May 21, 2010
Faith to Faith
A faith in God is barren land
Unless upon God’s faith we stand.
A faith will get you to the door
THE Faith will open doors galore.
A faith is hope yet unfulfilled,
THE Faith is hope that’s tried and sealed.
A faith will lay you down to sleep
THE Faith will take your soul to keep.
A faith will cry in times of need
THE Faith is as a mustard seed.
A faith will pray and never stop
THE Faith will move a mountaintop.
A sinner’s knees a faith will bend
THE Faith will save unto the end.
A faith will speak, a voice is heard
THE Faith replies, “It’s in the Word.”
A faith will seeks the savior’s face
THE Faith reveals Amazing Grace.
Where ever then a faith may roam
THE Faith will say “My child you’re home.”
……………………………..Rodney Roberts
May 17, 2010
Is Christ Divided?…Continued
As I finished my post on the division of the church (Is Christ Divided?), I asked the questions “So what is the remedy? In all the many voices claiming to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit and has a lock on the truth, how do we recognize God’s wisdom?” What is the way to unity? I have read a number of messages that insist that unity must be based on truth. It seems to me when someone is saying that, they are just trying to insist that their beliefs are “the truth.” I went on in my post to quote James 3:17-18.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
To put this in context we need to go back a few passages and read James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
So he is describing the qualities of the character and temperament of someone who has a mature measure of Godly wisdom and understanding. What I feel God is telling me in these passages is that we are to not only consider the message of the speaker but also examine the speaker himself. The verses 14 through 16 explains some attitudes and qualities that indicate the message is not from God. Then 17 and 18 some attitudes and qualities that indicate that it is.
As a disclaimer, note that when examining the speaker you cannot base your discernment from a first impression. You need to get to know the speaker, examine his conduct out of the pulpit as well as in it. Not just when he is speaking about God but in his everyday communication. A red flag should go up if he is talking more about himself than about God. Is he so convinced of his doctrinal views that he wouldn’t even consider hearing something that is in opposition to his current beliefs? In writing this I recognize that I am not exempt from this examination and welcome it.
So lets look at the qualities of one, as James said “Who is wise and understanding among you”
Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
So again, what is the way to unity? Of course, we should all work toward being unified in “faith and knowledge” but from my understanding of the scriptures, unity is established and held together by peace. How is unity established and held together by peace? Is it our job to put peace in our hearts or does Jesus do this without any effort on our part?
May the peace of God through his Son, Jesus Christ, be with you and may he prepare our hearts to receive his truth.
May 7, 2010
Imperfection of Kind
O Christian hear and lend an ear
Whose rules are you extolling
Your present fate has come of late
Because of who’s controlling.
God’s will for you is straight and true
And written for your learning
Your blank excuse is worn with use
For lack of zeal and yearning.
You victimize and then disguise
Compassion that you’re feigning
Then brothers weep because down deep
From love you are abstaining.
God’s perfect will is vital still
For sons to act as brothers
But yet we find this Holy kind
Seems worse than all others.
What light has shined into the mind
To cause all this disruption
A carnal shape has caused this gape
And now is near eruption.
A selfish creed, a hopeless greed
A man whose cross is missing
Has in his heart become a part
Of that which he is kissing.
And then the shame for all this blame
Is when we see the others
Show greater care when loads we bear
Than those we call our brothers.
Let’s meditate before too late
On how to cure this question
It won’t take long to find the wrong
For God gives the suggestion:
Come out, come out from those in doubt
And live by faith’s dominion
Let love abide down deep inside
And not your vain opinion.
Treat brother’s zone as though your own
And help him when he’s caring
Then when you’re down he’s still around
To help you with your bearing.
We all are one within the Son
And bound to Him eternal
If here we share, with others bear
We’ll see a land supernal.
———-Rodney Roberts
May 4, 2010
Your Value to God
Image via Wikipedia
To God your value is not defined by your past. If you have been a user, an alcoholic, an abuser, you have no less value to God. Your value is not define by your looks. Your value is not defined by your job, how many friends you have, how good looking you are or are not or your weight.
If I took a hundred dollar bill from your wallet and stomped it into the mud, would you want it back? If I wadded it up, would you still want it back? If I took it to the nearest pig farm and threw it in with the pigs and then retrieved it, would you not take it back, wash it and put it back in your wallet, your treasury?
Most people have heard the story of the prodigal son but you may have not consider one aspect of the story. I had never considered this aspect until it came to mind today. The son ends up tending pigs in poverty at the end of his reckless living. If you have ever been around pigs you know they stink. No, I mean they really stink. It is a smell that lingers. If you work with these animals the smell gets in your clothes. Even when you wash your clothes the smell is still so noticeable that you wouldn’t want to wear the clothes in public. When the prodigal son returned to his father, do you think his father noticed the smell of pigs on his son?
We know he was living in poverty, so he probably didn’t have a pair of “nice” clothes to change into before he went to see his father. He was probably still wearing the clothes he wore to tend the pig and worse yet, he probably was not able to wash them well before going to see dad. I will be bold enough to say that his father did smell the filth of pig on his son and chose to embrace him anyway. Not only did he chose to embrace him he chose to place the clothes and jewelry of his authority upon him over the son’s clothes of filth. That is how much he valued his son. The son’s value was not defined by his past (where he had been) or his present (how he appeared and smelled), the father valued him simply because he was his son.
Thank God for the infinite value I have with Him.
Koinonia 