Scripture Treasures

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you ~ Philippians 4:9 “Put it into practice”, Paul says. Over the last few weeks, discipleship has really been on my mind. Everything seems to be turning me toward this subject, so I know God is really trying to speak to me, and for me to speak to others. You see, I am troubled about how we present ourselves as disciples, if we even do so. Our western Christianity has become generalized. We have lost our salt, that is the bottom line. Most “Christians”, and I use this term loosely, because that is how it is used today, just aim to be “good.” “I am a good person,” “I am a Christian.” But when one looks at their life it is hard to see how they may be different from anyone who lives apart from Christ and in the world. Our world has much more influence on us than the Bible does in this day and age. Our life as a Christ follower (I like that term better than Christ

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ~ John 11:25, 26 The words of comfort for Martha are words of comfort for us still today. I have the confidence in Jesus Christ and know that those I have loved in the past and believed in him are now with him in paradise. I believe and know I will be with him as well. It is comforting to know that the last time I saw a loved one here on earth will become a great reunion when I come into God’s eternal home and see them in spirit once more. I mourn for those who do not see Jesus as Saviour, but I also know that my Lord will go to all lengths to bring someone home to be with him. I cannot know in the last moments of a person’s life if they will accept what they would not accept while living. That is not for me to judge. I will pray for my loved ones here on earth that walk away from him at this tim

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” ~ Matthew 10:16 These words of Jesus are a contradiction when set together. On the one hand we are to be sheep: gentle, needing a shepherd, followers not defenders. When I read this line, I sense we are told to go into the grassy pastures around us and settle in while also knowing there will be those who are ready to attack us, thereby being an easy target for the wolf. Next, we are told to be as shrewd as snakes who lie in wait ready to attack its victim from within the bush or from under the rock. We turn from being the victim to the aggressor if provoked, but all the while being gentle. It all can sound a bit confusing, but what Jesus is telling us is to be gentle while also be on guard and wise when we go out into the world. Paul the Apostle said we are to be like a Jew to a Jew and under the law to those who are under the law (though he is not under the law) to win them for

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him ~ Psalm 103:13 From the time I was eight years on, I grew up without an earthly father, so it is hard for me to compare one to our heavenly Father. But I have discovered that to compare I need not do, for there is no other father but my heavenly Father. He is ever concerned for me, ever hovering around to protect me, ever loving me in spite of me. I can understand my compassion as a mother for my children, and in this way, I can comprehend what my God thinks and feels for me. In these thoughts I am so blessed for I know that the Lord has my back when my face is toward him. I know that when I fall, he is there to lift me up and set me on the right path. The compassion God has for me far outweighs what any other can have for me, for my God looks at me without any other thought than to care for me. He holds no secret desire to meet his own needs, for he needs but my companionship and love, not a

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you´~ Matthew 7:7 When you have a best friend, you know that when you tap on their door, they will welcome you in and make you feel at home right away. “Come in, my friend,” they say, “would you like something to drink, a cup of coffee or tea?” You sit down and conversation begins, and you share your disappointments, your highlights and joys; you share your life up until that moment. There is nothing like a good friend and a place to sit where you feel the joy and presence of another person such as what you find in a good friend. Jesus is our good friend, and his door is open for us. We knock and he throws it open, welcoming us into his presence and blessings. “What do you need, my friend?” he asks. And you begin to speak and converse with him, and you open your heart as he opens his toward you. Nothing is held back from you; nothing is lacking in your relationship with him. This is God’s m

  So why would I fear the future?     Only goodness and tender love pursue me all the days of my life.     Then afterward, when my life is through,     I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you! ~ Psalm 23:6 TPT Sometimes I fear tomorrow, what I will do, what will it bring my way, will I be able to manage it? Yes, sometimes I fear the unknown. Thankfully, most of the time I can turn my thoughts and anxiety toward my loving Father in heaven, and I am able to leave my perplexities with him. It takes work, it takes persistence, and it takes faith and prayer. Then when I have placed it in his hands, I realize that my worry and anxiety are not from him, but from my own inner enemy – me. The Apostle Paul said we must die to our inner person, and that is what I must do when I begin to worry. When I relax in Him, the strangest thing happens – what I was afraid of never occurs! It doesn’t even raise its head against me in whatever fear I placed so prominently in my mi

