“He that loveth not
knoweth not God;
for God is love”
1 John 4:4
Life does not consist of what we believe but in how we live.
Love IS the evidence of knowing God.
“Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God”
Amy Carmichael
Brian Troxel
http://www.aword.info
Posted in Thought for Today | Tagged 1 John 4:4, Amy Carmichael, Belief Versus Life, Brotherly Kindness, love, Love is the Power of God, Love the Evidence of our knowing God, the Simple Life, Thought for Today | Leave a Comment »
“Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ”
Philemon 1:1
Paul though bound in prison by order of the Roman government never saw Himself as such. His life and all that pertained to it had been fully given to God and His purposes therefore the circumstances were seen as attendant to God’s will.
Absolute surrender is the means to Godly Contentment
It is the surrendered life which is the victorious life. Paul could have called on lawyers and had petitions signed on his behalf to extricate himself from his situation; but it was his surrender to God that freed him from the bitterness of the moment. This victory in Christ can only be realized in the validity of our transaction with God. The rest of God comes with the surrender to God.
“For the which cause I also suffer these things:
nevertheless I am not ashamed:
for I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day”
2 Timothy 1:12
God’s keeping power comes from the persuasion that we know in Whom we have placed our trust. It enables His Own to see that the crucible is the means to the crown.
Brian Troxel
http://www.aword.info
Posted in Crudible and the Crown, Thought for Today | Tagged 2 Timothy 1:12, A Prisoner of Jesus, Committment to God's Ways, God's Keeping Grace, God's Rest, Godly Contentment, Learning to Walk in the Spirit, obedience, Obedience and Fire, Overcoming the Obstacles, Philemon 1:1, Submission to God's Will, Surrender to God, Surrendered Life, The Crucible and the Crown, The Power of the Cross, Thought for Today, Victorious Life | Leave a Comment »
“…for by strength shall no man prevail”
1 Samuel 2:9
Within the context of God’s purposes in the earth we are struck with the wonder of His wisdom and omnipotence. In the seven days of creation the specific work accomplished in each one of them was what defined and concluded each day. In other words the day was not defined by the passage of time; it was defined by the work completed. So too are His purposes in our day. The sun and moon were not even seen until the fourth day at which time they were set in the heavens for “them (to) be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years”. Time exists in heavenly places as well as earthly realms but the measurement is entirely different. The measurement of time in the earth was set in motion by the creation of the sun and moon. In eternal realms time is still a reality but it is measured by the accomplishment of His purposes.
“Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?” Daniel 8:13
Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? Zachariah 1:12
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Revelation 6:10
These are small glimpses in the scriptures as to how time is viewed in heavenly places. Time in the Spirit is measured by the accomplishment of God’s purposes not by man’s diminutive concepts here on earth. Men and women who walk in the Spirit are cognizant of God’s Day. In every generation those who walked with God understood God’s will for their Day. To them it was the Day of the Lord and their lives were to be spent in the accomplishing of His purposes. Yet so many religious people live without the comprehension of God having a purpose and an agenda for their day. The generation that God led out of Egypt failed to enter into the land of promise. God’s purpose was not just to lead them out of Egypt but to bring them into the land of promise. So in our Day, the last Day (the Day of wrath and judgement and the consolation of the righteous), we have set before us the final evening and morning in this chapter of God’s work. There will still be eons and ages for the purposes of God to continue in His Kingdom; but for us it is here and now that we must be about our Father’s will. It is today that we must hear His voice and not harden our hearts.
“Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David,
Today, after so long a time; as it is said,
Today if ye will hear his voice,
harden not your hearts”
Hebrews 4:7
Here God speaks, after a seemingly long period of silence, of His “now” work. Herein lays the danger of His people failing to respond; with the passing of earthly time men become complacent and apathetic. Slumber of heart becomes the dominating effect in their lives and they become desensitized to His will. Those who are alive unto His purposes remain alert for they are aware of the Day of the Lord in their generation. It is the understanding of what His Day means that keeps them attentive to His Will. They are not distracted by the routine and tedium of the natural world.
If one generation fails another one must arise; the Day of the Lord will not pass until the purpose of His Day is accomplished. God reveals to the next generation His ongoing purposes which require a new faith, and a new “way” for His people to walk. The truths of the former will not work in the new. The ability to be faithful in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses gave way to new truths and provisions in Joshua’s Day. The provision of the manna ceased and a new provision (which required new responsibilities) was revealed. Men and women who had gathered manna in the past must now find His new provision by taking the land from the enemies of God. It was a day for them to “beat their plows into swords” (Joel 3:10).
“And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna anymore; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year” Joshua 5:12
There is a Day to “beat the swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3) and there is a Day to “beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears” (Joel 3:10). These words of God are for their specific Day and it is the responsibility of God’s people to be “people of the Day”. This precludes the teachings of men and the ways of former days. Though good and true for those who were faithful in previous generations they will not accomplish His work in our day.
