Moments volume22

Moments of Inspiration

Volume 22 May, 2015

To God be the glory for providing all that was neededour Jehovah Jireh

Dedicated to all the ones, living and deceased, for making a difference in my earthly journey.

Harry Bain

1

It is Possible!

“The things impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 8:27*) One special day a young man, a rich ruler, come to Jesus asking what it would take for him to inherit eternal life. A very good question! Unlike some of us, money was no object to the young man. The thing he was seeking was not for sale to the highest bidder nor the one holding power over other men.

Jesus’ reply was not really what the young man wanted to hear and something perhaps we need to ponder. “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess, and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Luke 8:22 *). How many of us, if asked, would follow Jesus’ command and sell all that we have and give the money to those in need?

The account continues, “But when he had heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And when they heard it, they said, “Then who can be saved?” But He (Jesus) said, “The things impossible with men are possible with God”

2

Let us hold unto that statement: “The things impossible with men are possible with God” Any time an obstacle blocks our path, let’s confess Jesus’ approach. When discouragement comes upon us, we can rebuke it by saying, “The things impossible with men are possible with God” We can stand up, with God’s help, to opposition. The things impossible to us are possible with God. If we can accept it, and while respecting his power, the devil is a liar. We do not have to retreat in failure or drop to our knees in defeat. The things impossible with men ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD. There is a way to locate, in the darkness, the switch that will turn on God’s Power in our life, a way to turn darkness into Light!

(Your servant ponders the mysterious connection between our knowledge of how electricity works its characteristics and the Power of our Creator. For now, we must leave that to another discussion.)

It is the ability to believe God, (which He gives us), that turns the switch so that it can release the Power of God in our life.

The action will bring to pass the impossible, “If you can (believe) All things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9: 23*). If all things are possible, “to him, who believes,',',” then “the things impossible with men'” remain, “possible with God." We gain confidence in an associate or friend by fellowship with him or her. The more intimate our relationship is and the better we become acquainted with their abilities, the firmer our confidence becomes. To some degree, our confidence may be gained by what others tell us about them and what they have done. Sometimes the word “confidence” is another word for “faith.”

“And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will; He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask; we know that we have our requests which we have asked from Him" (I John 5: 14 – 15*).

3

Confidence in God is dependent upon our knowledge what His will is concerning the matter we face. That will is revealed to us through His law and His promises. We find them in our Bible. “So faith (confidence) comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17 *). The one, whose heart hungers, whose spirit thirsts for a deeper understanding of God’s word, is the one whose life shows the greatest confidence in God. They possess the precious ability to believe God in all things. That person has discovered, all things are possible with God, and they are cashing in on that knowledge.

The twelve apostles had great understanding of the man Jesus Christ. He gave much evidence that He was, indeed, the Lord’s Christ in the apostle’s midst. The group was privileged to be so intimately related to Jesus under many different circumstances.

Jesus was tempted just as we are, and the apostles must have seen His reaction to the times of testing. The times of testing are not unlike those we experience.

We can be sure that Jesus was pushed, as we are, to the end of His patience, humanly speaking. Think of the demands made on Him by the multitudes. Jesus must have known what it is to be tired, drowsy, hungry and as one might say, “wrung out."

As in any group of humans in close contact, there were times when the apostles spoke sharply to each other.

Surely, there were times when discouragement caused them to think of forsaking Jesus and returning to the ones, they had forsaken to follow Him. The apostles watched Jesus in the moments when perhaps we might be caught off guard and reveal our bad side to others, the ones we strive so hard to keep out of sight and in control! Jesus never reached that point but they, and we do. Although His spirit might be very troubled, and the look of tiredness might be seen on His face, Jesus’ secret, which we can share, was to withdraw Himself to find a place to get alone with His Father.

4

Upon His return, Jesus, (often after a night-long session of prayer), would be refreshed, His face beaming, eager and ready to meet the challenges of a new day.

There was a discouraged and frustrated father who brought his sick son to Jesus, after the apostles were not able to deliver the boy from the demon who possessed him, and begged Jesus to help.

Jesus asked, “How long has this been happening to him?” (Mark 9: 21 *) The father answered, “From childhood. And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him, but if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”

Listen to Jesus’ response as he talked to the father, “If You can (believe) All things are possible to him who believes.” The father didn’t delay, didn’t take time to think about it, instead, “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe, help my unbelief.” The father was so overcome with concern for his son that he didn’t care who heard his call for help. Sometimes we believe, but we need divine help in overcoming our unbelief!

