Enrichment

Jack Davis

“The King will enrich him with great riches”
I Samuel 17:25

This interesting statement was made concerning the person that would defeat the man that had defied the armies of the living God.

We read of faithful men like David, Joseph and Daniel that were enriched by kings in Old Testament times. Then we also think of how the god of this world has promised so much, but all that he offers is contaminated, soiled, decaying. Thank God, He that is to reign as King of kings offers us true riches of eternal wealth, an incorruptible inheritance.

Joseph: “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt” Gen. 41:41-43. Joseph was called a prosperous man. He had gone to the pit, to prison, but praise God, he landed in the palace, because  God was with him. Shall we learn from considering what God brought him through?

Daniel: “Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed  Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be third ruler in the kingdom” Dan. 5:29. The kingdom of Belshazzar went down, but praise God, Daniel went up, being promoted in the kingdom that succeeded. “So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian? Dan. 6:28.

David: “Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him. And gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants” – I Sam. 18:4-5. God saw to it that these faithful men prospered. David was aware of the benefit of being in the favor of the king, even Saul. David also learned about enrichment from a higher King, let us learn as well.

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least in unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who will give you that which is your own?” Luke 16:10-12.

The King of our hearts has true riches for the faithful. It is evident that where, and in whom, we put our trust determines how trustworthy we are. When we think of Divine enrichment, we think of the apostle Paul. In Paul’s epistles we learn that we enter into the enjoyment of divine enrichment, by divine enlightenment, enablement and encouragement.

“According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” I Tim. 1:11-12.

Oh, what unsearchable wealth God committed to Paul’s trust, for us – Eph. 3:8. God used Paul to let us know on vessels of mercy prepared unto glory, the riches of His glory. Rom. 9:23. He that is rich in mercy, will show, in the ages to come, the exceeding riches of His grace – Eph. 2:4,7. He also would have us to know the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints – Eph. 1:18. Paul was inspired to pray that God would grant us strengthening in the inner men, according to the riches of His glory – Eph. 3:16. He wrote to the Philippians that honored God, that God would supply all their need according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ – Phil. 4:19. God would make known (Divine enlightenment) unto us the riches of the glory of the mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you the hope of glory – Col. 1:27.

The men of Israel spoke to David that slaying Goliath would make one rich. It is important when going into battle to know your enemy. David knew the man that he was about to go up against from God’s viewpoint. He spoke of him as this “uncircumcised Philistine” that had defied the armies of the living God.

There is one main man that Satan would use to rob us of our reward, and take our crown – Col. 2:18: Rev. 3:11. “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another: – Gal. 5:24-26.

We are given in this portion some encouragement toward spiritual enrichment. He urges, “let us.” According to the provisional fact stated in Galatians 2:20, we do well to let Him do the living in us. We are Christ’s, and the full overcomer allows Him to fully possess them, dominate their lives with His love, instead of being ruled by the flesh. Oh yes, there is unsearchable wealth for those finding this true in personal experience. Read also Col. 3:5-17; Rom. 8:12-14; 13:10-14.

Saul had told David, “Thou art not able,” but after hearing David speak faith, he said; Go, and the LORD be with thee.” We read in Romans 8:31-32, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

We are told that “Godliness with contentment is great gain” – I Tim. 6:6. “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” – I Tim. 4:8. We are not to “trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” – I Tim. 6:17. Trusting in the living God will bring us into lasting wealth that is durable, and true.

ENLIGHTENMENT toward ENRICHMENT: The Holy Spirit must make us realize our need, or we never even begin to enter into the enjoyment of divine wealth. Jesus said, “When he (the Comforter) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” – John 16:8. He makes mankind aware of their bankrupt condition, their total depravity. There is no deeper poverty than to be without Christ, without hope, and without God – Eph. 2:12. God’s Word spells out these facts so very clearly, Romans chapters one through three, expresses it in detail, but it is the Holy Spirit that brings it to the heart of man.

