I am reading that a blessed General in Germany liked to tell the following story.

His name was General von Viebahn.

Sewingmachine

The uniform of an officer came to grief in a maneuver, it was badly torn. “Is here a tailor?” asked the officer, when he met soldiers in a village. “Yes,” said one soldier. But when the officer asked him to mend his coat, he received this reply, “That I cannot do, my name is Tailor.”

General von Viebahn concluded, “Many are calling themselves “a Christian,” but they are not Christians at all.

Let us ask ourselves, “Am I also only a nominal Christian?”

Long ago I read in the BIBLE the verse:

“‘…, IN QUIETNESS … IS YOUR STRENGTH, …'” – Isaiah 30:15

It works all the time and I choose whether I want to be strong or weak! In future I want to choose more to be quiet.

In Psalm 144 right at the beginning David says, “Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.”

“…, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.”

Many of us know that the Bible tells us a lot about David. But it has been pointed out to me that there are many chapters  in the Bible where David speaks himself.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TELL US ABOUT DAVID?

• Anointed king by Samuel (First Samuel, chapter 16:1-13).
• He slays Goliath (First Samuel, chapter 17).
• Covenants with Jonathan; escapes Saul’s jealousy (First Samuel chapters 18-20).
• He lives as outlaw (First Samuel chapters 21-26).
• Uriah and Bath-sheba (Second Samuel chapter 11).
• Absalom’s conspiracy and death (Second Samuel chapters 15-18).

And there is more!

But when David speaks himself, he does not speak about his many adventures, he speaks about God. Thinking about God makes him forget about his many adventures. Thinking about God makes him even forget about himself. Only God is important: “Praise to the LORD.”

That is all what he has to say, and he is not getting tired to say it again. He is also finding different expressions to say the same thing.

And is there anything more worthwhile to say?

The Northland Age, Tuesday, October 27, 2015

In how many newspapers do you find verses from the Bible?

I am asking the question because each issue of our local paper, The Northland Age, has a Bible verse on the last page. The paper appears every Tuesday and Thursday.

Today is Tuesday and the Bible verse says:

“FLOWERS AND GRASS FADE AWAY, BUT WHAT OUR GOD HAS SAID WILL NEVER CHANGE.”

WILD FLOWERS

What has our God said?

This morning I read what God has said in MORNING AND EVENING, Daily Readings by C. H. Spurgeon.

Today, on October 27 (morning) he mentions the four “Trustworthy Sayings” we find in the Bible.

Here they are:

A.  First Timothy 1:15

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

B.  First Timothy 4:8,9

“Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.”

C.  Second Timothy 2:12

“Here is a trustworthy saying …. if we endure, we will also reign with him.”

D.  Titus 3:8

“This Is a trustworthy saying … that those who have trusted God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”

And finally God has also said:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” – Matthew 24:35

A beautiful flower

“Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” – Deuteronomy 16:19

“In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him, “‘He saved others,'” they said, “‘but he can’t save himself!'” – Matthew 27:41,42

THE CROSS

That are important people who are mocking the Lord Jesus Christ. We can see two things in this mockery of the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE FIRST THING: (The shallow meaning.)

“‘He saved others, but he can’t save himself.'”

It is quite something, the Lord promised to help everybody, and now he cannot help himself.

THE SECOND THING: (The deeper meaning.)

“‘He saved others, …”‘

What a beautiful thing to say. What better thing can be said about anybody?

The chief priests said that, the teachers of the law said that, and the elders said that.

“Yes, he has helped me also.” Someone who stood there in the crowd said that, don’t you think so?

“And he has saved me also,” I say with millions of others, who have lived after the Lord Jesus Christ was put to death on the cross.

“‘but he can’t save himself.'”

NAILS

A cross stitch is hanging on one of our walls in our living room which says:

“IT WASN’T NAILS THAT HELD HIM TO THE CROSS, BUT HIS LOVE FOR YOU AND ME.”

That’s why he cannot and will not help himself, because he wants to help us.

___________________________________

Notes taken from, “Lass dein Heil uns schauen, by Wilhelm Busch.

THE CROSS

“It is the LORD

Deuteronomy 13:4

Intr.:

your God

a. you must follow, and

b. him you must revere.

c.  Keep his commandments and

d.  obey him;

e.  serve him and

f.  hold fast to him.”

End: