The Great Benefit of Suffering for Christ by F.B. Meyer
F.B. Meyer, Joseph
The Great Benefit of Suffering for Christ
Of sufferings and as it related to the life of Joseph, son of Jacob, F.B. Meyer wrote:
“But besides all this, his religious notions added greatly to his distress. He had been taught by Jacob the theory which comes out so prominently in the speeches of Job’s three friends, and which was so generally held by all their teachers and associates in that olden, Eastern, philosophic, deeply-pondering world; that good would come to the good, and evil to the bad; that prosperity was the sign of the Divine favour, and adversity of the Divine anger. And Joseph had tried to be good. Had he not always kept his father’s commandments and acted righteously, though his brethren were men of evil report, and tried to make him as bad as themselves? But what had he gained by his integrity? Simply the murderous jealousy and hatred of his own flesh and blood. Had he not, in the full flush of youthful passion, resisted the blandishments of the beautiful Egyptian, because he would not sin against God? And what had he gained by that? Simply the stigma which threatened to cling to him of having committed the very wickedness it was so hard not to commit; and, in addition, an undeserved punishment. Had he not always been kind and gentle to his fellow-prisoners, listening to their stories, speaking comfort to their hearts? And what had he gained by that? To judge by what he saw, simply nothing; and he might as well have kept his kindness to himself.
Was it of any use, then, being good? Could there be any truth in what his father had taught him of good coming to the good, and evil to the bad? Was there a God who judgeth righteously in the earth? You who have been misunderstood, who have sown seeds of holiness and love to reap nothing but disappointment, loss, suffering, and hate – you know something of what Joseph felt in that wretched dungeon hole.
Then, too, disappointment poured her bitter drops into the bitter cup. What had become of those early dreams, those dreams of coming greatness, which had filled his young brain with splendid phantasmagoria? We these not from God? He had thought so – yes, and his venerable father had thought so too; and he should have known, for he had talked with God many a time. Were these imaginings the delusions of a fevered brain, or mocking lies? Was there no truth, no fidelity, in heaven or earth? Had God forsaken him? Was he to spend all his days in that dungeon, dragging on a weary life, never again enjoying the bliss of freedom: and all because he had dared to do right? Do you wonder at the young heart being weighed almost to breaking?
And yet Joseph’s experience is not alone. You may have never been confined in a dungeon; and yet you may have often sat in darkness, and felt around you the limitation which forbade your doing as you wished. You may have been doing right, and doing right may have brought you into some unforeseen difficulty; and you are disposed to say, “I have been too honest.” Or you may have been doing a noble act to someone, as Joseph did to Potiphar, and it has been taken in quite a wrong light. Who does not know what it is to be misunderstood, misrepresented, accused falsely, and punished wrongfully?
Each begins life so buoyantly and hopefully. Youth, attempting the solution of the strange problem of existence, fears nothing, forbodes no ill. The minstrel, Hope, keys her chords to the loftiest strains of exultation. The sun shines; the blue wavelets break in music around the boat; the sails swell gently; Love and Beauty hold the rudder-bands; and though stories of the wreckage of the treacherous sea are freely told, there is no kind of fear that such experiences should ever overtake that craft. But presently disappointment, sorrow, and disaster overcloud the sky and blot out the sunny prospect; and the young mariner wakes as from a dream, “Can this be I, who imagined that I should never see ill?” Then come several tremendous struggles of the soul to wrench itself free. The muscles are strained as whipcord; the beads of perspiration stand on the brow: but every effort only entangles the limbs more helplessly. And at last, exhausted and helpless, the young life ceases to struggle, and lies still, cowed and beaten, as the wild denizen (citizen) of the plains, when it has lain for hours in the hunter’s snare. Surely there was something of this sort in Joseph’s condition, as he lay in that wretched dungeon.
II. THESE SUFFERINGS WROUGHT VERY BENEFICIALLY. – Taken on the lowest ground, this imprisonment served Joseph’s temporal interests. That prison was the place where state prisoners were bound. Thither court magnates who had fallen under suspicion were sent. Chief butler and chief baker do not seem much to us, but they were titles for very august people. Such men would talk freely with Joseph; and in doing so would give him a great insight into political parties, and a knowledge of men and things generally, which in after-days must have been of great service to him.