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ~ Matthew 22:37 How do we know if we really love God? Is my love shown to him because I attend church every (or almost) every Sunday? I do good deeds every now and again, surely that shows that I love God! I help in my church too, surely that shows that I love God. I can quote the Bible verses I was taught as a young person and many people are amazed at what I can remember and speak. I do a lot of things for God, that is how I know I love God. The question I have though as a pastor is this: are the people God has put into my hands spiritually mature? All the above are good, but are they what lead us to be spiritually mature in Christ? So, if I love God, and I do all the above, but I am angry at home with my spouse and children, do I love God? If I am a leader, but I am unteachable, insecure, and defensive, do I love God with all my heart? If I can quote scripture, but call my

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance ~ 2 Peter 3:9 I am so grateful the Lord waited for me to turn my heart around and to then seek his face! It took me many years to do so, and much stubbornness to work through, but God prevailed, and my soul now belongs to him. He is a loving God, desiring all to bend their knee and acknowledge Him as Lord, but like me, many are too stubborn to do just that. It is the easiest, yet the hardest thing some of us do. But it is the best and wisest thing we do too. I am a witness to the fact that the moment we turn our lives over to him in submission and offering, he will turn our world right side up and it will never be the same again. Our Father in heaven so wants to make your life have the meaning it should, the purpose it should, and to fulfill the plans that he has for you. He created you for a purpose: first to know

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it ~ Proverbs 4:23 How true this is and how fickle is our heart! We set ourselves on a steady course and suddenly our heart takes us in a totally different direction, and we are led astray. It takes discipline to guard our heart, and sometimes great strength to keep it on track. Thankfully, as born-again Christians we have the Holy Spirit to help us, but I say with caution here we can shut down his voice and not listen! When we do close off the encounter with the Holy Spirit’s voice in our conscience, our heart will win out. Prayer is always the answer for a wayward heart then. We must depend upon the Spirit of God to lead us, to close our mouth when our heart wants to speak out in dissention. We must pray and ask God to lead our inner thoughts, so they represent Jesus’ thoughts, Jesus’ words, Jesus’ actions. How can we claim to be a Christ follower and wear clothing, or use words, or do deeds that do not represent Je

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis” ~ Matthew 11:28 TPT I know it is hard to share our burdens with others. We are not sure if they really care, or if they are really listening to us, or, we may think they will interpret our “stuff” as just that and that we are born complainers. The truth is that when we carry our burdens within our own heart and do not share it, the lie of the enemy can wreak havoc in our life. When we hold things in, they build and become more than what they really were or ought to be. How do I know this? Because I am your example. I was taught to hold my issues in and away from everyone. It was not healthy to let others in to view your life that closely, that was what I was taught. What we are taught early can have a powerful hold over us, and I fight that battle whenever there is something that comes along and distresses me – the battle to hold it to myself. I am learning, I am growing, but it is sti

Those who give thanks that Jesus is the Son of God live in God, and God lives in them ~ 1 John 4:15 TPT I clearly remember the day I surrendered my life to Jesus, giving him all authority over my life. It was a spring day, March 7, 1999, and I stood at the bottom of the steps of a church and gave him my all if he wanted me. Of course, he did, as he wants us all to surrender to him. That day, the Lord my God and Jesus the Son of God came into my life in the fullness of the Holy Spirit to live within. My life completely changed on that day, and it has never been the same since then. When God lives in us, our world becomes new, our thoughts change, our attitudes change, our actions change. We begin to grow in his likeness and in his likeness, we change those around us and the broader world. Ask God today what you can do to show how much you love him and then display that to the people around you. God gives us many opportunities to show the grace and love of God. We are made to be exampl

Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go ~ Proverbs 3:5, 6 TPT As we grow in our Christian faith, we learn to trust the Lord more with our thoughts and decisions. It takes time, for most of us have come from living a life without Christ, and even if we have not, there is a self-will within us that says I can do it all by myself. We don’t need anyone’s help we say to ourselves! But this is so not true. God created each one of us as an individual with gifts and talents and a purpose. We very often don’t recognize that purpose with the leading of God in our life. This is not the absolute rule, for I know some would say I wanted to be a …. (You fill in the blank) from the time I was little, and this is exactly what I am doing with my life. But for many of us, unless we come into a place

