Search for hidden treasures under the earth       verse 1- 11

Surely there is a vein for the silver

and a place for gold where they refine it

iron is taken out of the earth

brass is molten out of the stone

HE sets an end to darkness – HE searches out all perfection

the stones of darkness and the shadow of death

      the flood breaks out from the inhabitant

                  even the waters forgotten of the foot

                              they are dried up

they are gone away from men

As for the earth – out of it comes bread

and under it is turned up as it were fire

the stones of it are the place of sapphires

and it has dust of gold

There is a path which no fowl knows

and which the vulture’s eye has not seen

the lion’s whelps have not trodden it

nor the fierce lion passed by it

HE puts forth HIS hand upon the rock

HE overturns the mountains by the roots

HE cuts out rivers among the rocks

HIS eye sees every precious thing

      HE binds the floods from overflowing

                  and the thing that is hid bring HE forth to light

Search for wisdom by men                                  verse 12- 19

BUT where shall wisdom be found?

and where is the place of understanding?

Man knows not the price thereof

neither is it found in the land of the living

The depth says – It is not in me

the sea says – It is not with me

It cannot be gotten for gold

neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof

It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir

with the precious onyx – or the sapphire

the gold and the crystal cannot equal it

            and the exchange of it

shall not be for jewels of fine gold

No mention shall be made of coral – or of pearls

for the PRICE OF WISDOM is above rubies

the topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it

            neither shall it be valued with pure gold

Wisdom hard to find                                           verse 20- 22

Whence then comes wisdom?

and where is the place of understanding?

Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living

and kept close from the fowls of the air

destruction and death say

We have heard the fame thereof with our ears

Fear of the LORD is true wisdom                       verse 23- 28

God understands the way thereof – and HE knows the place thereof

for HE looks to the ends of the earth

and sees under the whole heaven

to make the weight for the winds

and HE weighs the waters by measure

When HE made a decree for the rain

and a way for the lightning of the thunder

then did HE see it – and declare it

                                    HE prepared it – yea – and searched it out

And to man HE said

BEHOLD – the fear of the LORD – THAT IS WISDOM

AND to depart from evil is UNDERSTANDING

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

                  : 1        Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they

fine it. (2212 “fine” [zaqaq] means to filter, wash, purify, to treat or prepare so as to remove impurities or put in a usable condition, refine, to squeeze through, or distil)

DEVOTION:  Job starts out again with the difference between humans and God. He knows that they can find silver and gold. He knows that they can get iron ore out of the earth. He knows that they can light up a dark place.

Man can exist without really understanding who God is. He can exist in a world that God has made and yet not honor God. Man can gain knowledge but not have wisdom that only comes from the LORD.

We were not born into this world just to exist. We were born into this world to find out about the Creator of the Universe. We can look around and see order and think that man has done it all.

Again a majority of human beings are just looking for silver and gold and are satisfied with a life of pleasure here on this earth. However, there is more to life than just existing and gathering wealth.

Job challenges humans and especially his “friends” to think about more than has be presently said in this book. He want to challenge them to move further in their understanding of why the world was created and what their responsibility is to themselves and God.

CHALLENGE:  Are we settling with the little things of this world rather than a genuine working relationship with the LORD who created it all??

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

                       : 13       Man knows not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living (6187 “price” [‘erek] means value, a numerical quantity measured, assigned, or computed, estimate, proper value, or the act of estimating and the result)

DEVOTION: We have a hardware store called “True Value” in our town. We can go into the store because it is small and find some things real fast instead of going to a large hardware store and search for more time.

Value is something that we look for all the time. We want to use our money wisely. We want to get the most we can for our money. We also want to get the most we can out of life.

Here Job states that man is not finding what is of real value in the world. He is looking in all the wrong places. In fact, he states that what is of real value cannot be found on this earth.

Too often we really think that we have accomplished a lot in our lifetime when in reality we have working in all the wrong areas of life. The most important area is our relationship to the Creator of the Universe. This is what is of most value.

Job’s friends have been looking in all the wrong places regarding what is really valuable in the life of a human being. They are using their human wisdom to judge Job when they should be using Godly wisdom to understand what the LORD is doing in Job’s life.

Are you looking for real value in your life? It is found in the Word of God that needs to be studied daily for fresh insight into what the LORD wants to make important in your life.

CHALLENGE:  Wisdom is hard to measure and what it is worth to have it is hard to understand. Without it we don’t know the true value of life.

