Scripture Treasures

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord ~ Romans 6:23 When we life without Christ in our heart we live a life that will lead to eternal death, to complete and forever separation from our God and our Saviour. Even if we do not recognize Christ as a Saviour, he is, for he came to earth to die for all. Many people decide to deny him the right of being called a Saviour, and many people fumble through life, forever trying to find their meaning, trying to find hope, trying to find love. Some do seem to successfully appear to have found happiness and joy in life, and to give a meaning to their life, but they are still bereft of eternal joy in heaven with their Lord and God. I have found that my true meaning has come from knowing and accepting Jesus as my Saviour. Life without him seemed to go in circles which had no resolve. My life seemed hopeless and without purpose. Now, I know that God has a purpose and a plan for me, not only here on ...

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom ~ James 3:13 The world thinks wisdom comes from using words to make themselves sound smart. For the world, it is to have the right answers, but their life does not follow what their words say. The Bible’s sense of wisdom is found in the part of living it out. A wise person in the spiritual world will lift others up, will be humble in their working and living. James is calling us to redefine wisdom. It isn’t about having people look at us and elevating ourselves, but it is understanding that I fail, that I have a lot of cracks, and realizing that others are more important than I am. True wisdom will seek to lift others. What would our world look like if all people would do this with others around them? What would and could be done if we looked at others as better than ourselves? Too often we do not lift others up around us. Instead, we boast about our own ...

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose ~ Philippians 2:13 God works in us and through us to bring about his good purpose! Just think about that for a moment…right now, are you doing what you thought you would be doing? I know I am not. I know my thoughts never would have led me to be a pastor. When I was young, if someone looked at me sideways, I would turn bright red! I was so shy! I would never stand at the front of a class without blushing and having my heart pound! Now I stand every week in front of a camera and in front of a church congregation, preaching God’s word! I pray my heart is always tuned into God’s heart and that I am always willing to do what he calls me to do. I pray that he finds in me a willing servant so that his will can and is accomplished. I must have a willing heart for his good purposes to be accomplished through me. Otherwise, I am living for myself, and God’s purposes will be done by someone else that is will...

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you ~ Isaiah 26:3 Keep your eyes on Jesus through the storm. I love the story about Peter walking on the water. It is a perfect example of how we often deal with our troubles in life. We find oneself out in the middle of a lake, surrounded by the waves of life when we suddenly remember to look up. What we see then is Jesus coming toward us and our faith is bolstered. We want to do what he can do, we want to walk on the water, and he tells us we can. So we jump out of the boat, believing that we are safe. And we are, as long as our vision is not clouded by what is around us. We walk triumphantly through the cresting waters because we know our Lord is right there with us. We have encountered our perfect peace in that moment. The storm may rise, the winds may rush past, the waves may crash around us, but we are walking on the water with Jesus, rising above all that is around and below us. Trust in Jesu...

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well ~ Matthew 6:33 Some people put their glasses down and then have to go searching for them. I put my cell phone down and then can’t remember where and I have to go from room to room searching. My thoughts, my energy, my deepest concentration is bent on looking for that black phone which tends to blend into too many places! Until I find it, I cannot rest! Do we do that when we seek after God? Do we spend our energy, our concentration, our thoughts on looking for him and for what he has for us in his word or through our prayers? That is what this verse is all about…diligently seeking first and foremost God’s kingdom and his righteousness. What exactly does that mean for us? Well, to put it plainly, it is to seek after what is Godly in an ungodly world. It is to look with the eyes of God at everything we set out to do or think. It is to follow his word and the life of Jesus Christ. To love ...

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him ~ Psalm 34:8 The scriptures say we should not test God so as to check if he really is God. That is because its root stems from doubt, not from faith. There is an example in Malachi which actually does tell us to test God – “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord God Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing there will not be room enough to store it.” Here, we are plainly told to test God. The verse from Psalms comes about it a different way – he appeals to our senses subjectively rather than objectively through our possessions. To taste something is to savor it, to have its smell tingle our nose, its flavour intoxicates our taste buds, and our stomach enjoys it. It is to take it in wholeheartedly from without. To see something allows our sight to see its colour, its radiance, it...

The person who does what is right may have many troubles. But the Lord saves him from all of them ~ Psalm 34:19 NIRV This is so true. A disciple and follower of Jesus is not exempt from troubles, in fact, Jesus said we may have more trouble than those who do not follow him. In these days of Covid-19 I have heard the comments that “the Holy Spirit will protect me from getting Covid.” That is a false claim, and it is a claim about God which is not true in the sense of how the claimant uses it. God will save us from our troubles, but not in the way we always expect. We do not control God, nor can we foolishly place ourselves in the way of trouble. We must act responsibly. If I don’t wear a mask, and if I don’t wash my hands frequently and if I go into large crowds where others may have Covid, I am bound to get it. That has nothing to do with God, but with my carelessness. However, if I live my life in a Godly way and trouble comes upon me, even the trouble of Covid, God will save me whe...

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer ~ Romans 12:12 These words come to us from a section of Paul’s writing and are under a heading called “Love in Action.” When we read his words, they are almost a takeaway from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. They give us the same counter measures of how to relate to others with the love of Jesus so as to overcome evil with good. Love will always do that. When love is in use, evil shrinks back. Being joyful in hope is not to ignore what may be happening, but to look upward and forward through it. It is not to say, “I am happy,” but it is to say, “I know God has a plan and he will help me get through this…and one day it will be better.” It is that one day which helps us to be patient. We know that all things are temporary, and that tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow may make all the difference in the situation; we all know that too well. When we have patience, we wait for God to act, for he is an acting God. Will he change my heart,...

