Jesus' Advice

Read Luke 12:27-34

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (v. 34).

More than anything else, Christian holiness is a matter of the heart. Jesus is concerned with where our heart is. The heart that He has “fixed” is concerned not with earthly toys, but with heavenly joys (Ps. 112:7). Those who are pure in heart will invest less on things that will fade away, but more on what will shine in eternity's day (Luke 12:27). Sanctified believers have learned that outward garments may be soiled, but true heart holiness cannot be spoiled (Luke 12:28). Jesus said, “Do not be concerned about what you eat and drink, nor be troubled in what you think” (Luke 12:29). Kings and kingdoms will pass away, but the kingdom of God is here to stay (Luke 12:30, 31). Some live for nothing but pleasure; God's people live for heavenly treasure (Luke 12:32, 33). Henry Van Dyke wrote a classic short story, “The Other Wise Man.” He told of a fourth wise man that missed seeing the baby Jesus because he stopped along the way to help others. Over the years he used the treasures he had reserved for the King of kings to help the poor and oppressed. Thirty-three years later he came to Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus. After selling his last treasure to save a young woman from being sold into slavery, a falling roof tile hit him, and he entered into paradise. There he heard one saying to him, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye hast done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40). The last, lost wise man found his King. (Richard Grout)

Is your heart right with God?

This devotional is the Tuesday, March 28, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

2017-03-29T09:00:00+00:00March 29th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: |0 Comments

Devotional: Put Away Defilement

Read Numbers 5:1-4
“Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell” (v. 3).
Cosmo, our beautiful Bouvier Des Flandres dog, got too close to the kitty cat with a beautiful white stripe down its tail. The kitty, not quite as happy about playing, raised that fluffy tail and unleashed a spray, covering poor Cosmo. The odor of burnt coffee, rotten eggs, and burning rubber seeped from every part of him. My mother firmly refused to allow him inside the house. If she could have put him outside the “camp,” I know she would have. Why? She did not want her carpet, clothes, sofa, or even the porch to take on Cosmo’s odor.
In Bible days, God directed the Children of Israel to place the defiled outside the camp. While my mother was concerned about the odor, God was concerned about walking in His holiness in the midst of defilement. Even for His special people, the Israelites, if they touched a corpse, contracted leprosy, or hemorrhaged, God wanted them out of the camp. He wanted to ensure they would not contaminate others.
Today, the blood can deliver us from the defilement of sin. “Its saving virtues ever are the same. It cleanseth still, and always will” (Phoebe Palmer). Are we spraying bad attitudes, ungodly speech, and sinful be- haviors in the camp? Cleanse yourself in the blood of Jesus! (Pamela Kuhn)

A rotten stench does not stop with its source; it permeates the atmosphere of anything in his circle of influence.

This devotional is the Monday, December 28, 2015 entry of Opening the Word.

2015-12-29T12:00:15+00:00December 29th, 2015|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: , |0 Comments

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