Category: Grace Living (Christian Life)

Understanding to the Simple

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130 KJV).

God’s words give light; they give understanding to the simple!

A Christian sister recently told me that she had greatly benefited from a grace Bible conference she and her husband had just attended. They had learned much about their Heavenly Father’s plan for them and His words to them. The conference had encouraged them to start reading their Bibles more earnestly. She had spent many years earlier in life being forbidden by her (cultic) denomination from reading the Bible at all. Then, she heard the Gospel of Grace and trusted Christ Jesus as her personal Saviour. Unfortunately, she then spent some decades in yet another denomination, learning some Bible truth but not much. When she met her husband, he too had trusted Christ and been confused in denominations. I had the privilege of telling them about dispensational Bible study a few years ago.

Recently, I spoke with some people about the Gospel of Grace and dispensational Bible study. Whether unsaved and needing life in Christ, or saved and not understanding life in Christ, they were very eager to hear the Bible verses speak for themselves. I could sense that they were being enlightened and greatly enjoying the Bible. They too had spent years in denominations—amazed that they had attended “Christian church services” and yet never heard those helpful verses until now!

There is nothing wrong with God’s words. Today’s Scripture says they will provide light in the midst of spiritual darkness; they will give understanding to the simple (“simple” being “inexperienced; uninformed”). Confusion in religious circles remains because people do not read the Bible for themselves. They rely too heavily on preachers, priests, denominational hierarchies, theologians, and religious tradition. Instead of reading news and watching televisions and smartphones all day, church members need to take time and just read the Holy Bible for themselves. Absolutely, if they started reading the Bible, it would change their lives… and where they go to church! The spiritual confusion will go away. While they will not have all the answers, they will at least have more than they had before they opened the Bible!

Rejoicing in God’s Goodness #5

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

“And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you” (Deuteronomy 26:11 KJV).

Israel is to “rejoice in every good thing which the LORD [her] God hath given unto [her].” What are these “good things?”

The offering in the context of today’s Scripture (verses 1-11) is spoken as though the nation Israel has already defeated the inhabitants of the Promised Land. It assumes that the Israelites will go in, conquer all their enemies, and enjoy the fruits of the land God has given to the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God through Moses presents Israel residing in the Promised Land as a fact, even though they will not actually enter it and fight those peoples until Joshua assumes leadership (after Moses dies). As before, God believes that He will give Israel the victory. He expects Israel to believe Him, and to worship Him by offering to Him that fruit when they do arrive in that land of Canaan.

Some 40 years prior, remember again, the Jews had complained that they were unable to enter the Promised Land and enjoy its plenteous food supply. The giants living in the land were just too powerful for them to overcome in war. (Of course, Israel overlooked the fact that God had just vanquished the mighty Egyptian armies, thousands of trained soldiers, using just the Red Sea!) With this new generation of Jews in today’s Scripture, they are to go into the land, dispossess it, and rejoice in God’s goodness. They did not deserve that harvest of enormous fruits, but God had simply given them because of His grace.

“And [JEHOVAH God] hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Is Jesus Christ God’s ‘one and only Son’ or ‘only begotten Son?’”

Rejoicing in God’s Goodness #4

Monday, March 6, 2017

“And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you” (Deuteronomy 26:11 KJV).

Israel is to “rejoice in every good thing which the LORD [her] God hath given unto [her].” What are these “good things?”

Forty years earlier, just before entering the land of Canaan, the Jews’ ancestors had spied it out. Numbers chapter 13 explains those scouts actions’: “[23] And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. [24] The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. [25] And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. [26] And they … came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. [27] And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.”

Sadly, verses 28-33 say that 10 of the 12 scouts voiced fear: they doubted Almighty God would give Israel victory over the land’s gigantic residents! Disbelieving and discouraged Israel was thus banned from entering that wonderful land of God. Now, in the context of today’s Scripture, that unbelieving generation has died. A new generation of Israelites will go in and possess that land. That expression “floweth with milk and honey” (Numbers 13:27) appears with today’s Scripture—“And [God] hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey” (verse 9). Canaan is an agricultural paradise: its grape clusters require two men to carry them!

Now, with the firstfruits offering of today’s Scripture, God wants Israel to admit He gave them the military victory to enjoy that fruit of that land….

Rejoicing in God’s Goodness #3

Sunday, March 5, 2017

“And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you” (Deuteronomy 26:11 KJV).

Israel is to “rejoice in every good thing which the LORD [her] God hath given unto [her].” What are these “good things?”

The special offering delineated in today’s Scripture and its context serves to instruct Israel concerning a most basic principle. Notice: “[1] ….the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance… [2] …thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee,…. [3] …I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us…. [8] And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: [9] And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. [10] …I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me…. [11] …rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee….”

Friend, do you see the constant emphasis on what the LORD (JEHOVAH God) has done for Israel? By offering this sacrifice, the Jews are reminded of God’s provisions for them. They had not gained that land by their own efforts. Simply in His grace God had promised it to their father Abraham many centuries earlier (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 15:1-21).

