Two Important Questions (12/07/10)

As I was traveling to my in-laws for our Thanksgiving meal, a church sign really struck me. Posted on it were these words: "Will anyone be in Heaven because of you?" Almost two weeks later, that thought is still sticking with me. I'm not 100-percent certain of the answer to that question, which means that we need to be in much prayer and doing much more work for our Lord and Savior.

In Mark 16, Jesus said unto them, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;" in II Timothy 4, we have been told to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." In Proverbs 11, we are told "...he that winneth souls is wise." So, are we really winning souls?

We live in a world that is dying, and much of the people in this world are dying without knowing Jesus Christ. That is a sad statement. And, we that know the Lord have to look in the mirror, and look into God's Word, and ask ourselves if we should be satisfied with that? We, as Christian people, need to have a stronger desire to see our friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances come to know our Lord and Savior.

We need to be mournful of our loved ones - of anyone - going astray and being eternally separated from the Lord and Savior. Matthew 5 tells us, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Psalm 126 tells us "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy," and "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

It's time to be about the Father's business. We all have our busy lives, and we often get far too busy to think on spiritual things. It's time to re-focus our energy and our faith upon the Lord. Let's be as we are told in Hebrews 12 and "...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..."

That's the first question, "Will anybody be in Heaven because of you?"

Of course, that question cannot be fully answered until you know, beyond any shadow of doubt the answer to our other question, "Are you born again?" In our opinion, to lead someone to Jesus, you must first know Him as your own Savior. In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus "ye must be born again," and later, that most famous of verses, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Also, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

We all have need of a savior. You can scroll through our devotionals and our core beliefs and learn more about how to know this Jesus. Jesus said "I am the door" in John 10; in John 14, the "truth and the life." John, when prophesying of Jesus' coming, said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

We are thankful for God's salvation gift of Jesus' becoming our sacrifice on the cross, and his death, burial and resurrection. We are asking you to believe upon Him if you have not already. Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Romans 10 tells us "that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Please ponder these two questions as you go through this week. Thank you for your renewed support of this ministry. We love you all, and may God bless you as you go through this week.

-Scott
 

That for which I am Thankful (11/24/10)

The Thanksgiving Holiday is upon is once again, so we want to take the time to make public just a few of the many blessings for which we are thankful this season. Obviously, we here at Watts Bar-Cumberland Ministries believe that, as people of faith, we should be thankful every day, and not just one November Thursday. Hopefully, this holiday serves only as a public acknowledgement of our daily thanksgiving. That being said, let's run down just a small list of things for which we are thankful.

First, we are thankful for our Lord. Without Him, like the old song says, we could do nothing. It is our firm and unapologetic belief that whatever blessings we have come from God, and it is to Him that we give our thanks this season.

Secondly, we are thankful for our family. We have a loving spouse and (mostly) healthy children. We had a strong upbringing, and I'm blessed to say that I still have most of my family heroes here with me. I'm even more blessed, and take comfort in knowing that there's a reunion coming with the ones that have left here.

Next, I am thankful to say that I am blessed to be working at a time when many people are not. We know that we are living in tough economic times, and I'm thankful that, as of this writing, we are working a full schedule and then some, keeping food on the tables and the lights on, and able to give to ministries and charities from time to time. We're blessed to have the privilege.

Going forward, we are thankful for a strong group of friends that we can count on. In 2010, we have been blessed through our work and our activities to have made some new friends. We hope and pray that we keep them. That being said, we have plenty of friends that we have been able to hang on to for many years, and we are so very blessed in that regard.

Finally, we are thankful for the opportunity to have the freedom to express ourselves and make friends through our Internet column as well as our Internet ministry. We are thankful again to live in a country where freedom of expression is considered a right. We are thankful for that and all the other rights and privileges that we have here in the United States of America.

We have dozens, perhaps hundreds, or maybe even thousands of other blessings we take for granted from day to day. We just don't have the space to even begin to list them all. We hope that each of you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend, and we'll be back next week with more sports and more.

May God bless you all.

Scott
 

Did I Mention That I Love Him? (04/26/10)

"David sang the praises of the glory of Jehovah,
Paul preached that all is loss, save knowing Christ,
Little John said he is precious by leaning on His bosom,
So for a moment, may I humbly testify?"

