Calvin Synod Herald, 2011 (112. évfolyam, 3-12. szám)

2011-11-01 / 11-12. szám

12 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD concerning this passage: "I have not always found it easy to prac­tice this duty, this I confess to my shame. When suffering ex­treme pain some years ago, a brother in Christ said to me, 'Have you thanked God for this?' I replied that I desired to be patient, and would be thankful to recover, 'But,' said he, 'In everything give thanks, not after it is over, but while you are still in it, and perhaps when you are enabled to give thanks for the severe pain, it will cease.' I believe that there was much force in that good advice." Ephesians 5:20; "Always be THANKFUL with reference to all things to God even the Father through the person of our Lord Jesus Christ." Colossians 2:7; "Having been rooted and having been edified (built up, strengthened) in Him, and having been sta­bilized by means of Bible doctrine as you have been taught, OVERFLOWING WITH THANKSGIVING." There is a re­lationship between your consistent learning and application of Bible doctrine and your attitude of thanksgiving toward God. In other words, maximum knowledge of the Word of God gives you capacity for gratitude. Colossians 1:10-12; "And we pray that in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in ev­ery way; bearing fruit (the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. (re­ferring to consistent Bible study) Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and happiness. GIVING THANKS to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." II Corinthians 9:15; "THANKS be to God for His inde­scribable gift." God's indescribable gift is Jesus Christ, the Sav­ior of mankind. Our Royal High Priest, our King of kings, and Lord of lords. And this verse is found at the end of Paul's dis­sertation on financial giving, and thankfulness to those believers who gave to support the work of the Lord. Psalm 100:4; "Enter into His gates with THANKSGIV­ING and into His courts with praise. GIVE THANKS to Him, and honor His Person." Thanksgiving is to be a function of our prayers. Ephesians 1:16; "I do not cease giving THANKS for you, and I make mention of you in my prayers." Colossians 1:3; "We GIVE THANKS to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you." Colossians 4:2; "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it WITH THANKSGIVING." Philippians 4:6; "Stop worrying about anything, but in every­thing by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God." All true thanksgiving is based on the knowledge and appli­cation of the Word of God. All true happiness is based on the knowledge and application of the Word of God. Psalm 1:1-3; "Blessed (happy) is the man who does not walk (live his life) in the counsel of the wicked (ungodly) or stand in the way of sinners, (in other words, he does not make unbelievers his best friends, nor does he go out of his way to associate with unbeliev­ers. Even though he is a sinner himself, he is a sinner saved by the grace of God, and a citizen of heaven, and a child of God) or sit in the seat of mockers (the believer is not to stand by and listen to the ungodly mock the truths of the Word of God. He will depart from those who mock the fact of God's creation, and mock the sacrificial death of our Lord, and mock the reality of His return. The believer takes wiser counsel than the counsel of the ungodly. Who are the ungodly? They include anyone who re­jects the teachings of the Word of God. The happy man does not live his life based on the advice or the teachings of the ungodly. In other words, he will not live his life based on the teachings of psychology; nor of humanistic, non-scientific teachings of evolu­tion; nor of the liberal teachings of big government and socialism and welfare. All of these are classified as ungodly and wicked. And the believer who understands the Word of God will not live his life based on these teachings because he has something much higher, and much more noble and reliable to base his life on. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he medi­tates day and night. (I want you to notice that the word "law" refers to the Word of God as it was revealed at that time. The word "meditate" does not refer to any type of transcendental meditation, which is evil and Satanic. But it refers to meditating on something that is already in your soul, the Word of God. In other words, meditating on the Word of God is the "delight" of the believer who is positive to God and His plan. Therefore, if the believer takes "delight" in the Word of God, reads it and studies it, and then meditates on what he has read and learned by day, and thinks about it at night before he goes to sleep; He is like a tree planted (not a wild tree, 'is planted.') by the streams of water ("streams" is in the plural. This refers to many streams being ready to sustain and feed and supply his need. The rivers of grace provides all our needs. Such as: logistical grace, effica­cious grace, super grace, ultra-super grace, dying grace, surpass­ing grace) which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither (not only is his fruit preserved, but his leaf also. In other words, he shall never lose his beauty, nor his fruitfulness). And whatever he does prospers." When a believer lives his life according to the Word of God, which means that he will not live according to the teachings of psychology, or public education, or government laws and regula­tions that conflict with the Word of God. Nor does he search for unbelieving friends and associates, nor does he associate with those who mock the clear teachings of the work and plan of God through Jesus Christ. But he makes his delight, he lives in the truths of the Word of God by day and ponders and mediates on them before he goes to sleep. If he does all this, he will bear much fruit on a continual basis, and whatever he does he will prosper. In other words, God will bless his every move. Therefore, I challenge you to make a greater effort than you ever have before to be consistent in your learning of the Word of God, in your reading of the Word of God, and in your application of the Word of God. That is your duty, that is to be your life as a believer in Jesus Christ. And if you desire true happiness and true contentment in this life, it can only be obtained through your con­sistent learning and application of the Word of God in the filling of the Holy Spirit. "But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ......" (II Peter 3:18). "Study to show yourself approved to God " (II Tim 2:15).

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