Additionally, their father Jacob and his family were ready to die of starvation in Canaan, but God had sent Joseph into Egypt ahead of time so Israel (a tribe of 70 souls) would migrate southward and survive (Genesis chapters 46-47). Eventually, they became Egyptian slaves. The Israelites could not deliver themselves from harsh Egyptian bondage. Forty years prior to today’s Scripture, Almighty God had given their ancestors victory over Egypt and Satan. They had refused to enter the Promised Land and died in the wilderness. However, now, in today’s Scripture, 40 years later, this new generation of Jews can enter God’s land, where Abraham had once lived, to now enjoy its bountiful harvests….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “How is Joshua a high priest in Zechariah 3:8 if…?”

Rejoicing in God’s Goodness #2

Saturday, March 4, 2017

“And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you” (Deuteronomy 26:11 KJV).

Israel is to “rejoice in every good thing which the LORD [her] God hath given unto [her].” What are these “good things?”

Once the nation Israel enters the Promised Land under Joshua’s headship, the Jews are to gather the firstfruits of the land. They are to place those fruits in a basket, and bring it to the priest as an offering to the LORD (verses 1-4).

Verses 5-10 continue: “[5] And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: [6] And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: [7] And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: [8] And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: [9] And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. [10] And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me….” (We will return to this confession shortly and analyze it.)

For now, we read the rest of verse 10 and today’s Scripture: “[10]…And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God: [11] And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.” Friend, are you starting to see a recurring phrase in this passage? What could God possibly be teaching Israel with this special offering? Take some time to think about it and we will proceed to dissect the verses….

Rejoicing in God’s Goodness #1

Friday, March 3, 2017

“And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you” (Deuteronomy 26:11 KJV).

Israel is to “rejoice in every good thing which the LORD [her] God hath given unto [her].” What are these “good things?”

Aged Moses will soon die, pass off the scene. Joshua will assume leadership of Israel. Today’s Scripture is part of Moses’ final instructions to his fellow Israelites. They are to observe those rules—yea, all of the Law—for one particular reason. After wandering throughout the Middle East, they will now enter the Promised Land under Joshua’s command. More specifically, they will inhabit God’s land, so He expects them to follow His rules. One of these orders is found in the context of today’s Scripture.

We read at the beginning of Deuteronomy chapter 26: “[1] And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; [2] That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. [3] And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. [4] And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.”

In other words, every Jew is to gather the firstfruits of the land of Canaan, put those fruits in a basket, and take that basket to the Tabernacle to give it to the priest. This is to be done as a gesture of gratitude to JEHOVAH God, that He was faithful to His promise that He swore to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are to remind themselves of their “humble” beginnings….

NOTE: Saints, remember us in your monthly giving. You can donate securely here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux. Please direct any donation inquiries to me at arcministries@gmail.com. Also be reminded of our Bible Q&A booklets for sale at https://arcgraceministries.org/in-print/booklets-bible-q-a/. Thanks to all who give to and pray for us! 🙂

Unappreciated Truths

Thursday, March 2, 2017

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6 KJV).

As dogs reject sanctified objects, and swine trample pearls under foot, so Bible scoffers turn away from its truths.

Sometime back, I posted in an online forum the fact that I received some very negative emails in response to our online Bible studies. These emails were from people interested only in denying the Bible verses and truths we provided. Denominational teaching meant more to them than God’s Word, and they would relentlessly fight to keep their traditions!

Recently, I received the following email: “You should listen to some of those people sending emails. You are in a nutty cult.” (That was literally all he wrote to me.) While he was speaking of the critical emails, he also was sending one of them. Rather than engaging in meaningful discussion, or a substantive rebuttal, telling me precisely where I was wrong, he rejected our studies and resorted to mere name-calling—“you member of a nutty cult!” When they hate the message, but cannot refute it, they attack the messenger. It is precisely these people that we do not waste our time addressing. Brethren, if they rebel in reading Bible verses, we can do nothing more for them. There is nothing we can say to convince them if the Bible did not persuade them. In fact, we are not even obligated to reply with an email saying, “I am not interested in arguing.” Frankly, I just delete those emails without responding. I keep a mental file of names, ready to delete future emails from them.

As the Lord Jesus said in today’s Scripture, while some hypocrites can be reached with the truths of God’s Word (verses 1-5), others will reject those truths and refuse to be corrected. They will see no value in divine words any more than a dog loves something sanctified in God’s eyes, or any more than pigs see the value of pearls. While we go to great lengths (!) to guide people in the Word of God, we are to let them have their way if they persistently reject it.

Just Read the Book!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

“And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12 KJV).

How can today’s Scripture help us avoid a lifetime of “weariness?”

In concluding the Book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon made a very famous confession: “And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”

Recently, I dealt with a confused woman who I have been ministering to for some years. She has attended our Bible studies, asked questions, and even came to one of our grace conferences. Over the years, she has been tossed back and forth with various ideas. She also attends local denominational churches where perverted doctrine is taught. Her overall problem is not that she is lost. I believe she is a saved woman. No, her problem is that she reads too many best-selling “Christian” books rather than reading only the Book.