Those lyrics by Kyla Rowland comprise the first verse of The Perrys current single, "Did I Mention." For this week's devotional, we just want to spend some time in Praise of our King, reiterating our love for our Savior, just as those folks in the Bible did so many years ago.

Why do we love the Lord? Because, as another song says, He first loved us. We posted last week the verse Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." To me, that means, that long before I would have ever sought after Him, He died for me. As many of you are aware, I was raised in a Christian family, and because of that, God was gracious enough to keep me from many dangers in my youth, but, even at that, all my righteousness was still as filthy rags, according to the scripture. But God still loved me enough to send his only begotten Son to die on a cruel cross, that not only I, but that all the world might be saved. I am thankful, that on a Thursday night, in the fall of 1988, at a revival in Kingston, Tennessee, the Lord saw fit to save one more sinner.

So, with that in mind, our desire is to serve the Lord daily, in this ministry and in our personal life. We want to be as the Psalmist David was, in Psalm 100, serving the Lord with gladness, coming before His presence with singing, acknowledging Him as Creator and Shepherd, and entering into his courts with praise and thanksgiving. "For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations (Psalm 100:5)."

We wish to be as the Philippian jailor, who, with a repentant heart, not only believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, so that not only he, but his house might be saved, but also washed the stripes of the witnesses, Paul and Silas, and fed them, and rejoiced (Acts 16:30-34)." Likewise, we want to be as Joshua, who chose to serve the Lord, not only himself, but brought that same message to the Israelites who were turning to other gods, telling them "...if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)."

There are many other heroes of the Bible that we could mention, among them Job, who, after losing his possessions, and his children, said, "...Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." The Bible also says, "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly (Job 1:21,22)." Would that we would never question God when troubles arise, knowing that, according to scripture, the trying of our faith worketh patience (James 1:3).

Oh, that I might have the faith of the heroes mentioned in Hebrews 11. Most often, though, we find ourselves with little in common with the heroes of scripture, save for the times when they fell. However, we do know that, according to scripture we serve a great big, faithful to forgive God. We're thankful to be more than conquerors according to Romans 8, and thankful for God's forgiveness of I John 1, even though he sometimes chastens us, according to Hebrews 12.

We praise Him that he first loved us. We praise Him, that, like Jeremiah, before we were formed in the belly he knew us (Jeremiah 1:5), and that, as John said, he "lovedst me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24)." Oh, to be as humble as John was, always referring to himself as that disciple that Jesus loved.

We have so much more to thank him for, like another song says, but for today...

"Did I mention that I love Him
How I worship and adore Him
When I can see no way
He makes a way
And did I mention he's been faithful
To every promise he ever made me
I love him, that's all I want to say."

May God richly bless you this week.

Scott

Great Things He Hath Done (04/20/10)

 A couple years ago, we posted a devotional thought, "To God Be the Glory," and opened with these lyrics to that old hymn:

"To God be the glory -- great things He hath done
So loved he the world that He gave us His son
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin
And opened the life-gate that all may go in."

In that July 2008 devotional, we dealt with our giving God glory. This week, though, we're going to build on that same thought, and speak of the great things God has done.

First and foremost, our Lord Jesus Christ offered himself for sinners, that we might have eternal life.

Romans 5:7,8 states it this way: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

What manner of love the Father had for us. He loved us when were unlovable. I John 4:9, 10 states, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

According to Romans 3:23 and 6:23, we were lost and separated from God. Romans 5:19 states it this way, "...by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." How thankful we should be to our God every day for his longsuffering and his patience with us! How glad to know that, in His great love, he hung and died on the cross to be the sacrifice for us.

And we have our salvation not only because of his sacrifice, but because of His resurrection. As we talked about earlier this month, we have a "lively hope" by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as stated in I Peter 1. Also, much of the doctrine of resurrection can be found in I Corinthians 15, where its "mystery" is explained.

Because of these two things, the scripture gives these words: "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:12-14)."

There are many, many, other works that Jesus did, according to the scripture, and here are just a few:

In John 2, Jesus turned water into wine in Cana;
In many different scriptures in the gospels, Jesus healed a man afflicted with palsy;
In Mark 10, Jesus opened the blinded eyes of Bartimaeus;
In Mark 5 and Luke 8, Jesus healed the sickness of Jairus' daughter;
In Matthew 14, 15, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6, the hungry thousands were fed, and;
In John 11, Lazarus was raised from the dead.

