Disciple - Follow Me

 Disciple

June 18, 2025

Matthew 4:19

19 And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Where were you when you heard the call to “follow Me”? I was in a forest preserve in Illinois when the Lord made His voice known to me. I suppose it was some time after that when I began to understand the seriousness of the call and began to prepare myself. Of course I had lots of help with excellent pastors and teachers that disciples me and taught me many of the things that I need to know to serve the Lord. Since then, I have learned that being a disciple is not a one time thing that you can go to Bible school for, but is a lifelong quest. Every day you need to seek the Lord and ask where it is that you do. “Follow Me” is something that you need to listen for every morning. Where should I go? Who should I speak to? What Bible verse should I study? It’s a never ending task until He calls us home, but is rewarding when you see all the marvelous things that He does. I’ve been places and done things that I could never have imagined because I decided to follow Him. It’s an adventure and I’m glad I heard His voice. It’s not always easy, but it’s always rewarding. So listen for His voice, and go when he says “Follow me”.

Examine

 Examine

June 17, 2025

Galatians 6:3-4

3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reasonfor boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.

1 Corinthians 11:28-29

28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats anddrinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.

Yesterday we talked about a clean heart. Today I want to talk about clean teeth. After I wrote yesterday’s blog, I went to the dentist. That was a good life lesson on what a thorough examination entails. Fist they lay you back and shine a bright spotlight in your face. You can’t really move or see anything, and then they break out the scary, sharp instruments and proceed to poke, prod and scrape. This time they even used the laser scalpel to cut away some offending matter. Then they may want to take an X-ray to look beneath the surface at things that can’t even be seen with the naked eye.  Now thats a thorough examination!

So are you willing to undergo such a though exam of your heart? In Galatians, Paul talks about how easy it is to deceive yourself, but if you want to be able to serve the Lord and have something genuine to boast about, you need examine yourself. The Lord can use anyone, but first He must examine you and prepare your heart. Humility is required, boasting of your own self worth is deception if you don’t first examine your own work to see if it worthy or not. Once you allow the Lord to examine your heart and scrape away the toxic buildup from the world, then He can use you to do things that you can truly boast about. You can boast in the Lord and the great things that He has done as long as you realize that it His gift and working and that we, in ourselves, can do nothing.

Clean Heart

 Clean Heart

June 16, 2025

Proverbs 16:2 (NASB95)

 Allthe ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives.

Psalms 51:10-13 (NASB95) 

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not takeYour Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.

In a recent Bible class, we were studying how to prepare our heart to serve the Lord. The Lord requires a clean heart, but how do we know we have a clean heart? According to the Proverbs, all of our ways are clean in our own sight, but that does not make it so! It is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that everything is OK and that we don’t need to change or clean up anything. That is nearly always incorrect. The only way to know for sure that we have a clean heart is to seek the Lord and ask Him to show us what is truly in our heart. Psalm 51 is a good example of where King David had to face up to his own iniquity and confess his wrongdoing. Only by facing the truth and taking responsibility was he able to then ask the Lord for a clean heart. So if we desire to serve the Lord, we need to first ask Him to examine our hearts and help us acknowledge any impurity there. Once we face up to the truth, then He can forgive us and give us a clean heart and we will be able to lead sinners to be converted to the Lord.

Illness

 Illness

June 11, 2025

I’ve been a Christian for over 50 years, but I still have questions. When I was first saved, one of the burning questions was “can a christian have a demon?” The mainstream church at that time didn’t even believe that demons existed, but the fledgling charismatic movement taught that demons did exist and that they could oppress christians and that you could pray for deliverance and be healed. A related questions would be “Can a Christian get sick?”. There is not must disagreement on this one as most everyone has experienced illness. But a more important questions in “Can a Christian be healed? And will he always be healed, and if not, why not?” When Jesus sent out his disciples to pray for people, he grouped together deliverance and healing, so he expected them to be able to both deliver and heal in the Name of Jesus. So if this is the case, then why do Christians get sick an why don’t they always get healed?  The scripture admonition is clear:

James 5:13-15

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to singpraises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

So it’s clear that if you call on the elders to pray, the prayer of faith will heal you. So why are we still sick? It’s a relevant question for my because I came back from vacation with a summer cold. That’s really nothing serious, only unpleasant, but why do we experience such hardships? Some say lack of faith hinders your prayers, and there could be something to that, but sometimes when we pray in all the faith that we possess, we still don’t see healing, at least right away. It is also said that the Lord answers prayer in three ways, yes, no or not now. The “Not now” answer is the hardest because our sense of time is not the same as the Lords’. We want things to happen right now and often there is a purpose for us to endure a hardship for a season. The famous example of this is Paul’s thorn in the flesh:

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 - A Thorn in the Flesh

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me fromexalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

We are never told exactly what this is, but it could have been some sort of infirmity or disability. Paul certainly had lots of faith, who why wasn’t he healed? As I said in the opening, I have questions. Paul’s answer is that His grace is sufficient, and that power is perfected in weakness. So maybe there is a purpose in suffering. Anyway, that is one of life’s unanswered questions of why Christians are not always healed. Maybe when we get to heaven we will understand these things, but for how it remains a mystery.

Anyway, we are commanded to pray for the sick and to cast out demons, so we need to do that in faith, and let the results remain with the Lord. We need to have the most faith that we can muster, but need to depend on the Holy Spirit for the power to heal and deliver. Sometimes, we see great miracles, and sometimes not, which reminds us that we are only human, but the He is able! 

All Things Work Together for Good

 All Things Work Together for Good

June 8, 2025

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

When we look around at our circumstances and the condition of the world around us, we see difficulties, disease and death. So what do we make of this verse that promises that all things work together for good? Paul was aware of suffering in this world as he continued later in this same chapter with this verse.

Romans 8:35

35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

So tribulation, distress, etc. are clearly all around, so what is good about it? 

First of all, there is the modifier, “God causes”. There are many things in the world that cause us problems, Satan, The Fall, enemies, even just bad luck, but it is God that works good out of everything. The second modifier is “those who love God”. It is reserved for those who love God, who are close to the heart of God, to receive special consideration. God loves you and wants your good. The third modifier is “who are called according to His purpose.” It is God’s purpose that is working out in your life that is good. Trials and difficulties may frustrate your plans, but it is often the case that the hard times prepare us for God’s purpose. In our wedding ceremony, a word was given to us that we would minister to others out of the things that we suffered. I think this it true for all of us. Going though hard times gives us a perspective and understanding to be able to minister to others in similar circumstances. 

The bottom line is that God loves us and uses all things to work in our lives to fulfill His purpose. In the end, we remember that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. So be encouraged, if you are experiencing hard times, that God loves you and will keep you as the apple of His eye through all things, and hide you in the shadow of His wings.

Psalms 17:7-8

7 Wondrously show Your lovingkindness,

O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand

From those who rise up against them.

8 Keep me as the apple of the eye;

Hide mein the shadow of Your wings

Friends

 Friends

June 5, 2025

Proverbs 17:17 (NASB95) A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

Friends and brothers. One of the blessings of vacation travel is the opportunity to rekindle old friendships. There are friends and brothers in the Lord that have gone through many trials with us. It’s good to reconnect and remember past victories and to be there to support them in current adversity. Life happens and trials come and go, so it’s good to have friends to stand with you in all times. It’s easy to forget those who you don’t see every day, but it is good to be reminded of those who have stood with you through thick and thin, and to remember to pray for them in their current struggles. So, Lord, thank you for friends and brothers, and may we always remember to be thankful for them and remember them in our prayers.

The Eyes of Your Heart

 Eyes of Your Heart

June 4, 2025

Ephesians 1:18-21 (NASB95) 

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

In the first chapter of Ephesians, we run across this rather unusual phrase, “the eyes of your heart”. How do we see with our heart? Perhaps Paul was recalling the commission that the Lord gave him on the road to Damascus; to open the eyes of the people:

Acts 26:15-18

15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Open the eyes of your heart, that you may be enlightened. Jesus said that the eyes are the lamp of the body. They let the light in. So to enlighten your heart you need to let the light in. Let in the light, the hope and the knowledges of His glory and greatness. We can’t see the Lord and His greatness with our physical eyes, but with the eyes of our heart we can truly see how magnificent He is. It is only with spiritual vision that you can see the Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. We don’t see these powers and dominions with our physical eyes either, but in order to do spiritual warfare against them, we need to have spiritual vision, to see how much greater the Lord is than these demonic powers. 

When our spiritual eyes are opened, we can battle in heavenly places to bring healing and deliverance into the earthly realm. It is seeing this power that enables us to preach the gospel to the people to open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light and to free them from the dominion of Satan. Many in the world are oppressed by these powers and authorities, so we are the ones called to bring the light of the gospel to them and help them to open the eyes of their heart. People need healing and deliverance and and when we see the spiritual realities of the Kingdom of God, we can bring that kingdom power to open their eyes to see and receive the glory of the Lord. So today, may the eyes of your heart be opened that you may see, and help others to see, the glory and majesty and power of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and to help many others to enter the Kingdom of God and to live in liberty.

Grandchildren

 Grandchildren

June 2, 2025

Psalms 103:15-18 (NASB95) 15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer. 17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, 18 To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them.

Psalms 128:5-6 (NASB95) 5 The LORD bless you from Zion, And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 Indeed, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!

One of the rewards of a long life is seeing your grandchildren. The Bible calls it a blessing to see your children’s children, and to see them blessed as well. Probably the most important part of your legacy is seeing your children and grandchildren prosper. We pray for them often, but it is a special blessing to spend some time with them and see them enjoy themselves and rejoice in their accomplishments. So peace be upon you, and your children, and your children’s children.