But there is more than this. Psalm 105:18, referring to Joseph’s imprisonment, has a striking alternative rendering, “His soul entered into iron.” Turn that about, and render it in our language, and it reads thus, Iron entered into his soul. Is there not a truth in this? It may not be the truth intended in that verse, but it is a very profound truth, that sorrow and privation, the yoke borne in the youth, the soul’s enforced restraint, are all conducive to an iron tenacity and strength of purpose, and endurance, a fortitude, which are the indispensible foundation and framework of a noble character. Do not flinch from suffering. Bear it silently, patiently, resignedly; and be assured that it is God’s way of infusing iron into your spiritual make-up.
As a boy, Joseph’s character tended to softness. He was a little spoilt by his father. He was too proud of his coat. He was rather given to tales. He was too full of his dreams and foreshadowed greatness. None of these great faults; but he lacked strength, grip, power to rule. But what a difference his imprisonment made in him! From that moment he carries himself with wisdom, modesty, courage, and manly resolution, that never fail him. He acts as a born ruler of men. He carries an alien country through the stress of a great famine, without a symptom of revolt. He holds his own with the proudest aristocracy of the time. He promotes the most radical changes. He had learned to hold his peace and wait. Surely the iron had entered his soul!
It is just this that suffering will do for you. The world wants iron dukes, iron battalions, iron sinews, and thews of steel. God wants iron saints; and since there is no way of imparting iron to the moral nature than by letting his people suffer, He lets them suffer. “No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Are you in prison for doing right? Are the best years of your life slipping away in enforced monotony? Are you beset by opposition, misunderstanding, obloquy (contemptuous speech), and scorn, as the thick undergrowth besets the passage of the woodsman pioneer? Then take heart; the time is not wasted; God is only putting you through regimen. The iron crown of suffering precedes the golden crown of glory. And iron is entering into your soul to make it strong and brave.
Is some aged eyes perusing these words? If so, the question may be asked, Why does God sometimes fill a whole life with discipline, and give few opportunities for showing the iron quality of the soul? Why give iron to the soul, and then keep it from active service? Ah, that is which goes far to prove our glorious destiny. There must be another world somewhere, a world of glorious ministry, for which we are training. “There is service in the sky.” And it may be that God counts a human life of seventy years of suffering not too long an education for a soul which may serve Him through the eternities. It is in the prison that Joseph is fitted for the unknown life of Pharoah’s palace; and if he could have foreseen the future, he wold not have wondered at the severe discipline. If only we could see all that awaits us in the palace of the Great King, we should not be so surprised at certain experiences which befall us in the earth’s darker cells. You are being trained for service I God’s Home, and in the upper spaces of the universe.” F.B. Meyer, Joseph, p. 44-48
In His book Joseph, F.B. Meyer captures and conveys a treasure chest of truth concerning the blessed benefits of suffering.
“JOSEPH’S COMFORT IN THE MIDST OF THESE SOFFERINGS. – “He was there in the prison; but the Lord was with him.” The lord was with him in the palace of Potiphar; but when Joseph went to prison, the Lord went there too. The only thing which severs us from God is sin; so long as we walk with God, God will walk with us; and if our path dips down from the sunny upland lawns into the valley with its clinging mists, He will go at our side. The godly man is much more independent of men and things than others. It is God who makes him blessed. Like the golden city, he has no need of sun or moon, for the Lord God is his everlasting light. If he is in a palace he is glad, not so much because of its delights as because God is there. And if he is in a prison he can sing and give praises, because the God of love bears him company. To the soul which is absorbed with God, all places and experiences are much the same. “If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night (of sorrow and of confinement) shall be light about me; yea, the night shineth as the day.”
Moreover, the Lord showed him mercy. Oh, wondrous revelation! … God our Father has often to turn down the lights of our life because He wants to show us mercy. Whenever you get into a prison of circumstances, be on the watch. Prisons are rare places for seeing things. It was in prison that Bunyan saw his wondrous allegory, and Paul met the LORD, and John looked through heaven’s open door, and Joseph saw God’s mercy. God has no chance to show his mercy to some of us except when we are in some sore sorrow. The night is the time to see the stars.
