Help Thou Their Unbelief.

 Oh, how we wish we could have faith for another, even when we question our own faith and pray for God to help our unbelief. We believe, we cry out, and we ask for help for our unbelief. We look at those around us who profess no belief at all, and we long to have them believe. We long for God to help their unbelief. We want to share our belief with them, our faith, our convictions but a heart has to be convicted on its own, a heart has to believe on its own, we can give none of our own faith at all, but we can share our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can live Christ. We can live clinging to our Savior despite all of Satan's attempts to bring us to despair. We can pray for heart convictions of those who do not believe, pray their hearts cry out for the Savior, that they have even the tiniest of belief that the Lord will help all the rest of their unbelief.  Please, Lord, please. We believe, help our unbelief, we believe, help thou their unbelief! Please, Lord, please.

******

The Limitations of Conscience.

"Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God." 

Faith and conscience pertain to single individuals. 

No man can have faith for another. 

No man can have faith enough to serve for two.

The teaching of the Roman Church is that certain ones have had more faith than they needed, and have been more righteous than was necessary, so that they can divide with other people; but the Bible teaches that it is impossible for any man to have more faith than will serve to save himself. Therefore, no matter how well one man's faith may be instructed, no other man can be judged by it.

We hear a great deal in these days about the public conscience. We are often told that the conscience of one man is outraged by the course of another. But it is with conscience as with faith, no man can have enough for two. 

The man who thinks that his conscience will serve for himself and for somebody else, has mistaken selfish obstinacy for conscience. It is this mistaken idea of conscience that has led to all the horrible persecutions that have ever been perpetrated in the name of religion.

Let Christians all understand that conscience is between themselves and God alone.

They are not at liberty to impose even their freedom of conscience upon another; but by the laws of the kingdom of Christ, they are obliged even to refrain at times from exercising their own freedom, out of consideration for others. That is to say,  the man who can walk fast, is to help along his weak brother, who is going the same way, but more slowly. But he is not to turn around to please somebody who is walking the other way.'

Excerpt- Articles on Romans  by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 14

Peace With Each Other.

 

Living for the Kingdom

Not Meat and Drink.

Living for Others Romans 14:14-23

14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of; 17 for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. 22 Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

Many errors arise from careless reading of the Bible, and from hasty conclusions from detached statements, as from wilful perversion of the word. Possibly many more are the result of lack of proper thought than of deliberate willfulness. Let us therefore always take heed how we read.

Clean and Unclean. If we consider well the subject under consideration, we shall not wrest this scripture from its connection. The thing presented from the beginning of the chapter is the case of a man with so little real knowledge of Christ that he thinks righteousness is to be obtained by the eating of certain kinds of food, or by not eating certain things. The idea clearly conveyed by the entire chapter is that it is by faith, and not by eating and drinking, that we are saved.

A little consideration of the question of clean and unclean food will help us much. There is a strange idea prevalent, to the effect that things that were at one time unfit for food are perfectly wholesome now. Many people seem to think that even unclean beasts are made clean by the gospel. They forget that Christ purifies men, not beasts and reptiles.

There were plants that were poisonous in the days of Moses, and those same plants are poisonous now. The very people who seem to think that the gospel makes everything fit to eat, would be as much disgusted at the thought of eating cats, dogs, caterpillars, spiders, flies, etc., as any Jew would have been in the days of Moses.  Instead of finding that a knowledge of Christ reconciles one to such a diet, we find, on the contrary, that it is only the most degraded savages who make use of them for food, and such a diet is both a sign and cause of degradation. Enlightenment brings carefulness in the selection of food.

Now there is no one who can imagine the apostle Paul or any other person of good sense and refinement eating everything that he could possibly find on earth. Although most people think themselves wiser than God in the matter of eating and drinking, there are, as there always have been, certain things universally held to be unfit for food. Therefore when the apostle says that nothing is unclean of itself, he evidently confines his remark to those things which God has provided for man's eating. There are people whose conscience is so poorly instructed that they fear to eat even of things which God has given to be eaten; just as there are some who forbid the eating of "food which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving." 1 Tim. 4:3.

So when the apostle says, "One believeth that he may eat all things," it is evident that the "all things" does not include filth. The idea evidently is that one believes that he may eat everything that is fit to be eaten. But another, having for instance the thought that some of those things may have been devoted to an idol, fears to eat of them lest he should thereby become an idolater. The eighth chapter of 1 Corinthians makes this whole subject plain, as it runs parallel with the fourteenth of Romans.

This throws light also upon the subject of days. Since the apostle evidently confines his remarks concerning food to that which it is allowable to eat, it is more clear that those days which may be considered as all alike are those days only which God has not sanctified to himself.

