come as a surprise for you to know that you are wearing a space suit; we just call them ‘bodies’.  The Bible is quite clear that we are aliens, or strangers, here on earth.  “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” (Heb. 1:13)

Even the Old Testament Psalmist believed that all were but visitors on earth. “Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry!  Don’t sit back, unmindful of my tears.  For I am your guest.  I am a traveler passing through the earth, as all my fathers were.” (Ps. 39:12 TLB)  It then makes sense that these ‘suits’ that allow us to live on the earth, are not fit for the kingdom of God.  Therefore, the old must pass away.

The second way to get into the Celestial City is to be taken up in the “Rapture” (meaning: a snatching away).  Even then, we must take off this earth suit and put on a new type of body.  This will happen much like you see the crew of the Enterprise transported from one place to another. However, it will be an even greater wonder, in that we will be changed into something better. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”. (I Cor. 15:52) 

            You may wonder what your new body will be like.  As we see in the above scripture, it will be incorruptible, meaning free from physical decay.  It will also be just like the risen Savior’s, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Phil. 3:20-21)  This means several things will happen; we’ll be able to be visible or invisible, eat food (Luke 24:36-43), pass through solid material, (John 20:26) and alter our appearance (Luke 24:13-31). 

Given a choice, most Christians would choose to be changed in “a twinkling of an eye”.  Friends, the best is yet to come; it may happen today.  “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thess. 4:16-17).  Are you ready to meet the Lord in the air, or will you be left behind?  Let us with all faith be ready to call out to him, “Beam me up, Jesus!”

There are Goats in Your Orchard!

            Have you ever been to a fruit farm and picked fruit; apples, cherries, peaches or pears?  You may have been in the southern states where you picked your own oranges or grapefruit.  I’m sure you have noticed that not all the trees in the orchard bear fruit. Some trees appear to have dried up and died; others look perfectly healthy, but have no fruit.  However, I have come across very old abandoned orchards that are still bearing fruit.

 In the northern regions of our country there are thousands of apple orchards.  It’s quite common to find deer feeding on the fruit. Farmers find it difficult to keep them out of their orchards and consequently thousands of dollars of profit are eaten up every year by the deer.  However, it would be a rare sight to see goats feeding in the orchards. Goats are very destructive. They will eat anything in sight, so farmers are keep them away from the trees.  Generally, you will find fenced in pastures where the goats graze along with sheep and cows.

Like Christians around the world, we are much like orchards filled with fruit trees, and the goats are those who are lost in sin, but are desperately looking for fruit to fill their emptiness.  There are a lot of fruit trees and many goats that need to be fed from them, but sadly, not all the trees are bearing fruit.

When we confessed our sin and asked Christ into our heart, we were appointed, or commissioned, to bear fruit.  “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit; fruit that will last.” (John 15:16)

What is this fruit we must bear?  It is so important that Jesus warned of the necessity of bearing fruit that was compatible with citizenship in the kingdom of God.  “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. (Matt. 21:43)  As you can see it is of vital importance we bear fruit.  If we don’t, the opportunity will be taken from us.

What kinds of fruit are there? : “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  (Gal. 5: 22)  This fruit needs to be visible in the life of every believer.  Why?  There are goats in the orchard and they are watching to see what these trees are producing. 

The lost are standing in the wings and keeping an eye on the Christians; the way they live, their attitudes, actions and reactions.  Do they see the Christian reach out with love, or, with anger?  Jesus was teaching his disciples about this very thing. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”  This fruit we bear is so important, that Jesus went on to say in verse 19, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Listen!  Bearing good fruit as a witness to the lost is the same as bearing fruit to God. “So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.” (Ro. 7:4) 

                Have you ever taken a bite out of a big, red, juicy apple, only to find you bit right through a worm hole and you didn’t see the worm?  You didn’t know whether to swallow what’s in your mouth or spit it out.  This is what the lost (goats) are thinking when they see the Christian say one thing, but live in ungodly ways.  You can witness to a sinner, from now until Jesus comes, but if you are not representing Christ with the fruit of the Spirit, they won’t know what to do with it.  They’ll be thinking, “I don’t know if I should swallow this or spit it out.”