God can also raise up friends for his servants in most unlikely places, and of most unlikely people. “The Lord gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” He was probably a rough, unkindly man, quite prepared to copy the dislikes of his master, the great Potiphar, and to embitter the daily existence of this Hebrew slave. But there was another Power at work, of which he knew nothing, inclining him towards his ward, and leading him to put him in a position of trust. All hearts are open to our King: at his girdle swing the keys by which the most unlikely door can be unlocked. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” It is as easy for God to turn a man’s heart, as it is for the husbandman to turn the course of a brook to carry fertility to an arid plot.\
There is always alleviation for our troubles in ministry to others. Joseph found it so. It must have been a welcome relief to the monotony of his grief when he found himself entrusted with the care of the royal prisoners. A new interest came into his life, and he almost forgot the heavy pressure of his own troubles amid the interest of listening to the tales of those who were more unfortunate than himself. It is very interesting to notice what a deep human interest he took in the separate cases of his charges, noticing the expression of their faces, inquiring kindly after their welfare, sitting down to listen to their tale. Joseph is the patron of all prison philanthropists; but he took to this holy work not primarily because he had an enthusiasm for it, but because it gave a welcome opiate to his own griefs.
There is no anodyne (medicine) for heart-sorrow like ministry to others. If your life is woven with the dark shades of sorrow, do not sit down to deplore in solitude your hapless lot, but arise to seek out those who are more miserable than you are, bearing them balm for their wounds and love for their heart-breaks. And if you are unable to give much more practical help, you need not abandon yourself to the gratification of lonely sorrow, for you may largely help the children of bitterness by imitating Joseph in listening to their tales of woe or to their dreams of foreboding. It is a great art to be a good listener. The burdened heart longs to pour out its tale in a sympathetic ear. There is immense relief in the telling out of pain. But it cannot be hurried; it needs plenty of time; it cannot clear itself of its silt and deposits unless it is allowed leisure to stand. and so the sorrowful turn away from men engages in the full rush of active life as too busy, and seek out those who, like themselves, have been “winged,” and are obliged to go softly, as Joseph was, when the servants of Pharoah found him in the Egyptian dungeon. If you can do nothing else, listen well, and comfort others with the comfort wherewith you yourself have been comforted by God.
And as you listen, and comfort, and wipe the falling tears, you will discover that your own load is lighter, and that a branch or twig of the true tree – the tree of the Cross – has fallen into the bitter waters of your own life, making the Marah, Naomi, and the marshes of salt tears will have been healed. Out of such intercourse you will get with what Joseph got – the key which will unlock the heavy doors by which you have been shut in.
And now some closing words to those who are suffering wrongfully. Do not be surprised. You are the followers of One who was misunderstood from the age of twelve to the day of his ascension; who did not sin, and yet was counted as a sinner; concerning whom the unanimous testimony was, “I find in Him no fault at all”; and yet they called Him Beelzebub! If they spoke thus of the Master of the house, how much more concerning the household! “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.”
Do not get weary in well-doing. Joseph might have said, “I give all up; of what profit is my godliness? I may as well live as others do.” How much nobler was his course of patient continuance in well-doing! Do right, because it is right to do right; because God sees you; because it puts gladness into the heart. And then, when you are misunderstood and ill-treated, you will not swerve, or sit down to whine and despair.
Above all, do not avenge yourselves. When Joseph recounted his troubles, he did not recriminate harshly on his brethren, or Potiphar, or Potiphar’s wife. He simply said: “I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the hole.” He might have read the words of the apostle, “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath.” “If when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” We make a great mistake in trying always to clear ourselves; we should be much wiser to go straight on, humbly doing the next thing, and leaving God to vindicate us. “He will bring forth our righteousness as the light, and our judgment as the noonday.” In Psalm 105:19 there follow words which, rightly rendered, read thus: “The word of the Lord cleared him.” What a triumphant clearing did God give His faithful servant.
