Dear Children and Grandchildren,

I have enjoyed the Word of God more than I ever have since I am no longer preaching 3 or 4 times a week and am not pressed for time. Some times I find things I'd like to share with all of you, or some of you individually. With your mother's encouragement I'd like to start a "Bible Blog" and share some of my thoughts with you. Last night I told Joanna that I opened a can of "Pork and Beans" for supper, (your mother is in Arizona helping Becky while Adam recuperates from a serious operation) but I found no pork so I renamed it "Beans and Beans". With a hearty laugh she wondered if I had "looked under every bean?' I trust what I send you will have some "pork" but if you find it to be only "beans" just push the delete button.

Ps.119:168 "I have kept Thy precepts and Thy testimonies: for all my ways are before Thee," As you were growing up one of the things I was careful to emphasize in our daily devotions was that the time would come when you would no longer be under the eye of Mom and Dad but you would never be out of sight of God's eye. What an encouragement we find here to keep God's Word. "all my ways are before Thee,"

"Experience makes many a paradox plain, and this is one. Before God we may be clear of open fault and yet at the same time mourn over a thousand heart-wanderings which need his restoring hand."--C.H. Spurgeon

"I may hide Thee from my eye, but not myself from Thine eye."--Wm. Gurnall

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

III John 4 “Walking in Truth”

To my 5 sons and 4 daughters,

My greatest concern as I begin a new year is that the verse I sent you in my last devotional may not be a reality in each of your lives: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." My concern is not that you "made a decision for Christ,” or "accepted Christ as your Saviour,” or that you know the date when you did any of those things (none of those clichés are found in the Bible). Some of you can give a Biblical explanation of salvation better than I can, but if it does not include an ongoing walk, I find little assurance that you are "in Christ.”

There is no "great joy" in hearing anything that falls short of my children walking in truth. What you did in the past, good or bad, counts little if you are not walking in truth at present. Walking has to do with making progress. A justification without an accompanying sanctification will not stand well on judgment day. The Third Epistle of John has only 14 verses, and the word "truth" and "true" are used 7 times. Verse 11 says, "Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God." I have joy every time I see or hear of any of you walking in truth, but the "greater joy" can only come when I hear that all nine of you are walking in truth. Until then the joy is mingled with tears.

In Christ, Dad
Posted by at 2:56 PM

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

As I read over these treasures of wisdom from a great and wonderfully blessed man of God I am reminded of a comment that a friend of ours made.
We do not go to church in the summer on the boat so we have our own service on Sunday mornings which usually includes one of Dad's taped sermons. One such Sunday while moored at the dock in Sitka, Alaska we were listening and one of our hungry bachelor friends stopped by to see what I was cooking. When he realized what was going on he politely stepped into the cabin, sat down, and began to listen intently. There was a brief intermission between the first and second side of the tape and our friend remarked "What a great thing to have on tape, does he have more of those?" This man is not a christian by any means, and we have had several discussions with him before and since, but he did make me think and appreciate what God has done for all of us who have had the pleasure of knowing and gleaning from this Godly man.

January 10, 2009 at 8:39 AM

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