Deeper Furrow

  Our Duty Ephesians 5: 25  “ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word , 27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. ”      Writing this morning hopeful that He will provide the revelation of understanding since I lack.   How do I wash my wife with the Word that she may be sanctified and set apart?   I care for her.   I am her chief shepherd alongside the Lord.   How can I?      Lord, please show me how.      Back in the Garden, there was a special relationship man to his wife.   Created from him and for him, she basked in his glory.   In fact, she radiated his relationship with the Lord.   She was the proof bearing witness of his...

  And What Is The Best? 1 Kings 3 Exodus 33      “Kinda in a tight spot here, Lord.   Here I am in the midst of them.   They need someone to judge them rightly.   Wanna pour a little wisdom down my way that I may exercise discernment?”      “Your presence is great.   I mean, don’t leave home without it.   You are our claim to fame.   Without You we look like all the other nations.   However, beggin’ You, wanna see Your glory.”      Two men talking with God.   God’s in giving mode.   Both found grace in His eyes.   One in a dream, one in wide-awake dialogue.      Solomon and Moses.   Two biggies asking Santa for their heart’s desire.   Sitting on His lap and whispering in His ear, thankfully their lists weren't long.   Both only wanted one thing, entreating the God they knew .   Maybe that was the problem. Hebrews 13:5 ...

  Ecumenical “I Just Know” What makes you different from one another? Why do you argue about who you follow? There is no man that you belong to. There's only one God that can claim you. I don't care if you don't speak in tongues. I don't care if you're into submersion. What does it matter if you wear a liturgical robe or prophesy and say God said so? I just know Jesus is the way. I just know Jesus is the truth. I just know Jesus is the life. I know that Jesus is my God. Do you serve your name, or do you serve mankind? Would you feel the same if they took down your sign? Could you sit next to me if I was Baptist or Presbyterian or do I need to be a charismatic or Episcopalian? I don't care if you drink grape juice or if it's wine and I don't care if you get out of church on time. What does it matter if you praise God with music in your church or you burn your dead or bury them six feet in the dirt? I don't care if you clap your h...

  A Call For Water      The boiler in my church building is ancient.   Responsible for heating, it sucks in and boils to pump steam to the awaiting radiators.   When the acting level runs low, it calls for water to feed the system.   Hence, an automatic sensor pulls in, gating a desired amount.      Baptism by water is considered automatic.   However, no formula guarantees a new believer’s success in “latching on.”   Moms can stimulate newborns to grab hold of the teat.   Similarly, the local church is commanded to assist. Acts 8: 36  “ And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized ? 37  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. ”      No formula, yet there is a progression.   F...

  And Away We Go Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,  let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares  us,  and  let us run  with endurance the race that is set before us,”       There are petty sins.   Simple indulgences that slow us down.   It is not that the goal is erased, effort to attain the priorities increase as we entertain conflicting desires on the way.   “Wait a minute.   Show your eyes here.   Play about the hands.”   Our Master’s voice is not ignored, we are just slow to obey.      I see a mother corralling her children into a troop movement as I call it.   The morning’s calling realized, breakfast and getting dressed would seem like a cake walk.   However, at ages two and four, side tracking interests delay the game.   If not for the great shepherd, the kids would never fun...

  Light As A Feather      This morning I saw a white feather slowly descending and rest.   A slight breeze blew it away.   We have a God who decides to forget.   Sin is such a little thing.   His Son’s sacrifice was that strong.       Does the establishment let us understand?   Sin consciousness is a great rallying point.   It keeps us groveling at the foot of the cross.   Never moving on, we enter our gatherings convinced we need another washing to be clean. 1 John 1:8  “ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ”      Ever heard that one quoted out of context?   How about this one: Jerimiah 17:9  “ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? ”      Cripples!   Who has told you to come into the house of God in wheelchairs?      What ...

  An Inescapable Time No matter how you get there, everyone will come face to face with Jesus. Hebrews 9:27  “ And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: ” Matthew 7:21a  “ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; ” “I never knew you.” Or will it be? “Well done, good and faithful servant.”.        When we appear before the King, what will we have to offer Him?   Gold, frankincense, mirth?   Eastern travelers nailed it.   All honor due Him as they came and bowed.   Wise men faced Him then, but what have we to give now?      If you have already met God, you have brought the best.   By confessing and believing Jesus, your agreement shines as diamonds.   It is what He requires.   A suitable recompense since His Son gave all.   An inescapable time now becomes an opportunity for more. Romans 12:1 “I ...