We will continue this study of the things possible with God. * New American Standard Bible

5

It is Possible! (Part 2) “The things impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27 *) We ended part 1 of this subject with Jesus demonstrating His power to make all things possible by faith (confidence) in God. The father of the boy who was touched by Jesus admitted that, on his own, he could not muster enough faith to believe. He cried out for help to overcome his unbelief. It may be so for us.

To Jesus, prayer was the force that changed His whole being with a fresh anointing which he soon spent in ministering to others. As He gave daily of Himself, it was necessary that He went often to His Father to make the vital contact. From the Father, came the infinite supply that made Jesus the Christ, the very Son of the Living God! If the Son of God needed regular contact with the Father through prayer, how in the world can we ever hope to get anywhere without following Jesus’ pattern? Prayer is the only way of communication with the Creator of all that is! We have the means of being in touch with God, Who sent Jesus to show us the way to close the gap between earth and the heavens! Along the way, Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we can boldly dare to approach God! Amen!

6

The apostles took note that Jesus was connected with a neverending supply of all needed, when He prayed. One day, “It came about, that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples" (Luke 11:1*).

Then followed instructions on how to pray, beginning at the point of recognizing God with the reverence He deserves—“hallowed be Thy name.” The prayer Jesus taught them was a beginning of making contact with the Father to more fully establish the disciples, and our relationship with God. It is so very important that we learn how to go about this vital work— because prayer is work if it is to be productive.

Because it is such hard work, we may lack joy in doing it. It has been said that the most unpopular service in many churches is the time when the faithful few gather seeking God’s leading for the congregation and the services.

It is God that provides all that is needed. Humanly speaking, we ponder how He must feel when so neglected. Nevertheless, God will not forsake us even in our moments of ingratitude.

Some are still praying in the little verses we learned at mother’s or the Sunday school teacher’s knee. We cry out only when forced to do so when that seems to be the way out of difficulty. Some find little joy in communing with God and so our periods of fellowship are becoming less frequent. Our prayer life may become a reflection of a childhood habit. It may become a repetition of meaningless words; a ritual in which we participate because is a religious thing to do.

If we took time to look back over our lives, we may find that the path we took was filled with many twists and turns due to the obstacles that caused us to turn aside.

7

They may have been the “impossibilities with man” which might have become “possibilities with God," IF, we had only known how to bring God’s power into action on our behalf. Someone said, “Oh the things that might have been’.

“But we see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus…He had to be made like His brethren in all things...For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2: 9 – 18 *) Jesus’ Father is our Father when we accept Him as such. Jesus came to open the way to be in communication with God, to be connected to that never-ending supply.

When we approach our Father in prayer, how best to do it? As noted, we too often do it to get ourselves out of a jam. We may be in trouble, some emergency has arisen, and now in desperation we grab at any source to help. If this be the situation, then the whole time of attempted fellowship is to bring God up-to-date on the matter which forced us to seek His ear.

At those times, we are likely to forget that, “Father knows what you need, before you ask Him (Matthew 6:8 *) What kind of heavenly Father would He be if He were not already watching over us and giving vital interest in His child’s welfare? The truth may be that His child may really not give a hang about Him! When we pray, we must believe in God and center our minds upon Him. His Presence must be a reality in our consciousness. We must receive His Spirit and feel His Presence in our own heart and mind.

Our entire being must be one of being alert and receptive to His leading. As the Psalmist reminded us, we must, “Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46: 10*) We spend a good part of our lives fighting to exist in the competitive world in which we find ourselves. We have learned in that environment; the assertive survive. We set our goals and then do everything in our power to reach them.

8

When we find that we just can’t make it on our own, we instinctively turn to prayer. We implore God to lend His support on our behalf toward reaching our goals. God’s Will for our lives too often isn’t part of the picture.

God will not become a spare tire, so to speak, in our life, something to be used when others go flat and fail. We plan, work, and scheme and then, if we don’t get what we want, and can’t do it for ourselves, we call on God. “God, You get it for me” or “God; You do it for me.”

Such selfish motives are not even close to hallowing our Father’s name.