The Holy Spirit also makes us to know that God is rich in mercy. “…the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” – Ps. 84:11. When Abram had honored “the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,” above opportunity for material gain, God said unto him, “…I am they shield, thy exceeding great reward: – Gen. 15:1.

Shall we trust Him to guide us into the enjoyment of our God-given riches? Consider I Cor. 2:9-12. He would make us know the provision, and preparation that has gone into making us rich, as well as teaching us the true value of all things.

How else could we possible have a hint of what it cost our dear Lord Jesus Christ to enrich us with such great riches? “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” – II Cor. 8:9.

The life of Jesus Christ in us would also enrich others and our Father as well. Read II Cor. 6:10. “…as poor, yet making many rich…”

WHY DOES A CHRISTIAN SUFFER?

Anita Clark – Pastor, Carbondale, Kansas

Trials are God’s tools to shape and mold us. Trials are like when a man prunes a tree, so it bares fruit. In this message we will look at what effect trials have upon the believer’s life. How do the hard times in our lives benefit us for His eternal glory?

I. TRIALS PRODUCE GROWTH - Ephesians 4:14-15 says, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine...But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ.” I Peter 2:2 speaks of “newborn babes.” II Peter 3:18, admonishes us to “...grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Growth takes place as we are tried by trials and learn to prove that God’s Word is true and is our victory day by day. We begin to understand that, “All things work together for our good” (Romans 8:28).

For a tree to grow properly, it must be watered and pruned. The water speaks of the Word of God and the “pruning” speaks of the trials of life God permits to work in our lives. Paul says, “Now unto Him that is able to stablish you according to my gospel” (Romans 16:25). The word, “stablish” in the Greek means ‘to turn resolutely in a certain direction, to set, strengthen.’ This speaks of growth in the believer’s life. Paul says in I Corinthians 3:1, “I brethren could not speak unto you as unto Spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” As we go through the trials, we gain insight into what God wants in our lives, and we learn to lean on the Lord, and we grow up into Him in all things.

II. TRIALS BRING CHANGE - Change from being a spiritual infant - to maturity. II Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all with open face beholding in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” The word “change” in the Greek means, ‘transform, transfigure, to fashion like, or to conform to a pattern.’ Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed...”. The word “conformed” means the same as the word “change.” This in the Greek is the word, ‘metamorphose.’ The ‘pattern’ is Christ and the Word of God. As we yield to God and walk with Him, we are conformed to His image or likeness. We find out what that is (His likeness) by studying the Word of God. The Word “Transform” speaks of ‘to change in composition.’ As the butterfly in the cocoon -there’s a lot of work going on in the restricted area of the cocoon, but this is the way a worm becomes a beautiful butterfly. This depicts what the trials of life produce in us.

III. TRIALS GIVE US A DIFFERENT PROSPECTIVE - We learn through the trials that this life is just a time of preparation for the time the Lord will come and we will fly away. A poem by C.T. Studd says, ‘Only one life, it will soon be passed, only what’s done for Christ will last.’ Suffering makes us to understand that this life is temporary. Ecclesiastes 3:1-9 tells us “A time to be born and a time to die.” Trials cause us to look at life in a different way. Since life is fragile and only for a moment, and trials are our lot (we all have them), we learn to yield to Him regardless of how we are tested. We see that this life is just a preparation for our place we will have in heaven for eternity. II Timothy 2:12 says, “If we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him.” We learn to take all things from the Lord, and realize that the victory over the trials is “...working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight in glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:17-18).

IV. TRIALS TEACH US SO MANY THINGS - Romans 5:3, “...we glory in tribulations ...knowing that tribulation worketh patience.” God is a very loving, patient Being. He loves this characteristic of patience in His people. He tries our faith and teaches us endurance through the trials. Job 23:8,&10, shows Job’s attitude toward the severe trials he was enduring. He says, “Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward but I cannot perceive Him. But He knoweth the way that I take; and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

II Corinthians 4:17 says, “For this light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The Amplified Version says these trials ‘produce for us, ...beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, transcendent splendor and endless blessedness.’

