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Showing posts with label Acts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Acts. Show all posts

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Finding Rest and Keeping it Holy – 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther- Day 8 - Purity 1281

Finding Rest and Keeping it Holy – 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther- Day 8 - Purity 1281

Purity 1281 02/22/2024 Purity 1281 Podcast

Purity 1281 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of a small white dot of a full moon over relatively huge palm trees and the hazy glow of the electric lights of Disney World’s  Port Orleans – French Quarter Resort comes to us from yours truly as I paused for a moment to capture this scene before going inside the main registration building to compose this message this morning.  

Well. It’s Thursday and although this isn’t much of a pathway photo, it was a scene along my path this morning and I share it to encourage my friends to get and see some of the world, and to be sure to take the Lord with you when you go.  Although a trip to Disney World is a tough sell as a spiritual pilgrimage, my faith has gone with me and even though I relaxed the restraints on my food plan this week, I haven’t let go of the Lord and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to help me keep things in the perspective of a Christian worldview, with awareness, spiritual discernment, kindness, compassion, and lots and lots of patience.  

Oh brother, the crowds, long lines, and barely contained chaos of herd mentality at Disney have given me lots of opportunities to practice patience, bridling the tongue, and adjusting my heart as I repeatedly shifted my mental assessments from “enemy mode” – viewing others with contempt or hostility – to seeing the other people around me for what they are people made in God’s image doing their best in life, with what they have, to find some fun with their family and friends. Even though I can tell that there are lots of differences between me and the others that I have seen in passing here at Disney World, I can see that we all have something in common – we all are trying to love one another to some degree and all need Jesus. We all need the Lord.  

And hey, I know I got Him- I have faith in Jesus and I have the Holy Spirit within me, but I also know that unless I believe in God’s word, live according to it, and stay in continuous contact with God through my daily spiritual practice and by “walking and talking with God”, I could easily lose the peace and joy that the Lord gives me.  It is in Christ alone that I have hope and find peace and so I do my best to abide in God’s presence, one day at a time, regardless of the location, through the different seasons of all the days of my life. And that brings us to our current season, Lent, which is a great occasion to recommit ourselves to growing in our faith and to growing ever closer to the Lord.

It’s the eighth day of Lent and so we continue my personal walkthrough of Gracia Grindal’s 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther to observe and celebrate the Lenten season.   In this walkthrough Grindal’s devotional,  it is our hope that we will get to know Martin Luther a little better as we seek to draw closer to the Lord on our journey to Resurrection Sunday – Easter.  

And so we continue.

Journey Day 8

YOU ARE TO HALLOW THE day of rest.

What is this?

Answer: We are to fear and love God, so that we do not despise preaching or God's Word, but instead keep that Word holy and gladly hear and learn it.

What is meant by "keeping it holy"? Nothing else than devoting it to holy words, holy works, and holy living. The day itself does not need to be made holy, for it was created holy. But God wants it to be holy for you. So it becomes holy or unholy on your account, depending on whether you spend it doing something holy or unholy. How does such sanctifying take place? Not when we sit behind the stove and refrain from hard work, or place a garland on our head and dress up in our best clothes, but... when we make use of God's Word and exercise ourselves in it.

BIBLICAL WISDOM

Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath. " Mark 2:27-28

SILENCE FOR MEDITATION

Pause the podcast, or stop reading, and sit quietly for 60 seconds or 1, 5, 10, 15 minutes or however long you feel comfortable with and have time for. Focus on your breath and the calm stillness in the present moment that is always available to us in God’s creation. Meditate on Martin Luther’s comments for the day, and the content of today’s Biblical wisdom.

 

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

     Luther states that the sabbath should be devoted to "holy words, holy works, and holy living." What does that suggest to you about how we should spend Sunday?

Luther’s words suggest that we spend Sundays worshipping the Lord and doing our best to reflect our love for the Lord with the things we say and do. Beyond going to a church service, reading the Bible, praying, and singing the Lord’s praises, Luther indicates that what we do and how we live should be holy too. The way we behave should reflect the fruit of the Spirit of peace, love, joy, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, and self-control.

     In what ways is sabbath-keeping countercultural?

Keeping anything “holy” is countercultural. Setting aside time to thank and worship the Lord is countercultural.  In our postmodern increasingly atheistic society, the emphasis is usually placed on personal happiness and that quest is put over and above any considerations for God or the principles of faith and morality that are revealed in the Bible.  

     What does it mean to "exercise ourselves in God's word"? How does your community of faith encourage and support such "exercise"?

