Mark 10:3 (KJV) What Does the Bible Say?

Mark 10:3 (KJV)
And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

The question put before Jesus was a serious one, fraught with emotion and accompanying opinion. It was no tertiary matter. “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?” Notice that they asked the question “tempting Him.” They hoped He would supply an answer that would turn away His followers.[1]

The question was such an important one that His disciples asked the same question. They, of course, were not tempting Him. They just knew this was a matter of serious concern. 

The thing I wish to point out is that Jesus’ first response to the question was, “What did Moses command you?” He took them to the Scriptures. No other answer, in any matter, is appropriate except the Scriptural one. Jesus did not correct the Bible. He corrected their understanding of the Bible. 

• The Word of God answers every question 
• The Word of God is always correct but
• We don’t always understand the Word of God correctly. 

Two things every Christian must have in order to get proper instruction from God:

He must have an understanding of the Word of God. 

In other words, he must read it and study it on his own and fervently. 

He must have the humility to be corrected by his preacher. 
God placed him in our life on purpose. We need what he provides. We can’t assume we are right, and he is wrong. We must allow the man God placed as our shepherd to do his work. 

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[1] Jesus’ concern was always truth before God, not who would or would not agree – see John 6.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Mark 10:3 (KJV) What Does the Bible Say?

 

Jeremiah 4:11-12 (KJV) Think of the Wind

Jeremiah 4:11-12 (KJV)

At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.

Frequently, the Bible uses wind as a representation of the Holy Spirit of God. For instance, we have the words of Jesus,
John 3:8 (KJV)
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Then there is the instance of the day of Pentecost,
Acts 2:2-4 (KJV)
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Does this mean that wind is always an indicator of the Holy Ghost? No.
1 Kings 19:11-12 (KJV)
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Still, there would be some profit to consider the pictures of the Holy Ghost in our passage. God said of the wind that:

• It would not be to fan-to refresh in the heat.
• It would not be to cleanse-to blow away smoke and harmful particles
• God said this wind would be a sentence against them

The Holy Spirit of God does indeed refresh the believer.
There are times when, in seasons of persecution and trouble, the illumination of the Word of God, as given by the Holy Spirit restores, refreshes, and strengthens us to go on.

The Holy Spirit often brings to us cleansing
As He illuminates the Word, we find revealed in its pages our sin, the reproof of it, and the instruction away from it.

We certainly do not want to grieve, resist, or blaspheme the Holy Ghost
The latter is only possible of the unbeliever, but Christians can resist and grieve the Holy Spirit to such an extent that we become as castaways,[1] unprofitable to God and, having quenched the Spirit, unable to see as He shines the beam on a right path.

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[1] 1 Corinthians 9:27 (KJV)
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Jeremiah 4:11-12 (KJV) Think of the Wind

Jeremiah 2:2 (KJV) The Mercy of God

Jeremiah 2:2 (KJV)

Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

The words of the Lord are filled with pathos. What love the Father hath bestowed upon us that He remembers us. The setting is Israel in the wilderness. God says of them then that He remembers

• The kindness of thy youth
• The love of thine espousals (this in in reference to their relationship with Him)
• When thou wentest after me

I’ve read the account of Israel in the wilderness. 

• They did leave Egypt and they did follow the pillars by day and night. 
• They did prepare the Tabernacle after the pattern of heaven. 
• They did receive the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law.

But they also 

• Chided Moses
• Rejected God’s will at Kadesh Barnea
• Complained about the manna
• Murmured over every difficulty

They eventually made it to the Promised Land, but it was forty years later and a whole new generation.

God can remember those bad things every bit as well as the good things. He wrote them in a book for us and has seen to it that it has been preserved perfectly. But the mercy of God chooses to look only at the good. To be sure, He corrected the Jews. That was the message of Jeremiah, but He remembers the good.

The same can be said of the Christian today. God can see our sin, weakness, unfaithfulness, and self-willfulness. He teaches us that He intends to correct those things and He gives us preachers of His Word to warn us to repent. Don’t take the mercy of God for granted. At the end of the day, be thankful that God remembers when you came to His Son Jesus and became hidden in His righteousness.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Jeremiah 2:2 (KJV) The Mercy of God

Isaiah 66:3 (KJV) God’s Way Over Our Own

Isaiah 66:3 (KJV)

He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

How often, I wonder, do we even consider the man to whom God will look?[1] We have been conditioned, and we like it this way, to think that if we are not ok, that’s ok. We’ve come to accept our sin, willfulness, ungodliness, and disobedience. We are thankful for the mercy of God. We are more than happy to live upon it and coast carelessly with our relationship with the Lord.

