WHO IS YOUR FATHER?

Is it God or is it the devil?

A. CHILDREN OF GOD

1. All those who LOVE the Lord Jesus Christ are children of God. The Lord Jesus Christ says in John 8:42, “‘If God were your Father, you would love me,….'”

2. All those who  HEAR what God says are children of God. The Lord says in John 8:47, “‘He who belongs to God hears what God says.””

B. CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL

1. Children of the devil do not do what is RIGHT. In First John 3:10 John, the beloved disciple says, “Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God;….”

2. Children of the devil do not LOVE their brethren. In First John 3:10 John, the beloved disciple says, “Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”

In John 8:44 the Lord Jesus Christ says to his listeners, “‘You belong to your father, the devil,….'”

In Acts 13:10 the apostle Paul says to Elymas, the sorcerer, “‘You are a child of the devil and….'”

DO YOU BELONG TO THE DEVIL OR DO YOU BELONG TO GOD?

Yesterday I saw two men preaching the GOSPEL in the middle of KAITAIA.  (Not far from the Post Office.) I received a little booklet called:

“If only I’d known!”

“Gospel News for eternal salvation.”

www.christiandoctrineandgospelpublishing.org

“BREAKFAST – EATERS  HAVE IT BETTER.”

“Breakfast gives energy to play and to learn better.”

I eat my breakfast every morning and have done so for many years. It has become a habit. Maybe I don’t eat enough in the morning and ought to eat more! Sometimes I get hungry before lunch is on the table.

Our physical bodies require a certain amount of  food every day. What else do they require? They require sunshine and exercise.

But the Bible teaches that “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4.

Just as our physical  bodies need nourishment, our spiritual lives also require nourishment. The nourishment for our souls is the BIBLE, the word of the Living God. Our spiritual lives need food every day of our Christian lives, not spasmodically.

And just as I feed my body every morning, I feed my soul every morning.

I attended a Bible school in Germany and we had a good number of guest speakers. I remember one guest speaker teaching about “THE QUIET TIME ” and saying that just as a hunter takes hold of his weapon before he goes hunting we must take hold of the armour of God every morning, before we go into the battle every day.

We are reading about THE ARMOUR OF GOD in Ephesians 6:10-20. We are reading there about the “belt of truth” , the “breastplate of righteousness”, the “shield of faith”, the “helmet of salvation”, and the “sword of the Spirit” (the word of God).

We are reading in the Bible about people, who had their Morning Devotion:

ABRAHAM:

Genesis 19:27

DAVID

Psalm 5:3; Psalm 57:8

JACOB

Genesis 28:16-18

SAMUEL’S PARENTS

First Samuel 1:19

HEZEKIAH

Second Chronicles 29:20

JESUS

Mark 1:35:

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, JESUS got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place,where he prayed.”

“BREAKFAST EATERS  (THE MORNING QUIET TIME) HAVE IT BETTER.”

“Authorised Repair Centres”

“When charging any shaver for the first time, put on charge for a full 24 hours.”

 I am doing that just now, the green indicator light is going on and off and the 24 hours are almost up.

When I bought the shaver, (Remington)  I did not only receive a USE & CARE INSTRUCTION MANUAL, but also a list with all the AUTHORISED REPAIR CENTRES.

All the Authorised Repair Centres in Australia and New Zealand are listed. I live in New Zealand in Kaitaia in the north of the country and the nearest Authorised Repair Centre is in Whangarei. That is more than 150 km away , but  that is the place where I go for repairs!

I don’t need to tell you why.

****************

Where do you go with your anxieties? (First Peter 5:7)

Where do you go with your requests? (Philippians 4:6)

Where do you go with your needs? (Isaiah 58:11; Philippians 4:19)

Where do you go for counselling? (Psalm 16:7)

With my anxieties, my requests, my needs and when I need counselling  I go to the LORD JESUS CHRIST!

I don’t need to tell you why.

I am adjusting to my new shaver (REMINGTON, Titanium Pivot & Flex, F4790).

“USE & CARE INSTRUCTION MANUAL” , I am reading on the first page of the manual. And underneath it says “Please read prior to use”.

“Before using , read the important safety instructions in this manual.” I am reading that on page four of the manual.

But that is not all. “Before charging, study instruction manual”, it says on the Power adaptor.

I am impressed!

“Please read prior to us.” “Before using,…” “Before charging,..” And it does not only say “read”, but “study”.

Just as I do not ignore the instruction manual for my shaver,  I do not ignore the instruction manual for my life.

The Bible is the instruction manual for my life. The BIBLE is our manual of our knowledge of God. The Bible is our manual of divine truth. The BIBLE is our manual to everlasting life.

I am reading the manual, I am studying the manual.

But how many people do? How many parents are true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ?  (How do we get this generation back to God?) How many parents are impressing the commandments of the BIBLE on their children?

What does the BIBLE say about the commandments?

“Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:7-9

Last Saturday, 4th of February, I received The Gospel according to John at the marketplace.

What an encouragement!