There will come hours in our lives, when we shall be misconstrued, misunderstood, slandered, falsely accused, wrongfully persecuted. At such times it is very difficult not to act on the policy of the men around us in the world. They at once appeal to law and force and public opinion. But the believer takes his case into a higher court, and lays it before his God. He is prepared to use any means that may appear divinely suggested. But he relies much more on the divine clearing than he does on his own most perfect arrangements. He is content to wait for months and years, till God arise to avenge his cause. It is a very little thing for him to be judged adversely at the bar of man: he cares only for the judgment of God, and awaits the moment when the righteous shall shine forth in the kingdom of their Father, as the sun when it breaks from all obscuring mists. “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Ah! what a clearing-up of mysteries, what dissipating of misunderstandings, what vindication of character shall be there! Oh, slandered ones, you can afford to await the verdict of eternity; of God, who will bring out your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noon day.
In all the discipline of life it is of the utmost importance to see but one ordaining overruling will. If we view our imprisonments and misfortunes as the result of human malevolence, our live will be filled with fret and unrest. It is hard to suffer wrong at the hands of man, and to think that perhaps it might have never been. But there is a truer and more restful view, to consider all things as being under the law and rule of God; so that though they may originate in and come to us through the spite and malice of our fellows, yet, since before they reach us they have had to pass through the environing atmosphere of the Divine Presence, they have been transformed into his own sweet will for us.
It was Judas who plotted our Saviour’s death, and filled the garden with the capturing bands and flashing lights; and yet the Lord Jesus said that the Father was putting the cup to his lips. And though He was murdered by the chief priests and scribes, yet He so thoroughly acquiesced in the Father’s appointment, that He spoke of laying down his life, as if his death were entirely his own act. There is no evil to them that love God; and the believer loses sight of second causes, so absorbed is he in the contemplation of the unfolding of the mystery of his Father’s will. As the dying Kingsley said, “All is under law.” F.B. Meyer, Joseph, p. 48-53
The More I Suffer, the Freer I Become
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Articles
The Highest Form of His Creation
“What is man”? Psalms 8:4
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28
“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” Genesis 1:28
The LORD created mankind, exclusively, in His own image and everything else in His creation He created to serve Him by supporting His prize creation, mankind.
THINK: CREATIVE DESIGN
EVER wonder why God attached the most pleasurable experience to what? – To Being fruitful and multiplying the highest form of His creation?
Read afresh and it’s fresh, what Genesis 1:27-28 says.
The LORD wants more babies!
Selah beloved of God.
Connect the dots please.
Get married, “be fruitful, and multiply!”
Boom.
Knowing that his time is short, Satan has come down with great wrath upon God’s creation, especially the highest form of His creation, mankind (Revelation 12:12). Man, created in the image of God, is under evil, denigrating assault by Satan and his human agents and agencies (1 Peter 5:8).
One example would be: Animals have been exalted over mankind. One bumper sticker captures the reality of animals, beasts, being made more important than mankind:
“Be a hero save a whale. Save a baby, go to jail.”
On TV we see very few commercials to save or help the humans, the innocent babies being murdered in cold blood via abortion. Yet we are bombarded with emotional pleas to save the forsaken or endangered animals. Be not deceived. We must hold to the priorities set forth by our Maker to whom we shall give account (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10, etc.).
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1
All of God’s creation matters and has a purpose for which He ordained it and yet He establishes that He made only one part of His creation in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Everything else He made revolves around that part of His creation – mankind. See Psalm 8.
The fact that mankind is the highest form of creation is a divinely stated and self-evident fact. Ever had a two-way conversation with an animal? No. Why?
We should keep in mind that Jesus Christ came to the earth to die for mankind, not animals. All else in His creation exists to serve Him by serving the highest form of His creation, exclusively created in His very image, mankind (Genesis 1:26-28).
Godless parents allow their children to watch the cartoons which indoctrinate their children to believe that animals are higher than mankind, that animals can talk and reason just as men and women can. We know this to be completely false, yet in the mind of the young child, this becomes their reality. So, instead of growing up to be saved and seek to help others be saved (the Great Commission), we have a whole generation of young people who in great disproportion spend their time tending to peripheral parts of creations like animals and trees. We have very few who give their life to serve God by serving mankind’s need for God.
Believers in particular are to care for human beings created in God’s image more than any other part of His creation.
