Philemon 1:11 (KJV) Are You A Profitable Christian?

Philemon 1:11 (KJV)

Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

Sometimes the thing we think is bad turns out for a greater good. Onesimus had run away—an unprofitable servant. Gill supposes he was lazy, an embezzler, a thief, and in many other ways a poor example to others.

But in leaving, Onesimus met Paul, and through Paul he was saved. His time with Paul was productive, his salvation was sincere, and when Paul sent him back to Philemon, he returned a completely different man—profitable now, not only to Paul, who could have used him at his side, but to Philemon, at whose side he belonged.

A true believer is profitable to everyone he is around. Like all of us, God has created him for a specific place, and in that place he must learn to abide; but he is the kind of man who would be well placed just about anywhere.

Christian, has your relationship with the Lord made you such? Or are you the sort that some Christians like to be around and are helped by, but others cannot abide being around you?

It seems to me, if you are the latter, you would do well to examine your relationship with the Lord.

#ProfitableServant #ChangedByGrace #PhilemonTruth #ChristianCharacter #UsefulForGod

Are You A Profitable Christian? The Change Every Believer Should Experience 

What do you think—are you becoming more profitable to those around you, or is there room for growth? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below and share what the Lord is teaching you from this passage.

For more Bible teaching, encouragement, and resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org and stay connected.

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.

For this and, more than 7100 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.

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Philemon 1:11 (KJV) Are You A Profitable Christian?

Titus 3:14 (KJV) Are You Truly Fruitful?

Titus 3:14 (KJV)

And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

The commentaries tend to spend a good deal of time discussing what “maintain good works” means. In particular, they often consider whether it refers to learning a trade, a craft, or a skill.

The Jews, as I understand it, believed that if a man was not taught a trade, it was as good as teaching him to steal. Therefore, they taught—even their doctors of the law—a trade. Paul is an example of this. He was a learned Pharisee, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, yet also trained in the trade of tent making.

I find that idea striking—that a man who teaches but has never practiced what he teaches could, in a sense, be considered dishonest. Consider the college professor who has never truly practiced the trade he claims to teach. One might say he takes payment for something he has never proven.

I found one quote especially helpful. In Gill’s commentary:

“The Jews say, there are four things which a man should constantly attend to with all his might, and they are these: the law, good works, prayer, and the way of the earth, or business; if a tradesman, to his trade; if a merchant, to his merchandise; if a man of war, to war.”

The Law
This refers to the Word of God. Every Christian ought to be proficient in the Scriptures. I would also extend this to include respect for civil authority. Every Christian ought to be law-abiding.

Good Works
This speaks of being kind, charitable, and helpful—a good citizen in both church and community.

Prayer
No work accomplishes what it ought without the blessing of God. A good worker is, first and foremost, a man of prayer.

Business
Whatever a man’s occupation, he ought to attend to it diligently and not be slothful.

In doing these things, a man becomes fruitful.

I have certainly met many unfruitful people, both in the church and outside it, because they do not (or will not) give attention to one or more of these areas.

#MaintainGoodWorks #FruitfulChristianLiving #BiblicalWorkEthic #FaithInAction #Titus314

Are You Truly Fruitful? The 4 Missing Disciplines That Lead to an Unfruitful Life

If this challenged your thinking, I’d love to hear from you—which of these four areas do you need to strengthen most: the Word, good works, prayer, or your daily work? Leave a comment and join the conversation.

For more Bible teaching, practical help, and resources to help you live a fruitful Christian life, visit marvinmckenzie.org today.

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.

For this and, more than 7100 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.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Titus 3:14 (KJV) Are You Truly Fruitful?

1 Chronicles 12:32 (KJV) Not Many… But Faithful

1 Chronicles 12:32 (KJV)

And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.

I suppose I’ve always been somewhat sentimental about certain things, but I’ve reached a stage in life now where memories matter a great deal. Recording them somehow seems more pleasant and important than ever before. I do not know whether anyone will ever read these memories, but they matter to me to write them down.

This passage was preached at my ordination on December 29, 1983. Pastor Fred Scudder—my first pastor, the man who baptized both Anita and me and who performed our wedding—made the trip from Kennewick down to Platteville, Colorado, to participate in the service. It was a six-hour interrogation by six pastors, followed by a meal and the evening service when Pastor Scudder preached from this passage.

At the end of the message, I overheard Dr. Duane Onley comment to the pastor, “I rarely get fed at these types of services. You fed me.”

Pastor Scudder later spoke to me privately and told me to enjoy the ordination day. He said that pastors are rarely treated with the kind of honor they receive on that day. Over the years, I have found that to be generally true. I have been so blessed and privileged in my ministry that I have nothing to complain about and only thanksgiving to give to Almighty God. Still, people have not always been easy to work with, and even fellow pastors have caused more than just a little grief.