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                        : 23      God understands the way thereof, and HE knows the place

                              thereof. (995 “understands” [biyn] means see, to pay attention,

                              examine, to perceive mentally, discern, to distinguish, to

                              separate, to look closely or attend to)

DEVOTION:  We have a limited understanding of wisdom. Only God knows where to find wisdom. We search for it while HE has it. HE created the world in wisdom. HE did everything right at the beginning.

We don’t have a full understanding of what true wisdom is because we have a sin nature in us that limits our ability to understand everything that is going on in our world. The Bible gives us a limited view of wisdom but it is only from a sinful man’s perspective. We don’t have all the facts and if we did we wouldn’t know how to put them all together to give true praise and worship to the LORD.

It is said that wisdom is the summary of the genius God used to fashion the universe. HE did it right and didn’t need anyone to tell HIM what was good or bad. HE knew it because of his omniscience.

There have been many who thought they were smarter than any other man but they still didn’t have the wisdom that comes from God alone. HE gives some humans a limited amount of wisdom. Solomon was an example of this type of wisdom yet he didn’t use it all of his life.

We need to understand that we can only have limited wisdom and that we need to turn to the LORD regularly to understand what HE wants us to do with the wisdom HE has given us.

Our world need men and women who genuinely seek wisdom from above through the Word of God and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives. If they apply what they learn from the LORD and HIS Word then they can instruct others into a proper relationship with the LORD on a daily basis.

CHALLENGE: The LORD wants us to seek HIS wisdom on a daily basis and that can only be done with prayer and the reading of HIS word every day with the prayer for it to the source of all wisdom.

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DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

      : 27      Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

(5608 “declare” [caphar] means to count, recount, relate, number or take account of)

DEVOTION:  Jehovah-jireh means that Jehovah sees or provides. The LORD inspects HIS creation in great detail. HE causes precious jewels to be made. HE causes silver and gold to be found by man. HE allows food to grow. HE makes the rivers flow. HE keeps the earth turning on its axis. HE is in control

One of the characteristics of man that HE would like to see is wisdom. Wisdom cannot be bought with gold or silver or precious stones. Wisdom is to be searched for my mankind. Many have searched and thought they had found it only to realize they have only found earthly wisdom.

God has a different kind of wisdom HE gives to those who are followers of HIM. This type of wisdom only comes to those who fear the LORD. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom according to the book of Proverbs. It is stated by Job here to let us know that this fact was known by the followers of the LORD from before the time of Abraham.

Some think that they can hide from God in the dark. Not true. Some think that if they are cremated they can hide from God’s judgment. Not true. The LORD takes everything into account in HIS creation. HE not only sees what is going on but HE records it.

Some have said that in our brain is a recorder of all the things we have done in life. On judgment day HE will just play the recording. Praise the LORD that our sins are washed away from the recorder in heaven because of the blood of Jesus Christ.

HE knows what is happening all around us both now and in the future. HE stands outside of time. We stand in time. Before the foundation of the earth, HE planned what was going to happen every day of our lives. HE sees everything. HE counts everything. HE prepares everything. HE searches everything.

Can we hide anything from HIM? Should we want too? Many are struggling with hidden sins that need to be confessed and avoided. HE sees what is going on in our lives. Praise HIM for HIS care. Job understood that HE was watching because HE cared.

CHALLENGE: Understand that the LORD wants to give us Godly wisdom. We are told to ask for it and it will be given. Ask for wisdom!!!

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: 28      And unto men HE said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. (3249 “depart” [yacuwr] means turn aside, go away, withdraw, leave, desist, or avoid.)

DEVOTION:  Job is using another speech to help us understand WHO God is and how HE works in our world.

He describes in this final verse of our chapter that there is a difference between Godly wisdom and earthly wisdom. The book of James, in the New Testament, gives us more information regarding the differences.

Here we find that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of Godly wisdom. God wants to share HIS wisdom with those who will obey HIM. HE gives wisdom to Solomon to rule of the nation of Israel later in history. HE gave wisdom to Adam to name all the animals in the Garden of Eden.

Godly wisdom comes from above, whereas earthly wisdom, is what is practiced by a majority of people.

There are many people who know theology but don’t know God. There are many people who can quote Scripture but don’t know God. There are many people in our churches who are not practicing God’s wisdom.

One of the signs that we understand Godly wisdom is that we will avoid evil or sin. This is what Job explains of those who have Godly wisdom. They will avoid sin at all costs because they understand that it is something that God doesn’t like in the life of HIS people.