This is the Day of “beating our plowshares into swords”! It is a Day of war, a Day of “contending for the Faith” of God; not a war of carnal weapons or a time of seeking political influence. It is a Day to arm ourselves with the weapons of God: love, faith, longsuffering and kindness with sincerity of heart to see God’s end; a people fully clothed in the character and the life of the risen SON. Love of such intensity that we are able to stand in the midst of a coming hate that is beyond description or reason. People unified in Him who have cast aside the horror of sectarian division and carnal ways. People who can no longer abide in the partial will of God but live only see His will done on earth to the same fullness as it is in Heaven!
Earthly time will come to an end in the accomplished work of God. The seventh Day will unfold with new things in God, new horizons of wonder and unspeakable glory. Those who spend their lives to see His purposes fulfilled in This Day will partake of the rewards of That Day.
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the day(s)* of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets” Revelation 10:5-7
Those who linger and sleep in this hour will not be able to withstand the storm which is about to break. This is the Day for the perseverance of the Saints. This Day, as all days in God, begins in darkness and ends in light (see Genesis 1:5,8,13,19, 23, 31). This Day is even now unfolding in great darkness and in the midnight hour men will wonder in great perplexity where God is in the midst of the horror that must be revealed. Those of the Day will stand for they know His morning is coming. In the seventh Day there is no evening; it is an eternal Day of His presence and glory to those who stood true to their DAY.
“Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible” Isaiah 13:6-11
The arrogance of the proud (worldly and religious) will cease and the Lord alone will be exalted in this Day. It is time to humble ourselves and find Him as our hiding place that we may face the storm hid with Christ in God.
“Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life,
and may enter in through the gates into the city”
Revelation 22:14
* Note: This word in the Greek refers to a singular day and in almost all instances is translated such except when a number is associated with it i.e. six days or the context indicates a plural value…
Brian Troxel
http://www.aword.info
Posted in Day of the Lord, The Kingdom of God | Tagged 1 Samuel 2:9, Apathy, Beating Plows into Swords, Contending for The Faith, Daniel 8:13, Evening and Morning - God's Day, Genesis, Genesis 1:13, Genesis 1:19, Genesis 1:23, Genesis 1:31, Genesis 1:5, Genesis 1:8, God's Day, God's End, God's Mystery Complete, God's Silence, God's Work, Hearing His Voice Today, Hebrews 4:7, Isaiah 13:6-11, Isaiah 2:4, Joel 3:10, Joshua 5:12, Manna for One Generation, Micah 4:3, New Truths Require New Faith, People of the Day, Present Truth, Revelation 22:14, Revelation 6:10, Spiritual Slumber, Standing True, The DAY of Preparation, The Day of Revelation, The Day of the Lord, The Purposes of God, The Seventh Day, The sounding of the Seventh Angel, The True Sabbath of God, The Voice of the Seventh Angel, Time shall be no more, Today is the Day of Salvation, Today's Truth, Zachariah 1:12 | 4 Comments »
Father make me a Husband who pleases you today.
Make me a Father who honours you today
Make me a Brother who reveals you today.
In your name, Amen.
Posted in Prayer for Today | Tagged Brother, Father, Husband | Leave a Comment »
“Whereunto I am appointed a preacher,
and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles”
2 Timothy 1:11
Those appointed of God know definitively His divine call upon their lives. The “Christian” experience is not to be one of aimless wandering in some religious wilderness. Those who know their God feel the weight of His call; they are not left to their own ways and choices. There is a sense of accountability deep within their being. While others may go and do, seemingly at will, such is not the life of the called.
Paul in his Epistles declares over and over that his apostolic expression is “not by the will of men”. It is a call that requires separation and obedience. It is a call to God Himself and not to an organization, ministry or selfish motives. God’s call leaves room for no one but Himself. Without hearing and responding to His call we will wander in a barren land without a sense of purpose.
It takes little effort, even in casual conversation, to recognize one who knows the Call of God. There is a fire, a passion and a desire for an apprehension of those things to be accomplished in their lives. There is an intensity that transcends the status quo of attending meetings, hearing messages and having casual religious conversations. Paul cries out with this intensity that he might “…apprehend that for which he had been apprehended”. This cry is not the result of a teaching. The cry is the result of the call. Without the call there is no drive to apprehend; no sense of being held accountable to fulfill His call. Meetings, conferences and sermons will easily satisfy those to whom the call has become distant and dim. The fire fades and the need to obtain and fulfill His purpose loses its hold upon the reins of their life. Retirement and comfort becomes more important than fulfilling the call. Those in whom the fire has gone out distance themselves from those who challenge them to rise up and press into their call.
How good and precious is the fear of the Lord! It holds us to our course. It keeps us attentive to the things of Him in our life. We are constantly stirred by the keeping power of His Spirit to stay on task concerning our portion in Him. It is here, as we seek out others with this fire and intensity, that we discover the real purpose of fellowship. The glory of knowing the call of God brings a sense of walking in an appointed way. This brings a certainty of purpose in the challenges of life.
