Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? — Zechariah 7:5 (KJV)

Can you imagine? The fasts in question had been going on for 70 years and they weren’t acceptable to God! Why is that? I think it has to do with their hearts. Their hearts were not after God, but rather they lived their lives for themselves and added some godly traditions.

It is an ineffectual salve. It will not heal anything.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. — Psalm 51:17 (KJV)

Any man may fast and many will have a religious motive behind it. They may very well look righteous in all that they do.

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. — Luke 18:9-14 (KJV)

Look at your life before God.  Do it in secret.  Let Him show you your sin. Repent! Live your life for God in all truth.

God bless, Mike

I found this an inspiring book. I recommend that you read it in small pieces and then meditate and pray over what you have read.  This is easier said than done!  It is a book that you will want to read from cover to cover! It is worth it to reflect on what you read in order to get the spiritual benefit from this story.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

“Hey, holy man!” It was the man on the top bunk beside me again. I turned my head toward him.

“Come closer.” He was almost whispering. “I have a question for you. What is your name?”

“Mikhail Khorev.”

His next question was a strange one. “Who gave you your name?”

“Why, my father and mother.” I puzzled over such a query.

“What were you doing when you were on your knees?”

“I was praying.”

“Who taught you to pray?”

“Yes.”

“So your parents gave you your name, huh?”

Again, I answered, “Yes.”

There was a space of silence. The noises from the rest of the inmates were dying down somewhat.

“I wish I had parents who named me!” I could hear despair in the man’s voice.

I did not know how old he was. Perhaps in his late twenties, I guessed.

“They told me I was only eight days old when I was abandoned at the police station. They took me inside and filed a report on me. Since there was no name, they called me Nicolai, after the policeman who found me. That was my first name. In order for me to have a middle name, they named me Petrovich, after another policeman who was there. And for my surname, they decided on November, since that was the month they found me.” He gave a maniacal laugh. “Nicolai Petrovich November.”

Was he mad? His voice had turned grim and menacing.

Twenty-five years old, no parents, named after some stupid policemen who didn’t give a hoot about me.” His voice was no longer quiet. I knew the other men in the bunks were listening to our conversation.

“Now, you tell me, holy man! Why does your God favor some people above others? Why did you have parents who taught you to pray, but me, I had no one to even name me? Is a God like that fair? If there is a God, is he not unfair to let some have a good life and others have a rotten life? Tell me!”

As a Christian, you sometimes get asked hard questions like those from this excerpt. Perhaps this book will help you answer them with wisdom. That is just one example of the spiritual lessons contained in this book. I thank God for the life of Mikhail Khorev. He is still teaching and encouraging believers today.

]]> http://closetojesus.org/john316/2010/02/a-small-price-to-pay/feed/ 4 http://closetojesus.org/john316/2009/12/seven-rules-for-daily-living/ http://closetojesus.org/john316/2009/12/seven-rules-for-daily-living/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:00:40 +0000 Mike http://closetojesus.org/john316/?p=162 I have just completed reading Goforth of China by Roaslind Goforth. This is the second edition published March, 1938 and it was given to me by one of my children. I have read other books about Jonathan Goforth, but this book has made a deep impression on me.

In the appendix are excerpts from letters received after Dr. Goforth went to Heaven. One of these excerpts contained Jonathan Goforth’s seven rules for daily living. These were made by Dr. Goforth in 1894 and were written in the fly-leaf of his Bible.

1. Seek to give much – expect nothing.
2. Put the very best construction on the actions of others.
3. Never let a day pass without at least a quarter of an hours spent in the study of the Bible.
4. Never omit daily morning and evening private prayer and devotion.
5. In all things seek to know God’s will and when known obey at any cost.
6. Seek to cultivate a quiet prayerful spirit.
7. Seek each day to do or say something to further Christianity among the heathen.

These seven rules for daily living are certainly worth following for our King.