CHALLENGE: We have to put our wisdom into practice each day but avoiding sin. Then we have genuine understanding of the wisdom of God.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

HE sets an end to darkness                                      verse 3

God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)                        verse 23

God understands                                                       verse 23

God looks to the ends of the earth                           verse 24

God sees under the whole heaven                           verse 24

HE weights the waters by measure                         verse 25

HE causes the rain and lightning and thunder      verse 26

HE prepares all                                                         verse 27

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)   verse 28

Fear of the LORD                                                     verse 28

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

People                                                                         verse 1

            Find silver and gold

Men                                                                            verse 4, 9- 19, 28

            Know how to mine the earth

            Tear apart flinty rocks

            Overturn mountains

            Cut rivers among the rocks

            See every precious thing

            Binds floods

            Finds hidden things

            Doesn’t know the price of wisdom

            Wisdom can’t be bought with gold

            Wisdom more precious than gold, onyx,

                        or sapphire

            Wisdom more important than rubies

            Wisdom hidden from eyes of living

            God declares to man that the fear of the

                        LORD is wisdom

            Must have the fear of the LORD to

                        gain wisdom and to depart from

                        evil is understanding

Ethiopia                                                                      verse 19

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Evil                                                                             verse 28

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Path                                                                            verse 7

Wisdom                                                                      verse 12, 18, 20, 28

Understanding                                                           verse 20, 28

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

Shadow of death                                                        verse 2

Destruction                                                                verse 22

Death                                                                          verse 22

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org.  Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method.  Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage

20–22 Verses 12 and 20 are identical except for the verb. But there is no special significance to the change in verbs and no reason to change the text. They are clearly the same refrain. Verses 13 (Notes) and 21 give the same answer to the questions, though in different terms. Verse 13 stresses man’s ignorance of wisdom and v.21 nature’s blindness to wisdom. That Destruction and Death have a rumor about wisdom (v.22) probably means those who reach that place have a belated understanding they missed in life (cf. the rich man in Luke 16:19–31). (Smick, E. B. (1988). Job. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 977). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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28:20–27. After repeating the two questions Job asked before (v. 20; cf. v. 12), he affirmed that no animal, person, or bird can see wisdom (just as one cannot see mountain-hidden metals, vv. 4, 7–8). And just as the sea does not know where wisdom is obtainable (v. 14), neither do Destruction (“Abaddon,” niv marg; cf. 26:6) nor Death know. The only One who knows is God, for He is omnipresent (He sees what animals, people, and birds are unable to see, 28:7, 21). In creating the universe, God determined the elements; the force (lit., “weight”) of the wind, the amount of water, the decree (i.e., limit) for the rain, and where each thunderstorm would occur. In His creative genius, He saw and valued wisdom (cf. Prov. 8:27–30), in contrast with man’s inability to do so (cf. Job 28:12–13). (Zuck, R. B. (1985). Job. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 751). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Wisdom comes only from God (Job 28:20–28). Go as high as the birds can fly, and you won’t find wisdom there. Go as deep as Abaddon and death, and wisdom is not there. Only God knows where to find wisdom, for God sees everything. (He doesn’t have to dig into the earth to see what’s there!) God has the wisdom to adjust the pressure of the wind and measure the amount of water in the atmosphere. If these proportions were changed, what disturbances in nature might result! God knows how to control the rain and guide the storm as it moves across the earth. Flashes of lightning and peals of thunder may seem arbitrary to us, but God controls even the lightning and thunder. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Patient (p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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28:12, 20 These verses sum up the message of the chapter with the point that no amount of effort, even as vigorous and demanding as mining, will yield God’s wisdom. It can’t be valued or found in the world (vv. 13, 14). It can’t be bought for any price (vv. 15–19). The living can’t find it (v. 21), and neither can the dead (v. 22; cf. 26:6). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Job 28:12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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20–28. These are all so many sweet verses to the same effect. It should seem as if the mind of Job himself was so led out in the contemplation, that he knew not how to answer his own question, nor how to give it over unanswered. The manner in which he concludes gives the whole, if possible, more of a gospel form than any thing which went before. By comparing scripture with scripture, as we are commanded, 1 Cor. 2:13. we can best form our conclusions of the several expressions we meet with. Job saith in this place, That ‘the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ Now as in other scriptures we are told, That the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and that Christ is made of God, to us, wisdom; it should seem to follow, that in the knowledge of Christ, as the wisdom of God, for salvation, consists the whole of what is here expressed in this holy and childlike fear. I refer to those scriptures: 1 Cor. 1:24, 30. Psm. 111:10. Jerem. 32:40. And, as a collateral proof, the prophet Isaiah had it in commission to tell the Church, that the ‘people of no understanding’ would have no mercy nor favour shewn them: Isaiah 27:11. Is not this want of understanding an ignorance and despising of that wisdom of God in salvation by his dear Son? (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Job–Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 103). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

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FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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There are times when our prayers are answered and we seem “in tune” with God. At other times, our prayers seem not to be answered, and we seem far from God.