In Col 1:10, Paul tells the Christian, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.”  There are many people in this world who do good works.  It gives them a feeling of self-worth and they use their good works as a way to show others how great they are.  Good works are wonderful, but where is the fruit?  Are these works done with the love of Jesus, with joy, peace, patience, kindness, or are they done grudgingly, out of guilt, or to make oneself look good.

Let me tell you this story about a king who had the richest kingdom in the world. He had a daughter, Princess Hope, who was not beautiful to look upon, but was of a sweet and gentle nature.  She had reached the age to be wed, so the king sent invitations to several princes of the kingdoms, inviting them to visit his daughter.  One after another they came from the four corners of the world.  They brought wonderful gifts they were sure would please the princess.  They bowed and scraped before her, trying to win her favor, whomever she chose to be her husband, would become the richest prince in the world.  They kissed her hand and told her how beautiful she was.  They promised to slay dragons, kill giants and do all sorts of great things for her, if she chose them.

However, none of these pleased the princess.  She knew she was not beautiful and therefore was aware that they were trying to win her hand for wrong reasons.  They bragged so much about their bravery and exploits, she tired of them all.  Would she ever find a prince who was of a true heart and would love her for herself?  In her despair she decided to dress herself as a poor servant girl and wander throughout the countryside looking for a prince with a true heart.

At the edge of the sea was a very small and poor kingdom, called “The Kingdom By The Sea”.  It had once been lovely, but there had been a famine in the land.  The kind and loving king sold all that he had to buy food for his people.  Soon there was barely enough food for the king or his son, Trueheart.

One day, Trueheart decided that he would no longer be a burden to his father, but would make his own way in the world.  He set off across the land and in time came to the great kingdom of the rich king.  He was walking down a dusty road when he met the princess.  She had become quite faint and was resting under a tree by the side of the road, looking tired and dirty; not at all like a princess.  The prince stopped and asked if she was all right. She told him she was very hungry and tired and longed for a soft bed and a night’s rest.  The prince took the last crust of bread from his bag and gave it to her to eat, even though he thought he would probably starve to death.  When Princess Hope regained a little strength, he took her to a nearby village and with his last coin,  paid for a room so she would have a place to spend the night.

Once settled in her room, she thanked the prince and told him how grateful she was for his kindness.  She explained she had a place to go nearby and would return there the next day. He bowed low before her and lightly touched his lips to her small delicate hand telling her how privileged he was to do anything he could for such a beautiful maiden.  The prince looked beyond the dusty appearance of the plain little princess and could see her inner beauty.  He fell in love with her, but as he had nothing to offer, he bade her good-by.

Alas, her heart was smitten with Trueheart and she grieved that he was just a poor traveler and not a prince, for a true princess could only marry a true prince.  As she leaned from the window to watch him leave, a rider came galloping up to the prince, and shouted to him, “Your father, the king, has been searching for you. He would rather starve than to have you gone from his side and begs you to return home to The Kingdom By The Sea.

When the princess heard that Trueheart was a prince, she cried with joy and called to him from the window.  She asked if he would wait but one day longer before he returned to his father and visit her at her home.  Trueheart agreed at once, for his love was great for the princess and he hated to leave her.

The next day following the princess’ directions, Prince Trueheart went to visit her. He thought there was some mistake, for her directions led him to the greatest castle he had ever seen.  Its richness and elegance were beyond description.  As he turned to leave, a servant came running up and asked if he was the prince, Trueheart.  He said he was and the servant invited inside the castle. He was taken to a room where a handsome suit of clothing awaited him.  The servant helped him bathe and then dressed in the new suit.  He was confused and frightened when he was taken to the great throne room of the king of the castle.  His heart beat quickly as he was led down the red carpet towards the throne where the king was seated.

Beside the king, a small figure sat quietly, her face covered with a veil, as was the custom.  The prince bowed low before the king and was more than startled when the king stood, took him by the hand and said, “Welcome to the kingdom, my son”.  The princess threw back her veil and with great joy bounded down the steps and told the stunned prince, she was Princess Hope and how at last she had found the prince of her dreams.  Prince Trueheart declared his love for her, even if she was still the dusty maid by the side of the road.

The whole kingdom rejoiced as the princess and prince were married.  The Kingdom By The Sea was in time restored to the lovely place it had once been, due to the generosity of Prince Trueheart and Princess Hope and they all lived happily ever after.