God has always been good to me.
People—not always.

Issachar’s numbers in this passage were the smallest of any tribe, but they made up for it in quality.

• They were aware of their times.
• They knew what needed to be done.
• They were able to lead others to do it.

What we need today are not multitudes of pastors, but this kind of pastor—men who understand the times, who know from God’s Word what people ought to do, and who have the ability to lead them in doing it.

#UnderstandingTheTimes #IssacharLeadership #BiblicalLeadership #FaithfulMinistry #KnowingWhatToDo

Not Many… But Faithful: The Kind of Leadership the Church Needs Now

Have you seen the times clearly—or are you still trying to make sense of them? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and share what God is teaching you right now.

For more Bible teaching, encouragement, and resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org and stay connected.

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.

For this and, more than 7100 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.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Chronicles 12:32 (KJV) Not Many… But Faithful

Titus 1:16 (KJV) Titus Stayed in a “Cretan” Culture

Titus 1:16 (KJV)

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

Cretans

The apostle had appointed Titus, his “own son after the common faith,” to a very difficult field. Paul’s own admission was that the island of Crete was a hard place to labor.

Though the United States has been viewed as a Christian nation, I’m not sure that was ever really a good thing. In these days, the weaknesses of our so-called “Christian heritage” have resulted in what I believe to be a Cretan culture. It would be quite accurate to say of most Americans, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

The trouble with professing to know God is that it often produces arrogance—a resistance to correction, rebuke, and truth. Americans “know God” so well that they see no need to know Him better, walk with Him more closely, or turn from the sins His Word clearly condemns.

Cretans

In works, Americans deny God
Spending little to no time in humble worship, they are busy building their own names rather than God’s.

Being abominable
Churches are now dedicated to homosexuality, women pastors, and other practices contrary to Scripture.

Disobedient
Ignoring the details of God’s Word as if they do not matter.

Unto every good work, reprobate
Even when they do what appears to be good, it is done in human power rather than in dependence upon and dedication to the Lord.

Cretans

Interestingly, the Word of God does not advise Titus to seek a more suitable place to serve the Lord, but instead charges him to remain at his post.

Perhaps the most “Cretan” thing I witness among believers in the United States today is the tendency to forsake the hard places and seek out easier fields of Christian service.

#Titus116 #ProfessingButDenying #FaithThatWorks #StandInHardPlaces #BiblicalChristianity

Titus Stayed in a “Cretan” Culture—Perhaps You Should Too

What do you think—does Titus 1:16 describe our culture today? I’d value your thoughts. Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

If this challenged or encouraged you, you’ll find more Bible teaching, resources, and studies at marvinmckenzie.org—stop by and take a look.

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.

For this and, more than 7100 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.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Titus 1:16 (KJV) Titus Stayed in a “Cretan” Culture

2 Timothy 4:13 (KJV) Paul Chose This Above All

2 Timothy 4:13 (KJV)

The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.

It was, I believe, the first day of the spring semester of Bible college. (It’s strange to think of—the date would have been early January. The spring semester begins in the middle of winter.) Dr. Rick Schrader brought a devotion from this passage. He spoke of the comfort of clothing and the value of reading, but noted that Paul wanted “especially the parchments,” which Dr. Schrader took to be the Word of God. He urged us in our Bible college studies to be, above all, students of the Bible.

It was winter when Paul wrote to Timothy asking for his cloak, his books, and especially the parchments. I have no reason to dismiss Dr. Schrader’s application of them as the Scriptures. These were likely handwritten copies of the very epistles he had written and perhaps even of those written by others of the New Testament authors at that time. I believe this to be further intrinsic evidence that believers were already aware—even before the end of the first century, and in real time—of which writings were and were not the Scriptures, given by inspiration of God.

What is Scripture was not determined by men or even by a church; it was given by God. The only people who have cause to doubt that are those who do not genuinely believe that God is. (And there are plenty of professing Christians of whom that is true.)

Imagine Paul. He had just declared that he knew judgment was set and that he would soon be executed. In his final days, what he valued most was the Word of God.

I wonder—is that what we will value?

#EspeciallyTheParchments #WordOfGodFirst #KJVTruth #BibleCenteredLife #PreachTheWord

Paul Chose This Above All—Would You?

What do you think Paul meant by “especially the parchments”? Do you believe the Word of God holds that same place of priority in your life? I’d genuinely enjoy hearing your thoughts—leave a comment below and join the conversation.

For more Bible teaching, encouragement, and resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org and explore the growing library of studies designed to help you stay grounded in God’s 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.

For this and, more than 7100 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.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

2 Timothy 4:13 (KJV) Paul Chose This Above All