June 2021 – Page 3 – Praying Pint

25.b. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing”

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

Luke 2:34    And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed

John 9:39   Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”

1 Corinthians 1:18    For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Acts 13:45-47    And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4     And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God

2 Thessalonians 2:10    and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

“Among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing”, “Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life”, “it is veiled to those who are perishing”, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers”, “They refused to love the truth and so be saved”. There are truly those who will have eternal life and those who will not. To those perishing, God’s word, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been rejected. They have chosen to believe the lies and deceptions of Satan and they have chosen to refuse the truth found in and through Jesus Christ.

Imagine a drowning man being thrown a life jacket and all he has to do is grab hold to be saved and somehow he has purposed in his mind the life jacket is foolish and will not take hold of it. He perishes in his rejection of what can save him. Imagine a person dying of thirst and is offered water and all they have to do is drink and they will not die, but somehow they have purposed water will not save them from dying and they refuse to drink and they perish in their rejection of what can save them. Imagine a person in a speeding car that is heading straight on course to drive off of a mountain cliff and have been told to apply the breaks and they will stop and not die. They reject this advice and perish because they do not believe in that which can save them from certain death. Imagine a pilot of a small plane who has been warned of severe weather and the need to avoid it. The tower has the latest weather radar and they are relaying information to all on a path with it. The pilot who has also had radar in his plane does not see it on his screen and does not believe what the tower is telling him. He chooses to continue and perishes because of his unbelief. There are hundreds if not thousands of examples that can metaphorically demonstrate the acceptance/rejection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

25.a. “Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.”

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.

John 12:31    Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

Ephesians 2:2  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

1 John 5:19    We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

The child of God need not fear the spirit of Satan, even though they should be warned of it, because they have the indwelling Spirit of God. That indwelling Spirit is greater than he who is in the world – Satan and all of his allies. We have a resource for victory, the vital presence of the indwelling Jesus, which makes victory always possible – if we will rely on He who is in you instead of relying on ourselves. This understanding gives us courage for the battle each day and great confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit. For those walking in this truth, victory is assured – they have overcome them. It is a positive statement, not a wishful hope. We have many spiritual enemies, but not one of them is greater than Jesus who lives in us. Those who are of the world are evident because they speak as of the world; the influence of the world is evident in their speech. As Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

We are given discernment, through His Word to know truth and lies, good and bad, holy and evil, children of God and those of this world being led and influenced by Satan the workers of evil intent and selfish gain. Do not be discouraged by the discernment and abundance of ungodliness in the world. Be thankful for the ability to understand it and the grace that has opened your heart, soul, and mind to it. God’s work in us is not done and the lost still need to be told of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

25. From Jack Kelly

During the time Bill Clinton was President many of us were really put off by his behavior, but I often remarked that had we been invited into his presence in the White House, we would have taken great pains to arrive on time and eager to make the most of the occasion. Why don’t we see a visit to the Lord’s house in the same light?

Never mind for the moment the countless opportunities we miss to pass on a little of the love He so generously showers down on us, He always finds someone else to do that. Just focus on the one thing no one else can do for us, express our gratitude to Him for all He’s given us. If we get that part right, I believe everything else will come along just fine.

Think of the times you’ve given gifts to your children. You obviously expect their gratitude and anticipate it with great joy, but even rejection of a gift can be understood and dealt with. The reactions that are both frustrating to the giver and impossible to resolve are indifference and ingratitude. You can’t make someone feel grateful. Have you truly and from the bottom of your heart given thanks to God lately for saving your life and blessing you beyond calculation? Or are you acting like the indifferent child in His eyes?

24.z. Lazy Grace by Jack Kelly

What if God had made the same half-hearted mediocre effort in providing the gift of salvation that many of us make in saying thanks for it?

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy to offer your whole beings as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” – (Romans 12:1)

One of the dangerous but all too human by-products of the Age of Grace is the attitude among some Christians that “I’ll do what I can without inconveniencing myself too much and the Lord will understand and make up the difference.” Some folks think a less-than-best effort on their part will be acceptable to God, Who forgives all things (including the indifference this attitude demonstrates). Others, more concerned about man’s opinion than God’s are afraid they’ll be accused of being on a “works trip” if they put forth their maximum capability.

True, we as humans could never have deserved the gift of salvation before the fact, and can never do enough to merit its benefits after the fact, that’s why it’s called a gift of grace. But does that justify our ambivalence to the incredible price our Lord paid to provide it without cost to us? Has God’s Grace produced a “take-it-for-granted” response from us? What if He had made the same half-hearted mediocre effort in providing the gift that many of us make in saying thanks for it?

I’ve been involved in organized religion for decades and am amazed at how little some in the body of Christ do to express their gratitude to the One who has rescued them from the coming wrath (1 Thes. 1:9-10). They come to Him with a “what have you done for me lately” attitude, informing Him of their current worldly wants and needs and expecting results, but expend precious little effort in conveying their gratitude even for the things He did for them yesterday, let alone the priceless and eternal gift He provided 2000 years ago.

24.y. From Pathway to victory

In order to survive in a hostile world, we need to beware of pride, in ourselves and in others. What is pride? Pride is an attitude that credits ourselves for our successes and blames others for our failures. When you look in Proverbs 6 at the list of things God hates the most, at the top of the list is pride. Why does God detest pride? Because pride leads to ingratitude toward God, and ingratitude toward God leads to independence from God. Whenever we become intoxicated by our own successes, we begin to think we do not need God. C. S. Lewis called pride “the great sin” and observed, “It is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.”

What are the characteristics of pride? First of all, the proud are lovers of self. In 2 Timothy 3:2-4, Paul wrote, “For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” You may read this and say, “Lovers of self? Didn’t Jesus say we ought to love others as we love ourselves? What is wrong with loving yourself?” There is a difference between self-respect and self-love. We are commanded to treat others as we treat ourselves–with respect, as something of value, because God created us. On the other hand, self-love is treating yourself better than you treat other people.

The proud are also consumed with self. Everything in the world is about their wants, their wishes, their goals, their dreams, their needs. They are consumed with self.

The proud are driven by power. At the root of all pride is a desire for power–the power to control our own destiny as well as the destiny of others. That is completely against the attitude of Jesus Christ. He did not come to be served by others but to serve others. In Matthew 20:28, He said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus’s attitude was the opposite of pride.

24.x. “On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”

2 Corintihians 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Psalms 44:6-7   For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.  But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.

Proverbs 28:26    Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Jeremiah 9:23-24     Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,  but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 17:5-7    Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.  He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.

Whatever the problem was, it was bad. Because of this problem, Paul lived with the awareness that he might die at any time. He was able to able to learn from this and say – “not to rely on ourselves but on God”. He has delivered us, He is delivering us, and He will deliver us – past, present, future. David, though he used bow and sword, said that he did not trust in them even thought there was victory – It was all of God and not by their might, talent, power, or strength that victory was gained.

It is when we seek deliverance and rely on self, how is God to help? Life is marked by events, and our life is lived either in anticipation of those events (looking to the future) or in reflection upon them (looking to the past). In either situation, stress is a possibility. We may be concerned about what is coming, or we may be exhausted by what has happened. Whenever life drains you of strength, let God be your source for refreshment (Psalm 23:1-3). Make prayer your first choice when it comes to unburdening your soul of what this world has done, is doing, and will do that adversely affects you. God is not limited and will deliver you. His strength, His power, His might, His timing.