This may be a fairy tale, but a scriptural truth is revealed.  “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them”. (Mat. 7:20)  The good fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, will draw people to you. If they do not know the Jesus that lives within you, they will recognize the fruit, the true heart of one who bears good fruit. There was a time when you bore bad fruit, just like the lost now do.  Rom 7:5 says that “when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.”  Let us now bear fruit for life.  Take care of your orchard and allow God to prune your tree, so you will produce not only good fruit, but abundant fruit.

You can have goats in your orchard; open the gates, let them come in and offer fruit so good and so pure; they’ll want to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil 1:11)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY

             Over the years I’ve written several stories and poems about Thanksgiving; some funny and some nostalgic and some spiritual.  We all know why Thanksgiving is a holiday and the history behind it such as the story of the Pilgrims and Indians so what can I say about Thanksgiving that’s different?  We’ve heard all the sermons about a thankful heart and to give thanks in all circumstances. Why is it so important to understand scripturally what thanksgiving means?    

In the NKJ version of the Bible, the word ‘thanksgiving’ is used 31 times and ‘give thanks’ is used 75 times. The number of uses seems to give these words a great deal of importance.  Why should we be so thankful when there are times that nothing seems to work out, nor we see God’s hand in action in our lives. 

            First of all, we need to be thankful for all the amazing things God has created and all the things he has done; even giving life to us humans.  Psalm 26:7 says, “That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.”  Where would we be without the sun and the moon; the oceans, lakes and rivers; the green fields to grow food; the animals and birds; the fish of the sea?  These are the physical things to give thanks for.  Also included in His wondrous works are spiritual things such as salvation and eternal life; the fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”  Galations 5:22-23 

            Secondly, Psalm 97:12 “Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” This scripture is very interesting because it tells the believer (righteous)  that when we remember the Lord, which should be quite often, we should give thanks!  As a believer, I think about the Lord all through the day, but don’t always say ‘thank you, Lord’ when I do think of Him.  And yet the bible clearly states that we should.  I have a feeling if we did that; we would receive a great blessing as well as a closer walk with Him – the Lover of our soul.

            Thirdly , when we have a great need we must call out to God, the Father in prayer and supplication, which most Christians do.  However there is one key we may omit in these prayers.

Phil 4: 6 tells us what that key is, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  We may be desperate in giving God our requests, but how often do we approach Him with thanksgiving at these times.  How often do we become so involved ours or someone else’s troubles that thanksgiving never enters the picture.

            Fourthly, we must be thankful to God even when facing death because we love God more than ourselves, like Daniel did.  Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days”

Daniel just received the news that anyone found praying to God rather than King Darius would be thrown to the lions.  Was Daniel just trying to be a martyr?  No, he trusted our heavenly Father and gave him thanks whether or not he survived.  Give me that kind of courage, Lord, to give thanks and rejoice in God, the Father in times of facing illness or death.  That is the mark of a true Believer.

            So this Thanksgiving Day, when we set down to an abundant table with family and friends, let our Thanksgiving not be just for the food, but for all God has done for us from the beginning.  Be thankful for His Word [The Bible], because in it you will find everything and every answer to life’s problems.

This song puts it so well:  “Give Thanks”

Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.

Give thanks

Give thanks

THE THRILL OF THE RIDE

Have you ever ridden a roller coaster?  It might have been a very frightening experience for you, but at the same time, a great thrill.  An amusement park does not hold the attraction for me that it once did when I was younger.  I loved all the different rides, no matter how dangerous they looked; the thrill was greater than the fear.

Of course you could not get into an amusement park without it costing something.  We saved our money for the time we could go and then our rides were limited, so we relished every tingle and goosebump we experienced.  In a few minutes the ride was over and so was the thrill.  The only way you could make it an all day thrill, was to ride over and over again and who could pay the price. It’s funny about amusement parks; it costs a great deal to run them.  If everyone rode for free, it wouldn’t be long and the park would have to close.

Have you ever heard the term, “Cruisamatics”? These are Christians that go from church to church, fellowship to fellowship, conference to conference.  They just cruise around looking for a spiritual thrill and after a while, they get bored and say, “Where is the thrill?  I don’t feel anything anymore.  I’m not being ministered to.”  Then off they go. It reminds me of going to an amusement park for thrills.  When the ride is over, where is the thrill?