The reader is encouraged to read the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John at his leisure and learn of the yet more miracles that Jesus did while on this earth. Also, the reader is encouraged to read the other books of the Bible, and see the miracles that were wrought by God through other ministers and prophets.

A song says, "even if he'd never come and done a single miracle, then Jesus would have still been God." How true that is. And, like we stated in our devotional a couple of years ago, God deserves our praise, because He is God, whether any of these miracles had ever taken place. He's worthy not because of what He did or is doing, but because He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Thankfully, though, He did all those works, and, most of all, he still saves old sinners. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (I John 3:1)."

Let's give Him all the glory this week. Let the Holy Spirit inhabit our praise, as He did the praises of Israel in Psalm 22.

May God richly bless you this week is our prayer.

The Residue of Men (04/12/10)

According to dictionary.com, the definition of "residue," as it pertains to Chemistry, is "that part remaining on a filter paper after a liquid passes through during the filtration process." Put more simply, it is something in the liquid that is not generally expected to be there. We'll get back to that definition in a moment, but, when we go to this week's scripture in Acts, we believe the more appropriate definition, also from dictionary.com, is "something that remains after a part is removed, disposed of, or used; remainder; rest; remnant."

For our Scripture this week we look into Acts 15, vs. 13-17:

v. 13 "And after that they held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
v. 14 "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take them out a people for his name.
v. 15 "And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
v. 16 "After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
v. 17 "That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things."

James goes on to admonish the congregation not to trouble the Gentiles who were turned to God (v. 19). How great it is, that our Savior will seek out us Gentile people, that we might in turn seek him. The Bible puts it this way, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13)"  How thankful we are, that, even though we are not of the Hebrew lineage, God reached down His mighty hand toward us and lifted us out, and that Jesus Christ came to seek and to save all that were lost, whosever that believeth on Him. As one lyricist put it, "Oh, what a Savior is mine!"

But sometimes, even though we serve a God faithful and just to forgive our sins (I John 1:9), we feel like the chemistry definition of residue, don't we? And, sometimes that is a rightful thought: in Isaiah 64, we are told that our righteousness is but "filthy rags," and that "our iniquities have taken us away. (Is. 64:6)" However, if our story ended there, we would be of all men most miserable, wouldn't we? Thankfully the prophet Isaiah also shares this with us: "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Is. 1:18)" How wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus!

We want to take time out of our busy schedules this week and just praise God for allowing us, the "residue of men," to inherit his kingdom by the grace of the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank him for a "whosoever" salvation.

We close with these lyrics from Bill & Gloria Gaither:

"If you could see what I once was
If you could go with me
Back to where I started from
Then I know you could see
The miracle of love that brought me gently to this place
And made me what I am today
A sinner saved by grace"

May God bless you this week as we go forth. May God bless you is our earnest prayer.

Scott
 

Just One Hour (04/06/10)

Easter and the Resurrection is fresh on our minds, but ,while the iron is hot, are we watching and doing what God would bid us do? This week, we want to take a look at the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed fervently just before his crucifixion. And here is what the disciples did in the meantime:

Mark 14

v.32 "And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
v.33 "And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
v.34 "And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
v.35 "And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
v.36 "And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
v.37 "And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
v.38 "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
v.39 "And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
v.40 "And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.
v.41 "And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."

How sad that the disciples could not answer the Lord's charge to "tarry here, and watch." Sad, but no more sad than our own neglect of our prayer lives. We do not pray like we are commanded in Matthew 6, "...when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Nor do we pray like the Thessalonians were commanded in I Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

Imagine the difference that we could make in East Tennessee if we could just grasp the concept of devoting an hour of our lives to prayer. Unfortunately, even though our intentions are good, we get too caught up in the world's busyness, and when the time for spiritual things arrives, we are too sleepy. We're sleepy in our physical bodies, but we're also far too sleepy in our spiritual lives.

Let's revisit the accounts of Jesus' miracles in the scriptures, and listen to what he told these same disciples in Matthew 17 and Mark 9, when they could not perform the work that they desired to do. Our Lord's response to them: "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."