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy ~ Psalm 94:19 This is how The Message writes this verse: “When I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up.” I find that when I am anxious, I am thinking about what could happen and in my mind imagining that it is definitely about to happen. I try now to shut my mind off, but there are times when I waken in the middle of the night and my mind is going every which way into fallacies. Then of course I must try counter whatever my thoughts were to make sure I do not show up to a meeting or other functions in an emotional defense mode. When this happens to me, I ask God to help me to know the truth, and I tell the enemy of my soul to back off! That usually works, and then the peace of God can fill me. Then I can say within myself that God will guide me and the situation. Sometimes my own worst enemy are the thoughts that I think, and the fears I let myself be subject to. It is something that I am wo

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,     to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things,     and by your will they were created     and have their being” ~ Revelation 4:11 My personal reading in the Bible this morning was in 2 Chronicles. It tells us of the wisest man, and God’s words to him. God says if you will keep my commandments, not fall from my ways, not worship other gods, I will keep you and the temple you have built. If you do not, then the temple will become a blight, a ruin and people will cry out why did this happen? I am sure Solomon could not ever imagine the temple being torn down, but indeed that is exactly what did happen. He worshipped other gods because he married women who were foreigners, and he did not control who they worshipped. Later Babylon came and invaded Jerusalem and the temple Solomon laboured to build was destroyed, and her people were carried off into exile. Sometimes we too fall as Solomon and the people of Israel, and we beg

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you ~ John 15:12 God looked at me and he said, “Come to me, I am all you want and all you need. I will uphold you and strengthen you, I will give you rest, and I will create a new heart in you such as you have not known before.” And I came. And he did just what he said he would do. He looked past my failures, past my sins, past my rebellious heart and he welcomed me home into his family. He has never held my past sins over me as a guilt trip, I can do that on my own, but he just says he loves me with all my cracks and failures. He looked at me and told me his Son died for my past and my present and praise God, for my future. In his Son I am saved and blessed and healed. This is love, not in its totality as I describe it, for it is far more than what my mere words can picture. This is how we are to love each other. We lift each other, and care for each other. We walk with each other and their broken jars and failures and we hold each

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts ~ Colossians 3:16 How blessed we are to have an emotionally rich and healthy body of Christ which uplifts those who are a part of her by prayer, by words of advice, and by fellowship. Especially in the body of Christ we are to uphold each other. How lonely is the person who does not have someone to help them through life situations? I am helping a man right now who does not know Christ and he has no family. God has placed me in his life for now to help him and I am discovering how he has been let down by his age, if one can say that. Without help address changes, health care, emotional support – all the basics of Canadian life have bypassed him. It has been devastating for me to watch and difficult at times to help him. I wonder how someone like him would manage, which of course he has not

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective ~ James 5:16 When our hearts are clouded by unconfessed sins, no matter how small, our connection with God is hampered. No one wants their connection with God to be in that position. God is a forgiving God, and so when we need to confess to others whom we may have hurt, we need to go to them and ask forgiveness. And as God, we need to be ready to forgive when someone comes to us in repentance. Even if that person is not a Christian and if I have hurt them in some way, I need to show that I am wishing to be reconciled through their forgiveness, even if they do not offer it back to me. My humble confession will or could soften their heart toward God, and that is an opportunity to witness of his love for all. When we confess our hearts are cleansed, our spirit is free, and even if it is only God that forgives us in that confession, we ar

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope ~ Romans 15:4 We live in a world that now wants to either forget the past, or change the past by changing names of schools, or by tearing down statues. The past was bad, the past has to go! End of sentence. When we forget the past, we do not learn from it. God instead encourages us to learn from the past. I love history. Especially our family tree history. I learn a great deal sometimes from the past of my ancestors. Recently my one sister uncovered a history book in the Simcoe library. In it were pictures of my Grandma Howard’s home before she and my Grandpa moved into it. We discovered their home had been built in 1864 and it stood until about two years ago when it was torn down to make way for a modern home. We also discovered that my great-grandfather was also a preacher. Not ordained, but a preacher. We

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13, 14 Paul the Apostle is talking to a church which had inner conflicts with each other and here in his last portion of his letter he reminds them what is important: being on guard against the spiritual enemy, firmness in faith, remaining courageous and bold in proclamation and strong in convictions. But above all, to do all these things in love. Isn’t that the secret to everything? When we love each other, we will not choose to hurt each other. When we love each other, our words will not sting, but will protect, will enable, will guide, and will uplift. There is nothing which will destroy our Christian witness more than saying or doing things without love. When we live in selfish, and self-motivating thoughts we exclude those around us and anger builds. Anger is something we are to guard against, for it destroys whatever it touches, unless of course it is holy anger. By tha