A quick look at the billions of dollars being raised on crowd funding sites today for causes not related to helping reach mankind for salvation in Christ, testifies to this complete disparity, this gross imbalance.
“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.” Proverbs 11:1
Personally, I only give into and support the cause of Christ – which involves the salvation of the eternal souls of men! Anything else is waste!
Cancer, endangered animals, cats, dogs, horses, houses, etc. do NOT matter in the eyes of God as much as do the eternal souls of men for which Jesus came and died. The LORD only made mankind in His own image and likeness. All of the rest of His creation revolves around serving mankind, for the blessing of the highest order of His creation. Prove it wrong with Scripture. Can’t be done.
Anyone who has a problem with mankind being the highest form of creation and worthy to be aggrandized as such, has a problem with their Maker.
The relationship between God and man was lost when Adam sinned and thus Jesus came to earth as a man to die for mankind.
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
There is no inference in this post that these other things don’t matter (animals, trees, etc). They do. Yet they are not the highest ranking in the order of divine priorities. All of the LORD’s delight are in His people.
“But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.” Psalms 16:3
Is our delight in the LORD and in people? Do we put people, made in God’s image, at the top of our priorities, just under God Himself? If not our priority system is broken and should be immediately repaired to line up with God’s Word. We must repent, confess our sins to God, and change our ways (Hosea 10:12; Joel 2:12; James 4:6-10, etc.).
The highest form of creation are those made in the image and likeness of the Creator – mankind (Genesis 1-2).
So, with this biblical priority in mind, where should we be giving our time, our energies, and our resources? What does Jesus mean by commanding us to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”? (Matthew 6:19-21)
All of God’s creation matters and yet He establishes that He made only one part of His creation in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Everything else that He made revolves around that part of His creation – mankind. See Psalm 8.
Hearkening back to Genesis, the psalmist pens the words of Psalms 8.
Psalms 8
1 A Psalm of David. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Of this Psalm, one noted:
“Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands. An evident reference to Gen_1:28, ‘Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’ By these words man’s right of dominion was established. His actual dominion only came, and still comes, by degrees. Thou hast put all things under his feet. In their fulness, the words are only true of the God-Man, Jesus Christ (Mat_28:18).” The Pulpit Commentary
Of this glorious Psalm, Donald Stamps writes:
“8:4-6 THE SON OF MAN. The N.T. quotes these verses from the Septuagint (The Greek translation of the Hebrew O.T.) and applies them to Jesus (Heb. 2:6-8; cf. Eph. 1:19-22). It is only in Him that these truths are perfectly realized. He is the One who, as a representative of the human race, will be given the full dominion over all creation (v6-8; cf. Phil. 2:10).
8:5 WITH GLORY AND HONOUR. This psalm expresses the amazing honor that God has bestowed upon humankind. It affirms that we as humans were created by God for a glorious purpose; we are not just animals, the product of natural evolution and chance (v. 5-6). So valuable are we to God that we are special objects of His concern and favor (v4). He has honored us by choosing us to rule over His creation (v 6-8; cf. Gen. 1:28; 2:15, 19). Yet the consciousness of our favored position is no reason for praising ourselves, but a reason for giving thanks and glory to the Creator (v. 9).” Donald Stamps, Life in the Spirit Study Bible, p. 813
Of this wonderful chapter, Psalms 8, William MacDonald writes:
“8:4 God is interested in every individual! He has a personal, intimate concern for every human being.
8:5 God made man in His own image and after His own likeness. Though lower than God, man shares with Him some faculties that are not shared by any other order of creation on earth. Everything God made was pronounced to be good, but the verdict on the Creation of man was ‘very good.’
8:6-8 As God’s representatives on earth, man was given dominion over all kinds of animals, birds, fish, and reptiles. There was nothing that was not put under him.
But the writer to the Hebrews reminds us that we do not see man enjoying this undisputed sway at the present time (Heb. 2:5-9). Dogs bark at man, snakes bite him, birds and fish elude him. The explanation is that when sin entered the world through Adam, man lost his unqualified sovereignty over the lower creation.
