Category: joy

In the World, But Not Entangled With It

Sunday, June 2, 2013

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:3,4 KJV).

Rather than hiding ourselves in underground bunkers, or hiding our heads in our hands, let us hide this sound Bible doctrine in our hearts.

I recently spoke with a dear Christian brother and ministry coworker. He was so discouraged after having watched depressing newscasts on television for the last three hours. Life’s daily struggles, morose news stories, and false teaching in religion had the poor man so irritated and disheartened. Today’s Scripture is the solution to such negative thinking.

In Ephesians 6:12, the Apostle Paul admonished: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” There is an invisible battle occurring today—it is the battle of good and evil, the God of creation and Satan are fighting against one another.

The phrase “entangleth himself” (today’s Scripture) carries the idea of being braided with the goings-on of this life. That is, one being so “wrapped up” in the here and now, one so involved with the culture about us, the individual is consumed. The Christian soldier in such a predicament is distracted—he becomes so focused on the world’s problems that he loses sight of the hope, peace, and joy God the Father has given him in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! His mind is distracted, to Satan’s delight, and the Christian forgets the battle in which he is engaged!

Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

Remember, dear fellow-soldiers… think on good things, sound doctrine from God’s Word rightly divided (Philippians 4:8)!

Our Second Anniversary – Perfected Saints

Saturday, June 1, 2013

“[Christ] Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily” (Colossians 1:28,29 KJV).

Only by God’s grace, “333 Words of Grace” celebrates its second anniversary today!

Proper Bible study—yea, Bible study at all—is rare. Hence, spiritual ignorance has vexed the Church the Body of Christ for nearly 20 centuries. But, it does not have to be that way. God has given us the written, completed revelation of Him and from Him!

Today’s Scripture summarizes our goal these last two years. To teach the Bible truths that religion denied us for many years. The Holy Bible can be understood and enjoyed—and you do not need a decade of Bible cemetery… I mean, seminary! Simply find a King James Bible, study it dispensationally, and believe what it says where it says it.

For years and years, denominationalism never taught us: (1) that all of the Bible is for us, but not all of the Bible is to us or about us; (2) that the ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ committed to the Apostle Paul a special ministry and message; (3) that Israel’s prophetic program for the earth and our mystery program for the heavenly places are separate. We were never taught the Word of God “rightly divided” as 2 Timothy 2:15 declares. Every Bible verse was thoroughly mixed with every other. The Bible became confusing and burdensome, just another weapon Satan used to discourage and defeat us.

Oh, but now Bible study is thrilling! The fetters of religious tradition and spiritual blindness are broken in twain. We now appreciate the Holy Bible like never before! We are maturing spiritually: now we know what God the Father is doing, and we can join Him by faith, declaring to Him in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “I delight to do thy will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8a; cf. Hebrews 10:5-9).

Onward, dear readers and saints, in spiritual maturity, for we have several hundred more studies of sound Bible truths to consider and in which to rejoice! 🙂

Note: Please feel free to view our “Original 7” devotionals by clicking here.

A Great Spoil Meant to Be Shared

Sunday, May 5, 2013

“I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil” (Psalm 119:162 KJV).

God’s Word is a treasure, which we should be willing to joyfully share with all….

I recently spoke with a dear family member about salvation in Jesus Christ. Sitting in her home, I read and explained to her several salvation verses from the Holy Bible. Although she grew up in a religious home, she certainly heard many Bible concepts during my stay that she had never heard before. I have shared Bible truths with her on numerous prior occasions, so when that more recent opportunity arose, my heart rejoiced to share more of the Bible’s spiritual wealth with her.

In the context of today’s Scripture, the psalmist is penning the Bible’s longest chapter—176 verses that deal with God’s Word. The psalmist writes that he “rejoices at [God’s] word.” As a believing Jew, it thrills his heart to dwell on JEHOVAH’s thoughts and values (at that time, the commandments of the Mosaic Law). He cannot help but get excited as he reminiscences about the Old Testament Scriptures (remember, there are no written New Testament Scriptures yet). Earlier, he wrote, “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart” (verse 111). He also confessed, “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors” (verse 24).

The psalmist clarifies that he delights in and rejoices at God’s Word as one who has discovered a magnificent treasure: “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil” (today’s Scripture). Earlier, he wrote, “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver” (verse 72). In verse 14, he stated, “I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.”

God’s Word should thrill us Christians just as it excited the psalmist. The Holy King James Bible is a great Book of spiritual wealth, but we should be willing to share it, and we should not hide it. God’s Word is a treasure, a great spoil meant to be delighted in and shared—so, delight in it, and share it!