It is written

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Acts 27:25

a hymn written by Mike McInnis

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Eph 4:8)

AND DID MY SOVEREIGN BLEED AND DIE

THAT I IN HIM SHOULD LIVE.

THEN WHAT REQUIREMENT’S LEFT FOR ME

OR WHAT COULD I THEN GIVE?

NO! FULL ATONEMENT HE HAS MADE

AND ALL MY DEBT DISCHARGED

HE ALL MY CREDITORS HAS PAID

AND BROUGHT ME GIFTS QUITE LARGE.

WHICH OF THESE GIFTS CAN I NOW EARN

WHEN HE THE SUM HAS PAID

OR WHAT GOOD BLESSING COULD I GAIN

SINCE HE THE CONTRACT MADE.

TEN THOUSAND GIFTS MY SAVIOUR BOUGHT

WHEN I A BEGGAR STOOD

NOW POURS THEM OUT UPON MY HEAD

AND WORKS THEM FOR MY GOOD.

MY DAILY TASK REMAINS UNDONE

FOR WHAT COULD I REPAY?

TO HIM WHO GLADLY PAID IT ALL,

BUT PRAISE AND THANKS FOR AYE.

mam jan 22, 2009

Questions and answers from Psalm 24

Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He ........ who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity.

If I may paraphrase here; Who may approach the holy presence of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy presence? He who has not set his heart on things of the earth. He who has not given his soul (the real you) to the vain, empty, worthless things of this world.

The soul, that part of you that is you, the real you. The soul is that part of you that will live from now on. When your brain quits sending impulses, when your heart quits beating, when your blood quits flowing, hardens, and grows cold, when your body dies, your soul will continue on. It shall live from now on. The real you will never die.

With that thought in mind, what have you lifted your soul up to? what have you given yourself to in this life? When all is quiet and you have free time on your hands and free time to let your mind wander, where do you go? in your mind? what does your soul crave? what does your heart desire?

Do you desire God? do you crave after the Son of God? or do you desire vain things? worthless things? Be honest with yourself. Do not measure yourself with yourself? Do not compare yourself to others? What does the word of God say? What does the Holy Spirit say to your soul?

Some of you have written off the the Bible. You have come to think of it as just a book of men's writings, just a book of men's opinions. But, what do you say now? What do you say when Psalm 24 speaks to your heart? When it penetrates to your very soul? When it divides the spirit from the soul? When it discerns the thoughts and intents of your heart? Read it again, look at it. Think on it. Go ahead and try to run from it. Where will you go? You cannot hide from God, you cannot escape His holy word. Go ahead and try, go to the farthest point away, climb the highest mountain, take a submarine to the lowest depths of the sea. It's all His, "the earth is the Lord's"!

Others of you put great stock in your own keeping of religion. You credit yourself with some measure of righteousness. After all, you do believe there is one God. The problem with that belief, as James points out in the new testament: "thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble". You take pride in your religion, you've established your own form of righteousness. You think you will stand in the holy presence of God because you attend church regularly, you read your bible occasionally, you pray before you eat, you put money in the offering plate, you go through certain ceremonies at church and on and on. You have submitted yourselves to cold, empty, phrases and rituals. You lifted your soul to these things, you gave your heart to vanity, to empty meaningless rituals. Have you not read what the Lord Jesus says: "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

So, who will ascend to the holy hill of the Lord? Who will stand in His holy place? The psalmist tells us: there is One, the Man Christ Jesus! The King of Glory! "Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle." Jeremiah called Him the "Righteous Branch": "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."

Have you lifted your soul unto vanity? Have you fallen short of the glory of God? Have you trusted in your own righteousnesses, which are nothing but filthy rags? Are you guilty? Then look to this King! Look to the Righteous branch! Isaiah quoted this King; "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." God the Father said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him."

He, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who has clean hands and a pure heart, He is the only one who has not lifted His soul to vanity. He is the only one who has kept His word, he never swore deceitfully to God or man. He met the holy requirements of a thrice holy God. In that holy innocence He then submitted Himself to the worst death of His day, a public execution. He was hung on a cross. It was on the cross that He poured His life's blood out, He the guiltless One bore the sin of the guilty. The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of all His sheep, He bore the wrath of a holy God. But death could not hold Him, God raised Him from the dead, the chains of death were broken, the gates of hell shall not prevail against Him!

The King of Glory Himself says, even now; "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Oh, praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above you heavenly host, praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

May God give you grace to see Him!

Thought for today

Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
--Psalm 73:24

For we walk by faith, not by sight. --2 Corinthians 5:7

Jesus My Guide
by Joseph Hart


When'er I make some sudden stop-
For many such I make-
And cannot see the cloud cleared up
Nor know which path to take,

I to my Savior speed my way,
To tell my dubious state;
Then listen what the Lord will say,
And to follow that.

If Jesus seem to hide His face,
What anxious fears I feel!
But if He deign to whisper peace,
I'm happy! all is well.

Confirmed by one soft, secret word,
I seek no farther light;
But walk, depending on my Lord,
By faith, and not by sight.

Of friends and counselors bereft,
I often hear Him say,
"Decline not to the right or left;
Go on; lo! here's the way."

Weak in myself, in Him I'm strong;
His Spirit's voice I hear.
The way I walk cannot be wrong.
If Jesus be but there.

He is my Helper and my Guide;
I trust in Him alone;
No other helps have I beside;
I venture all on One.

In difficult times, I have often thought and asked with Simon Peter; "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. "

Many have turned away from Jesus Christ; some have looked to this world's thousands of empty philosophies, some have, in serious error, placed their trust in religious ceremonies, yet others, mistakenly, cling to God's law as their hope, while others have loved the things of this world. These have forsaken Him, "the fountain of living waters," they have...hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." While the flesh may be satisfied, the soul (the real person) is dead, it has no light. The question then must be asked; "what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Lord, I pray that I will "be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Deliver me from the influences of this world, save me from my self and my own supposed righteousness.

Keep me in your path, in your way. May my rest be in your dear Son.

Lord, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.

Psalm 2

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Some thoughts from Luke 7 by Pastor Gene Breed

Wisdom's Children

Luke 7:28-35

For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. 31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.


1. Wisdom's Children justify ("vindicate, prove to be divine and true"). Heavenly Wisdom! Luke 7:29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. In this verse, God is justified. In verse 35, Wisdom is justified! Hence we see that God is wisdom! See Proverbs 8:12 and following. Read also 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30.

2. The children of this world's generation will never receive God's revelation no matter who He sends! Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. Read also verses 31 through 34 above. Receiving the baptism of John (v.29), caused all sinners to justify God. But these, supposing themselves righteous, refused to receive John, thus refusing to justify God. They rejected God's counsel that they were sinners! Read 1 John 1:10.

3. Whether God sends piping or mourning ministries, Wisdom's Children will always appropriately respond! - See Luke 6:21-23, Whether the gospel requires their weeping, or laughing, their being hungry, or being filled, or being hated and separated on earth, they are blessed in doing so! See Romans 12:15; 1 Corinthians 12:26.
This is that hidden wisdom that the princes of this world know nothing about! Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-8.

4. Nothing pleases the world's children! - They only have that earthly, sensual, even devilish wisdom! James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Their emotional responses are according to their base, unregenerate hearts. Read Psalm 35:11-16. They never have true expression of Spiritual leadings that justify God! Read 1 Corinthians 2:14-15.

5. Knowing their obstinacy, God's wisdom is to send them a variety of ministries to sin against! - Luke 11:47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. 49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
The rich man in hell said if one from the grave preached they would hear! God said, Though one rose from the dead THEY WILL NOT HEAR! - And one did rise from the grave!


Gene Breed is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Jonesboro, GA. The church website is: http://www.truthtapes.com.