Family

 Family

June 1, 2025

Matthew 12:46-50

Changed Relationships

46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” 48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

The problem with a family vacation is family. They are the people that know you best, they know all of your faults and foibles, which can lead to problems. Even Jesus had issues with his family from time to time. In the story in Matthew the implication is that Jesus’ family had come to take him away, “speak with him”, because they thought he was making a spectacle of himself. You know what it means when your mother wants to “speak with you”! Then there was the time when he gave His first sermon at his home synagogue in Nazareth when his closest friends and family tried to throw Him off of a cliff. Talk about rejection! Anyway, sometimes it is those closest to you who resist you the most. 

But in the end, they are also your best supporters. James the brother of Jesus became the bishop of the church in Jerusalem and turned into a pillar of the church once he saw who Jesus really is. And of course, his Mother Mary, stuck with him through everything and was present at the crucifixion, which had to be extremely painful for her to watch. 

Bottom line is that family is your family, and you only get one! You support one another, even as you fight with each other. You all know how brothers fight with one another, but if an outsider picks on one, the others all pitch in to defend him. So cherish your family and do your best to get along and support one another. One day you begin to see them pass away and you don’t want to have regrets about things that you didn’t say that you should have. You want to have good memories of the times you spent together and fond images of places you have gone together. My immediate family is all gone now, but I remember the summers we spent in Colorado visiting family and exploring the mountains with our cousins. Those were good times that built up strong relationships. Now that they are gone I still have those memories to hold on to to know that I had a good family and that I was loved. Much of what I am today is the result of what my mother and father taught me and what my sister and brother-in-law poured into my life. So I am grateful and appreciate the times that I have with my own family now, even when they get on my nerves, they are still my family, and i love them.

Sea Shore

 Sea Shore

May 31, 2025

Matthew 4:18-19

The First Disciples

18Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 13:1-2

1 Thatday Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

The sea figured prominently in Jesus’ ministry. In Matthew 4 we see where He called his first disciples while walking by the Sea of Galilee. And in the other verse, we see where He preached to a large crowd on the sea shore. Then, of course, there is the story about crossing the sea when a fierce storm blew up. “Peace, be still…” seems an appropriate expression while sitting by the sea. The waves today don’t need to be rebuked, just watched and admired, which brings a peace of its own.

Walking by the sea and sitting on the shore brings a peace and a sense of he presence of God. The vastness of the ocean brings a sense of your won smallness and the greatness of God. He created all that the eye can see, and many things that the eye cannot see. He is a great God. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praises, is how the Psalmist put it, and I agree!  So wherever you find yourself today, look at nature and get a sense of the greatness and majesty of the Lord.

Rest

 Rest

May 30, 2025

Matthew 11:28-29

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentleand humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

Mark 6:31-32

31 And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) 32 They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.

Yesterday we took a tongue in cheek look at vacations. But today let us look more seriously at rest. Even when you are doing the Lord’s work, the pressure and stress of constant activity can get to you. Even Jesus and His disciples needed to get away for awhile to rest from their labors. In Mark it ways that so many people were crowding around them, seeking to hear Jesus’ teaching and receive healing, that they were exhausted. The went away on a boat to get away from it all and rest awhile. So there is a Biblical example for taking a vacation, taking a break from all the activity and just resting.

The passage in Matthew is a bit more spiritual. There Jesus is teaching about resting from sin. The evil and sin around you can weight on your soul, but when you come to Jesus and He forgives you, you can rest easy. Your soul feels lighter when relieved of the weight of sin and shame. So another important aspect of resting in the Lord is to take His yoke upon you, Listen to His guidance, enter into the gentle and humble ways of His heart and you will find rest for your souls.

  

Vacation

 Vacation

May 29, 2025

Vaca-t-ion- from the Latin vaca, cow, T for Taurus the bull, and ion is a charged particle. So vacation is coming for us like a charging bull! At least it looks like that. So far we have had lightening, thunder, rain and road construction. But at least we’re safe.  But what about rest? Isn’t vacationing supposed to be about rest?

The writer of Hebrews talks about rest.

Hebrews 4:8-12

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the peopleof God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

He promises a Sabbath rest for the people of God, but he also says that we must diligently enter that rest, so that doesn’t sound much like a vacation! He goes on to say that the answer is in the Word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, so the answer lies there if we can perceive it.

Anyway, we are off to pursue whatever “vacation” means in this day and age. Hopefully, that will include good times with the family, making good memories, with the faint hope that there will be a little rest involved! So school’s out, you have a little time off of work, so enjoy vacation time, but remember to keep the Word of God included to judge the thoughts and intentions of your heart.

All the Days of My Life

 All the Days of My Life 

May 27, 2025

Psalms 27:4-6 (NASB95) 

4 One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. 5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of Histent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. 6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

Psalms 27:13-14 (NASB95) 

13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD;Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

On this day, seventy six years ago, in a small town in Illinois, Mother Brillhart delivered a baby boy. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, but my prayer is still the same as King David in Psalm 27: “That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life”. I’ve gone a lot of places and done a lot of things in these 76 years, but one thing remains the same, it is a joy to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his presence. There are many times that “I would have despaired, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” None of us know the numer of our days and Proverbs 27 warns us not to boast:

Proverbs 27:1 (NASB95) Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

So wait for the Lord, be strong and have courage, and sing praises the the Lord. That’s all that really matters.