To “exercise ourselves in God’s word” is to practice what we preach – to be authentic Christians – to actually live by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit by applying the wisdom of God’s word to our lives.  Exercising ourselves in God’s word would include spiritual practices of reading God’s word, praying, worshiping God, and giving thanks to the Lord but it also includes showing we know what God’s word says by repenting of our sins and by living a holy and righteous Christian life.

PSALM FRAGMENT

How lovely is your dwelling place, 0 LORD of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.. Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Psalm 84:1-2, 4

JOURNAL REFLECTIONS

     Reflect on the Sundays of your childhood. Write about your favorite memories. Did your family observe the sabbath? How? What did it mean to you? What does it mean to you now?

 I spent most of my childhood on Sundays, or Saturday afternoons, going to our local Roman Catholic church, St. Mary’s, in Hudson NY, by my mother.   Mom wasn’t much of a Bible reader, at all from my observations, but she was extremely faithful in bringing my brothers and me to Mass each week and making sure we were raised and confirmed in the Catholic Church.  While my penchant for the sins of the flesh conflicted with a devout and holy life later in life, I have mostly fond remembrances of going to Mass with my family.  The liturgy was familiar and comforting and the atmosphere at St. Mary’s caused me to think of it as a “holy place” where the Lord was to be honored with our worship, prayers, and reverent silence.  Church was serious business but there was peace to be found amongst the pews and even though I have major issues with the institution and doctrinal stances of the Roman Catholic Church, I don’t have a problem with the people who go there to be close to God and pray that they put their faith in Christ alone to be saved. Unfortunately, my times on Sunday in the Roman Catholic church meant religion – rules and regulations - and fear of going to hell but now that I have separated myself from its errors and gone directly to God and put my faith in Jesus – and have full assurance of my salvation – my life of faith in Jesus means everything to me. My faith in Jesus forms my identity and gives me peace as well as my purpose for living.

 

     Sabbath, or rest, is important to the rhythm of our lives. Is there anything you might do to give your life a better balance between work and rest? Between secular pursuits and holy pursuits?

I would say that the balance that I have between work and rest is right where it needs to be. I only give myself to “work” for the 40 hours a week I get paid and even during those hours I am “resting in the Lord” as I talk to God throughout the day.  Other than doing what I need to do during my day job to get paid, I don’t have any secular pursuits. I spend the rest of my time trying to follow the Lord and try to love my wife, family, and friends the best I can while trying to encourage others to seek the Lord with the way they live their lives. I have found new life in Christ and I’m going to live it.  The Lord has given me a great gift and I’m going to enjoy it.

     Have you ever "longed for the courts of the Lord"? If so, write about the feeling of longing. If not, can you imagine such longing?

Yes, I have longed for the “courts of the Lord” in several different ways, I suppose.  I have had longings for Sunday and church to come. I have longed to enter into full-time ministry, some way and some how ( Lord, call me, maybe?). I have longed for Jesus to return – Your kingdom Come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven – today is as good as any Lord, so Come Lord Jesus.   So yeah, I have longed for the courts of the Lord because that’s where true meaning and peace are found.  I long for the day that we all know the “Lord’s courts” where Christ will rule and reign forever and ever.  Until then I will spend time at the local assemblies of believers I go to now, I long to be back there this Sunday.

 

PRAYERS FOR THE LIFE OF FAITH

Pray that you and your family will take the time to hear God's word and keep it. Pray for someone you know who needs both rest and the refreshment that comes from hearing God’s word.

Lord, I pray that I and my family take time to hear Your word and to keep your sabbath holy. In this season of rest, I pray for the people I know who so desperately need the rest and refreshment that comes from hearing Your word and from knowing that nothing can separate us from your love.  Help them to see the truth and to long for the rest and peace that is found in Christ alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord Jesus, You made the sabbath for me to rest in you. May the day become holy for me through the use and exercise of Your word.

Amen.

 

(Gracia M. Grindal. 40-day Journey With Martin Luther. Kindle Edition.)

(We encourage you to purchase Grindal’s book and take the 40 Day Journey with Martin Luther for yourself by purchasing Grindal’s book wherever books are sold. You can find it online at many different sites and purchase it new, used – paper or electronic for less than $15.00).

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Conscience.

Acts 24:16 (ESV)
16  So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.

Today’s verse falls under the second point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Conscience.

2.    Keep a clear conscience before God and men.

Today’s verse comes from the Apostle Paul as he tried to convince those in authority that even though the gospel he preached was turning the world upside down, he always took pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. 