V. THE TRIALS TEACH US DEPENDENCE UPON GOD - Jesus was so dependence upon His Father, He said in John 5:30, “I can of my own self do nothing.” In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing.” Trials work this in our lives. We come to the end of ourselves, and finally turn it all over to the Lord. Philippians 2:13 states, “For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” We learn to go in the strength of the Lord. Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheth me.”

 Apostle Paul says in II Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day, and not for me only but unto all those also that love His appearing.” Paul suffered so much as recorded in II Corinthians 11:21-33. None of us have gone through as many varied trials as are recorded in this account of Apostle Paul’s. He said in Colossians 1:24, “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church.” Paul did not complain about his sufferings, but rejoiced that God counted him worthy to suffer for Christ’s sake. The early Church believers suffered so much for Christ, and many in foreign countries are suffering extremely right at this present time. Our thoughts go to this fact so many times, when we think we are going through so much.

The Lord tells the Smyrna Overcoming believers (sufferers to death) in Revelation 2:10 “Fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death and I shall give you a crown of life.”

God Is Faithful

“Words are easy.” Intentional  or unintentional, people promise things all the time which they cannot be certain they will be able to do. This means that even the best intentioned person will often fail to keep their word just because it is not possible.

Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. Psalm 119:90

When we speak about God as being faithful, we will struggle for a way to define that. God is not just faithful (He does what He says), God is the very definition of faithful. God did not become faithful, or strive and work to be faithful, He is by His very existence faithful.

Men need laws of nature and of the universe to explain things (not that they know all), but they know there has to be constancy of some sort. In engineering, we use many “constants” that help us define how things work. God is the only true constant. It is because of Him that there are constants in the universe. Nothing exists or happens outside of God’s existence, and nothing can change God or His existence.

I did not intend for this to become some sort of philosophical thought process, but I want to stress that we are often stuck with applying words to explain something about God that fail to do justice to who He is. It is good for us, from time to time, to just consider and meditate upon who God is, and the characteristics that make Him God.

We need to do this, because a knowledge of who God is will be very critical to our relationship with Him. If we tend to speak and think about God in similar terms to how we speak and think about ourselves, we will lose a great deal of understanding of God’s true nature.

Because God is the self existing one (He exists without any input from anyone or anything else), He is then by definition faithful. Only God can define what can be and what can happen, and only He can make it be and make it happen. Hebrews 1:1-3

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Mat 24:35

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Isaiah 40:8

God’s Word is eternal and fixed. We can rely on it just like we can rely on gravity to keep us from falling off the earth, just like we can rely on the sun to rise every day. Whether we admit it or not, we like and need something or someone that we can rely on at all times.

We say that a real friend is one that stays by our side in good times and bad times. God’s faithfulness makes Him the best friend we could ever find. He does not change His Word because we are unfaithful. 2 Timothy 2:13

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6

Knowing that God does not change is a great comfort to God’s people. We are certainly not constant or faithful absolutely, but our God is. We don’t have to wonder if God is going to change His mind tomorrow and we are no longer saved. We don’t have to wonder if God will be able to complete His plan. We can rest securely in the faithfulness of our God.

In these uncertain and tumultuous times, we need to stand on God’s faithfulness every day. The world is in upheaval, and there is no faithfulness to be found among men. We cannot rely on ourselves or others for anything, but God will never fail us.

So, I must come back to what I always do. It is exceedingly important to study God’s Word. It is His promise to us, and it encourages us to trust in Him more and more.


Gordon Crook

WILL

Carson Richards

Part 1 of 5

The will is by definition “that faculty or power of the mind by which we determine either to do, or not to do, something which we conceive to be in our power.” Example: we came to meeting tonight. We had the power to do it, and we did it. Others had that same faculty and did not. That, of course, does not include those who could not. I want to consider in this lesson some generalizations, personal observations and scriptural authorities for the excise of this ability. It is a part of the created being we are, so it has to be something planted by the Creator. I remember the old military cliché – in emergency situations to “fire at will.” Well, old Will has escaped all that. Either the shooters were not good marksmen, or Will was an artful dodger, for he is still with us and will be to the end of the earthly life. His need may have disappeared after that. It is a very important earthly propensity we humans have, women just as certainly as men. It is a universal thing.