Reading non-biblical religious books is okay, provided that you first know how to rightly divide the Word of God. Friend, you CANNOT afford to expose yourself to hundreds upon hundreds of books written by people who do not even know how to use God’s Word, God’s way. You will disorient and exhaust yourself. Just think about the poor woman. Looking for the will of God in “books, books, books, books…” will tire and defeat you. Remember today’s Scripture!

There are billions of weary people today in religion. Why? They have spent so much time reading confessions, catechisms, and commentaries. Since their church authorities have not taught them how to use the Bible, they do not know how to use it. Thus, they rely on the church authorities to “interpret” it for them. Many of these precious souls are not even told the truth about the Bible anyway because the “authorities” do not know the truth either!

While this lady I reach still has a long way to go in Bible understanding, she was recently exposed to rightly divided Bible verses yet again. She needs to believe those verses, and push aside all of the books competing for her allegiance! Let us by faith do the same! 🙂

Bible Q&A #355: “Do some things happen by ‘chance?’”

You may also see our archived Bible Q&A: “Should Christians observe Lent?”

333’s 2100th – God’s Grace on Parade

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

“…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20 KJV).

Saints, we celebrate devotional #2100! (We also briefly address Mardi Gras.)

Here in (predominately Roman Catholic) southern Louisiana, Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”) is a popular religious holiday. For centuries, this revelry has been advertised in the name of “Jesus Christ.” Lost people are certainly expected to act like lost people. We do not suppose they will behave like Christians. But, for them to misbehave—to engage in drunkenness, gluttony, and vulgarity—and unashamedly refer to it as a Christian holiday, is most outlandish and stupid!

So many people have great difficulty in reconciling how a loving God could let evil remain unpunished. They see endless murder, thievery, rape, oppression, malfeasance in office, dishonesty, and wonder if a “god” even exists. Still, there is a more obvious problem. How can a righteous God permit people to continuously (annually) engage in disorderly parades and lewd parties in the name of His dear Son? Why does He allow people to continue to disrespect Jesus Christ year after year?

God once judged sin most harshly on Earth: fire from Heaven consumed sinners, the earth opened and swallowed sinners, a Great Flood destroyed sinners, and on and on. For the last 2000 years, sinners have done just about anything they wanted on Earth—oppressed the poor, lied, cheated, stole, taken innocent lives, et cetera—yet there was no fire, no flood, no cleaving of the earth to punish them. Even today, God is silent. Why this major change in operation?

For the last 2100 days, we have considered the Word of God rightly divided. We have learned about the drastic dispensational change that occurred with the Apostle Paul’s salvation and ministry. Through Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork—His dying for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4—God offers to all the world salvation from their sins. Rather than judging them, He is offering His grace, His unmerited favor to them. His Son was punished, that we might be saved from eternal damnation.

Whether at hundreds of Mardi Gras parades, or here at “333 Words of Grace,” God’s grace is clearly seen. May we not be foolish in rejecting it! Let us enjoy God’s grace by faith!

*Adapted from a larger Bible study with the same name. The Bible study can be read here or watched here.

You may also see our archived Bible study Q&A, “Should Christians celebrate Mardi Gras?”

Subject Unto Higher Powers

Monday, February 20, 2017

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation” (Romans 13:1,2 KJV).

Here in the United States of America, today is Presidents’ Day, when we remember all presidents, past and present!

Donald John Trump has been in office exactly one month today. Tensions, however, are still high and widespread in every echelon of our society—politics, communications, economics, educational, religious, familial, entertainment, and so on. In recent months, and especially recent weeks, people here and around the world have witnessed the “protesters.” Some are peaceful, which is allowed and encouraged by the First Amendment of our Constitution. However, others are anarchists and insurrectionists, people who have vowed to continue violently resisting our new president. These lawless individuals want to overthrow the government simply because they disagree with it. What do we expect from sinners who vehemently refuse to let God and His Word rule their lives?

My friend, contrary to popular belief, God did not ordain our president, or any other leader in power today. Rather, He instituted human government in Genesis chapters 9-11. Today, in the Dispensation of Grace, God is not choosing earthly leaders (He did in Israel’s program, but we are not in Israel’s program!) Nevertheless, the powers they wield, the offices they hold, are of divine origin (today’s Scripture). For people, especially we Christians, to rebel against government is to go contrary to God’s will for creation. Government is to maintain order and justice in society—even if it means the death penalty (Romans 13:4)! Ungoverned, human civilization would collapse, as disarray would be rampant and crime would remain unpunished. Provided it does not encourage us to disobey God’s Word, we should submit to human government.

We may not agree with our governmental leaders, friend, but the Bible does command us to pray for them in 1 Timothy 2:1,2. More than anything, we need to adapt God’s view of them: they too are unworthy sinners as we, also in desperate need of His Son as we. Be at peace with your government!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Can you explain, ‘If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable?’”