Keep Waiting...

So, what are you doing with the gifts that God has given you? Are you using them? Romans 12:6-8 taught me a lesson a while ago. It teaches that God has given us gifts that we are supposed to be using for His purposes... I didn't have a problem with that. I knew that... But, what stuck out to me was that we are supposed to wait on those things - not other things.

If God has given you the gift of "ministry" (maybe somebody could define that for me some day), then you ought to be waiting on your ministering, not on exhorting. If God has given you the gift of teaching, you ought to be waiting on teaching and not on ruling... I like to put my efforts into the things that I like to do, or that I would like to do, but God says that we should wait on the things that He has given to us.

Now, God has given more than one gift to people, so it's not to say that you only can exhort and not give, or that you only can give and not teach, etc., but let's make sure that we first of all are using the gifts that God has given us, and that we aren't wasting our efforts on our own wishes.

(Romans 12:6) Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
(Romans 12:7) Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
(Romans 12:8) Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Just a thought...

Andy Hinds

Why, Yes... Yes, I can

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing...

What's it worth to you?

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070920/NEWS01/709200363/1002/RSS01

That article in the above link to the Democrat and Chroncile tells of a first edition book of Mormon that was found in a house near Palmyra. It was sold for about $105,000. It made me start thinking about how much my Bible is worth. I mean, I can go to the Dollar Store and pick up a copy of the King James Bible... and after confirming with my wife, I found out that means it cost one dollar - as opposed to going to places like the Family Dollar where stuff doesn't cost a dollar... but anyway...

The article says that Joseph Smith translated the book of Mormon from some gold plates given to him by an angel. That made me ask this question, "Would you rather have a book delivered by an angel, or inspired by God Himself?" I'm sure that question wouldn't hold in a Mormon apologetics forum, but that's not what this is! Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit spoke His words through David.

The Scriptures we are told are more sure than the audible voice of God in II Peter 1:19. So, what's your Bible worth to you? Would you be willing to pay $105,000 to get a copy if that's all you could do? There have been meen that were willing to give their very lives to have a copy

Amazing Grace & Ezekiel 33:32

Last week I was reading that book by that ancient Jewish author Ezekiel. In one passage he scribes what God said to him, "And, lo, thou art unto them as a lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not."

I was thinking about this verse and the song Amazing Grace among the lost world. They hear the words and think that the song is beatiful... but they don't do the words, so to speak. It's like us when we sing, "I surrender all..." or "Now, I've given to Jesus everything..." We hear the words, we even sing them, but really don't have actual intentions of following through with the words.

It's a lovely song, a pleasant voice, played well on an instrument, but they do them not.

Just a thought...

Andy Hinds

Looking Unto Jesus

Looking Unto Jesus...

No, I'm not just stealing the blog title from someone who hasn't posted much recently. Hebrews 12:2 tells us the necessary component of running the faithful Christian race. Beginning in vs. 1: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

The previous chapter tells us story after story of men that ran their races faithfully - full of faith. In order for us to run faithfully, we need to simply look unto Jesus. Hudson Taylor said it better than I can, so I'll just quote him:

"How then to have our faith increased? Only by thinking of all that Jesus is and all He is for us; His life, His death, His work, He Himself as revealed to us in the Word, to be the subject of our constant thoughts. Not a striving to have faith... but a looking off to the Faithful One seems all we need; a resting in the Loved One entirely, for time and for eternity."

Just a thought...

Andy Hinds

My Kids' Salvation - Continued

On Friday's post I mentioned my great concern for the salvation of my children. I gave a few thoughts on what I as a father need to do to help bring my children to faith in Jesus Christ. Over the weekend, I realized that I was taking some principles and applying them to the situation, yet I failed to mention a passage in the Bible that specifically deals with the topic of my post.

(Pro 23:13) Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
(Pro 23:14) Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

The Bible tells us that by "beating" (Bible word, not mine) our child with a rod, we will deliver his soul from hell. Now, I believe that to be a principle, not a promise, since lost men have corrected their children with the rod, and their children have followed in their footsteps. But, still, the principle is that if you correct your children, with a rod - causing physical pain - it will help to deliver their soul from hell.

How come? Well, it teaches that sin has judgment. It teaches that a good Father will not let His children do things that in the end will hurt them even worse.

Anyway, my thoughts are still on the same subject, so I wanted to add this to the conversation.

Just a thought...



Andy Hinds