Let’s take three examples in my experience in the use of this thing, called “will.” All three are actual persons, so we’ll use fictitious names. First, there was Sweetie Pyee. She was the half-sister of a younger girl who came to our Sunday School. This girl, Sweetie, came to live with her father and step-mother and came to Sunday School a few times. One Sunday she didn’t come, and we inquired about her. Her younger sister answered, “She made up her mind.” I gathered that she had made up her mind not to come to Sunday School, and she never did after that. You see, she had a will that decided that simple, yet far-reaching course.

Second, there was a brother, Sandstone, and his wife, Granite. Granite always had her will imposed on  Sandstone. His mind went bad in the latter years. I visited him in the presence of granite and her sister whom we will call Marble. While I was there, Granite approached Sandstone about something, where-upon he kicked at her and swore very vehemently and ever blasphemously. She was embarrassed and said to me, “That is not Sandstone speaking, but the illness.” I said nothing, but didn’t agree. I saw a lifetime of a subdued will that was let loose at last. I believed he meant just what he said. So there is the example of the will dormant, but still there just the same.

Finally, there was Clack McDuff and I, Clack McDuff (fictitious name) was the son of a taciturn Scotsman and he was my best friend in school, from age eight to twenty. We played sports together, looked at the stars on summer nights and spoke of dreams to come. We shared our thoughts and all. A couple of years back I was at a High School class reunion for “X” number of years after graduation. I will not say the number of pride’s sake. A rather dignified man stepped forth when I arrived, held out his hand, and said, “Hello, Carson.” It was Clack McDuff. I think a thousand thoughts went through both our minds. He had wanted to be a detective and I, a doctor. Other boys had laughed at him. I didn’t, he was my friend. He did get into the FBI and had retired not long before the reunion. I never became a doctor. His will was stronger than mine. There is another part to this. I remember when I decided to come to Kansas City and learn the Word of God and to follow the Lord, that I wrote several friends of school days. Clack was one of those. Some shrugged it off, some laughed, but he didn’t laugh. He let me know I was following one course and he another. Our wills didn’t go in the same direction. The rewards of his will are about over; he might be saved, he might not. I can prove nothing of the excellence of my choice, for the will is center of the choice. But we shall see what we shall see hereafter.

Now lets get some Bible leading on the subject. We are giving this general study of “the will” so there will be some Scriptures we use again later. Gen. 3:6: “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereon, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat.” Disregarding all the implications and accusations herein usually attributed to the women, let’s rest on the premise that wills were brought into play by our first parents. They had wills and used them to eat, when they might not have eaten. Either was in their power. There is man’s will, one of our later points. Gen. 5:24: “And Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him.” Now no wills are mentioned here, but there was definitely the presence of two. Paul tells us that Enoch pleased God before his translation. Amos, the prophet, tells us that two cannot walk together except they be agreed, and in the God-man relationships, the dominant will is God’s. So Enoch submitted his will to the will of God.

Eph. 2:2: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” So there is the will of this “prince” who rules the spirits of this world’s conglomerate. We will look more at that later, too.

Gen. 24:58: “And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” Some have heard me say that this is my favorite women of the Old Testament. I have chosen Rebekah to represent the last point we will share with you now concerning “my will.” Regardless of our station in life or the preponderance of other wills combined, we each exercise our own will.

May God bless you in the proper use of this very crucial part of your spirit, the will!
To be continued – Part 2, THE WILL OF MAN

SCARS

(Part 2)

By Dr. Victoria Moots

The amount of scar tissue formed depends on how deep and how wide the wound is. That means something to us spiritually also. Eph. 3:18-19 tell us of the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God which passes knowledge. What does that mean to us? It means that no matter how deep, how wide your emotional scar is, His love can go deeper, can go wider than anything you have ever experienced. Why? Because Jesus experienced all our emotions. He became a man; He became like us. He suffered emotional wounds. His friends turned against him, He was betrayed, He experienced grief, His father died, He thirsted, He hungered, He was tired. There is nothing that you have experienced that Jesus hasn’t already experienced for you. And so His love is deeper, higher, wider than our wounds. It passes our knowledge to understand that. We just need to experience it. How do we comprehend it then if it passes knowledge? We lay hold of it by experience, then we know how great his love is. Whatever emotional need you have, don’t think that He can’t heal it. His love goes deeper and wider, and then He draws us up to Him, just like the fibroblasts. He draws us to Him to bring about the healing.