Jesus would have us learn that prayer isn’t just another way to realize our ambitions, our dreams, and another effort on our part to gain what we are seeking. As God works in our life, there is a time when we realize we are willing to let go of our ambitions and become more receptive and quiet in spirit. We must be still, learn, perhaps again, that He is God, our Heavenly Father, and then surrender our will to His. When we learn to do it God’s way, we are well along in our search to finding that with God, all things become possible, if we believe.

We are reminded of the old hymn, “Only Believe”: (Public Domain) Only believe, only believe; All things are possible, only believe; Only believe, only believe; All things are possible, only believe. * New American Standard Bible

9

Murderers of Mothers “Those who kill their fathers or mothers” ” (I Timothy 1: 9 *) The Apostle, as he departed for a missionary journey, encouraged Timothy to remain at Ephesus to instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines. Paul told Timothy to pay no attention to myths and endless genealogies, which led to speculation. Some were trying to become experts when they lacked the wisdom to do so.

Paul said, “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith. For some men, straying from these, have turned aside to fruitless discussion wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. “(I Timothy 1: 5-7 *) In the words of Mark Twain, “The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so”!

Paul went on explain how good the Law is when it is used wisely.

“The Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact the law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious”

10

“for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted" (I Timothy 1: 8-11 *).

For the mothers among us, there can be another side to the story.

Some mothers may bring grief upon themselves. Today’s society encourages us to duck responsibility and take the easy way out. We may not realize that the responsibility shirked today can come back to haunt and even push into premature graves.

Solomon wrote, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother" (Proverbs 29:15 *).

One approach in the world suggests freedom and reasoning matters out with young ones. In some cases that may work, for a time.

However, such an approach is not in agreement with, “a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother." We can try to avoid the proverb, but later we may see that God does know what is best.

“Correct your son and he will give you comfort; he will also delight your soul" (Proverbs 29:17 *).

There are mothers who have failed and even now may be failing in this Goddirected duty. Picture in our mind for a second the plight of the mothers who may fear to open the door, the mail, lest they learn of some action taken by the undisciplined child. The daily living with the lingering fear certainly does not add to a long life. Truly, “Fear has torment”.

The letter from Paul to Timothy was not a “churchy” one, but it was a letter to a fellow minister of the gospel. It had to do with stopping the mouths of some misdirected ones causing harm and confusion in the early church, because of some not really understanding that of which they spoke. It is interesting to note that Paul refers to some as “murderers of fathers and mothers.”

We are led to share these thoughts with you as we remember the mothers in our midst. .

11

As we know, there is more than one way to cause a premature death to happen.

The instant ending of life is possible by many means.

The violent act of a gunshot, a pre-arranged “accident” or maybe a dose of poison may prove to be more merciful than a slow death caused by anxiety, worry, fear, or a broken heart caused by the acts of a defiant son or daughter.

The Psalmist was acquainted with those kinds of wearisome moments when he cried out, “I have sunk deep in mire, and there is no foothold, I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me, I am weary with my crying; and my throat is parched; my eyes fail while I wait for my God" (Psalm 69: 2-3 *). We can reach the point where we have no more tears because of our weeping for our children.

The mother of Jesus was greatly disturbed by His actions while still a young lad. The answers to her questions were not immediately understood. Mary was wise, she, “treasured all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51 *), even as Jesus continued in subjection to her.

Mary likely understood later what Jesus told her while He was yet a lad. However, in the intervening years, she was greatly disturbed and troubled. We are fairly sure that it cost Mary much to be the mother of Jesus. God knows it costs mothers dearly to be the nurturing influence in the lives of her children.

It was a mother’s love for her son who enabled King Solomon to settle wisely the argument over who was the real mother among the two harlots. One claimed a three day-old boy to be her son saying that the other took her son and replaced the lad with the dead body of a boy who had died during the night. The King asked for a sword, saying he would divide the living boy in half so that both mothers would have part of him. Of course, the true mother, to preserve the life of her child told the king to give the boy to the other woman.

12

The king was wise enough to know about a mother’s sacrificial love for her child, and the account ends happily with the real mother having the boy.

After Rebekah tried to deceive her husband in the passing of the family blessing, she became upset with the idea that her younger son, Jacob, was thinking of taking a wife outside the custom of the day.

She told her husband that, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me? “ (Genesis 27: 46 *) The account helps us understand the love of a concerned mother for her children, even to the extent of the child’s choice of a life partner.

What mother is there who hasn’t paid a price for the privilege and responsibility of accepting motherhood? On the other hand, we could ask if there is any among us who never caused mother to be anxious regarding our actions. How many “worry” lines did we put on mother’s face?