We are not here to set your schedule for you, but we encourage each and every one of you, and ourselves, to consider our priorities this week, and set aside time for the Lord. We truly believe in our hearts that if we set aside just one hour per day, and spend it in fervent prayer, we can make a difference in our land.

May God bless you this week as we join in prayer together.

Scott
 

Our Lively Hope (03/30/10)

 To be honest, folks, we did not think we would be writing an Easter devotional this week, as God has been dealing with us on a number of different subjects this week, but, we praise God for allowing us to write about our favorite subject -- the resurrection of Jesus Christ -- during this time of year that has been set aside.

 There's a hymn that has been on my heart this morning, with these lyrics:

 "What boundless love, what marvelous grace!
There on the cross, He took my place
No one so great could ever be;
Praise Him for life through Calvary.

Victory was won at Calvary;
Victory that gave me liberty.
Now I can live eternally;
Victory was won at Calvary."

We thank the Lord that we have victory through his resurrection. We know that, according the accounts in the gospels, that Jesus was crucified and became the sacrificial lamb for our sins, and believe, according to the scripture that he defeated death and hell. But all of that would be in vain were not for this:

Matthew 28:1-6

v1 "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
v2 "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended down from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
v3 "His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
v4 "And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
v5 "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
v6 "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

In I Peter 3, it is called "lively hope" that we have in Jesus Christ's resurrection: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for your, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (vs. 2-5)."

What a wonderful hope that is. Because of His resurrection we are made joint heirs with Christ, according to Romans 8:17.  Our faith should be alive and well, and not dead. In Ephesians Chapter 2 and Colossians Chapter 2, the scripture uses the word "quickened" to describe what God has done for us. That means He hath given us life. And in that, we should be rejoicing this week.

Dear friend, if you are a Christian and your joy is lacking, pray the prayer that David did in Psalm 51, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." If you have not given your life to Christ, we ask that you humble yourself before Him and do so today. Life may not always be perfect, but you can rejoice that God gave you eternal life. Because of Jesus' resurrection from the tomb, enemies have been conquered, and I Corinthians 15 gives this promise: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death....O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

Thank God for his liberating love and his willingness to be scourged and to die for us. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (II Corinthians 3:17)." Let's rejoice together in Jesus resurrection this week.

May God bless you is our humble prayer.

Scott

God Gave the Increase (03/22/10)

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase (I Corinthians 3:6)."

Paul speaks these words in response to divisions among the Corinthian church, where among them there was "envying, and strife, and divisions (verse 3)." Discerning from the context of the chapter, there were groups of Corinthians who were siding with either Paul or his fellow minister, Apollos. Paul admonishes them in verse 5: "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?"

Hopefully, this is not where we are living in our day. However, there have been times that we have all seen this happen. God forbid that any should boast, save in the glory of Jesus Christ, and that, we, as the church, should give praise to men more than to our Savior.

That being said, we should all live according to the scripture, reproving, rebuking, exhorting, with all longsuffering and doctrine as we are taught in II Timothy Chapter 4. The same chapter taught Timonty, and teaches us, to "watch ... in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." If we do that, then it is our belief that souls may be won.

Our goal is to find the Lord's will and walk therein. We are commanded multiple times to witness, with the most recognizable scripture being the "Great Commission" of Mark 16:15, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." A similar scripture is found in the parable of the great supper in Luke 14:23, "And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Would that we would be found inviting sinners to the Lord's house, and we are thankful for those that are doing just that in our modern, busy days.

We can discern from the verse we reference at the beginning of this that sometimes God uses more than one worker to for His will to be done. Whether it be laymembers going out into the field, laboring in the fields that are white unto harvest, Pastors bringing forth God's messages on Sundays, Wednesdays, and special services; whether it be the gospel singer with his testimonies in word and song, family members sending up intercessory prayers, or some fellow writing devotionals on a weblog, it takes some to sow seed, some to water, but it is always God who will be giving the increase. Let it be Him who always receives the glory for it.

We close with this verse of scripture from Psalm, and encourage you to do your part to be a sower or a waterer, as the Lord would see fit.

Psalm 126:5,6: "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."

May God bless you this week.

Scott

A Double Minded Man (03/17/10)

Sorry this didn't get posted until Wednesday of this week, rather than the customary Sunday or Monday, but, as I have studied this week, the Lord gave me a thought on Monday, but did not allow me to post, and gave me a new thought today to share with you readers. Those of you that attend the same church I do will find some of this familiar, as it piggy-backs on a message that we heard just a few services ago.

The message that day was from Ephesians 4:27, "Neither give place to the devil." Our lesson this week is from James 1:8, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

Those two thoughts go hand-in-hand. Our brother preached the other day that, once a man has given place to the devil, that he will take over the residence you have given him, littering the temple that is your spirit with all manner of trash and foolishness that can only be rid by the hand of Almighty God. The truth is, though, that far too often, we as Christians hang on to our pet sins, and allow place for the devil. But if we do, well, there was a songwriter that had this to say:

"Sin will take you farther than you want to go
Slowly, but wholly, taking control
Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay
And sin will cost you far more than you want to pay."

In my life I have found that to be true, as have many of the readers of this page. However, the Bible tells us that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7)," that "the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)," and, the one that too often we forget about, "whom the Lord loveth he correcteth (Proverbs 3:12)." Would that we would all be vessels meet for our Master's use.

Friends, it is time to rededicate ourselves to God's service, and lay aside those weights which beset us. Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 11are all places where the Lord himself tells his audience that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Yet, day after day, we hold onto things which are harmful to our spirit, and even our very soul. Because we are not living as we should, we struggle with all range of emotions, with our joy having been robbed from us by the devil we have allowed to influence our actions. We need to be like Moses in Hebrews 11, and eschew the pleasures of sin that last only for a season, and think about the recompence of reward.

Friend, this week, lay your sin aside, ask God to deliver you from whatever is hindering your way. He has promised in I John 1:9 that he is faithful and just to forgive, and He has promised in I Corinthians 10:13 that He would provide a way of escape from temptation. Let's set our sights on Him alone this week, and be single minded, focused on our goals of winning sinners and edifying saints. Thank God for His mercies, for it is by them that we are not consumed.

May God bless you this week is our earnest prayer.

Scott
 

Back to Basics Part Two: John Chapter 3 (03/08/10)

There are lots of basic beliefs contained in just this one chapter of scripture, so let's take a look at some of the verses in John 3

1 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 "The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 "Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water of the Spirti, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

If you take nothing else from these verses, please, friend, acknowledge those last five words. Ye must be born again. God has given His only son to forgive your sins, and we showed you how by using the Romans Road last week, but know that it is a necessity, not a luxury, that you must be born again, according to the very words of the Savior, Jesus Christ, to Nicodemus.

Nicodemus then goes on to ask how things can be, and the Lord questions Nicodemus on how a man can believe heavenly things if he will not believe earthly things. However, after that, Jesus goes on to tell to whom his salvation is available, and what the rewards for believing are.

13 "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 "That whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Condemned already. How sad to think that one would turn away such great salvation, having been given as a free gift by the only begotten Son of God. Sadder still to think that gift of God is eternal life, according to the scripture presented above as well as Romans 6:23 that was presented last week. God wants you to be born again, please ask him today. Today is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us.

We close with this hymn written by James Stanley:

"Careless soul, why will you linger, wandering from the fold of God?
Hear you not the invitation? Oh, prepare to meet thy God.
Careless soul, Oh, heed the warning
For your life will soon be gone;
Oh how sad to face the judgment
Unprepared to meet thy God."

If you do not know the risen savior, we implore you to ask Him into your heart today. If you do know the Lord, then let's be praying that more souls would come to know Him, and God would give the increase over these scriptures.

May God bless you is our prayer.

Scott

Back to Basics (02/22/12)

First, let me apologize for not posting anything last week. Without going into a lot of detail just let me say it was a crazy week. Nevertheless, the Lord is still in control, and we look forward to this being a good week.

The thought we are having this week is "Back to Basics." Several other things passed through our mind over the last week, but, during yesterday morning's youth Sunday service where I attend, teenagers and smaller children quoted several portions of Scripture, and books of the Bible, and I believe the Lord would have us share some of what they said and why it is important to all of us in our Christian walk.

First and foremost, we are told in Proverbs 22:6, that we should "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." How are we training our kids? Are we grounding them in the Word of God? If we are not, we need to quickly get back to this basic step. The world has many opportunities to teach them its ways. We need to show them God's way.