So scars are necessary. We need to not pick at the scab, not get impatient, give the Lord time to work in our lives.
We need to keep hands off both physically and spiritually as I said before.

The scars of Jesus tell a story of love and obedience to the will of His Father. He could have avoided them. But what did He pray in the garden? “Not my will but thine be done.” He said, “I come to do thy will oh God.” So he went through the process of obtaining those scars because of His love for us. The scars in his hands will be seen by the world. But he had another wound. The scar from the wound that pierced his heart was only seen by those who were close and intimate with Him. He was behind closed doors because in order to show that wound, he had to pull apart his clothing, to partially disrobe. Only those that were close to him and became familiar with Him were allowed to touch His wound.

In Phil. 3:10 we read that Paul desired to know Him in the fellowship of His suffering. He desired to be close and intimate with the Lord. He wanted to know Him in the power of his resurrection. The power of his resurrection was evidenced by the fact that he had scars in his hands and side. Paul said I want more than just evidence, I want to fellowship with his suffering, being made comfortable to his death. He wanted to enter in to the suffering, that Jesus experienced, not just the physical suffering, when the soldier took that spear and pierced into his heart. He wanted to understand the emotional pain that Jesus experienced when He hung there on the cross, the emotional pain of being made sin. He wanted to enter into that kind of suffering. If you just wanted to enter into the physical suffering you could just take a nail and hammer it into your hand. That wouldn’t even begin to compare to His suffering. The physical suffering, though very great, was only part of the suffering he experienced. The other part was that he had to be made sin for us and He willingly did that. If we want to know Him like Paul did, then we will get behind closed doors and we will handle Him. Paul said in Gal 6:17 “I bear in my body the mark of the Lord Jesus,” he gloried in the scars that he received as a result of preaching the cross because it glorified Christ. He gloried in the cross. He didn’t want to know anything except the cross.

We can glory in the scars that we have received after we have healed as it glorifies Christ. It is Christ in us. God allows circumstances in our lives that sometimes hurt us and leave scars. As we yield to the healing process, the scars can become testimonies of the Christ life in us, the resurrected life of Christ life in us.

I have a friend who had been in prison who was always afraid that people would bring it up to him. They would keep picking off the scab and causing pain. I told him that you need to turn it over to the Lord and turn it into a testimony. The next time someone says something you need to say, “I’m so glad you brought that up because I want to tell you what the Lord did for me while I was in prison. If I hadn’t gone to prison I wouldn’t have had healing for my soul.” Then they can quit talking about it because they don’t want to hear your testimony. You can do the same thing whenever someone tries to bring up some things in your face. You can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, turn that scar into a testimony. God doesn’t remove the scars. They are there for a reason.

Did you know that Jesus had no scars before he was crucified? How can I say that? Only the risen Christ had scars. As the Lamb of God, He was without blemish or spot. So that means He had no scars. He was perfect. In Exodus 12:5 it tells us the Passover lamb had to be without blemish or spot. In I Peter 1:18-19 it reminds us that Christ was that perfect lamb. He had no scars. He was slain as the Passover Lamb for our sin. That’s where he obtained these scars. Now He will bear those scars for eternity. Why? As a reminder to us and to the world that our sins will not be remembered and that we will not be forgotten. Those scars are His for eternity.

Will ours be? I will answer that question later. So why are those scars in His hands now? In Isaiah 49:16 it says, “Behold I have graven Thee in the palms of my hands.” What does that mean? The nail scars! When He looks at His hands, He sees us. He says, “That’s Vicky, I died for her.” When He looks at His hands He sees each one of us individually. You can put your name in there. Those scars are His for eternity.