Jesus gives us two directives to keep in mind as we ponder our prayer. First, we are to abide in Him. This abiding, among other things, includes fostering a conscious awareness of His presence at all times and bringing all thoughts, attitudes, and actions in line with what we understand of His teachings. Second, “and My words abide in you” must involve studying, memorizing, and meditating upon the Word so that we pray intelligently, knowing God’s will ahead of time on some things. As we grow in these two areas, more and more of our prayers will be answered. (Quiet Time)

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A NEW CREATURE

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14
A Christian can have an entirely new birth, a new start, a new nature, a new life. He dies with Christ; he rises with Christ. He is in Christ. And so he becomes a new man.
Now, this is, of course, the very thing that had happened to the apostle Paul. In his old life he was a self-satisfied, proud Pharisee, a religious and highly moral man, a very good man and a very nationalistic Jew, despising everybody else and proud of himself. That is what he was, and yet he was miserable and wretched and unhappy and disturbed. But once he realized the meaning of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, he made an absolutely new start. Saul of Tarsus died, and the apostle Paul began to live. He says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
He is a man in a new universe. He is delivered from that old Adamic state and nature, and he is in Christ, alive unto God. It is the cross that does that. There is nothing that will get rid of the old man that we all are by nature except Christ’s death on the cross. But if you believe in Him and in the purpose of that death and what that death accomplished, you are truly dead to your old Adamic nature. You know that your old man was crucified with Christ and that he is gone forever. And as a result of this, our whole position and status is entirely changed. The apostle expressed that in this great statement: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).
A Thought to Ponder: There is nothing that will get rid of the old man that we all are by nature except Christ’s death on the cross. (From The Cross, pp. 186-187 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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The Good Deposit
“That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.” (2 Timothy 1:14)
The good thing that Paul referred to surely involves God’s “gift” that young Timothy was given as he entered the ministry. All gifts include the gift of “power, and of love, and of a sound mind” that God has given to all of us (2 Timothy 1:7). The Holy Spirit deposited that gift in us, and we are expected to guard it through the same Holy Spirit.
The action and responsibility are ours. The means by which we obey is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit who entered our bodies at the time of our salvation (1 Corinthians 6:19). That unique down payment of the triune Godhead (Ephesians 1:14) made it possible for us to keep the good with which He entrusted us. The breadth of God’s gift to us is beyond imagining, but there are a few insights that may help us understand His bounty.
In the most broad perspective, we are given “to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:11). That gift requires that we be given “the mind of Christ” so that we may grasp these great spiritual truths (1 Corinthians 2:16). The deposit that God placed with us is not a leap in IQ or mental ability. It is truly a “new man” that God has empowered to be “renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Colossians 3:10).
But this great spiritual capacity must be guarded. There is no guarantee of spiritual wisdom this side of eternity. We must beware “lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). God has made it possible for us to gain the wisdom of holiness so “that [we] might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Daily Hope

Today’s Scripture
Romans 1:18-2:3

When I was a child, the thing that perhaps frightened me the most was when my father was angry. While he was a loving man, he also was capable of disciplining when we became disobedient. The reality was that my father possessed the strength to discipline and accomplish what he stated which often caused his eight children to stop and reconsider our actions. 

Paul’s words to the Romans in this section of chapter one accentuates the ways of God and the guiltiness of man as they rebel. Paul begins this section in verses 18-23 with the statement that God has revealed to man His power, plan, and penalty for making Himself known to man. Paul declared that man is without excuse as God made Himself known to mankind and all have willfully chosen to pursue their own thoughts and direction. 

In the perceived wisdom of mankind, many reject the wisdom offered by God and attempt to live their own lifestyle. This attempt to design and live differently from God’s standards led them to experiment and accept values and standards that God had stated would be damaging and detrimental to their wellbeing. Three times in these verses of 24-32, Paul states that God “gave them up, or over” (vv.24,26,28) to their uncleanness, lust and depraved mind. To emphasize this, Paul lists twenty-four different activities to demonstrate their level of rebellion toward God and concludes with the reality that they encourage others to do the same.

Paul’s conclusion is that they are deserving of death (v.32), but God is merciful and does not bring that punishment to mankind yet. Paul’s point was that God was aware and attentive to society’s attempts to be their own master, but they were not in control. He was and is still God and remains in control of His world!