Yet God’s purpose still stands. He has decreed that man shall indeed have dominion, and nothing can block God’s purposes. So while we do not see all things subject to man right now, we do see Jesus–the one Person by whom man’s dominion will eventually be restored. When Christ came to earth, He become temporarily lower than the angels so that as Man He could die for the human race. Now He is crowned with glory and honor at God’s right hand. Someday Christ the Son of man will return to earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. In the Millennium, the dominion that was forfeited by the first Adam will be restored by the Last Adam.
8:9 Then God’s redeemed people will join to sing with new appreciation, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 557-58
With this in mind – that mankind is the LORD’s highest form of creation for whom He died, was buried, and raised again, let us live and give and act accordingly with our affections and actions.
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
Apostasy
Direction in God’s Word? [podcast]
Nourished Up in God’s Word [podcast]
“Great podcast. Thank you. If you want to really fall in love with the scriptures, read Psalm 119. I spent probably a year reading, studying, and memorizing it. This Psalm was written for us, to begin to love God’s Word as much as the Psalmist did, which is what happened to me. My heart was truly transformed. The beloved David’s whole heart was dedicated to studying, obeying, meditating and learning all of the Word of God, so he could live a righteous and holy life, fully devoted to the Lord. We should live and breath the Scriptures and meditate on them day and night (Psalm 1:2).” Karen Cochran
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” 1 Timothy 4:6
Remaining “nourished up” in the Word of God is essential to enduring to the end. God’s Word is the divine fuel for all of His beloved saints.
Ingesting, devouring God’s words daily is invigorating to our spirits and essential to our lives in Christ!
Biblical Topics Sampling:
- Love/Charity: 1 Corinthians 13 “The love chapter”
- Origin of all Life/Civilization: Genesis 1-11
- 10 Commandments: Exodus 20:1-17
- Revelation 2-3: Christ addresses the 7 churches of Asia. There are many all-important truths and rebukes completely applicable to us now in being ready for Christ’s return.
- Fearing the LORD: Josh. 24:14; Ps. 2:11-12; 86:11; Prov. 1:7, 29; 8:13; 14:26-27; 22:4: Eccl. 12:13; Matt. 10:28; Lk. 12:4-5
- Sin: man’s core problem and dilemma: Gen. 3; 6:5; Jer. 17:5, 9; Rom. 3; 1 Jn. 1:7-2:2
- Proverbs: There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. 1 per day for a month complete the book.
- Prayer: Matt. 6:6, 26:41; Mk. 1:35; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2,12
- Overcoming Sin: Romans 6; 13:14
- The 7 Abominations: Prov. 6:16-19
- Forgiveness: Matt. 18:21-35; Mk 11:25-26
- The Crucified life: Lk. 9:23-24; 2 Cor. 4:10-12; Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:3
- Humility: Prov. 22:4; Matt. 20:20-28; James 4:6-10
- Spiritual Maturity: Heb. 5:11-14, 6:1-3
- Marriage/Dating/Divorce/ReMarriage: Deut. 24; 1 Corinthians 7
- The Written Word: Psalms 119; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21
- Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5-7
- 6 Principle (foundational) Doctrines of Christ: Heb. 6:1-3
- Correction/Rebuke: Gal. 6:1-2; Prov. 25:9; Matt. 18:15-17; 2 Tim. 3:16
- Sin/Grace Righteousness: Romans 1-5
- Abstaining From Fornication: 1 Thess. 4:1-8; 1 Cor. 6:13-19
- False Prophets/Teachers: Jer. 23; Ezek. 34; Matt. 23; Jude 1; 2 Pet. 2
- Spiritual Gifts: 1 Corinthians 12, 14
- Love/Truth/Light: 1 John 1-5 First John Is Called ‘The Book of Certainties’
- Return of Christ: Luke 12:40; 21:34-36; 1 Thess. 4:16-18, etc.