As Christians, we are to put God first but also are to be concerned with doing what is right in our dealings with our fellow man, whether they agree or disagree with us when it comes to matters of faith.  Although we are not to shy away from telling the truth that has been revealed to us through the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ,  we are to share that truth in love and to treat our neighbors as we would want to be treated.  While we can’t get anyone to believe in Jesus or convince anyone to follow Him (that’s the Lord’s work), our consciences can be clear of any worries when we know that we have told others the truth of the gospel and treated them with the dignity and respect that someone who is made in God’s image deserves.  Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, patience, and gentleness are fruits of the Spirit that tell us how to treat our fellow man so let’s practice those with others and be sure that our conscience is clear with God and man.  

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.

MORNING READING: MARK 13

“For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
– Mark 13:11

What a promise to claim before setting forth to preach the Gospel! It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to present and reveal Christ. So that if it is He that speaks through me today, how fruitful will the ministry be!

The essentials are: Cleansing, Emptying, Filling with the Holy Spirit, Absolute Reliance upon Him for speaking, praying, and all service. Such reliance is vitally important if I am to be genuine when I preach Christ.

Then empty me, Lord. Cleanse me by Your precious blood.
Now fill with me the Holy Spirit. I take the fullness,
and thank You. Control me in all I do and say,
that You might be glorified today. Amen.[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

 

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Simple Beauty and the New Beginning of Spiritual Life - Purity 1209

Simple Beauty and the New Beginning of Spiritual Life - Purity 1209

Purity 1209 11/28/2023 Purity 1209 Podcast

Purity 1209 on YouTube:



Good morning,

Today’s photo of a leafless tree on the side of Waite Rd set against the backdrop of a cloudless blue sky comes to us from yours truly as I took a moment to capture this scene during a late afternoon stroll back on Saturday, November 18th. 

Well, It’s Tuesday and I love today’s photo because of its simple beauty and how it highlights how something so commonplace, like a tree on the side of the road, can be appreciated for what it is. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think that the amount of beauty we see in the world is in direct proportion to how often we look at things with appreciation and the joy of living.  

Experiencing beauty is the simple act of observation accompanied with appreciation and when we look at the world in the context of being fully accepted for who we are by God, in Christ and that all of existence is a gift from our heavenly Creator Father God, its difficult to not have an abiding sense of peace and joy.     

With that world view the cares of this world are put in their proper perspective and even the most negative circumstances can be met with the acceptance of knowing the Sovereign God of all creation is with us and will be with us in and through all the days of our lives on earth and beyond in God’s eternal kingdom.  

Many loved ones in my life are going through some pretty significant changes lately and while the circumstances of their lives may never be the same again, I have hope for them because I know that endings are a new beginning to the next chapter of your life  and that if you seek Him, you can find God’s presence and help in every season.  I have encouraged friends always to keep walking and talking with God because I know He loves us and will comfort and guide us in the way we should go. 

So if this holiday season has brought you to an ending – with the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the breaking of a relationship, or just at the realization that something has to change in your personal life,  let me encourage you to seek the Lord and to consider His ways for walking through life.   

The Bible is filled with God’s story and His solution for a new and eternal life. In case you don’t know it: the solution is “faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and surrendering to His will for your life. That’s IT, my dear friends, but in order to experience the abundant life that God has made available to us,  we have to continuously seek the Lord and follow Him.  So turn away from the world and all of its comforts and hurts and seek God’s presence and peace instead.  Turn from your selfish and sinful ways and get to know the Lord and His ways. Read the Bible, pray, join into a community of Christians who show and share God’s love, appreciate the blessings that you receive every day, and share your experience with others. 

The idea of following a “spiritual path” through life may seem totally impractical or foreign to all that you know but when you have come to an ending it is best to accept it and follow the Lord into the new beginning He has for you where He will give you a pathway for living that provides peace, meaning, and purpose.   Seek the Lord.

 

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

Acts 20:28 (ESV)
28  Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Today’s verse falls under the twelfth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

 12. Elders are God’s appointed shepherds placed over the flock of Jesus Christ.

Today’s verse describes “the best practice” of the church of God – to pay careful attention to yourself and all the members of the body of Christ and to care for one another.  This simple instruction shows us the balance of the spiritual life we are supposed to live.  We are to pay attention to ourselves and to others. 

