Minute Musings...Closer Than A Brother

Have you ever had your heart broken by the betrayal of one whom you thought was your
friend, one whom you though would always have your best interests and your back no matter
what?  I have, it's a very hard thing to come to grips with the betrayal of one you thought loved
you...one you considered your friend.

This happened to David.  Psalms 55:12 - 14  "For it was not an enemy that reproached
me;  then I could have borne it:  neither was it he that hated me that did magnify him
self against me;  then I would have hid myself from him:  but it was thou, a man mine
equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.  We took sweet counsel together, and walked
unto the house of God in company."  David knew what it was to have someone close to
him suddenly turn and betray him.  It broke his heart, not only by the betrayal, but the loss
of someone whom he had counted a friend.

We are all familiar with the recounting of Judas betraying Jesus.  This did not take the Lord
by surprise, as He knows all.  But it still hurt Him, that one who had been in such close
fellowship with Him for three years, would betray Him for 30 pieces of silver.  Matthew 26:
20 & 21  "Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve.  And as they did
eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."  Jesus knows the
pain of betrayal.

What about you?  Have you been betrayed, forsaken by one who had called themselves a
friend.  It hurts, I know.  But may I direct you to One who will never let you down.  It tells
us in Proverbs 18:24, "And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Jesus
Christ is a friend that you can count on to be with you all the time.  He has promised in
Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  This is the friend that you can
place all your faith in, you can tell all your problems too, and you can trust with your very
life. 

We are warned about placing our trust in man.  Psalms 118:8  "It is better to trust in
the LORD than to put confidence in man."  Micah 7:5  "Trust ye not in a friend,
put ye not confidence in a guide:"  This is not to mean that the Lord doesn't give us
friends to journey through this world with.  What it does mean, is that first and foremost
your trust, reliance and confidence should be placed in the Lord God, not in man.  Jesus
Christ is the ultimate guide, comforter and friend. 

Minute Musings...Create In Me A Clean Heart

When my children were little, there were just some things that no matter how hard I scrubbed,
I couldn't get the stains out.  I would sometimes even buy special soaps that promised to get
things sparkling new again...I wasn't expecting sparkle, but for the money they wanted for some
of those products, you would at least expect the stain to disappear!  There is no 100% guarantee
on any product, for a complete, brand new look if you use it.

One thing that we can never clean is our own hearts.  They are stained with sin, and there is
not a thing that we can do to remove that stain, no matter how hard we try. 

Jeremiah 17: 9 tells us that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked:  who can know it?"  There is nothing in our power to make our hearts sin free
and acceptable before a holy and just God.  Verse 10 goes on to say that, "I the LORD
search the heart,"  What does the Lord find when He searches our hearts?  Mark 7:21-
23  "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an
evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:  All these evil things come from within and
defile the man." 

Doesn't sound very good does it?  We try to look good in our own eye, in the eyes of our
family, friends, co-workers, neighbours;  but they can't see our hearts.  But God can,
nothing is hid from Him, and what He sees is disgusting.

The Psalmist David knew the secret to having a clean heart.  Repentance and surrender
are the only antidotes to a corrupt heart.  Psalms 51:2,3,10  "Wash me thoroughly from
mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I acknowledge my transgressions: 
and my sin is ever before me.  Create in me a clean heart, O God:  and renew a right
spirit within me."

Stop wasting your time and efforts in a futile attempt at cleansing your heart.  There is
only one way, give it over to God, and let Him apply the blood of the Lamb on those
stubborn sin stains!  Isaiah 1:18  "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the
LORD:  though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;  though they
be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  Now, that's a guarantee that you can
trust!

Minute Musings...A Burnt Toast Kind Of Day

Today has been just one of those days where you keep asking yourself..."Why did I even get
out of bed!"  You know the kind of day I'm referring to;  you start off by burning your toast,
then cut yourself while your trying to scrap the toast to make it fit to eat!  Then you sit down
to eat what remains of the toast, and proceed to spill your juice!  Yep...and the day just went
downhill from there.  Eventually I just started laughing, just who wrote the action scene for
this day?  I quickly realized that the One directing my day was the Lord. 

Psalms 37:23  "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD:  and he delighteth
in His way."

Our days are pre-ordered by the Lord, and no matter what that day holds for us, we are to
delight in the way that the Lord has taken us.  Sometimes this is very hard to do.  Not every
day is peaceful and problem free.  In fact, most days hold challenges, obstacles and pressing
needs that can't be ignored.  So how can we delight in days that seem to beat us down before
we even get started?  By keeping our eyes on the Lord and His promises that He will always
be with us, to help and to guide.  Sometimes we act like we are traipsing through a wilderness
without a guide, scared of every step, every shadow...the unknown.  But we are in fact following
in the footsteps of the One who has framed our days, whom has walked this path before. 

So no matter what your day hold in store for you, learn to thank the Lord for it.  All things
that come our way are meant to teach us something, draw us closer to our Savior, and to
show to others that our God is faithful no matter what happens.

Proverbs 3:5 & 6  "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart:  and lean not unto thine
own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

Minute Musings...Filled With...?

Have you ever watched a little one, trying to put something in a space that is already full? 
They eventually become very frustrated with this impossible task. Or perhaps you have even
had times when you've tried to squeeze just a little bit more into a container that is already
too full to start with!  What you end up with in a case like this, is a real mess to try to clean
up...at least that's what happens to me.  If something is full, there is no room for anything else,
no matter how hard you try!

