God Our Rock, 15

 ~ A Firm Footing ~

Introduction  ~  In Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49 Jesus relates the importance of building your house upon rock rather than sand.  This principle is even more critical when it comes to our spiritual life.  Each post in this series looks at a different Biblical passage which refers to our God as a Rock (not a complete list). 

Scripture  ~  “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.  He has put a new song in my mouth — Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.

“Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.  Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened.  Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.  Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.  I delight to do Your will, O my God and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:1-8).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Spiritual Gifts, 21

 ~ The Speaking Spiritual Gifts ~

Opening Comment  ~  “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:16-18). 

Speaking Gifts  ~  This is a large category of Spiritual Gifts.  First we looked at Source Gifts, then Serving Gifts, and now we come to the category of Speaking Gifts. 

I like to compare this category of God-given abilities to the Medical Community in societies.  Looking at in this way we might liken various Speaking Gifts this way:

     Evangelist ~ Spiritual Obstetrician

     Teacher ~ Spiritual Pediatrician

     Pastor ~ Spiritual General Practitioner

     Exhorter ~ Spiritual Cardiologist

     Musician ~ Spiritual Psychologist

     Preacher ~ Spiritual Physical Therapist

Scripture  ~  “Speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). 

John Phillips puts it this way: While Serving Gifts were involved in “Expanding the Work of God,” Speaking Gifts have more to do with “Expounding the Word of God.”

Traits  ~  The speaking gifts are the public gifts – those that are typically carried out publicly in the local church.  In a very real way, they are a sub-set of the Serving Gifts as are all spiritual gifts – since all Spiritual Gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ.

These gifts are often motivational within the body of Christ (i.e., “Expound the Word of God” which has to do with body life and spiritual growth).  This category includes Inspiration of Truth (or Prophecy), Incarnation of Truth (or Ministry), and Interpretation of Truth (or Teaching).   

Caution  ~  Because these gifts are exercised so publicly it can easily be assumed that those with these gifts are more spiritual than those with other gifts.  This is a false assumption. 

Closing Comments  ~  “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-16).

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Question – Jesus, 93

~ Regarding Perplexity ~

Introduction  ~  This series is about questions involving Jesus.  Some were asked by individuals involved with Jesus Christ while He walked on earth.  Others are questions that Jesus Christ asked others.  We will look at questions on about 130 topics (some may split into two or more posts).  Even so, it is far from an exhaustive list. 

Scripture  ~  “‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.’  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, ‘What is this that He says to us, “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me”; and, “because I go to the Father”?’  They said therefore, ‘What is this that He says, “A little while?”  We do not know what He is saying.’

“Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, ‘Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me?”  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

“‘And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full”” (John 16:16-24).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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God Is My… (Psalms), 60

 ~ God Is My King, 3 ~

Introduction  ~  Previously from July 16, 2017 through January 6, 2019 ALN posted a series of 60 posts of “Jesus is…,” and now we look exclusively at who “God is…” from the Book of Psalms.  While not a complete list these posts occur are in the same order they are in the Psalms. 

Passage  ~  “We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet; nor is there any among us who knows how long.  O God, how long will the adversary reproach?  Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?  Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?  Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.  For God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters. You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.  You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up mighty rivers.  The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun.  You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter” (Psalm 74:9-17).   

Prior Passages  ~  “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.  Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray.  My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up” (Psalm 5:1-3). 

“You are my King, O God; command victories for Jacob. Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me.  But You have saved us from our enemies, and have put to shame those who hated us.  In God we boast all day long, and praise Your name forever” (Psalm 44:4-8).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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