Strength for the Loyal Heart

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him”
(2 Chronicles 16:9).

THE LORD IS LOOKING FOR THOSE WHOSE HEARTS WILL BE TRUE TO HIM. And He is eager to “show Himself strong” on behalf of such people, those who know the meaning of loyalty.

Asa, the king of Judah to whom the admonition was addressed in 2 Chronicles 16:9, was a good man in many respects. The general course of his life was commendable, but there were times when his decisions left much to be desired. Earlier, he had been told by one of the prophets, “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). This warning was not always heeded, however. And when Asa deviated from his duty, he forfeited the help of a God who fights on behalf of “those whose hearts are wholly his” (Jerusalem Bible).

There is hardly a virtue more noble than loyalty. Consider the cluster of words in our language that denote this trait. Faithfulness and fidelity imply adherence to one’s vows or obligations — the fulfillment of duty and the keeping of promises. Allegiance means that one has been true to an authority to which he is subject. Fealty, an older word, once referred to the obligation of a vassal to a feudal lord, but now means faithfulness to a law or principle that one has pledged to uphold. And the word loyalty itself gives us the picture of a person who has such a steadfast and devoted attachment to something that he or she is not easily turned aside.

Think of the good things that would come out of a serious application of these ideas to our seeking of God. If we sought Him with a loyalty that He could count on — a faithful love that would hold us at His side — what strength He would make available to us! Our greatest need is for fidelity, the honor that holds steadfastly to all the truth we know of God, however little that may be at present. If we turn our back on what we know of Him, then, as traitors, we cut ourselves off from His help at the time we need it most. Our seeking must be with an allegiance that will die in battle before it will do any treachery to God.

“Lord, help me faithfully to journey along my road, holding my rightful place in the great procession of humanity” (Michel Quoist).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com

Set Free From Fear

The significance of Jesus’ incredible sacrifice of love at the cross through His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension may never be fully comprehended on this side of eternity. The Risen Savior Set the Captives Free. One way Christians are set free is from fear––the fear of life, of death and of eternity. (Revelation 1:17-18)

“At the heart of anxiety is fear, and at the heart of fear is our focus”

Sermon for April 12, 2020 AUDIO | PDF

Set Free From Fear

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

3 John 2

Dear brothers and sisters, it is week three of the coronavirus quarantine and I pray your are safe and healthy physically and spiritually. News reports indicate that conditions may improve over the next few weeks which gives me hope we will see one another again soon to assemble in worship together. In the meantime, I send this sermon to you for your encouragement and edification. Remember to call, text, email, write one another and pray for one another. May we use this time to grow in faith, knowledge, love and good works. Below are links to a bulletin article and chart.

SERMON: Set Free From Fear (above). Click here for a text file PDF

BULLETIN ARTICLE: ‘Fear Not’

POST: Who Do I Want to Be During the Covid Crisis?

Fear Not

Drawing from this week’s sermon: Set Free From Fear, here are some ‘Fear Not’ assurances from the Bible, and the one proper form of fear needed.

IT’S SURPRISING HOW MANY ‘FEAR NOT’S’ ARE FOUND IN GOD’S WORD

• When Feeling Overwhelmed (Isaiah 41:13)
• When Feeling Forgotten (Isaiah 43:1)
• When Surrounded by Enemies (2 Kings 6:16)
• When Tempted to Loneliness (Isaiah 41:10)
• When Tempted to Despair (2 Chronicles 20:15)
• When you fear losing everything (Hebrews 13:5–6)
• When threatened by criticism of your faith (Matthew 10:26)
• When threatened with physical harm (Matthew 10:28)
• When Feeling Worthless and Forgotten (Matthew 10:31)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

BUT THERE IS ONE PROPER FORM OF FEAR…
“The Fear of the Lord”

It is Defined as Extreme Reverence and Awe Toward God
• The “fear of the Lord” is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7)
• The “fear of the Lord” will cause one to hate evil (Pr 8:13)
• The “fear of the Lord” will prolong life (Pr 10:27)
• The “fear of the Lord” is a fountain of life (Pr 14:26-27)
• The “fear of the Lord” leads to a satisfying life, sparing one from much evil (Pr 19:23)
• The “fear of the Lord” is the way to riches, honor, and life! (Pr 22:4)


“The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”

–Oswald Chambers

Calm Enough to Consider

“He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit” (Proverbs 17:27).

IT IS DANGEROUS TO LET OUR MINDS BECOME SO AGITATED THAT WE CAN’T CONSIDER OUR ACTIONS CAREFULLY. Our adversary, the devil, specializes in confusion. He loves to prey upon minds that are torn and upset by multiple worries, and he often has his greatest success in tempting us when we’re so beset by cares that we act on impulse, failing to consider the consequences of our actions.

Solomon observed that “a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.” But how can we have a calm spirit when many stressful things come at us at once, all of which have to be considered? There surely can be no question that this is one of life’s most difficult challenges, and there are no easy answers. Like most difficult things, however, cultivating a calm mind is a matter of training.

Our brains may have a more complicated connection to our spirits than the other parts of the body, but the brain (i.e., the physiological mind) is still a part of the body, and as such, it has to be trained to serve, rather than hinder, the spirit. Naturally unruly and seemingly with a will of its own, the mind has to be put in its place, disciplined, and taught to help us get to heaven.

Training our minds to be calm is like every other kind of training in that it has to be done in small steps. It’s a matter of incremental growth over time. What we do is put ourselves on a deliberate regimen of training, and we “exercise” every day. We find some little thing we can do today to help calm our minds, and that victory encourages us to do the same tomorrow.

At the very least, we need to consciously value a calm spirit. We need to pursue it, and when we find ourselves without it, we need to be wise enough to see the danger we’re in and make godly efforts to recover our calmness as soon as possible. If we can’t always be calm, we can certainly grow in that direction. Today, like every day, there is some step you can take that will lead to a mind that’s more peaceful — and more careful. What is that step?

“A calm mind is a great asset in this life. Without it your devotional life will not bear much fruit. If your heart is troubled, you are vulnerable to the enemy of the soul. When you are agitated, you are not able to make good decisions. You will stumble into snares” (Lawrence Scupoli).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com