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REMOVING THE ORNAMENTS

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THE ORNAMENTS OF OUR INNER MAN

OrnamentsBy Ken Blue

“And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.” Exodus 33:6.

Over the years Christmas has been a wonderful time of reunion with our children and grandchildren. Joyce and I would locate a tree, perfect in shape and height for the occasion. We brought it in and position it in its assigned place. It stood for a few hours or days, without any ornaments or decoration. It was free of the trappings that were about to use to transform its exterior.

The ornaments were brought out of storage, and the process began. Little by little and one by one, the accessories were added. In time, the tree took on a different appearance. That which was common and natural was now masqueraded to represent that for which it was never intended.

Israel spent four hundred years in Egypt. They had adopted their culture, their dress, their gods and their morals. God brought them out of Egypt to Sinai in order to transform them into a holy nation. Not only did they need re-educating, they also needed to strip themselves of all Egypt’s external ornaments in order to worship God in Spirit and truth.

We must ask ourselves; what ornaments do we need to get rid of before coming to worship God? Many of the ornaments are toward the bottom of the tree and inward. These are anger, wrath, strife, lust and adultery. Further up the tree, you will find pride, haughtiness, arrogance, conceit, and self-centeredness. May God help us to remove all these distractions from our inner man and serve Him with a pure heart.

JOSEPH, THE SERVANT

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JOSEPH, THE SERVANT

SLAVERYBy Ken Blue

“He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Psalms 105:17.

If I were to sum up the life of Joseph, it would be, “He was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost.” Joseph was a son who was deeply loved by his aged father and was destined by God for future greatness. However, before the greatness could be manifested, the testing of time must do its refining work. “Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.” Psalms 105:19.

Joseph was a godly young man, and he was sent to do his father’s bidding. His brothers hated him, and as a result of their envy, they sold him into slavery to Pharaoh. However, because of his commitment, he faithfully served God and his Egyptian master. His servitude and attitude did not go unnoticed by Pharaoh, and he was entrusted as his chief attendant. Nevertheless, his loyalty and godly character was once again rewarded by deceit and lies. Pharaoh’s wife falsely accused Joseph of sexual advances, thus Joseph was locked away in prison; but God was with him.

The keeper of the prison saw the honesty and goodness of Joseph and put him in charge of the prisoners. Two prisoners dreamed dreams which Joseph correctly interpreted. Three days later the interpretation came to pass. Joseph asked the butler to remember him and speak to Pharaoh on his behalf. The butler forgot him and said nothing. So, Joseph spent two more years in prison for a crime he never committed. He was tested a total of thirteen years before he was promoted to perform God’s purpose!

In addition to Joseph’s ability to interpret Pharaohs dream, we see him display great patience as he suffers for righteousness. He never complains nor displays one moment of bitterness, and when he speaks, he shows wonderful compassion for others. He was loyal to his master. He refused to sin against man or his God. Through it all, he patiently serves and waits on God.

You know the purpose and outcome. God used Joseph to save and care for a seed that would become a great nation, through which the whole world will be saved and blessed. God may not have as lofty a goal for you or me, but rest assured, God does have a plan for you. Scripture is clear, the greater the task, the greater the test. So, cheer up Christian, your greatest days of service may still be ahead.

FORWARD AND BACKWARD

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NO ONE LOOKED FORWARD TO THE CROSS

Looking ForwardBy Ken Blue

“Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” Luke 18:31-34.

Most Christians think that, prior to Jesus’ death, Old Testament believers looked forward to the cross and those of us on this side looked back. However, that is only a half truth. Any honest believer must admit that none of the twelve disciples were looking forward to Jesus’ death on the cross or to His resurrection; neither were the women who went to the tomb to embalm His dead body. Notice the above verses, and you will see that verse 34 is the key. “And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” You can read. Do you think the Twelve preached the death, burial and resurrection of Christ in any fashion for three and one-half years when they didn’t understand one thing about His coming death? In fact, no one looked forward to Christ’s death.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The only gospel preached, prior to Paul, was the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.[/perfectpullquote]

The only gospel preached, prior to Paul, was the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. The content of that gospel was: believe the message about the coming Messiah, repent of your sins, be baptized and remain faithful to the end. I am confident that many of the brethren will have a cardiac arrest over this, but the stubborn facts must replace centuries of tradition. It is true; we look back to the cross where Jesus died for our sins and accept His death, burial and resurrection for sin as our substitute. However, no one prior to the cross looked forward to that event for their personal salvation, even though His death is found in type and prophecy all through the Scriptures.

A HOLY DISCONTEMENT

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DISCONTENTMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN

discontentmentBy Ken Blue

  • “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalms 17:15.
  • “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:” 2 Corinthians 5:2.
  • “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:24.

I am fully aware of the Bible verses that teach the child of God to be content. If it were not for these, we would surely despair of life. However, God does expect His children to be discontent and He approves it in some situations.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The world’s philosophy is our enemy[/perfectpullquote]

We wonder how anyone could read the book of Job and not identify with some of the discontentment experience in his life. David expressed a holy discontentment in the above text. Much of the time his physical life was in jeopardy. He knew the resurrection was the only sure path to complete contentment. Paul said the same thing when he confessed that we, along with all creation groan and travail in this body. We will never be completely satisfied until we awake in His likeness! That will happen at the rapture of the saints.

We are not expected to be content with the sins of this world. The world’s philosophy is our enemy, and it will destroy our joy and effectiveness for Christ if we become content with it. Then there is the incurable sin nature in every person. We find that each time we would do good, evil rears its ugly head. No child of God can be content with his own sinful nature. How often, like Paul, we have cried, “O wretched man that I am…” But, thanks be to God, even in our holy discontentment there is the assurance that we too will be in His likeness soon, and our holy discontentment will be a thing of the past, never to be remembered anymore!

A WAR WITHOUT DISCHARGE

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A WAR WITHOUT DISCHARGE

Wheelchair By Ken Blue
“There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war…” Ecclesiastes 8:8.

This war for my life started about three years ago when I was diagnosed with the deadly neurological disease, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. I thank God for the hundreds of believers who have and are praying for me daily. However, the war goes on and each month I lose some ground. It has now reduced me to a walker, a wheelchair, and it seems it has begun its attack in my throat.

Each night is filled with interrupted sleep caused by back pain and lower body spasms. My own prayers and those of my friends do not appear to lessen the strength of my Enemy. I am not confused; there is no discharge from this war.

However, while there is no discharge, God does send in His comforters to support me. These consist of the excellent doctors and support staff that treats me. My wife assists me in every way she can by helping with my daily needs. Then, there is the knowledge that you are praying for me while I fight this battle. Although there is no discharge, these are God’s gifts of grace for this present war. Even today, I thanked God for the handicap bars in a public bathroom to assist those of us who need them.

If the Lord tarries, I will continue to lose in this battle, but I shall have been blessed because of you. This is not an attempt to seek sympathy, but rather to praise God for His comforters and a thank-you note for all who work to comfort me in this war, from which there is no discharge. Please continue to pray for Joyce, my dear wife and for me. Lord willing, I will keep you updated on this battle.