The Nature of the Kingdom. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Over that kingdom Christ has been set as King, for God has said, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." Ps. 2:6. Now read further the words of the Father to the Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things: "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Heb. 1:8, 9.

Articles on Romans  by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 14

We Are Servants.

 

Am I Thinking God's Way or Satan's?

 Am I thinking - true things?

Am I thinking - honest things?

Am I thinking - just things?

Am I thinking - pure things?

Am I thinking- lovely things?

Am I thinking- of good reports?

Am I thinking- of virtuous things?

Am I thinking- of praise worthy things?

Or Am I thinking - falsehoods, lies, unfair, filthy, ugly, evil, despicable, demeaning things?

Where are our thoughts focused?! We're thinking them, so where are they focused?! It is so easy to let the doom and gloom take over our every thought. Thinking the worst instantly becomes habitual to our nature, why? Does it have to be that way? If Satan has any say in the matter, yes, it has to be that way. It's the way we were conditioned by him. He groomed us in his school of angst, anxiety, anguish and heartache, and he's bent on perfecting our tendencies towards his ways. He offers great incentives and fills our lives with warped comfort, a mind numbing satisfaction in all things detrimental. He strokes our bizarre notions and keeps the flames of deceptive fires burning so we believe that proves we're alive and thriving through pure muck. We bathe ourselves in deep, warm sinking sand, fooling ourselves that we can touch the bottom and never go too far below. Satan doesn't care if we stand on the hidden precipice feeling safe there, he'll keep us there as long as we aren't inclined to turn from His evil swaying ways.  What horror for Satan when we dare to think about how unfair things are, but only for a moment! Just for a moment we dip our toes in the beckoning pool of self-pity and then pull those toes out and instead run and jump in the crystal clear, pure water of God focused, heavenly treasure filled life to come. God, please send us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to teach us to think on the things you would have us think on, and not let Satan's thoughts control us. Please teach us, help us learn the truth and leave the lies Satan has made our lives up with. Daily, hourly, minutely, keep us from the Evil.

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR! Now and forever!!! Amen!

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

A Burdened Rest.

 She walked through life seeking a relationship with Christ, the perfect, loving, savior- Christ. She heard his beckoning entreaty to come to Him - to Him, as she labored through life's many trials and extreme tribulations. As the weight of her world rested upon her heavily, she was told to come to Him for rest. Rest offered to her by her Savior. Rest from all the extreme burdens weighing her down until the exhaustion threatened her very existence. Rest.  But then her Savior said, to take His yoke. A yoke, a weight, a burden upon a beast, a yoke, a bondage of heaviness pressing down upon her. Her Savior wanted her to take His yoke. Her Savior wanted her to burden herself yet further, just after He offered her rest from being heavy ladened, spent through laboring and He wanted to place upon her another yoke, His yoke. Take it, He told her. Take this new weight upon you. Take my weight upon you. Take this shared weight the yoke was meant for two it was still His as He offered to let her take it with Him. Take my yoke on you, He told her, take it and learn of me, He said. He wanted her to learn of Him by taking His yoke with Him. The rest He offered was His rest. Shared burden. Knowledge of a true sharing of all the labor and heavy laden life bits that encumbered her. Shared by the knowledge of Him and ALL He represents. No false advertising. A clear truth that revealed the war and what it would mean to be on the side of the Savior. Knowledge that every single aching heart moment she experienced was shared with her Savior. Knowledge that all the heart ache, the worst of the worst she was going through, had  already gone through, and had yet to face was all temporary, all momentary. Knowledge that learning of her Savior meant learning of heaven, learning of heaven's true everlasting treasure, and knowledge of heaven being where all her treasures must truly reside. So much learning, relearning, studying, ever studying of Him. Knowing Him. Learning to keep the knowledge of Him. Learning of Him as we learn the greatest of life's lessons, those we never forget.  Learning of Him because He must be our breath, breathing Him. Learning of Him because He must be our heart beating, living Him. 

*******

'The School of Christ. The church of Christ is not composed of perfect men, but of those who are seeking perfection. He is the perfect One, and he sends out the invitation: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me." Mat. 11:28, 29. Having called all to come to him, he says, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. As one has said, "God reaches for the hand of faith in man to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that man may attain to perfection of character."

The faith may be very weak, but God does not reject him on that account. Paul thanked God that the faith of the Thessalonian brethren grew exceedingly (2 Thess. 1:3), which shows that they did not have perfect faith at the first. It is true that God is so good that every person ought to trust him fully; but just because he is so good, he is very patient and forbearing with those who are not well acquainted with him, and he does not turn away from them because they are doubtful. It is this very goodness and forbearance of God that develops perfect faith.'

(Excerpt)

Articles on Romans  by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 14