One of the young ladies yesterday spoke of what is known as the "Romans Road" to salvation. If you haven't checked them lately, several of these scriptures are found in the Watts Bar-Cumberland Ministries core beliefs, as well. These things are very basic to becoming a Christian, and here are some of the scriptures found along that Romans road:

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 5:6-8 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:9,10 "...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

If you have not received Christ as your Savior, we encourage you to seek Him today. Let today be the day of salvation. Tomorrow may be too late. Proverbs 27:1 warns, "Boast not thyself of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Please, friend, let the Lord come into your heart. Only He can save and satisfy your soul.

We have other basics and core beliefs that we may be allowed to share at another time, but we believe the Lord would have us stop with these scriptures for right now. Please, friend, don't let the Lord pass you by.

Prayerfully, we ask that God bless and touch you this week.

Scott

Boldness (02/09/10)

One of the things I think we, the modern church, struggle with is boldness. There could be any number of reasons for that, whether we are just shy by nature, or whether we don't like being rejected, or whether things in the world or the workplace make it very difficult to share the gospel. All those things and other reasons may be true, but that does not excuse us from God's command to share the gospel with this lost and dying world.

Where do we start? Well, first, we must ask God for his mercy. In Hebrews 4:6, it is said, "Let us therefore become boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may find mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need." Prior to that it is told to us that we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God. In Phillipians 4, we can claim, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." We can also claim that promise we discussed last week, that we are "more than conquerors," as we go out into the world.

There are many examples of a godly boldness in the scriptures. In Mark 15, Joseph of Arimathaea went boldly unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus after the crucifixion. In v. 45, once Pilate learned that Jesus was dead, he gave the body to Joseph.

There are numerous stories in the Book of Acts about boldness, and we'll start in Chapter 4, as Peter and John taught and did miracles in the temple. In v. 13, when the crowd percieved their boldness, they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. In the middle of the same chapter, the two Apostles were threatened, but they responded like this:

v. 29 "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
v. 30 "By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
v. 31 "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness."

Would that we would have such great faith to ask and receive the power to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus Christ. Now, let us ask for a godly boldness to proclaim his name. Let us seek and find his will in so doing. Thank God for his promise that he would supply our every need.

May God bless you this week is our prayer.

Scott
 

More Than Conquerors (02/01/10)

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
"As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The above scripture is Romans 8:35-39, which is one of my favorites. Not coincidentally, it is also the thought that the Lord has given to us this week. It is my belief that we all have things that we sometimes struggle with, whether it be worry over this or that, whether it be real battles, attacks from our adversary, or whether it be something in our spiritual life that we continually allow to keep us from living as close to our Savior as we could. All of us find ourselves in these situations at times, but, according to the scripture, we are more than conquerors.

As we begin the second month of 2010, let's lay hold upon that promise and, leaning on the Lord for help, let us defeat these enemies. We're told in I Peter 5, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.." Are we being sober and vigilant? Let us, as already said, claim the promise that we are more than conquerors. Let us, with the confidence of Romans 8, fulfill the promise of Hebrews 12:1 and "...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..."

Are we running? Remember, if we are living away from God, and needing of His forgiveness, He has made this promise in I John: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Far too often we just fail to claim it. Likewise, we fail to have fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and fulfill the promise of Matthew 18:19, "...That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."

God has given us the tools which we need to lead a spiritually fulfilling life. Far too often, though, it is we who fail to utilize them. I daresay there are many times we even forget that those tools are at our disposal. But it is our belief that God intends us to live a fulfilled life, and be close to Him as His servants. We can only fulfill that goal, though, by realizing that we can, and by turning things over to Him.

So, concluding, we'll reiterate that, whatever may be hindering your Christian walk, we encourage you to make much prayer about the need, and claim the promise of "more than conquerors." Whatever your hindrance, God will allow you to conquer it. Just believe it.

May God bless you is our prayer.

Scott

Dust on the Altar (01/26/10)

A few years before the McKameys had their blockbuster hit, "God On the Mountain" they released a song called "Dust on the Altar." Its lyrics were true enough back then, but they ring even more true today. This week we will look at whether or not there is dust on our own altars, and will be challenged to show more love and concern for our fellow men.

"Children are scattered all over the land
We've lost our love for our fellow man
Fathers and mothers are parted today
There's dust on the altar where we used to pray."

Do we have love for our fellow man? Are we praying for lost souls, and, moreover, are we witnessing to them? We are commanded repeatedly in the scriptures to "love thy neighbour as thyself (Leviticus 19, Matthew 5, Matthew 19, Matthew 22, Mark 12, etc.)" But do we? If we do, then we should prayerfully and fervently be praying for the condition of souls, as well we should be obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk and our witness towards them.

"Tears that were once shed for a brother in need
Are now called old-fashioned - they're no longer seen
Greed and proud hearts have gotten in the way
There's dust on the altar, where we used to pray."

This is a sad commentary but most likely true. We let many things get in the way of our walk with Christ, whether it be greed, pride, or other things. Greed is spoken against in the Bible: I Timothy 6:10 tells us "...the love of money is the root of all evil." Proverbs 15:27 tells us that "he that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house..." And there will be trouble, just like the song mentions, because that person will haven taken his focus off the Lord, and His will. Likewise, Proverbs 16:18 tells us that pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

Scripture in both Matthew 6 and Luke 16 tell us that we cannot serve both God and mammon, and James tells us a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let's not be double-minded, or split between two masters. God has given us a calling in Mark 16 to preach the gospel to all the world. And in II Timothy 4:2 we are told to preach "the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine."

Let us be longsuffering toward our neighbor as God is toward us. Far too often we show far too little love, mercy, forgiveness, and longsuffering while we are often failing in the things that God expects from his children. Let's strive this week to love one another and be what God would have us be.

Most of all though, let's have a contrite spirit and get back to seeking God's face. Matthew 5:4 tells us "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Are we mourning the sinful state of our fellow man? The fact that they are dying without the saving knowledge of Christ? Are we mourning the state of our country and its continual turning away from God? Let's get back on the altars and ask the Lord to revive us again.

"Let's seek out the old paths and walk therein
Our children are crying, and dying in sin
Satan is laughing as God's people stray
There's dust on the altar where we used to pray."

As the old-time preachers are wont to say, let's grab hold of the horns of the altar, and get serious with the Lord this week about where He would have us be. Let's ask for wisdom and a stronger burden for our fellow man this season.

May God bless you is our earnest prayer.

"Dust on the Altar" (c) 1984, Chestnut Mound Music. Words and Music by Ruby Berry

Scott

For There's No Other Way (01-11-10) 

Most of you know that I lost a grandfather in late December, and that, combined with my own fight with sickness over the last couple of weeks is why you have heard so little from me. However, with that being said, we have a thought for the week as we look forward into the year 2010 and what our desires are for this ministry.

One of the songs that was sung at my Pappaw's church where I visited a lot was called "Trust and Obey," with the lyric: "Trust and obey / for there's no other way / to be happy in Jesus / but to trust and obey." And, like that song says, we want to find ourselves being obedient to our Savior in the year that has just begun.

The Psalmist David implores God in Psalm 51:

1 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindess: according to thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 "For I acknowledge my trangressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned..."

What a thought, that we would all acknowledge our sins and admit that all our sins boil down to being against God and Him alone. What a thought that we have a God, who, according to scripture, is faithful and just to cleanse us from our unrighteousness. David goes on to ask:

10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

Then David commits to the Lord:

13 "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee."

And that is our desire for this ministry in the year 2010. We want, most of all, to lead sinners to a Holy, just, forgiving, and loving Savior. And for that to happen, we know that we MUST acknowledge our sinfulness that becomes a hindrance to our spirit and a stumblingblock to our neighbor.

According to the song, "there's no other way." In the book of I Samuel, Chapter 15, the people sinned by taking the things which God required to be destroyed and gave them up as sacrifices. Samuel admonished them, saying, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry..."

With that being said, let's set aside our busyness. Let's set aside the sin, the weights that doth easily beset us, let's acknowledge our transgressions as David did, and ask our God to deliver us from them, so that, in 2010, we may have a renewed joy of salvation.

We're trusting that God is going to give us a blessed year. Let's join in prayer for this thing, and again dedicate ourselves to His service.

May God bless you is our humble prayer.

Scott

 

All Devotions written by Scott Boles unless otherwise noted.  Sharing is welcomed.
Copyright © 2010

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Kingston, TN  37763