In the natural people don’t want scars. They feel they mar their appearance. Surgeons and lawyers get rich from scars because our of vanity and pride. We desire the flesh to be perfect on the outside. Billions of dollars are spent on cosmetics and plastic surgery to cover up or try to remove scars. Are we doing the same thing spiritually, trying to cover up our scars?

The scripture says that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. That means you are going to have scars. Some will have physical scars for suffering for Jesus, some will have emotional scars but you are going to have scars and you are going to have suffering. Why? That we may reign with Him. As we yield to the Lord we are going to accumulate scars, many scars. Those scars in our lives are marks of obedience to the will of God. We learn to know Him in the fellowship of His suffering. When our suffering gets to be too great for us we can get behind closed doors with Jesus, and get close and intimate with the Lord and say to Him, “You have those scars because of me, Thank you Lord. I thank you for the scars that I have received because you are conforming me to your image.”

So do we have enough scars in our lives that the world could identify the Christ Life in us? Are we covering those scars up; are we hiding them? Or are we allowing the Holy Spirit to use them as testimonies of healing? Don’t hide your scars. The flesh is not perfect. He takes away the old and gives us the new; we are regenerated. Someday our sin and suffering scarred bodies will be healed. We are going to have glorified bodies and I know we will not have scars in those bodies. Why? Because the scripture says we are going to become His spotless Bride. No scars! So until then, let’s allow scars to become testimonies of what Christ has done in our lives, what He’s done for us and in us.

“HEIRS OF THE KINGDOM”

Jack Davis

“HEARKEN, MY BELOVED BRETHREN, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?” – James 2:5.

“HEARKEN”

Listen, give attention, take heed. He is saying something of great importance, worthy of closest interest. He is speaking to dearly beloved brethren – the Lord’s precious possessions, dearly purchased by the blood of Jesus.

“HATH NOT GOD CHOSEN?”

His question brings a very profound statement of fact to our hearts. He says two things pertaining to God in relation to the inheritance: God hath promised an inheritance, and He chooses His heirs.

His promises are exceeding great and precious, making those who believe “partakers of the Divine nature” – II Peter 1:4. He has begotten those who trust Him, to “a lively (or living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith” – I Peter 1:3-5.

God’s only heirs are of the line of faith. His promises are so very staggering to the natural man; for they are beyond his highest expectations, his fondest imagination, or his richest dreams. Romans 4:13-21; I  Corinthians 2: 9-12.
Oh, what God has prepared for them that love Him!

HOW NOT TO INHERIT

We are told very clearly in Scripture what will keep us from inheriting these promises.  So we have no excuse. “Be not ye therefore partakers with them” – Ephesians 5:5-7; Galatians 5:16-21; I Corinthians 6: 9-12. Paul explains that not everything that is permissible to him is profitable for him. “I will not be brought under the power of any” (or enslaved). This he says expressly in relation to the inheritance.

“GOD HATH CHOSEN”

James here speaks of three outstanding characteristics of God’s chosen heirs. We, by these, think how we have: a greatness of need, a wealth of trust, and a depth of love.
He is not having a drawing, nor just picking at random some to inherit His Kingdom. He is not conducting a popularity poll, nor is He holding a talent or beauty contest.

“POOR”

A sense of need. Oh, I am so glad to understand that when God blesses and uses and enriches us, it is not because we had any more than anyone else. That is, we did not have more talent, we were not stronger nor more intelligent, we were not better looking or richer. But it was because we need Him more, and realized more our need of Him. These are the “poor” that God makes rich with the eternal riches.

These three characteristics of God’s chosen heirs are very closely related. It is those that have a real and deep since of need that can become “rich in faith,” and enjoy the depths of God’s wonderful love. As our love for Him grows deeper, our need for Him becomes greater. We become more dependent on His promises, and more complete in our trust of Him.

The combination of these three can serve to make us full heirs.