There is a missing element here - cost!  The ride was free, but was it?  If it was free, why didn’t it last?  If we are to grow spiritually and keep the thrill, there is a cost.  The bible says in Luke 14:28-30, "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.”

It seems as though new people come into a church or a ministry and they get excited.  They just love the Praise Team and the music.  They are so thrilled by the move of the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps what makes them the most excited is the pastor.  It may be his preaching, or it may be his vision.  Whatever it is, they are ready to jump in, get on the band wagon and go for the ride.  This may thrill them for a while, because in the short term, there is no cost, no commitment, no digging in the trenches.

Time passes and some weeks or months later, they begin to grumble and find little things they don’t like.  They’ve lost their zeal and begin to back off.  You can almost always tell when someone is getting ready to cruise on to another church or ministry.  They move back a few rows, instead of sitting as close to the front as they could.  The next move is generally in their giving. They feel if they give, they agree, so they hold back part of their tithe, maybe giving to another ministry.  The next step is they move to the back rows.  Let’s face it; they don’t have so far to go when they leave.  It just makes sense to sit closer to the door.

About this time, they hear of another church or ministry where things are really happening.  Why not go over there.  The thrill is gone from here.  They don’t “feel” anything anymore.  I guess I would have ask, “Did Jesus pack up his presence and go to another place?”  Even the Lord knew about people’s restlessness.  He said in Matt. 24:23 “At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.” Of course there is more to this scripture, as it speaks about following false gods and religions, and that is truly a danger for those who are always looking for a greater thrill.

I once heard Kenneth Hagin say, “People are so busy looking for the spectacular, that they miss the supernatural.”  They are not content with the things of God.  We were not called by God to go to church to be entertained or get goosebumps.  We were called by God to love and worship him with our whole heart, strength and mind and to love others as ourselves.  This is the cost of serving God; love and worship.  When we do this, we won’t be looking for the thrill, but as Ps.119:165 tells us, “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

There are some who when they are saved, believe that all they have to do is sit back and wait for heaven.  They forget that Jesus paid it all; the cost was great!  Can we get off that easy?  Its true - salvation is a free gift from God.  You might say that it took faith to believe; to accept Christ as your Savior its true, but there are two things you need to know about faith. 

The first is this, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--” (Eph. 2:8) Even the faith to believe is given to you by God, so you can’t pat yourself on the back for that. 

The second is, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.”

(Eph. 2: 17-20)   My friends, there is a cost for belonging to Christ.

The cost is this - we must give of ourselves; our time, our talents and our money.  Yes, God does expect us to give more than a couple of hours on Sunday morning.  There are 168 hours in a week and if we tithed our time that means that we would give 16.8 hours of our time and talents to God’s work.  It also means that we would give 10 percent of whatever we earned into the storehouse (church). 

Just like an amusement park, the church cannot function or keep its doors open, unless the people share the cost.  The thrill of the ride is over when people get bored.  They become bored when they aren’t doing anything.  Busy hands and hearts make work light.

Why do we have pastors, teachers, and leaders?  (Eph. 4:11-14)  “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,  to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”

If you’ve ever had small children, you know they can wear you out with their running here and there, or crying for a bottle. You wish they would grow up enough to stop the whimpering and crying; at least be able to eat some solid food.  After a length of time, you become tired of fixing formula and bottle feeding these babies.  Some of them may already be walking and talking, but still want their “baba” (translated bottle).  One of the hardest parts of raising these children is when they learn to walk and talk, they want to wander off.  You have to keep your eyes on them constantly or they will get lost.

Christians who are not mature behave the same way.  They want to be bottle fed and as soon as they think they can walk the walk and talk the talk, they’re off running.  The problem is, one or two shepherds do not have time to bottle feed or constantly watch all of these people.  It’s an impossible task.  It takes others to help. It takes committed, mature Christians who are willing to give of their time, talents and money to further the work of the Kingdom.

No one said it would be easy; no one said it would always be fun or thrilling.  Even a roller coaster has its ups and downs; that’s what makes the heart race and the goosebumps rise up.  If the track was flat and level, there wouldn’t be any reason to ride it.  If you want whatever God has for you, climb on; buckle the seat belt and hang on.  Enjoy the thrill of the ride, but remember this, it will cost you something.  Are you willing to pay the price?  Jesus did!