In terms of our personal walk of faith, we have to make sure we are right with God by paying attention to our attitudes, emotions, and behaviors and by conforming them to follow God’s way for living.   We examine our lives and try to follow God’s ways for living.  

But we aren’t in this thing just by ourselves. We also are to love and care for others by encouraging them to walk with us as we seek to follow Jesus.  We don’t just accept people as they are in the body of Christ, we encourage them to be the people that God created them to be. 

But to truly show our care for the church of God, whether we are working on ourselves or trying to help others, we offer our help with kindness, patience, gentleness, and love.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we are sharing from “God is in the Manger- Reflections on Advent and Christmas” – By Dietrich Bonhoeffer.   

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.

God is in the Manger – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

ADVENT WEEK ONE -  WAITING

DAY FIVE

A Soft, Mysterious Voice

In the midst of the deepest guilt and distress of the people, a voice speaks that is soft and mysterious but full of the blessed certainty of salvation through the birth of a divine child (Isa. 9:6–7). It is still seven hundred years until the time of fulfillment, but the prophet is so deeply immersed in God’s thought and counsel that he speaks of the future as if he saw it already, and he speaks of the salvific hour as if he already stood in adoration before the manger of Jesus. “For a child has been born for us.” What will happen one day is already real and certain in God’s eyes, and it will be not only for the salvation of future generations but already for the prophet who sees it coming and for his generation, indeed, for all generations on earth. “For a child has been born for us.” No human spirit can talk like this on its own. How are we who do not know what will happen next year supposed to understand that someone can look forward many centuries? And the times then were no more transparent than they are today. Only the Spirit of God, who encompasses the beginning and end of the world, can in such a way reveal to a chosen person the mystery of the future, so that he must prophesy for strengthening believers and warning unbelievers. This individual voice ultimately enters into the nocturnal adoration of the shepherds (Luke 2:15–20) and into the full jubilation of the Christ-believing community: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us.”

A shaking of heads, perhaps even an evil laugh, must go through our old, smart, experienced, self-assured world, when it hears the call of salvation of believing Christians: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

For a child has been born for us,

a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His authority shall grow continually,

and there shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He will establish and uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time onward and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6–7[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, ed. Jana Riess, trans. O. C. Dean Jr., First edition. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 10–11.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Loving God and “Explaining the Way of God More Accurately” - Purity 1200


Loving God  and “Explaining the Way of God More Accurately” - Purity 1200

Purity 1200 11/17/2023 Purity 1200 Podcast

Purity 1200 on YouTube:



Good morning,

Today’s photo of the last light of day illuminating the sky and the surface of the waters of the Schodack Creek comes to us from yours truly as I decided to get out of my car long enough to capture one shot of this magical moment after arriving at River House after work yesterday.

Well, It’s Friday, thank God, and I don’t know if anyone has noticed it lately but there is something about the sunset skies in the late autumn and winter months of upstate NY that can be simply breathtaking.  Although today we are getting a mini heat wave with a forecast high of 60 degrees, lately the temperatures have been lower even though the skies have been relatively clear and there have been wispy cumulus clouds that have been transformed into cotton candy wonders of pink and purple as twilight time approaches.  I noticed the same phenomenon last year too. As the temperatures got colder and more unhospitable the skies seemed to display a beauty that was altogether different from what we get in summer. 

I point this out because one of the core skills we try to encourage our members to develop at the Celebrate Freedom Growth Group on Wednesday nights is “learning to find joy in the everyday pleasures in life”. You wouldn’t think that looking at the sky could help your emotional resilience, but it can.  According to Warner & Hinman’s book, Building Bounce, spending five minutes to appreciate the good things in life, like looking at a sunset sky, can help us build joy and emotional resilience.

For the Christian, appreciation can beyond just good feelings and drinking in the experience because we can recognize that what we are enjoying comes from God. Everything that was made comes from Him and when we acknowledge and thank God for the things we are experiencing and the life we have, our appreciation and joy can take on an even higher relational dimension as we can love God.  

That may sound like a strange concept, loving God, especially if you have been in circles where judgment, punishment, and the fear of the Lord were used to try to “scare you straight” or keep you in line.  And don’t get me wrong, Jesus taught a lot about those things to warn people to repent, but he also told us to love God.  

Matthew 22:37-38 (NKJV) tells us
37  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38  This is the first and great commandment.

Appreciation is the way that we get there.. When we practice appreciation it should lead us to appreciating God. We think about God, who He is, what He has done, and how He is good, holy, righteous, and loving and we begin to form a deep relational bond with the Maker of all things who loved us enough to send His one and only Son to live and die to save us. 

