“This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, practice it to be holy.
It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’’s map, the pilgrim’’s staff, the pilot’’s compass, the soldier’’s sword, and the Christian’’s charter. Here heaven is open, and the gates of hell are disclosed. Christ is the grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you here in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and is established forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its contents.” ––Author unknown
1 comment:
The above Bible introduction was taken from the introduction to a Gideon Bible (New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs). What follows are my comments made in the first Volume of the unpublished work: “To Tell the Truth”, still in the works.
“It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.”
Do the foregoing admonishments sound familiar? If they do, you should be glad, that is if you have heeded them in your own study of God’s word. Sad to say however, today it seems we all too often forget the basic understanding of the principles found in the Word which describe the nature of careful study, wise comparison of truth with truth, and that the reading of God’s Word should always be preceded with prayer so that the author (The Holy Spirit) who composed it, as He moved upon holy men of God (2nd Peter 1:20-21), will reveal it’s truth to you in the context of how it was originally intended. God has divine intentions. Truth is God’s revelation of Himself and His Will to mankind through His Inspired Word, Eternal Son, and glorious Creation.
Should rule the Heart:
Heart - According to the Bible, the heart is the center not only of spiritual activity, but also of all the operations of human life. “Heart” and “soul” are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case.
The heart is the “home of the personal life”, and hence a righteous man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6; Ps. 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Luke 8:15), etc. In these and such passages the word “soul” could not be substituted for “heart”.
The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Rom. 2:15). It is naturally wicked (Gen. 8:21), and is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer. 17:9, hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Matt. 12:34; 15:18; comp. Eccl. 8:11; Ps. 73:7).
From Mathew Chapter 7, The issues that we face are the matters of the heart; whether “we are what we eat” or we are what comes out of our mouth:
“There is nothing from without a man that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear”. And when he (Jesus) was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, “Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?” And he said, “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.” For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; All these evil things come from within, and defile the man”. (Math 7:15-23).
Hence the heart must be changed, regenerated (Ezek. 36:26; 11:19; Ps. 51:10-14), before a man can willingly obey God.
The process of salvation begins in the heart by the believing reception of the testimony of God, while the rejection of that testimony hardens the heart (Ps. 95:8; Prov. 28:14; 2 Chr. 36:13). “Hardness of heart evidences itself by light views of sin; partial acknowledgment and confession of it; pride and conceit; ingratitude; unconcern about the Word and ordinances of God; inattention to divine providences; stifling convictions of conscience; shunning reproof; presumption, and general ignorance of divine things.”
Jn.17: 17, Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
Jn.14: 6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jn.16: 13, But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Jn.15: 26, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
Jn.8: 32, then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Not just knowing the truth but doing the truth keeps the believer from being deceived. True knowledge of God produces pure worship of God and cannot be done without “The Truth”.
Jn.4: 23, Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
Finally, only the love of the truth will keep us from being deceived, if we fail to love the truth;
(2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ), become the consequences of unbelief and become our lot, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
From (2 Timothy 4:1-4) we read the Apostle Paul’s admonition and charge to Timothy about the condition of the apostasy of the last days of the “Church Age” in which I believe we are now living: “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.”
Are we Living Truth in this age of Apostasy? Post comments on my blog at: www.livingtruthministry.blogspot.com KMS
Post a Comment