  The Purpose Of This Blog      The purpose of this blog is not to develop a following.   Rather, success is the one who casually visits then is encouraged to read the Word for themselves.

Deep Seated Within The baptism of the Holy Ghost affirms the believer that they belong to God. 1.  Jesus’ water baptism then Holy Ghost baptism.      “Thou art My beloved Son ; in thee I am well pleased.”  Luke 3:22b 2.  At Pentecost, the Spirit gave them utterance.   Acts 2:4      “but ye have received the Spirit of adoption , whereby we cry , Abba, Father.”   Romans 8:15      “..we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God .”   Acts 2:11       The people at Pentecost praised God for this new relationship , not for the sign. 3.  The Gentile house of Cornelius received the Holy Ghost.   They now belonged to the God and were         baptized with water as an outward expression identifying them with Christ.       Acts 10: 44  “ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard t...

  Anachronistic Anachronistic – something that is against time.      What would Jesus have done with a remote control?   Aimed at the winds and waves, He could have fast forwarded the whole episode and met the disciples on the other side without getting His feet wet.   Mose, the glad opportunity to skip the golden calf, may have proceeded to making the tabernacle.   Elijah could have saved himself a run-a-way by suddenly anointing the triplet.      What would we like to skip in our lives?   Taken out of time and dissolved, we could avert the consequences of our actions.   No more walking through the mud once we have fallen off the wagon.   Mom would hand us another clean pair like it never happened.   God doesn’t work like that.   Prison is good.   Confinement for those who haven’t learned to control themselves.   A man truly reaps what he sows.      Actions, conseq...

  Nothing New      “The purpose of life is not to reach heaven through penitence but to assure happiness to all men by progress in the sciences and the arts, a fulfillment for which their nature is destined .”   - a summary of Voltaire’s criticism of Pascal.      Quick examination of Voltaire reveals man centered thinking.   Humanism hailed man as God.   He became the solution giver through reasoning.   Voltaire sought to free man from religion thus liberating him from the God conscience.      The mouth of science captivated her children as she shouted against established belief.   A revolution challenged the eighteenth-century Church.   It was ripe for reform.   New discoveries tempted believers to break from the old and seek enlightenment.   With reason held high, philosophers spawned fractal thought.      This is called escapism.   By faulty logic,...

  God’s Humane Society Ephesians 3: 5  “ Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel : ”      KTIV 4 runs its weekly pick of the litter.   In a promotion to highlight the Humane Society’s mission, the news channel selects cute pictures and broadcasts that the animal is available for adoption.   Been there.   Cage upon cage keep once wanted dogs and cats in holding until their time.   Either to a new home or to incineration.      So closely the metaphor follows.   These animals are not purebreds. Hence, the Society puts a monetary amount upon them.   The Society assigns worth.   Mixed breeds find their belonging under a roof of temporary confinement.      Israel’s tr...

  Cloven Tongues Acts 2:3  “ And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ” Cloven – split or divided in two.      Background.   The one hundred and twenty followers were told to tarry in Jerusalem.   His disciples saw Him ascend.   Now they were to wait for power from on high.   In other words, the Holy Spirit was coming.   Jesus’ great gift to Mankind was to descend.     Being together in one accord, a sudden sound from Heaven like a rushing wind came and filled the room.   Cloven tongues of fire rested on everyone.   Believers, filled with the Spirit, began praising God in tongues as the Spirit enabled them.   Three thousand devout Jews amassed to celebrate Pentecost heard the noise and drew near.   Each heard praises in their mother tongue.   “How could this be since these are all Galileans?”   Easy.      Cove...

  A Kaleidoscope Cafeteria Genesis 11: 6  And the  Lord  said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language ; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8  So the  Lord  scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9  Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the  Lord  did there confound the language of all the earth : and from thence did the  Lord  scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.      Beautiful.   That’s what I call it.      Sitting at my cafeteria table, I hear different tongues about me.   Peoples from all over the world like dining at our beef harvesting facility.   A testimony of the menu’...

  I Am A Rich Man      Soft bed.   Warm house.   My bathrobe’s hanging on the door.      Kitchen.   Coffee’s waiting.   Fill ‘er up to see what’s in store.      Laptop.   Cozy chair.   My fingers at the keys.      I could.   Want more.   But contentment is my need. 1 Timothy 6: 6  “ But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. ” Furthermore, Hebrews 13:5  “ Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 9:7  “ Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. ” ...