It is the same in our spiritual lives.  What fills your heart?  If it is filled with worldly joys,
pursuits and dreams, there will be no room for the Lord.  You can't just squeeze Him into
a vessel that is already occupied with other things!  We are admonished in Ephesians 5:18b
"...but be filled with the Spirit."  And again in John 14:17, "Even the Spirit of truth;
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him:  but
ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

In order to be filled, we must first be emptied.  We are instructed in Ephesians 4, verse 29
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth."  Verse 30, "And grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God,"  Verse 31, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice:"  The sweetness,
love, purity and righteousness of our God cannot inhabit the same place in the vessel of
our hearts that the world occupies. 

What is filling your heart today?  Are the pleasures of this wicked world taking the place
that rightfully belongs to your Lord and Savior?  Don't waste your efforts trying to cram
the Lord into this dirty place, it is a futile endeavour.  Empty, repent and let the Lord fill
your heart and life with His precious presence and peace.

Minute Musings...How Deep Is Your Root?

I read this quote today, "When the root is deep, there is no need to fear the wind."  This really
struck a cord with me.  Do you ever wonder why it is that some people seem to be able to
weather great difficulties and heartbreak in their lives, while others seem to wilt under the
slightest dierese?  You can trace the reason back to their roots...how deep is their root grounded
upon the Word of God and Jesus Christ Himself?  Someone whom is rooted deeply to God
will not be swayed by the howling winds of adversity.

We find this admonishment from Paul in Colossians 2:6 & 7  "As ye have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him:  Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in
the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."  When a plant is
a seedling, you build up the earth around it to protect its tender roots.  You make sure that it
has the fertilizer it needs to grow its roots deep into the soil.  You watch carefully and get rid
of weeds that spring up, before they do any harm. 

This is how we need to protect our faith.  We protect it, surround and immerse it in the precious Word of God.  We need to be attentive to the wiles of the devil and sin that can so easily beset us.  The deeper and stronger our faith grows in the Lord, the less damage will result from trials and tribulations that befall us on our journey through this pilgrim world.

We find the description, in Psalms chapter 1, of the man/woman that follows after God with
their whole heart.  Verse 3 tell us, "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of
water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;  his leaf also shall not wither, and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

How healthy is your root?  Are you beginning to wither and shrivel in your spiritual walk
with the Lord?  Or are you fruitful in the service of the King, spiritually prospering in the
place where the He has placed you?  If you keep in the Word, and stay in fellowship with
the Lord, you will see the evidence of the fruits of the Spirit in your life;  love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Galatians 5:6) 

If you are not producing fruit...check the root!

Minute Musings...The Power To Kill

Have you ever tried to undo something that has been done?  It's hard isn't it!  But one thing
that is impossible, is to take back something once it has been spoken.  I read a story years
ago about someone in a small village who had spread some untrue stories about another.  Later
that person tried to undo the damage that had been done with their lies.  A wise friend took
that person up to a high point in that village and gave them a bag and proceeded to ask them
to empty all the contents onto the ground.  The bag, which was filled with feathers was opened,
and emptied.  As the wind took the feathers and scattered them, the person was instructed to
gather them all up again and put them back into the bag.  It was impossible, for the wind had
scattered a lot of them out of sight by this time.  The lesson was very clearly learned...words
cannot be taken back, the damage caused cannot be undone.

We are in possession of a weapon that can be used for mass destruction!  We are instructed
in the Word of God to be very careful with our words, for our words can kill...a persons hopes,
their reputation and their very spirit can be irrevocably damaged by thoughtless cutting words. 

Proverbs 18:21  "Death and life are in the power of the tongue:"  And again in James
chapter 3 verse 8 it says, "But the tongue can no man tame:  it is an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison."  We are also instructed in Ephesians 4:29 to, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may
minister grace unto the hearers."

To this day I still often recall the saying, "If you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all!"
A lot of times angry words spoken in the heat of the moment are said out of pride.  Pride and
the tongue are the Christians two worst enemies.

Our tongues are powerful weapons.  They can be used for evil or for good.  Proverbs 16:24
"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."  I'm
sure you would all agree that it is better to be instrument of healing and good, then one of
death and destruction!  Do you build up or tear down with your words.  We are all going to
have to give an account of our words spoken one day.  How will your account read?  I want
the stamp of approval on my account.

Psalms 19:14  "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable
in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."

Minute Musings...Spiritual Diet

Rich chocolate cake with buttercream icing, decadent fudge brownies, creamy vanilla
ice-cream topped with succulent butterscotch topping and real whipped cream.  Or perhaps
you prefer dark swirl chocolate cheesecake with pecans, or a tasty carrot cake with a thick
cream cheese icing!  All of these things are appealing to the eye, tasty in the mouth...but of
no nutritional value to our bodies.  In fact, indulging in too many of these treats can lead
to health problems, such as high blood pressure, weight gain, indigestion and heartburn!
Most of us try to be careful of how many empty calories we consume.

How careful are we with what our spiritual bodies ingest each day?  Do we nibble at the
"junk food" the world offers?  Just as nibbling at empty calories can be injurious to our
physical bodies, the "empty calories" from the worlds buffet table are harmful to our
spiritual health and welfare.  What do we watch, listen too and read?  These things enter
our minds and corrupt our hearts. 

We are warned in Proverbs 23:3, "Be not desirous of his (the worlds) dainties:  for they
are deceitful meat."  The world offers us nothing that can benefit us.  We will not desire
them if we don't look at them!  So what should we look at?

1 Peter 2:1 - 3  "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies,
and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
word, that ye may grow thereby:  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

John 6:51  "I (Jesus) am the living bread which came down from heaven:  if any man
eat of this bread, he shall live forever:  and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which
I will give for the life of the world."

Are you living on the proper diet?  Your health depends on what you fuel your body with.
So your spiritual health is dependant on the type of fuel you use to power it.  If you are not
being a productive servant for the Lord, if you've lost your desire to please Him daily...check
what you are consuming...read the labels!  Jeremiah 15:16  "Thy words were found, and
I did eat them;  and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart:  for I
am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts."