Verse of the Day 3/29

Through the Bible - Judges 1-3, Luke 7:36-8:3

 

Good morning,

When I was a boy I spent a lot of time with my father and grandfather fishing and became quite proficient at it at an early age.  (It's not one of those "big fish" stories I have the pictures to prove it).  I'm thankful for those times and the lessons learned.  One of the first lessons in fishing is that boys that are fishing don't throw rocks while fishing, you'll scare, scatter the fish.

 

That thought came to mind as I read today's verse from Matthew 12.

Matt 12:30 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.   NIV

 

It's a fairly simple verse but it is another which can be convicting if we take some time to think about it.  Jesus called us to be fishers of men.  All too often our hurtful words and actions towards others may be seen and heard by those that know that we are professed Christians.  What is the result of course jokes, gossip, and words of judgment and condemnation that come from out mouths?  We are throwing stones, scarring the "fish" when we should be fishing.

John MacArthur writes, "Jesus made clear to His supposedly sophisticated but rebellious critics that a relationship with Him includes no neutral ground.  "He who does not gather with me scatters."  It is not necessary to overly oppose or actively interfere with the Lord's ministry to be His enemy.  Even the most passive believer is the rebellious enemy of God."

 

What do you think of MacArthur's statement that "even the most passive believer is the rebellious enemy of God"?  Aside from speaking or doing the wrong things, being passive, doing nothing in situations that call for action can have the same impact.

 

I think Paul was trying to communicate the same idea when he wrote these words.

 

Eph 4:1  I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  NKJV

Read the verse below and the passage that immediately follow about our spoken words.  May we pay more attention to the things that we say, remembering our calling.

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Matt 12:30-38

 

"This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse.

 

"There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven. But if you deliberately persist in your slanders against God's Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives. If you reject the Son of Man out of some misunderstanding, the Holy Spirit can forgive you, but when you reject the Holy Spirit, you're sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.

 

"If you grow a healthy tree, you'll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you'll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.

 

"You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation."     (from THE MESSAGE.)