- God of Restoration: Luke 15, 19:10
- Disciple’s Prayer Model: Matt. 6:9-12
- Riches: Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 12, 16; 1 Timothy 6:5-19
- The Divinity of Jesus Christ: Gospel of John (Hi-Lite & cross-reference every reference to Christ’s divinity); Jn. 1:1-2, 14; 8:58; 20:28; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16-17; 1 Tim. 3:16; 6:15-16; Rev. 1:8
- Wisdom: Prov. 8; James 1:5; 1:13-17
Putting God first in your day is a deliberate decision and act. It’s non-negotiable to the truth disciple. Such will never happen by accident. Take control of your time for Jesus or your time will continue to take control of you. Memorize 2 Timothy 2:15 and obey the LORD.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
“Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail …” Isaiah 34:16
Read God’s Word itself, yourself (KJB). THAT is God speaking. Every time you read His Word, God is speaking to you.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
Becoming familiar with these texts will help you in your own walk with the LORD and in helping others (being able to teach and refer to these passages). You will be well on your way to a rich and full life of Bible literacy & usefulness in God’s kingdom as you begin to learn the above listed topics of truth. Hi-Lite, underline, cross-reference.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
The KEY to understanding the mind of Christ being communicated in any book of the Bible: First, read that book 10-20 straight through to gain a knowledge of it, to begin to grasp the divine transmission. Then, go back and study it verse by verse in a more in-depth break down of the text.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” 1 Peter 3:15
Let’s not come up empty handed any longer! Make the quality decision to learn God’s Word for yourself and stop depending on others. Embarking upon diligent topical and systematic Bible study is the answer.
“Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” Proverbs 22:20-21
The Word of God is learned, one truth at a time, “But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” (Isaiah 28:13)
YOU cannot possibly be flourishing in Christ if you are not dwelling “richly” (abundantly) in His Word – both in your own personal, daily life and concerning Christ’s true body! (Colossians 3:16) If you are not surrounded with people you can have BIBLICAL conversations with, you have surrounded yourself with counterfeits!
“Presently, I am in 1 Kings, reading all the way through the Bible again, and also reading through Revelation backwards. Personally I like to read several chapters every morning to begin the day and like to include Old Testament, Poetic books, and New Testament chapter readings….. along with pouring over passages like 1 Cor 13; Phil 2:3-5; Col. 3:1-4, 12-14;” T.
“In 1 Thessalonians reading through the Bible.” Jason
“I am reading Mark.” Michele
“Philippians—Paul’s letter in prison—and joy.” Joe
“I’ve been Reading James And 1st and 2nd Peter This Week.” Connie
“Working my way through 1 Sam (ch 14 finished now) Psalms 77 and John chapter 4 finished. Trying to read through in 6 months. I enjoy listening (KJB on YouTube) while I read also.” Nathan
LET’S LEARN GOD’S WORD TOGETHER – ONE TRUTH AT A TIME: This message was sent out to each person who is on our Moments For My Master email devotional list. We would love to add you and have the privilege of nourishing your heart with God’s Word (1 Tim. 4:6). Sign up here.
MORE TOPICS
Adultery Matthew 5:27-28, 32
Adversity Romans 8:28
Afraid Psalms 34:4, 56:3
Alcohol Ephesians 5:18
Anger Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32
Anxiety Philippians 4:4-7
Apprehension Matthew 6:31-33
Astrology Deuteronomy 18:9-14
Backbiting Hebrews 12:14-15
Backsliding Psalms 51
Bereaved 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Burdens 1 Peter 5:6-11
Conceit Luke 18:9-14
Contention Proverbs 13:10. 22:10
Confusion 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Covetousness Exodus 20:17, Romans 7:7
Crisis Psalms 121
Criticism Romans 12
Cursing James 3:10
Daydreaming 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Deceit Colossians 2:8
Defeated Romans 8:31-39
Depression Isaiah 61:1-3. Psalms 34
Despair 2 Corinthians 4:8
Destruction Psalms 103; Proverbs 18:12
Disaster Threatens Psalms 91
Discouragement Isaiah 42; Psalms 23
Disobedience John 15:14
Divorce Mark 10:2-12
Doubt Proverbs 3:5-6; Hebrews 11
Drugs 2 Corinthians 7:1
Drunkenness Luke 21:34-36
Envy Proverbs 14:30
Excuses Luke 14:15-24
Faith Falls Psalms 42:5
Fantasy 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Fatigue Isaiah 40:31
Fault finding Matthew 7:1-5
Fear 2 Timothy 1:7; Luke 12:5
Fear of Rejection Ephesians 1
Fornication 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Friends Fail 2 Timothy 4:16-18
Gluttony Proverbs 23:2
Gossip Proverbs 13:3
Greed Matthew 19:24
Grief Isaiah 53:3-4
Guilt Romans 8:1
Hatred 1 John 2:11
Heartbreak Psalms 147:3
Heaviness Isaiah 61:1-3
Hurting John 14
Idleness Proverbs 19:15
Idolatry 1 John 5:21
Inadequacy Philippians 4:13
Incest Leviticus 20:11,12,14
Inferiority Philippians 4:13
Impure Thought 2 Peter 2:10
Insomnia Proverbs 3:24
Intolerance 1 Corinthians 13
Irritability 1 Corinthians 13
Jealousy Proverbs 6:34
Judging Romans 14:10-13
Laziness Hebrews 6:12, Proverbs 19:15
Legalism Galatians 3
Lethargy Proverbs 21:24-26
Loneliness John 14; Psalms 23
Lying Revelation 21:8
Lust Matthew 5:28
Manipulation 2 Peter 2
Masturbation Romans 1:24-28
Materialistic 1 John 2:15-17
Mocking Proverbs 17:5
Murder Exodus 20:13
Negativism 2 Corinthians 1:20
Nervousness Philippians 4:6
Obsessive Behavior Galatians 5:16-25
Occult Deuteronomy 18
Overly Sensitive 1 Corinthians 13
Passivity Matthew 10:33
Pouting Matthew 6: 14-15
Prejudice James 2: 1-13
Pressure Proverbs 3:25-26
Pride Proverbs 16:18
Profane 1 Timothy 1:9
Protection Psalms 27
Quarreling Ephesians 4:25-32
Rape 2 Corinthians 7:1
Rebellion 1 Samuel 15:23
Rejection John 14
Resentment Hebrews 12
Restlessness Psalms 46:10
Retaliation Romans 12
Revenge Matthew 5:43-48
Sadness Nehemiah 8:10
Scorning Proverbs 22:10
Selfishness 2 Corinthians 9:1-14
Self-pity Philippians 4:8-9
Self-righteousness Luke 18:9-14
Self-rejection Psalms 139:14
Self-will Isaiah 53:6
Sensuality Galatians 5:16-26
Sexual Impurity Proverbs 6:24-35
Sin Psalms 66:18; 1 John 1:9; John 8:34-36
Slow to Forgive Matthew 18:21-35
Sorrow Isaiah 53
Spite Isaiah 50:6
Stealing Exodus 20:15
Strife James 3
Stubbornness 1 Samuel 15:23
Submission 1 Peter 2:13-17
Suicide Exodus 20:13
Suspicion Exodus 20:16
Swearing Colossians 3:8
Temper 2 Peter 1:5-8
Tempted Matthew 26:41
Too Quick to Speak James 3:1-13
Unbelief Hebrews 3:12-13
Unforgiveness Matthew 18:21-35
Vanity Galatians 5:26
Violence Ezekiel 45:9
Weariness Hebrews 12:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:13
Witchcraft Galatians 5:20
Workaholic Romans 10:3; Ephesians 2:8-9
Worldliness 1 John 2: 15-17
Worry Isaiah 35:3-5; 26:3-4
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The Name and Witness of Jesus Christ [podcast]
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
“Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.” Luke 12:8-9
“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.” 1 John 5:10
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” 1 Peter 3:15
YOUR PRAYER: Holy Father, please sanctify my life unto Thee. Make me holy as You are holy. Please separate me and use me for Your eternal glory LORD Jesus. May Your life shine greater in and through this vessel dear LORD. I love You Jesus and right this instant commend, submit my spirit, my whole being into Thy holy hands. In Jesus’ name.
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | The Return of Christ | Stewardship | Where to Give and Where Not to Give | Fruit Abounding to Your Account! | Consider Your Ways [podcast] | Consider and Build [podcast] | Holes in Your Money Bags? [podcast] | Dollar Dialogue | Jesus Sat Over Against The Treasury [podcast] | Escaping Sodom! | Waste | Stewardship | Giving | Fellowship
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