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time ~ 1 Peter 5:6 Why is it so important to humble ourselves, and how are we failing to do so these days? First, vanity and pride set us above others as though we are more important and have it “all together.” Pride is more than saying I am better than you. It can also be found in the one who says I didn’t do good enough. Many years ago, my mentor’s wife made a comment to me that stung but was also the truth. Lacking self-confidence, I would question continually if I had said the right words or if my sermon was good, or if my prayers were meaningful, or I would just put myself down. She finally told me I was asking out of pride, though I thought I was indeed humble. I needed constant approval, and whether lack of self-confidence fit into that, or if I just wanted to hear her accolades, the two were very closely mixed and both called for the same attention. We must guard very closely against pride, ...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things ~ Philippians 4:8 Our thoughts can so easily lead us astray, whether that is into self-deprecation, or depression, or into sin. Proverbs reminds us to watch our heart, for out of it springs life, and Jesus told us that out of the treasure of our heart comes good or evil (Prov. 4:23; Luke 6:45). In Colossian 3:2 the Apostle Paul again reminds us to set our minds on the things from above, not on the things of this earth. It is hard to control our thoughts, I know that, but we are commanded to do so, not matter how difficult that is. God is our help in this area, for without him, it is near impossible to discipline ourselves to think other than the way we have either been brought up, or the way our mind naturally tends to wander. How much brighter life is though when we think of...

You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins ~ Psalm 85:2 Sin is not a word the world uses much anymore. They bring it all down to choices, but not to good or evil choices, just choices. If they go through pain because of those choices, oh well, it was the world which caused them, or someone else. The thought processes don’t come back to the fact that they opposed what God set as sin which brings grief of all kinds to us when we live in it. Even in the church the word sin is not often spoken. In some churches that is. The truth is we were all born in sin, and we sin from the time we are little onward. Sin is a part of this world, and a part of us when we enter it. I watch my little great niece who already has learned well the art of manipulation through pouting and fake crying. It is cute to watch for sure, but an adult which chooses ways to manipulate others is a different story altogether. If we do not have loving parents to correct us, we will carry on our ba...

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love ~ 1 John 4:18 W hen someone lives in fear from those they think or believe love them, there has been an action(s) which has caused them to doubt the sincerity of “love”. I place love in brackets because true love, as this scripture declares, will not lead to distrust but trust, not in faithlessness but to faithfulness. Many people are “damaged”, in fact, we all are. We are more or less born that way. Some families damage us even more through abuse both physical and emotional, through trauma, through non-commitment. When one lives in those environments it is hard to see love as pure and wholesome, it is hard to see love as perfect. And those who live in those environments often do not ever expect to see or experience a “perfect love” and so they settle for less. Our example of perfect love is found in Jesus Christ and in God our Father. It i...

The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name ~ Zechariah 14:9 As a Christ follower, I long for the day when Jesus will be King over the whole earth in recognition. The world we live in now has many kings, many lords, many gods. We live in a pluralized society where not only are there many gods, but where the individual is also known as a god, for the decisions made come from within. Not so with a Christ follower, for all our decisions come from a higher power that speaks into our mind and heart and leads and guides us in righteous ways. Inner decisions without God are made with personal and selfish motives, they can’t help but be so, for we are all created with sin in our heart. Only with the salvation offered by Jesus Christ can our hearts be pure in motive. One day though, this world will recognize Jesus Christ as the only way, the only truth, the only Saviour. We pray now that others would see this before the day of rec...

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth ~ Psalm 145:18 In today’s world when we are afraid due to covid to get close to anyone, there is one to whom we can always draw near – our Lord God. He will never refuse you; he will never walk away from you. He will never be too busy to listen, he will always lift you up from your distress, and he will always hold you close. There is only one prerequisite – that is to be honest with him in your plea. What is it that ails you today? Are you lonely? Then call on him. Are you depressed, sick in body, dealing with grief, or a teen in trouble? Are you overwhelmed by financial issues, or with a family problem? You don’t need to go it alone! Call on him who is the Lord of the earth and the sky, the creator of you and of me, the one who gave his life that we might reign with him! He is near, though you may not physically feel his presence he is with you in Spirit. He will guide you and walk beside you all the way throu...

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” ~ Matthew 9:37, 38 The field is still out there ready for harvest and the workers still are few. Many thoughts come to my mind as I read these scripture verses. Years ago, I knew a woman who wanted something to do for the church and for her Lord, but never seemed to find that something. All that was suggested to her was always turned down – it wasn’t what she thought she needed to do, or it did not fit her style, or it wasn’t enough. There always seemed to be an excuse as to why she could not find something to do for Jesus, though suggestions were ignored. One day I had a vision of her in a large field, walking along with her hands just rippling the large grasses as she passed by. It was the revelation that she would never find how she could spread the word of God or do anything for him because she was just drifting thro...

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver ~ 2 Corinthians 9:7 I have heard many say that we need no longer give 10% as a tithe, and I think this verse is one that has caused that belief to happen, for it can easily be misread. That is a problem with taking a verse out of context and reading only it without the verses which surround it. I have been in positions where I could not give much financially, but I did give what I could from my finances. I also did whatever I could do for my church and for God. Whatever lowly need there was, I would do it, and do it gladly. At that time, we used the hymn book, and I would put up the hymn numbers on the board for the organist, I would help clean the church washrooms, I would do whatever was needed to help. But, when my finances improved, I knew they were given to me because of the Lord’s goodness to me, and I gave out of my love for him, and I tithed...