God bless, Mike

Let’s look briefly at the lives of George Mueller, Jonathan Goforth, and Robert LeTourneau. Three men who trusted God. Three men who had extraordinary faith that lifted them to heights of spiritual blessings in their lives and the lives of the people they touched. How did they do it? It is through the power of God. They let Christ live through them, as ready vessels unto good works.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. — Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)

George Mueller (1805-1898) was a man who waited on the Lord to answer prayer. He did this to be a witness, to the people around him, that God does indeed care about us and will not forsake our needs, if we only ask him. George Mueller never asked anyone for money, although, by the end of his life he was responsible for the care of thousands of orphans. Besides the orphans, support flowed to missionaries around the world, and thousands more were educated at the Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad. ₁ He was trusted with over $8 million, although his own worldly possessions were valued at about $800 upon his death. ₂ On top of this, he was a pastor for all these years.

“I NEVER REMEMBER, in all my Christian course, a period now (in March, 1895) of sixty-nine years and four months, that I ever SINCERELY and PATIENTLY sought to know the will of God by the teaching of the Holy Ghost, through the instrumentality of the Word of God, but I have been ALWAYS directed rightly. But if honesty of heart and uprightness before God were lacking, or if I did not patiently wait upon God for instruction, or if I preferred the counsel of my fellow men to the declarations of the Word of the living God, I made great mistakes.” GEORGE MUELLER ₂

What is our lesson from George Mueller? It is that you can trust God for everything and in doing so you will lack for nothing. Most importantly, that in trusting God for everything, God will be glorified and the faith of the Body will be built up.

Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936) was a pioneer missionary to China. He, along with his wife Rosalind, opened up the interior of China and Manchuria to the Gospel message. He, too, was a man of prayer and faith. I am particularly inspired because he pressed on to do God’s work, even through the loss of three children, violence experienced from some of the Chinese people, and sickness of both himself and his wife. ₃ Below is an account from his life when he was sixty-nine years old.

One evening, as he sat on a broken chair, by the stove, Jonathan was overcome as he thought about the wonderful life he was leading. He turned to Rosalind and said, “Isn’t it grand to be out here opening up such a place to the gospel. I’d rather be right here than in Windsor Castle.” ₄

Their daughter Mary summed up their life as follows:

I. God sustained them even in sickness and in old age.
II. God protected them even from Bandits and Plague.
III. God supplied their needs.
IV. God gave Fruit for their Labors.
V. God rewarded their sacrificial giving.
VI. God helped them make a Permanent Record to His Glory. ₅

Jonathan Goforth had great enthusiasm and joy to be serving the Living God. Should we not have this, too? I believe it is there for the asking.

You may not have heard of Robert LeTourneau (1888-1969). He is described in the biography, God Runs My Business, as Farmhand, Foundry Apprentice, Master Molder, Garage Mechanic, Laborer, Inventor, Manufacturer, Industrialist, Christian Business Man, and Lay Evangelist. Mr. LeTourneau started his life like many of us. He got a job, married, and started a family. When he was 32, sixteen years after becoming a Christian, he came to the realization that he had been living an aimless Christian life.

He knelt and prayed, “Lord, I know my Christian life has been a failure. I haven’t been living for You. I have tried to turn over a new leaf, but it just seems I can’t make the grade. I have been ashamed of You.” He said that, as he knelt there, he realized what a coward he had been. He cried out from the depths of his soul, “Lord, if You will give me a victorious Christian life and put the love in my heart that I know ought to be there and fill me with Your Spirit so that I can witness for You, I’ll do whatever you ask me to do from this day on.” ₆

Mr. LeTourneau then was lead of God to do his best to be God’s business man. He ran his business with God as his partner. Ninety percent of the business earnings were God’s. His motto was, “Not how much of my money do I give to God, but how much of God’s money do I keep for myself.” 7 His aim was not primarily money, but rather, preaching the Gospel. Mr. LeTourneau traveled extensively, to give the Gospel message, regularly speaking to seven different groups on the weekend. It was this desire to see people saved that characterized his life.

These three men all gave their up lives to follow God’s will. More than anything, they did their work for Christ, just as Jesus did his work for the Father. You see, it is Christ living in you, who does the work. We can do nothing in our own power for God. Even as Jesus said:

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. — John 15:7-8 (KJV)

I pray that you will bear much fruit.

God bless, Mike

1 George Müeller, The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans by Janet & Geoff Benge, Copyright 1999 by YWAM Publishing
2 Answers to Prayer by George Mueller, Moody Press
3 Jonathan Goforth, An Open Door to China by Janet & Geoff Benge, Copyright 2001 by YWAM Publishing
4 Ibid, p 193
5. Climbing by Rosalind Goforth, Bethel Publishing
6. God Runs my Business by Albert W. Lorimer, Copyright 1941 by Fleming H. Revell Company, pp 40-41
7. Ibid, p 126

And he said unto them,
When ye pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins;
for we also forgive
every one that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:3-4 (KJV)

The first thing Jesus does is teach by example. In fact, Jesus was already praying, and it is when he was done praying that the request was made, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In this prayer, Jesus shows you everything you need to pray for. More commonly known as the Lord’s prayer, these three verses are so much more than that! Jesus did not give these words for you to just repeat. Jesus gave you this prayer as your example.

After Jesus gives this example, he tells a story. Jesus is using a story to teach another important aspect of prayer.

And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. — Luke 11:5-8 (KJV)

As you read the above verses, notice how the man, who has need in the story, is persistent. The key word is toward the end of Verse 8. That word is importunity. Here is the definition of importunity from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.

IMPORTUNITY Pressing solicitation; urgent request; application for a claim or favor, which is urged with troublesome frequency or pertinacity.

Notice how the man continued to ask his friend until his request was granted. Think about the word, importunity, as it relates to your prayers to God.

Jesus then concludes his teaching on prayer by telling his disciples to go to God in prayer. He tells them to ask, seek, and knock. He tells them how good God is and how much God wants to give them the Holy Spirit.

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? – Luke 11:9-13 (KJV)

I have intentionally not gone into a lot of detail over these verses. Jesus taught it so well. Spend some time with God in these verses and ask, “Lord, teach me to pray.”

God Bless, Mike

Last Father’s Day, my children sang a song for me. It was put to the tune of “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.” Here are the words.

Father, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need thy tender care;
In thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use thy home prepare.
Blessed Father, Blessed Father,
Thou wast giv’n us, thine we are.

We are thine; do thou instruct us;
Be the guardian of our way;
Keep thy flock; from sin defend us;
Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Father, Blessed Father,
Hear thy children when we play.

Early let us seek thy favor;
Early let us do thy will;
Blessed Lord and earthly Father,
With God’s love our bosoms fill.
Blessed Father, Blessed Father,
Thou hast loved us, love us still.

- Children’s version of “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us”

Needless to say, it touched my heart deeply. What a joy it was to hear their sweet voices, asking me through beautiful song, to shepherd their souls! I believe that this is the desire of all children, that their father would love them like a good shepherd. The Lord Jesus tells us what it means to be a good shepherd.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 (KJV)

This verse is set in the context of a shepherd, protecting his sheep from thieves and robbers.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy
John 10:10a (KJV)

The purpose of the enemy is to destroy our children! It is against this that we have to maintain constant vigilance. Jesus compares the good shepherd to an hireling. The hireling flees when trouble comes. This can take many forms, but let’s consider one form you may not have thought about.

What do you do when you sense something is not right with your child? You would know this if you are a careful observer of your child’s soul. Do you approach your child with firm love? Or, do you let it go, hoping that it will go away. “It’s just a stage he is going through.” “All teenagers are like that!” “She is just tired. I’m sure it will pass.” It can be easy to justify a behavior or attitude, rather than addressing it and getting to the heart of the matter. Don’t make excuses! Take action!

You may ask, “How do I take action?” I have found that this is a matter, first of all, for prayer. You must seek God’s guidance, wisdom, and leading. You also must be absolutely calm and in control. Remember, you are approaching you beloved child in order to find out what is wrong. It is a heart matter and this matter is very dear to the child. Whatever it is that your child is struggling with, you as the parent must help them to get it in the open.

This can be a time of great blessing and instruction. It must not be delayed or ignored! There is no more tender a time than when a child confesses to you what is on their heart. It should be a cleansing time where the weight of the world is lifted from their shoulders. It should be a time that brings you and your child closer together. It won’t happen, if you are not diligent in the care of your flock.

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
Proverbs 27:23 (KJV)

Take the time to carefully and continually observe the spiritual state of your children. Then, be a good shepherd to them, like the Lord Jesus is to you.

God Bless, Mike