“He that believeth shall not make haste.” Isa. 28:16
He shall make haste to keep the Lord’s commandments; but he shall not make haste in any impatient or improper sense.
He shall not haste to run away, for he shall not be overcome with the fear which causes panic. When others are flying hither and thither as if their wits had failed them, the believer shall be quiet, calm, and deliberate, and so shall be able to act wisely in the hour of trial.
He shall not haste in his expectations, craving his good things at once and on the spot; but he will wait God’s time. Some are in a desperate hurry to have the bird in the hand; for they regard the Lord’s promise as a bird in the bush, not likely to be theirs. Believers know how to wait.
He shall not haste by plunging into wrong or questionable action. Unbelief must be doing something, and thus it works its own undoing; but faith makes no more haste than good speed, and thus it is not forced to go back sorrowfully by the way which it followed heedlessly.
How is it with me? Am I believing, and am I therefore keeping to the believer’s pace, which is walking with God? Peace, fluttering spirit! Oh, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him! Heart, see that thou do this at once!

Let’s face it. We live in a society where the powerful, the beautiful, and the bright usually get the recognition, the accolades and the promotions. It is a pride-driven world of self that takes on at least five forms of expression:

1. SELF-PROMOTION — In our effort to command center stage, we have become masters at crafting just the right image, and uncommonly adept at manipulating people and circumstances. Thus, we artfully name-drop, apply pressure at strategic moments, flatter, pout, and intimidate. The Scriptures, however, do not allow us the luxury: “Should you then seek great things for yourself ? Seek them not… ” (Jeremiah 45:5a) (See Genesis 13; Romans 12:16)

2. SELF-PITY — As a people, we have nurtured a “victim mentality” by refusing to take responsibility for our lives: “No one appreciates me.” “No one understands me.” “I had a rough childhood.” “They took advantage of me.” By way of contrast, consider St. Paul’s response to his severe victimization: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed… As servants of God… [we are] known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9; 6:4b, 9,10) (See 1 Kings 19:10; Job 10:1)

3. SELF-SUFFICIENCY — “Hey… with enough guts, brains and raw hard work I will make it happen!” While God affirms a can-do spirit, He despises self-sufficiency that is rooted in pride:

“In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” (Psalm 10:4) (See Genesis 6:5, 6; Psalm 138:8; Proverbs 3:34; 11:2; 16:18; Isaiah 2:11, 12, 17; 14:11-15; 65:2; Romans 1:21, 28; James 4:6)

4. SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS — “There are a lot of people out there doing a lot worse stuff than I.” “I’m doing the best I can.” “I lead a clean, moral life.” “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10, 11) (See Isaiah 64:6; Luke 18:9-12; Romans 3:10-17; 10:1-4; Philippians 3:9)

5. SELF-WORSHIP — “Hey, if ya got it, flaunt it! Right? ‘Cause if you don’t toot your own horn, who will?” “Herod… delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man’ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:21b, 23) (See 2 Chronicles 26:16-21; Daniel 6:6-9; James 4:5, 6; 1 Peter 5:6)

The only hope – the only focus – the only option for the sincere follower of Christ is to climb up on the cross with him and die. And then allow his life, moment by moment to live through ours.

See Galatians 2:20.

QUESTION: Today, are you willing once again to climb back up on that cross?

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Rom. 6:14
Sin will reign if it can: it cannot be satisfied with any place below the throne of the heart. We sometimes fear that it will conquer us, and then we cry unto the Lord, “Let not any iniquity have dominion over me. This is His comforting answer, “Sin shall not have dominion over you. It may assail you, and even wound you; but it shall never establish sovereignty over you.
If we were under the law, our sin would gather strength and hold us under its power; for it is the punishment of sin that a man comes under the power of sin. As we are under the covenant of grace, we are secured against departing from the living God by the sure declaration of the covenant. Grace is promised to us, by which we are restored from our wanderings, cleansed from our impurities, and set free from the chains of habit.
We might lie down in despair and be “content to serve the Egyptians” if we were still as slaves working for eternal life; but since we are the Lord’s free men, we take courage to fight with our corruptions and temptations, being assured that sin shall never bring us under its sway again. God Himself giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Faith’s Checkbook

May God Bless Your Life

Hudson Taylor was interviewing some young people who had volunteered for the Lord’s service. He asked several practical questions to find out how well qualified they were for the life they were anticipating. “And why do you wish to go as a foreign missionary?”
“I want to reach others across the sea because Christ has commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,” one replied.
Another said, “I want to go because millions are dying without ever having heard of Jesus, the only One who can save them.” Others have similar answers.
Hudson Taylor looked at them thoughtfully for a moment and then said. “All of your motives are good, but I fear they will fail you in times of severe testing and tribulation—especially if you are confronted with the possibility of having to face death for your testimony. The only motive that will enable you to remain true is stated in 2 Corinthians 5:14:
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
Christ’s love constraining you will keep you faithful in every situation.”

Mark 12:30-31
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment (desire) greater than these.

1. To truly love God, we must love Him in all we do.

2. Loving God is mandatory for a dynamic spiritual life.

3. True love will be expressed voluntarily rather than being forced or done out of guilt.

4. Love is a choice.

5. How can we love God more? Be Thankful

Romans 1:21 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

6. When it comes to love, actions speak louder then words.

Recently I read a story about a person that was deeply hurt by someone close to them: Their immediate reaction was anger. Grief. Disappointment. Wounded pride. They had expected so much more in the relationship! Because they hate pain, they wanted to:

Run from it.

Criticize the person inflicting the pain.

Pout – Have a pity party!

In other words, do anything to get rid of the pain.

Such reactions are not condoned in Scriptures. Rather, we are to respond with:

Compassion (Matthew 9:13, 36; Mark 1:41; Luke 6:36; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 3:8)

Kindness (Proverbs 14:21; Matthew 5:42; Luke 6:34, 35; 1 Corinthians 13:4; 2 Peter 1:7)

Humility (Numbers 12:3; Proverbs 16:19; 29:23; Isaiah 57:15; 66:2; Matthew 5:3)

Gentleness (James 3:13; Titus 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Timothy 6:11; Ephesians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 10:1)

Patience. (2 Timothy 3:10; 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11)

And we are to:

Bear (literally, endure) the pain inflicted upon us.

Forgive the person – even when they keep sticking it to us: “If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” (Luke 17:4)

Here’s how the Apostle Paul put it, “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:12, 13)

For example, Jesus, in his dying breath uttered, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:24). And Stephen, as they were crushing in his skull with rocks whispered, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60b)

We all know brittle, sour prune-types that reek with anger and bitterness. And that’s where we are headed unless we embrace the spirit of Jesus and Stephen. So let’s make a decision today: That by His grace we will allow no one to rain on our parade. And we will accomplish this unprecedented feat by choosing to be the very embodiment of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance and forgiveness.

God Bless You,
Eddie