His Plan Demands the Best of Sheep and Shepherds

The wisdom of God is obvious in everything He does. One of the greatest manifestations is in the role He gives to elders as they shepherd the flock. Consider His wisdom as He gives the grave responsibility to elders to shepherd the flock, and then think about the grave responsibility that the flock has toward those God has appointed as elders. Several years ago a couple placed membership in a congregation in Arkansas. Read the words they wrote and gave to the elders when this happened. Think of how this shows the solemn obligation for every eldership and then how it applies to every member of the church.

“We are asking to commit the welfare of our souls to your care. Although the weakness of the flesh often betrays us, the prime objective of our lives is obtaining salvation for ourselves, our children and our fellowman. We therefore ask with all sincerity that you help us in every way possible to be successful in this endeavor. Besides spiritual food, encouragement, and fellowship, we fully expect that the help you give might well take the form of numerous requests to serve, instruct, correct, and, if necessary, even discipline. With this in mind, we ask that when and if either of us responds in a negative fashion to a request or fails to measure up in a given task, that you not write us off but help us grow, and as soon as possible try us again. We view membership in this congregation as an obligation to be subject to its eldership, to be helpful and encouraging to all its members, and to take an active part in the work. We, therefore, state our intentions to give freely of our time, our talents, and our money in order to fulfill that obligation.”

Look at their words which emphasize the responsibility of elders: “. . . commit the welfare of our souls to your care . . . help us . . . spiritual food . . . encouragement . . . fellowship . . . requests to serve, instruct, correct, and, if necessary, even discipline . . . not write us off but help us grow . . . try us again.” What a fabulous list of words for every elder and every member’s view of the work of elders.

Look at their words which emphasize the responsibility of members: “. . . prime objective of our lives is obtaining salvation for ourselves, our children  . . . help us to be successful in this endeavor . . . help us to grow . . . an obligation to be subject . . . to be helpful and encouraging to all . . . to take an active part in the work . . . give freely of our time, our talents, and our money in order to fulfill that obligation.”

His plan is amazing. Every Christian has a role in that plan. May we think soberly about our roles!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on His Plan Demands the Best of Sheep and Shepherds

What’s Your Problem?

Several years ago, I saw this article in a church bulletin without the author’s name being given.  Over the years, the principle set forth has helped me so many times in dealing with problems.  I hope that it will help you as much as it has me.  My only regret is that I do not know who wrote it.

Everybody has problems—that’s life—there is no escaping it.  But some people seem to have greater problems than others; at least, they think they do.  All of us have known of people who are always deluged in troubles of one sort or another.  Since Christians are to “bear one another’s burdens” and to “weep with those who weep,” I have often tried to share the troubles of others and to help them find some solutions.

In this “fellowship of suffering,” I have discovered that most of us have a tendency to borrow problems that are not really ours.  We worry about troubles whose solutions are beyond our reach.  We try to assume responsibilities which actually belong to others.  Thus, our problems are unnecessarily magnified.  We need to find the lines delineating our problems, distinguishing ours from others.

When the used car dealer cheats you and lies to you, that is his problem, not yours!  Your problem is to continue to be honest and fair to him, despite his dishonesty.  Your problem is how to react to his dishonesty.  If you retaliate by being dishonest with him because he was dishonest with you, you have fallen into the same trap and you are no better than he is!

When a group of fussy old ladies gossip about you, that is their problem, not yours.  You have little or no control over what these ladies do and say, but you do have control over what you do and say.  Your responsibility is to continue to be kind to them, even if they are unkind to you.  If you gossip about them because they have gossiped about you, you have slipped into the same cesspool they are in.

It is my responsibility to teach and warn and exhort people to quit doing wrong and start doing what they should.  If they ignore me or laugh at me, that is their problem, not mine.  My problem is to patiently continue to try to help them—to love them though they hate me.  If I grow angry with them because they are angry with me, I have become a hypocrite and have betrayed the very thing I have tried to teach them.

My responsibility is to try to know and to teach God’s word, patiently and plainly and kindly.  What my hearers do with this word is their problem and God’s; it is not mine!  The power of God’s word is not in me, but in God.  If some people are not affected by God’s word, what can I do to improve on it?  To artificially cram it down another person’s throat is to deny that person’s individual freedom and to make him an artificial disciple and to tacitly deny my confidence in the power of God’s word.  My problem is to teach; the rest is up to God and my hearers.

When hard times come, your problem is to continue to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, and to work for your physical needs second.  Jesus promised that if you would put first things first, “all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).  Economic problems and threats of hard times are not your chief worry; that is Jesus’ problem.  If you can trust Jesus at all, you can trust Him on this promise, and if you trust Him in this, then you have entrusted the problems of your physical as well as your spiritual needs to Him.  It is now His problem.

Now, what did you say your problem was?

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , | Comments Off on What’s Your Problem?

Parents Cannot Purchase a Child’s Ticket to Heaven

I mentioned in Sunday’s sermon, people that believe they are righteous because of their religious family heritage are relying on the wrong blood. Following that lesson, Dirk Summerlot handed me a note with a thought which shows just how wrong this concept, which many seem to have, actually is.

This problem is not new. The Jews of the first century thought they were righteous simply because they had Abraham’s blood flowing in their veins. They felt righteous because of their religious family heritage. John the Baptist showed the folly of this when he said, “Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones” (Matthew 3:9). In substance, he said that religious heritage means no more to God than a pile of rocks.

I remember hearing Marshall Keeble make the same point about those who feel superior because they have more money or education than others. He pointed out that science tells us that the body is ninety percent water, and the Bible tells us that man was made from the dust. He then would say, “A man might have more money or education than me, but in reality, he is nothing but a mud ball wearing a necktie.”

Now, here’s Dirk’s thought. “The man who thinks he can be indifferent and rely on God’s grace because of his godly parents has overlooked a vital truth. He is sinning against his own children! He is robbing them of the very thing he thinks his parents have given to him. His “ticket to heaven” was purchased by his parents, but his children do not have one. His ungodliness keeps him from “buying” his children’s ticket.”

The point is obvious. If righteousness can be passed from parent to child, then the same is true of unrighteousness. Read the following from our Creator. He could not have made it any clearer!

“Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.  But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right; if he has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor’s wife . . . If he walked in My statutes—and kept My judgments faithfully—he is just; he shall surely live!” Says the Lord God.

“If he begets a son who is a robber or a shedder of blood, who does any of these things . . . and does none of those duties, . . . shall he then live? He shall not live! If he has done any of these abominations, he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:4-13).

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Parents Cannot Purchase a Child’s Ticket to Heaven

The Godly Heart of the Longest Chapter

I am not sure why some Bible trivia stays with you, but I am amazed at how many people know the longest chapter in the Bible. One remarkable aspect of this psalm is that the Bible is mentioned in some way in 174 of the 176 verses in this chapter. David, the author of most of the psalms, was a man whose heart was like God’s heart. How tragic it is that many today do not understand the relationship between loving the Bible and being people who have the heart of God.

In this psalm, the 119th, the heart is mentioned more than a dozen times. Take a moment and look at the psalmist’s description of the heart of those who love the Lord.

The godly heart is blessed by God. “Blessed are those . . . who seek Him with the whole heart” (119:2). The same verse shows that seeking Him is directly related to keeping His testimonies.

The godly heart praises God. “I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments” (119:7).

The godly heart seeks God and hides His word in the heart to void sin. “With my whole heart have I sought You . . . Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (119:10-11).

The godly heart is enlarged by devotion to the Bible. “I will run the course of your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart” (119:32).

The godly heart observes the Bible and gains understanding—(119:34).

The godly heart overcomes covetousness by listening to His precepts—(119:36).

The godly heart finds favor and mercy because of its understanding of His word—(119:58).

The godly heart overcomes those who slander because it keeps His word—(119:69).

The godly heart longs to be blameless in keeping His statutes—(119:80).

The godly heart rejoices in His testimonies, for they are his heritage forever—(119:111).

The godly heart performs His statutes to the very end—(119:112).

The godly heart is heard by God because he keeps His statutes—(119:145).

The godly heart stands in awe of the word of God— (119:161).

Now read this list again, noticing the italicized words, and think of your heart and its attitude toward the Bible. May God help our hearts to be like the heart of the man who had the heart of God!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Godly Heart of the Longest Chapter

Rest Assured, He Will Reward His Children

There are some obscure events in the Bible which have such profound lessons, yet it is easy to overlook them. We often rob ourselves of the treasures which could enrich our lives. These stories give such great insight into our God and how He deals with mankind. One of these stories concerns Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who conquered and destroyed Jerusalem in the days of Daniel.

First, a history lesson. The city of Tyre was the major port city of the ancient kingdom of the Phoenicians. It had a major role in shaping many events in the Old Testament world. As Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar were reaching great heights, Nebuchadnezzar brought his army and besieged the city.

The Bible prophesied that God would use Babylon (Ezekiel 26) as His army to punish the wicked inhabitants of Tyre for this wickedness. For thirteen years (598-585 B.C.), Nebuchadnezzar’s army attempted to conquer the city, but just before it fell, those in the city removed its treasures by using their ships, and when the army entered the city, there was little left for them.  God had used His servant Nebuchadnezzar (see Jer. 25:9), to accomplish His will and bring destruction on Tyre.

This Babylonian king continued to spread the borders of his kingdom, conquering Jerusalem, and the great wealth of Egypt lay before him. Read carefully these words from Ezekiel and learn one of those great truths so many often overlook.

“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord GOD” (Eze. 29:18-20).

Herein lies a great story giving us such insight into the nature of our God. God had used a pagan king and his army to do His will, yet His nature demanded that wages be given to them. Those wages did not come from Tyre, but from the vast treasures of Egypt.

Now think about it. If God does not overlook the service given by pagans, just imagine how He sees the service His children give to Him. Think of a cup of cold water being given in His name! God sees it all. Whatever we sow, we will reap. Rest assured, He will reward His children!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Rest Assured, He Will Reward His Children