Monthly Archives: February 2020

Who Were Jannes and Jambres?

“always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.” 2 Tim. 3:7-9

There will always be those who resist. They will oppose. They will study, but never come to an understanding of God’s truth.

Jannes & Jambres were like that. They were Pharaoh’s top magicians. But, they were men of corrupt minds. They resisted Moses, they opposed Moses. They could never come to an understanding of the God of Moses.

We will have our own personal Jannes & Jambres in life, but rest assured: their folly will eventually be manifest to all.

Note: In Dreamworks’ splendid, The Prince of Egypt, two magicians oppose Moses. (“You’re playing with the big boys now.”) They called them Hotep and Huy, but these were obviously Jannes and Jambres.

Why didn’t they just keep the historical names?

Ref:

https://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/jannes-and-jambres.html

Bissextile in 2020

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” – Mal. 4:2 (ESV)

“Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.” – Isa. 35:6 (NASB)

The perfect verses for this bissextile!

(Fellow logophiles will enjoy that gem.)

Ref: bissextile – (of a year) having the extra day (29 February) of a leap year.

Should a Christian Exercise and Workout?

“For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” – 1 Tim. 4:8

I love to workout and stay healthy. I am a lifelong gym-rat. It’s a big part of who I am.

However, the Word of Christ says that this kind of exercise profiteth LITTLE (KJV). The real exercise (that profiteth much) is the spiritual workout towards godliness.

True gains are gotten through (what the Puritans called) “Holy sweat.”

The true workout is in God’s gym, lifting His weights, and exercising your spiritual muscles.

Like all things, even a healthy lifestyle can become an idol. Keep it in check. Don’t let it get out of balance. If your treadmill time exceeds your prayer time, it’s out of wack.

By all means, don’t skip the gym. And by all means, don’t skip your Bible intake.

Don’t neglect either one, but always give preference to working out spiritually.

One is temporal and one is eternal.

No matter how healthy you are, your outward man is dying. Working out your spirit has the promise of true life.

Should a Christian Read Horoscopes Or Believe In Zodiac Signs?

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork.” – Psa. 19:1

God created the heavens to point to Him. The Milky Way and the entire universe, (full of quasars, pulsars, and Red Supergiants), reveals His unlimited power and nature.

Only rebellious and egocentric Man would look at the splendor of the universe and think it reveals something about… himself.

What’s the harm? It’s not a big deal. It’s fun.

The harm is in giving evil spirits a foothold. The harm is in opening the door to a potential flood of satanic activity.

God flat out CONDEMNS pagan occult practices like believing in Zodiac signs, consulting mediums, and reading tea leaves or horoscopes (Deut. 4:19; 18:9-14; Isa. 47:13-15). They steal God’s glory.

To think the cosmos is speaking about you is the epitome of narcissism and foolishness.

Should a Christian indulge in these practices? Unequivocally NO!

Do You Look According To The Outward Appearance?

“Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s.” – 2 Cor. 10:7

God looks at the inward Man. The outward Man can be false. The inward man however, cannot. God sees both.

Their Foot Shall Slip In Due Time

“Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.” – Deut. 32:35

With the Coronavirus present on the stage, we are reminded of the fragility of Man. A person could be totally healthy one day but gone the next all because of one little virus.

Jonathon Edwards used this verse in his masterpiece sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

Our foot shall slip in due time. Where will you end up when you fall?

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Ref:

https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/pdf/edwards_angry.pdf

https://albertmohler.com/2020/02/27/briefing-2-27-20

Our Heart Is Wide Open

“O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.” – 2 Cor. 6:11

“Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one.” – 2 Cor. 7:2

This is what it is like to be the calm presence of Jesus to the world and to our fellow elect: with hearts WIDE OPEN.

Exposed, vulnerable, and caring.

Urging, pleading, and beseeching.

Weeping, rejoicing, and communing.

The Lord Direct Your Hearts Into the Love of God

“Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.” – 2 Thes. 3:5

It is Jesus who directs our hearts into God’s love and His own perfect patience.

What is Highly Esteemed Among Men Is an Abomination in the Sight of God

“You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” – Jesus (Luke 16:15)

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees about money. Men love money. We esteem it. It takes the place of God in our worship. That is an abomination in the eyes of God.