My day is spent “walking and talking God”. As I go about my day, I talk to the Lord.  I thank Him for keeping me safe. I ask Him to help me. I thank Him for the good things that I experience, and I ask for strength and wisdom to work through the challenges I face.  This is having a relationship with God. 

Many of us talk to ourselves. Instead of doing that, I suggest talking to the Lord. What used to be your self-dialog, can be transformed into you “praying without ceasing” by simply addressing the Lord and engaging with Him throughout the day.

I read the Bible with my wife almost every night of the week, with those long Wednesday ministry nights being a regular exception, and last night we were reading in Exodus 17 about how the Amalekites attack Moses, Joshua, and the Israelites, and how when Moses had his hands lifted in the air, the Israelites were winning the battle, but when his hands were lowered the Amalekites were winning.  So Aaron and Hur sat Moses down on a rock and stood on either side of him, holding up his hands until the battle was won.  I made the joke that this instance in scripture was the “original wave” and although this isn’t written, I was pretty sure that Moses had a ”rally cap” on having turned his hat inside out and backward to gain the Lord’s favor.  I joked of course, and as I laughed at my own silly joke, I was just filled with joy and told my wife I loved her and that I loved the Lord because we could read His word and be inspired because He is with us and for us.   

I appreciated what He had done for the Israelites way back when and I appreciated how He brought TammyLyn and I together as man and wife and how we could enjoy His word together.  

Appreciation kills religion by causing you to relate to the Lord in a highly personal way. Appreciation leads you to understand that God is alive and active in the world and in your life specifically. It builds your joy, emotional resilience, and when it is directed to God it causes you to love the Lord.

I didn’t know this stuff. I didn’t really understand that you could love God. Unfortunately, most of us don’t know that. Most of us were taught that “religion” was a small part of our lives. Something nice to visit on the weekends or call on in times of need, but we were basically taught that it was of little value because we had to provide for ourselves, and those instances of unanswered prayers were presented as evidence of the limits of faith. Thus we separate ourselves from the Lord and do things according to our own desires and the philosophies of this world, but it was never supposed to be that way.

In His original plan, we were supposed to live with God and even though Adam’s sin changed everything, God sent Jesus to restore His original order. We can have peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ. We can live with Him, and we can love God like we were supposed to from the beginning, all we have to do is place our faith in Jesus to be made new and choose to practice appreciation to grow our love for the One who first loved us.  

I was reading Acts 18 this morning in the section that talks about Apollos – an eloquent man who was instructed in the way of the Lord, being fervent in spirit (small s), and who taught accurately about the things of Jesus.  But Apollos was only “acquainted with the baptism of John” – which was to prepare Israel for the Messiah’s arrival. And even though He acknowledged that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, MacArthur’s Commentary states that Apollos:

…did not, however, understand such basic Christian truths as the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the church as God’s new witness people. He was a redeemed OT believer (v. 24).[1] 

But

Acts 18:26 (NKJV) tells us
26  ….. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

MacArthur’s commentary confirms that:

Aquila and Priscilla completed Apollos’ training in divine truth by instructing him in the fullness of the Christian faith.[2]

And that’s what I try to do. As someone raised in a liturgical church that sort of mixed the gospel of grace with the need to do good works (a false gospel, mind you), I had some understanding about Jesus and how the Christian faith “worked” – or didn’t work for me.  But I didn’t know God’s grace. I didn’t know God’s love. I didn’t know that all I had to do was to put my faith in Jesus to be forgiven, accepted, and given eternal life. And as much as I hoped and prayed I would go to heaven someday, I didn’t know I would and,  if I’m honest, I have to admit that I didn’t love the Lord, I feared Him.  

But all that changed through one message, delivered via a radio broadcast, when David Jerimiah effectively taught me, in a moment, about God’s love and grace that pulled me out of the darkness and gave me new life.   

So having received the gift of my salvation and God’s love and presence in my life, I endeavor to be like Priscilla, Aquilla, and David Jerimiah and “explain the way of God more accurately” to those who don’t know Him or love Him.  

So, appreciate the good things in your life. Every life has been blessed in one way or another and when we count our blessings and acknowledge that they come from the Lord we can begin to love God and desire a deeper relationship with Him where we will never want to leave His presence.      

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NASB)
11  And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13  until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Today’s verses are the first of two passages of scripture that fall under the fifth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

 5. Gifts of the Spirit differ. Each member must use his or her gifts to serve others.

Today’s verses tell us that there are various gifts and talents in the body of Christ for different functions, but they all have a common purpose – to build up the

Body of Christ and to bring us together in unity.

The purpose of the “church” is further explained to be to give us a greater knowledge of the Son of God – by seeking and following the ways of Jesus -  and to mature us – that we would grow in knowledge and love of the Lord.   

So whatever your calling may be, remember that it isn’t used to puff you up, it is supposed to be used for the benefit of others. So take your talents and fulfill your purpose and help yourself and others to grow in their knowledge of Jesus and to “grow up” into the people that God created us to be.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we are sharing from A. W. Pink’s – The Arthur Pink Anthology  - a collection of A.W. Pink’s tracts brought together in one book and dispersed here on the blog for your encouragement.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for free as a PDF at many sites, but printed copies of collections of A.W. Pink’s books are available for purchase wherever Christian books are sold. 

The Arthur Pink Anthology – 6

Christian Fools – Part 4 of 8

Some of you say, Well how can it be his duty to believe it, when he cannot do so? Is it his duty to do an impossibility? Well, listen! Is my duty, is my responsibility measured by my ability, by my power to perform? Here is a man who has ordered a hundred pounds’ worth of furniture; he receives it, and he is given thirty days’ credit in which to pay for it; but during the next thirty days he squanders his money, and at the end of the month he is practically bankrupt. When the firm presents their bill to him, he says, “I am sorry but I am unable to pay you.” He is speaking the truth. “I am unable, it does not lie within my power to pay you.” Would the head of that business house say, “All right, that ends the matter then: sorry to hear that you do not have the power, but evidently we cannot do anything.” No, my friend, ability does not measure our responsibility. Man is responsible to do many things that he is not able to do. You that are Christians are responsible to live a sinless life, for God says to you, “Awake to righteousness and sin not,” and in the first Epistle of John we read, “These things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” God sets before you and me a standard of holy perfection. There is not one of us that is capable of measuring up to it, but that is our responsibility, and that is what we are going to be measured by when we stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.

Now then there are many Arminian preachers who are afraid to preach sermons on certain texts of the Bible. They would be afraid to stand up and preach from John 6:44—“No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.” They would be afraid to stand up and preach from Romans 9:18—“Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth.” Yes, and it is also true that there are many Calvinist preachers who are equally afraid to preach from certain texts of the Scriptures lest their orthodoxy be challenged and lest they be called Freewillers. They are afraid to stand up and preach, for example, on the words of the Lord Jesus:—“How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Or on such a verse as this:—“The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force;” or “Strive (agonize) to enter in at the Strait Gate.” And to show you that I am not imagining things, I am just going to read you three lines. Listen! “At the meeting at … [I will leave out the name] on January 15th last, the question was asked to the effect: Had not some of our ministers for the sake of orthodoxy abstained from preaching from certain texts, and the answer was in the affirmative.” I am reading now from a Strict Baptist magazine! That was a meeting of Strict Baptist preachers and they were honest enough to admit, themselves, that because they were afraid of their orthodoxy being challenged, they were silent on certain texts of Scripture. O may God remove from all of us the fear of man.

Some of you perhaps are thinking right now in your own minds, Well, Brother Pink, I do not see how you are consistent with yourself. My friends, that does not trouble me one iota, and it won’t cause one hair in my head to go gray if I am inconsistent with any Calvinistic creed: the only thing that concerns me is to be consistent with the Holy Spirit, and to teach as the Holy Spirit shall enable, the whole counsel of God; to leave out nothing, to withhold nothing, and to give a proportionate presentation of God’s truth. Do you know, I believe that most of the theological errors of the past have grown out of, not so much a denial of God’s truth, as a disproportionate emphasis of it. Let me give you a simple illustration. The most comely countenance with the most beautiful features would soon become ugly if one feature were to grow while the others remained undeveloped. You can take the most beautiful baby there is in the world tonight and if that baby’s nose were to grow while its eyes and its cheeks and its mouth and its ears remained undeveloped, it would soon become unsightly. The same is true with every other member of its face.

Beauty is mainly a matter of proportion and this is true of God’s Word. It is only as truth is presented in its proper proportions that the beauty and blessedness to it are maintained in the hearts and lives of God’s people. The sad thing is that almost everywhere today there is just one feature of truth being disproportionately emphasized.[3]

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Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

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These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)  

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ac 18:25.

[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ac 18:26.

[3] Arthur Walkington Pink, The Arthur Pink Anthology (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005).