“And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God,
to them who are THE CALLED
according to HIS PURPOSE”
Romans 8:28
Brian Troxel
http://www.aword.info
Posted in Our Service, The Kingdom of God, Uncategorized | Tagged 2 Timothy 1:11, Admonishing One Another, Admonition, Apprehending the Will of God, Attaining God's Call, Called to Know God, Called with a Purpose, Faith by Hearing, Faithfulness, Fatih, Fear of the Lord, Finishing the Race, His Call the Purpose of Life, Keeping True to the Call, Many Called Few Chosen, Ministry, obedience, Preacher of Righteousness, Romans 8:28, Teaching versus Life, The Appointment of God, The Call of God, The Called, The Fire of God, True Fellowship, Vision and Purpose | Leave a Comment »
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant,
whom his lord hath made ruler over his household,
to give them meat in due season?
Blessed is that servant,
whom his lord when he cometh
shall find so doing”
Matthew 24:45-46
Faithfulness is a commendable virtue of God’s servants; those who labor in His fields shepherding and feeding His flock regardless of personal situations and circumstances. However, Jesus by His great work within our hearts, is always enlarging the scope of His ministration through us. It is one thing to be faithful and another thing altogether to be faithful and wise. Here Jesus commends His steward for having the ability to give His people “meat in due season”. One who ministers from a wise heart knows the condition of God’s people and walks in a discerning way. This servant is not just a disseminator of information but one who, in God’s wisdom, understands what God is after in each life and ministers accordingly. The faithful and wise servant seeks not the praises of men but pursues the honor of His Lord. The very essential portion of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. It is His people and therefore His salvation and His divine purposes that are to be fulfilled in each life.
Many appear to be faithful in our day within the confines of church activity and religious endeavors yet without the wonder of His wisdom at work in and through their lives such ministrations will be found lacking. This can be because of ulterior motives or an attemptt to minister from a position (job description) rather than through the ministration of His heart.
It is the faithful and wise servant who becomes endued with His authority in His house. Authority is given to those who are under His authority. Only those who are truly His servants (serving Him rather than themselves or a religious agenda) can actually walk and abide in His wisdom. The true wisdom of God is free from partiality and factious loyalties. It knows the fear of the Lord and will not be contaminated with anything that would interfere with the true ministration of His mercy or His judgments. People who function with a view to loyalty to a denomination or a particular faction or gathering of God’s people will forfeit the ability to walk in His wisdom.
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without partiality, and without hypocrisy”
James 3:17
Those who stand in places of ministry in His house will reveal this union of faithfulness and wisdom in their own lives; in their families, their work and behavior in all circumstances. Paul wrote to Timothy concerning those who would walk and function from the wisdom of God:
“One that ruleth well his own house,
having his children in subjection with all gravity;
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house,
how shall he take care of the church of God?)”
1 Timothy 3:4-5
Faithfulness and wisdom are attributes of an individual not just in a religious setting but in every area of life. It is to this end that we interact with Him and those around us; that we may hear Him say to us “Well done thou good and faithful servant”.
“Who is wise and knowing among you?
Let him show his works by his good behavior,
in meekness of wisdom”
James 3:13
Brian Troxel
http://www.aword.info
Posted in Faith and Works, Our Service, Uncategorized | Tagged 1 Timothy 3:4-5, Blessed Servants, Discernment, Doing His Will Daily, Doing the Will of God, Factions the State of the Worldly Church, Faithful and Wise Servant, Faithful Servant, Faithfulness, Godly Families, James 3:13, James 3:17, Labouring Abundantly by Grace, Matthew 25:45-46, Ministering Meat in Due Season, People of Faith = Godly Families, The Wisdom From Above, True Servants, Unity God's Natural Order, Unity of the Faith, Unity of the Spirit, Unity Through the Truth, Wisdom of God, Wisdom of God without Partiality | Leave a Comment »
“For though I preach the gospel,
I have nothing to glory of:
for necessity is laid upon me;
yea, woe is unto me,
if I preach not the gospel!”
1 Corinthians 9:16
The Call brings the sense of necessity. Here the hearts of His own are easily searched out. The inner need to express Him is a fire within their being. Those who know their God cannot be silent concerning His Name in the earth. Though few will listen, and many who use His Name are steeped in apathy, it will not dampen the irrepressible fervor to preach His Word. Jeremiah in the midst of the lethargy and the mockery of his generation tried to refrain from speaking His word but to no avail. How can His people remain silent in this day?
“Then I said, I will not make mention of him,
nor speak any more in his name.
But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire
shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing,
and I could not stay”
Jeremiah 20:9
“You cannot preach conviction of sin unless you have suffered it.
You cannot preach repentance unless you have practiced it.
You cannot preach faith unless you have exercised it.
True preaching is artesian;
it wells up from the great depths of the soul.
If Christ has not made a well within us,
there will be no outflow from us”
Charles Spurgeon
Brian Troxel
http://www.aword.info
Posted in His Word, Our Service, Thought for Today | Tagged 1 Corinthians 9:16, Apathy, Apostle Paul, Charles Spurgeon, Jeremiah 20:9, Knowing the Necessity of God, Necessity, Preacher of Righteousness, Preaching God's Word, Preaching in the midst of Apostasy, The Call of God, The Fire of God within, The Well of Christ, Truth versus Religion, Yielding to His Spirit | Leave a Comment »
BT
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