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Dead Reckoning Even so reckon ye yourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 What does reckoning mean? I assure you it is not a form of make-believe! The Greek word “reckoning” means doing accounts, bookkeeping. Accounting is the one thing in the world we humans can do correctly. Can an artist paint a landscape with photographic accuracy? Can a historian vouch for the absolute correctness of any record, or the mapmaker for…

This Too Shall Pass Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious and merciful to me,For my soul finds shelter and safety in You,And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge and be confidently secureUntil destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High,Who accomplishes all things on my behalf [for He completes my purpose in His plan]. He will send from heaven and save me;He calls to account him who tramples me down. Selah.God will…

Broken Friendship Listen to my prayer, O God,And do not hide Yourself from my plea. Listen to me and answer me;I am restless and distraught in my complaint and distracted Because of the voice of the enemy,Because of the pressure of the wicked;For they bring down trouble on me,And in anger they persecute me. My heart is in anguish within me,And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling have come upon me;Horror has overwhelmed me. And…

The Object of Our Worship Unto him that sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the dominion, for ever and ever. Revelation 5:13 To worship the creature rather than the Creator is an inbred tendency with us. In this even John himself had to be pulled up. For all the conflict depicted in this book of Revelation turns on this issue. All the war in heaven, all the tribulation…

The Preciousness Of Covenant Behold I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels. Exodus 34:10 Many of us do not differentiate clearly between the promises of God, the accomplished facts of God (His mighty works), and the covenant of God. Promises are given to encourage faith, but often we cannot rise to God’s promises. At times we cannot even lay hold of divine facts; appearances seem to belie them. But when this is so we still…

Jehovah-Jireh; as it is said to this day, in the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided. Genesis 22:14 The only question Isaac is ever said to have asked of his own accord was, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” The answer was categorical: “God will provide.” This is typical of Isaac, whose privilege as heir was simply to receive what was freely bestowed upon him by his father. He did not have to dig wells; the…

Measuring Up To Jesus And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct], [and He did this] to fully equip perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ…

God’s Gentle Tug But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “ God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].” James 4:6 Humility can be a difficult concept for us to grasp. It is often thought…

The Paradox of Leadership It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your [willing and humble] slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many [paying the price to set them free from the penalty of sin].” Matthew 20:26-28 In his outstanding…

Working For The Lord Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them out ahead of Him, two by two, into every city and place where He was about to go. He was saying to them, “The harvest is abundant [for there are many who need to hear the good news about salvation], but the workers [those available to proclaim the message of salvation] are few. Therefore, [prayerfully] ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers…