by Terry Laughlin | Dec 21, 2016 | Christian Living Truth's
Nothing should set our heart aright for the New Year than this powerful truth found in God’s Word, “For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” The New Living Translation sets the record straight for us, “For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” This passage of Scripture is placed just ahead of the teaching of Jesus about how important it is for us to pay attention and listen to His teachings. (Luke 8:16-18) Jesus says, eventually everything will be revealed by the truths of God’s Word. Every deed, action, and participation in life will be revealed to all. Jesus is stressing the impossibility of secrecy. All of our motives will be brought under the lamp of God’s Word. The Bible says, “For the Word of God is alive and active… it judges the thoughts and attitude of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
There are three circumstances people will try to hide sin: 1.) People will try to hide or deny their wrong motives and actions from themselves. These people justify what they do, they make others feel judgmental as they point out when self-deceptions, worldly influences and the lies of the devil are motivating their direction and determining their decisions. People who deceive themselves fail to see their incredible folly in the work place, in social events and family settings. People who want to reject the truth about themselves will ignore their spouse, family, friends or co-workers, they often slowly slip slide way. 2.) People try to hide things from their spouse, friends, and to their fellow mankind. The person with un-confessed sins may be haunted by their past. They have sins, which are thus far a secret. They may have confessed it and asked the Lord to forgive them, but they have failed to Biblically confess to those they have kept in the dark. The phrase, “What goes around, comes around” often comes to their mind. The peaceful person has no secrets, nothing to be exposed, no fear of what has been seen or heard. The peaceful Christian asked of the Lord, “Make me a temple of which all of mankind can see into.” 3.) People actually try to hide things from God, while trying to appear to be religious. Every year, Christians and spiritual leaders are found out, exposed, thus treating the grace of God with contempt. They convince themselves, God is blessing their work, He must be overlooking their sins. The child of God who enjoys the genuine blessing of true peace recognizes, “You are the God who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13) Christians should live with a constant reminder, “…you may be sure that your sins will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23) Not always here on this earth, however, for sure at the White Thrown Judgment or at the judgment seat of Christ, where all our work will be tested by fire.
The Bible gives us an exhortation that we must take to heart as we enter into the new year, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter [God’s] rest, so that no one will perish by following [the] example of disobedience.”
by Terry Laughlin | Aug 20, 2016 | Christian Living Truth's
The Consequences of Not Wanting To Hear From God
The Bible says, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1)
There is common phrase that is often heard from people who have attended weddings, baby dedications and other religious ceremonies, “That was short and sweet, just like I like it.” Could this attitude be an reflection of a heart that is not hungry to know what God desire’s in regard to:
Marriage: Yes, it is true that all weddings belong to the couple being married, the sin is having wedding ceremonies asking for God’s blessings without being hungry to hear: 1.) What a marriage covenant really is from God’s prospective. 2.) Not having a Christ centered focus in regard to making marriage vows that express serving each other as you were serving Jesus. 3.) Reminding all who attend the ceremony, they are their brother’s keeper. Everyone who bears witness to wedding ceremony are to do their part in praying for, watching over and protecting the marriage covenant as God’s plan for man and woman. The liking of short and sweet has kept many ignorant about marriage being God’s plan from the very beginning, not the conjecture of mankind. Civil Unions are for those who have no desire to guard their steps in touching the holy institution of marriage, one man, one woman, until death do you part. Jesus makes it very clear, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6) Obedience to God’s plan for marriage and the desire to seek His moral precepts for men and women is the foundation to guarding your step in touching Holy Matrimony.
Baby Dedications: The conjecture of man in regard to baby dedications are over shadowing God’s truths to dedicating a child unto the Lord’s intercession, protection and guidance. Many baby dedications have become a service to show off the parents babies in their sweetest outfits, rather than a service preparing parent’s and congregations to seek God’s perfect will. One pastor wrote, “Our baby dedication services have become an interruption to the theme of the service, rather than the whole service having the theme of dedicating children unto the Lord.” (Merrill, D., & Shelley, M. (Eds.). (1984). Fresh ideas for families, youth & children (p. 121). Carol Stream, IL; Waco, TX: Christianity Today; Word Books.) There is a famine of wanting to hear God’s truths. Today, most parents want short and sweet, leaving them ignorant to God’s truths: 1.) Children are God’s gift, what that really involves. (Psalm 127:3) 2.) The challenge, “Will you, by God’s help, guidance, and intercession provide a God-fearing, Word filled knowledge home. (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6) 3.) Be Biblically equipped to pray for their children. A quality ministry has a complete prayer guide for intercession for children. (Peterson, E. H., & Miller, C. (1987). Weddings, funerals, & special events (Vol. 10, p. 135). Carol Stream, IL; Waco, TX: Christianity Today, Inc.; Word Books.; http://standatthecrossroads.com/prayer-guide-children/)
Regarding your step in approaching all religious ceremonies, weddings, baby dedications, baptisms, the Lord’s supper (communion), etc. involves having a listening spirit so you are not ignorant in the holy things of God, enabling you to have ceremonies that are pleasing to Him.
by Terry Laughlin | May 13, 2016 | Christian Living Truth's
Once Upon A Time
In 1725 to be exact, a little boy was born and was named John. His sailor father was gone to sea for long periods of time leaving John’s mother to raise him. She was a kind, God-fearing woman who loved him dearly and endeavored to raise him in the love of the Lord, faithfully teaching him the Word of God. John had a wonderful childhood until age seven when his mother died. John’s father soon remarried and, although his new wife was probably not quite of the Cinderella and Snow White evil stepmother variety, she had neither love nor time for this little boy. There were no more prayer times or Scripture readings before bed. There were no more tender hugs or words of encouragement. John was left to fend for himself and took to running the streets. By age 11, he was going to sea with his harsh and distant father. The immoral and salty-tongued sailors became his companions, and he soon became just like them. In a few years, John had his own ship and was profiting greatly in the West African slave-trafficking business. He was a hardened unbeliever, profane in speech and utterly immoral.
Occasionally, his conscience would prick him as he would remember his mother’s love and prayers for him. At such times, John would diligently resolve to “live better”, to read his Bible and pray. But, a sin-hardened and unrepentant heart finds no peace even in these things, and he would quickly give up. Then, on a night of terror in 1748, John had to face his mortality squarely. A hellish tempest-tossed sea of 30-foot waves became his deadly enemy. For ten days a ferocious storm raged so mightily that he despaired of his very life. Before his eyes, a seaman was swept off the deck to his death. John lashed himself to the deck so he would not suffer a similar fate. During this time, he remembered a Scripture his mother had taught him. In Proverbs 1: 24-31 God says, “But since you rejected me when I called… I, in turn, will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you — when calamity overtakes you like a storm…” This is not the most comforting verse for a hardened sinner and God-hater to remember when he is facing death!
The storm did eventually pass, however, with the ship and John being spared. It was just a matter of time, too, before John, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, repented of his sin-filled life, asked for forgiveness and received mercy and grace from the Lord Jesus Christ. He became a “new creature” in Christ. Oh, did I tell you? You may sort of know John. His full name is John Newton, and later in life he wrote these familiar words, – “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see!”
NO sinner is too wicked for the love and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse and save his soul… not John Newton… not me… not you.
by Terry Laughlin | May 1, 2016 | Christian Living Truth's
In 1725 to be exact, a little boy was born and was named John. His sailor father was gone to sea for long periods of time leaving John’s mother to raise him. She was a kind, God-fearing woman who loved him dearly and endeavored to raise him in the love of the Lord, faithfully teaching him the Word of God. John had a wonderful childhood until age seven when his mother died.
John’s father soon remarried and, although his new wife was probably not quite of the Cinderella and Snow White evil stepmother variety, she had neither love nor time for this little boy. There were no more prayer times or Scripture readings before bed. There were no more tender hugs or words of encouragement. John was left to fend for himself and took to running the streets. By age 11, he was going to sea with his harsh and distant father. The immoral and salty-tongued sailors became his companions, and he soon became just like them.
In a few years, John had his own ship and was profiting greatly in the West African slave-trafficking business. He was a hardened unbeliever, profane in speech and utterly immoral. Occasionally, his conscience would prick him as he would remember his mother’s love and prayers for him. At such times, John would diligently resolve to “live better”, to read his Bible and pray. But, a sin-hardened and unrepentant heart finds no peace even in these things, and he would quickly give up. Then, on a night of terror in 1748, John had to face his mortality squarely. A hellish tempest-tossed sea of 30-foot waves became his deadly enemy. For ten days a ferocious storm raged so mightily that he despaired of his very life. Before his eyes, a seaman was swept off the deck to his death. John lashed himself to the deck so he would not suffer a similar fate. During this time, he remembered a Scripture his mother had taught him in Proverbs 1: 24-31 God says, “But since you rejected me when I called… I, in turn, will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you — when calamity overtakes you like a storm…” This is not the most comforting verse for a hardened sinner and God-hater to remember when he is facing death!
The storm did eventually pass, however, with the ship and John being spared. It was just a matter of time, too, before John, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, repented of his sin-filled life, asked for forgiveness and received mercy and grace from the Lord Jesus Christ. He became a “new creature” in Christ. Oh, did I tell you? You may sort of know John. His full name is John Newton, and later in life he wrote these familiar words, – “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see!”
NO sinner is too wicked for the love and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse and save his soul… not John Newton… not me… not you.
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christian Living Truth's
Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
The Book of Ecclesiastes was written by a king whose name is associated with the word “peace.” Solomon was famous for his wisdom. He ruled in a city which attracted the wealth of surrounding nations and during his oversight the people of God saw the construction of the temple. This man of wisdom understood life on this earth and wrote about his observation as he considered the vanity and vexation of this world. He writes in Ecclesiastes 4:4, “And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Most people have heard the phrase, “Keeping up with the Jones.” Pastor Rick Warren saw a sign that said, “Don’t worry about the Jones. They just filed chapter 13.”
Please understand that the whole of Scripture is not against the desire to acquire good things, the problem is what the Bible calls “coveting” which is the uncontrolled desire to acquire what your neighbor has. Today this sin is often referred to as “materialism.” Advertisers have spent billions knowing mankind’s bondage to covetousness.
There are four Biblical truths that will enable you to enjoy the contentment the Apostle Paul knew. One, “Do Everything in Christ’s Name.” Two, “Have a Fear of Covetousness.” Three, “Find Contentment Through Generosity.” And Four, “Have Your Hope In Eternal Things.”
In a day in which the Bible warns that the love of many will wax cold, the children of God can maintain a Biblical perspective and be content in every circumstance in life. Learn the contentment Paul knew!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christian Living Truth's
Contentment is found in the heart of those who set their spiritual hope on eternal things. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
The Apostle Paul paid the cost of preaching the gospel and teaching God’s word. (2 Corinthians 1:8) He suffered physical afflictions (2 Corinthians 12:7) and persecution. (2 Corinthians 6:3-10) He knew disappointment in trusting people in ministry (Acts 15:38) and in being betrayed by those who hated his work with the Lord. (2 Timothy 4:14-15) Therefore, he was given truths that would keep us from becoming discouraged in spite of overwhelming odds.
The fact is our human bodies are getting older and they are more acceptable to illnesses and weakness that will sooner or later push us into the river of physical death. Holy Spirit illuminated Christians still serve the Lord with their bodies in full strength, knowing that some day they will get a resurrected body that will be imperishable and be clothed with immortality. Christians who set their hope on eternal things rejoice in the writings of the Apostle Paul, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed–in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:50-56)
There will be a day when Christians will fully enjoy the eternal victory that Christ won for us on the Cross and in His raising from the dead. Therefore, give Him your best effort in the strength he provides! Set your hope on eternal truths!
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