Paul desired for the Romans to submit and recognize God’s authority in their lives. May we consider how far our world has fallen from God’s plan and pray for our families, church leadership, and community leaders in our present day society to submit afresh to God.  With an Expectant Hope                              ,Pastor Miller

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Romans 2
The Jews have no partiality with God because they live for the Law.
INSIGHT

Without God, there is no right and wrong; there is only preference. We can say that we prefer something to be or not to be; but unless we appeal to God, we cannot use the words Right and wrong. If one person says something is right and another says it is wrong, their opinions cancel each other out unless they can appeal to a higher authority. Mankind needs God not only for salvation but also for the normal functioning of society. It is sobering to ask, “If everyone were exactly like me, what kind of society would we have

                                                   (Quiet Walk)

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THE AUTHORITY OF THE APOSTLES

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.
1 John 1:1
The declaration of the church comes to us on the authority of the apostles. See 2 Peter 1:16. Our only authority is the apostolic witness, and our gospel is based upon what they have said. In the opening verses of 1 John, John keeps on repeating it. Three times he talks about having “seen” it, twice he says, “we have heard” it, and he also says, we “have handled” it. He emphasizes and repeats that because it is the whole foundation of the preaching of the church, and there is no message apart from it. The message is what the apostles have seen, what they have witnessed, and what they have experienced and shared together.
Now, one of the first things we must recapture is the essential difference between witness and experience. What is our fundamental authority as Christian people? There are large numbers today who would say that it is experience. A man once wrote that he had been listening to a radio discussion between a Christian and a modern scientific humanist. During this discussion the scientific humanist asked the Christian, “What is your final proof of the reality and the being of God?” “And,” said the writer of this article, “the Christian failed badly, in my opinion. He tried to produce certain arguments, but he should have turned to the scientific humanist and said, ‘I am the proof of the being of God.'”
I would have been entirely on the side of the Christian in that argument, for I am not a proof of the being of God, nor is my experience. The only reality of the being of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. Experience is of value in confirming, in supporting, in helping me to believe these things, but I must never base my position upon it.
A Thought to Ponder: The declaration of the church comes to us on the authority of the apostles. (From Fellowship with God, p. 48, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).

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Confidence in Christ Alone
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8)
During the three verses prior to the text for today, Paul had listed some of the rather spectacular credits he had obtained “in the flesh” (Philippians 3:4). His family lineage and achievements were both professionally stellar and legally blameless. He had every right to be proud of himself.
Yet, in strong language, Paul values these personal achievements as the excrement of animals when he compares the gain of being given “the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9). A vivid contrast indeed!
Jesus taught that if anyone would become His disciple, then he must “deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Further, such a disciple must “lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s” (Mark 8:35). Owning the whole world was worthless if it meant that the price would cause one to “lose his own soul” (Mark 8:36). Hard bargains indeed!
Paul sought, as each of us should also, “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus” (today’s verse). Invoking all of the triune Godhead, Paul begged for comprehension of the “love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,” so that he can be “filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19). Such knowledge brings “full assurance of understanding” (Colossians 2:2). That is a good return indeed!
“Wherefore beloved,” Peter said, “be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).

                             (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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An Unexpected Guest

[Jesus said], “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Luke 19:5

Zach was a lonely guy. When he walked down the city streets, he could feel the hostile glares. But then his life took a turn. Clement of Alexandria, one of the church fathers, says that Zach became a very prominent Christian leader and a pastor of the church in Caesarea. Yes, we’re talking about Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector who climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:1–10).

What prompted him to climb the tree? Tax collectors were perceived as traitors because they heavily taxed their own people to serve the Roman Empire. Yet Jesus had a reputation for accepting them. Zacchaeus might have wondered if Jesus would accept him too. Being short in stature, however, he couldn’t see over the crowd (v. 3). Perhaps he climbed a tree to seek Him out.

And Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus too. When Christ reached the tree where he was perched, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (v. 5). Jesus considered it absolutely necessary that He be a guest in this outcast’s home. Imagine that! The Savior of the world wanting to spend time with a social reject.

Whether it’s our hearts, relationships, or lives that need mending, like Zacchaeus we can have hope. Jesus will never reject us when we turn to Him. He can restore what’s been lost and broken and give our lives new meaning and purpose.

By Poh Fang Chia  (Our Daily Bread)

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Happy birthday pastor Richard .i wish for your good health for today and better hope for tomorrow.World rewards for what is seen but God still rewards for what is unseen.May your unseen dedication and sacrifice be rewarded by God.You are precious and powerful instrument of God in this generation.Have a blessed day. Pastor Raj ( Nepal)

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