I notice that God sees things a bit differently.

• He is not interested in our offerings and sacrifices.
• He is not interested in our buildings in His name.
• He is not interested in our production for His cause
• He looks for poverty, contriteness, and trembling at His Word
• He looks for the one who will choose God’s way over his own

Some will argue that this is Old Testament and applies only to the Jews. I will return that God changes not. I, too, am grateful for the mercy of God. I am thankful that I am hidden in the righteousness of Christ. But I recognize the character of God and the desire of His heart. And I know that if we would but apply ourselves to obey Him, His grace would make us much more Christlike than we are today.

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[1] Isaiah 66:2 (KJV)
For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Isaiah 66:3 (KJV) God’s Way Over Our Own

Mark 6:56 (KJV) Have You Touched Jesus?

Mark 6:56 (KJV)

And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

Have you touched Jesus?

I think most of the time, we think about that little chorus, Somebody Touched Me.  “It was on a Sunday; somebody touched me. It was on a Tuesday; somebody touched me. It was on a great day somebody touched me. Must have been the hand of the Lord.” 

Most Christians would recognize the “somebody” as Jesus, and we would acknowledge the touch as making us saved. That is a fragile application of the text. First, those who touched Jesus knew exactly who and why they touched Him. Second, it was no accidental touch. They came purposefully to reach out and touch Him.

Did you notice that they may have touched but little of Him, yet He touched all of them? “As many as touched” even the border of His garment were made whole. We think we have all of Jesus we need, but we sure haven’t been made whole. Unfortunately, too many professing Christians are content to claim assurance of salvation but have little claim to a surrendered life to Christ.

Made whole – completely rid of disease

Made whole. 

• No more struggle with faith. 
• No more struggle with who is or isn’t the master of their life. 
• No more struggle with whether we surrender to the flesh or the Spirit.

I understand that no Christian reaches sinless perfection in this life, but I am also sure that no Christian surrenders to a life of anything less than sinless perfection. I am concerned that many people come into the presence of Jesus, and believe they are where they ought to be spiritually, whether or not they ever touch Him.

Have you touched Jesus?

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Mark 6:56 (KJV) Have You Touched Jesus?

Isaiah 62:1 (KJV) Don’t Let Up

Isaiah 62:1 (KJV)

For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

One of the most damaging things I think that has happened in modern fundamentalist Christianity is the concept that our sole mission is to win people to Christ. That, coupled with the ubiquitous doctrine of the universal church, has left preachers nearly powerless to preach any depth of doctrine and correction of error among believers. If we feel like the preacher just won’t hold his peace on issues we are uncomfortable with, we are free to move to another church of like or similar faith and find ourselves at ease there.

The preacher’s work, his charge, the thing God has committed to him, is that he will not hold his peace, he will not rest, he will cry aloud until those whose souls he is to watch for go forth as brightness and as a lamp that burneth.

Your pastor’s holy task is to not let up on you until you get it. Your church’s job is to hold you to what your pastor is preaching.[1]

So, long as it is the word of God, you really do right only when you submit to it.[2]

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[1] Ephesians 4:16 (KJV)
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

[2] Hebrews 13:17 (KJV)
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Isaiah 62:1 (KJV) Don’t Let Up

Isaiah 60:1-2 (KJV) Glory in Darkness

Isaiah 60:1-2 (KJV)

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

The time of the passage is prophetic of the latter days. I imagine the best place to set it would be in the Tribulation. The subject is Israel. Though all the world will be covered in gross darkness, the object of the Tribulation is the redemption of Israel. The glory of God will come to shine finally in the conversion of Israel to Christ.

I would like to entertain the thought that a secondary application may be made to any believer or any particular church and in such a day as we live. Though not compared to the darkness of the Tribulation, we often find ourselves in what we might think is gross darkness. We see the world around us lost and hopelessly without Christ. We are overwhelmed and have trouble seeing our way out. Darkness, it seems has covered the earth.

It is amid this darkness the Lord promises to arise upon us and allow His glory to shine out a path.

I’ve learned that few professing Christians are willing to follow the light of this glory. But for those who do, God not only lights our path but allows us to be the light for some other’s path. Perhaps a neighbor or a friend from work. Maybe our children and grandchildren.

I pray God that I am faithful to HIS light to help another out of the gross darkness.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

For this and, more than 5600 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Isaiah 60:1-2 (KJV) Glory in Darkness