Who among us can say that we did not shorten mother’s years by our stubborn foolishness?

Mother is the special person that God selected as the one who made a difference in our life. If she is still with us, let’s take some time soon to remember and honor her!

* New American Standard Bible

13

Tell them now!

“We love, because He first loved us.”

(I John 4:19 *) Some years ago, there was a song that asked the question, “Have I told you lately that I love you?” The song tells of a man’s love for his sweetheart as he assures her of his undying love.

The man’s eyes opened slowly as he woke from his dream. It had all seemed very real as the words from his wife lingered in his mind.

The man recalled that there was a terrible accident involving his wife and child.

In the dream, as the man picked up the bed-side telephone, his wife told him that their child was dead, and she had but a moment to say her final good-bye. As the wife continued, she asked hubby to forgive her for the times that she had failed to be the helper that she might have been. As the seconds sped by, they assured each other of their love.

The man awoke, and the words from the old song came to mind as he thought about the dream and its meaning.

14

He reflected on the Lord’s concern with the importance of Godly love. He thought what if we had only a few seconds to tell God and those around us that we love them?

While there is time before our voice is forever put to rest, we need to tell God that we love Him, and those around us, that we love them.

There may never be another time to use our voices to speak or our hands to write our love. As we read these words, we need to tell God that we appreciate His love for us, and we love Him in return.

“We love, because He first loved us" (I John 4:19 *).

Life today moves so rapidly that we sometimes tend to overlook our God and the ones that surround us and love us very much. While our focus is on our “to-do” list, it is easy to forget the ones that stand with us as we travel the road of life. “…and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word…” (Mark 4:19 *) If our spouses are still alive, we need to tell them that we love them for the many things they do to make life more pleasant for us.

Particularly, if they are of a quiet nature, we tend not to recognize the effort they put forth just to help us prepare for the day. Mom rises early and quietly packs the children’s lunches. She assures that we have lunch money and checks to see that we don’t leave it on the table in our haste to get out the door.

Sure, we say that is her job, but when was the last time we noticed her extra efforts and expressed our love and thanks? Although Dad quietly checks to make sure that the tires on his wife’s automobile aren’t flat before he gets into his own car, we still need to tell him that we love him, before the day comes when we cannot.

15

Our children see the example set by mom and dad through the many little things they do for each other. They see the love and mutual respect expressed in the home, and they need to hear that love spoken. It is all a part of, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6 *).

It has been said that children become what they live and see. We are helping our children to live good lives with their spouses and others, by the way, that we express love and appreciation to each other while they are still at home and in our care.

One day Jesus was talking with His disciples in private, on the Mount of Olives, about the Judgment, and he told them, “…the King (Jesus) will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ ” (Matthew 25:40 *) How long has it been since we told our fellow believers that we love and appreciate them for what they do?

The apostle Paul must have told his followers often that he appreciated and loved them. He said, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all...” (Romans 1:8 *)The first thing that Paul did when he heard of the believer’s love was to thank God! In another place, he said, “I thank my God always concerning you" (I Corinthians 1:4 *).

Paul remembered and was thankful for the love of his followers. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you" (Philippians 1:3). His love and thankfulness were expressed in prayer, “always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all…” (Verse 4) To the little church attended by Philemon, he said, “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints" (Philemon 1:4-5 *).

16

Because of the love expressed in that little church, Paul felt led to say, “For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love…”

(Philemon 1:7 *) The Holy Spirit compels us to stop and thank those who attend our services and the ones who receive this publication through the mail or from a friend. We hear from visitors that they feel the love of God manifest through the warm greetings expressed by our congregation. We may be, at times, limited in number but mighty in letting God work through us. Thank you and thank God! Think what Paul is saying. The love that was present within the church caused much joy and comfort for Paul. The load of care for the believers became easier to bear because of the expressions of love.

The load of responsibility and concern for our welfare and spiritual condition becomes heavy at times for God’s servants who are striving to serve us.

Have we any idea how much encouragement we could be to those who labor on our behalf? A little “thank you for what you do” can go a long way toward encouraging them. As God provides, let us take the time to tell them of our love and appreciation.

Paul was moved by the love in that little church to record for us, “Because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother" (Philemon 1:7 *).

Will we seek the time and opportunity to refresh the heart of someone today? Thank you.

* New American Standard Bible

17

18