"Beloved, when I gave all
diligence to write unto you of
the common salvation, it was
needful for me to write unto
you, and exhort you that ye
should earnestly contend for
the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints.'
-----Jude 3
*************
Two ardent fishermen met on
their vacation and began
swapping stories about the
different places they had
fished, the kind of tackle
used, the best bait, and
finally about some of the fish
they had caught. One of
them told of a vicious battle
he once had with a 300-pound
salmon. The other man
listened attentively. He
frankly admitted he had never
caught anything quite that
big. However, he told about
the time his hook snagged a
lantern from the depths of a
lake.
He said: "the lantern carried
a tag proving it was lost back
in 1912. But the strangest
thing of all was the fact that
it was a waterproof lantern
and the light was still lit
inside of it!"
For a long time the first man
said nothing. Then he
took one long deep breath and
then said to the other man,
"I'll tell you what I'll do,"
he said slowly. "I'll
take 200 pounds off my fish,
if you'll put out the light in
your lantern."
We all enjoy humor, but in the
Body of Christ, we must have
facts of faith and timeless
truths. We are to accept
no doctrines that are like the
"fish stories." Adding to the
words given by inspiration in
the Bible or taking away from
them, changes the full gospel
message God wants us to know.
Many today are teaching new
doctrines from visions they've
had or things seen. Some
cults have been started by
those claiming to have new
revelations given unto them by
an angel. Yet, the Bible
clearly tells us even if an
angel from heaven declare
another gospel than the gospel
of the Lord, let him be
accursed. We must know
what we believe and why we
believe it, in order not to
fall into error.
When we weigh all the many new
teachings and doctrines today
by what the word of the Lord
teaches us, we see many are
weighed in the balances and
found wanting. The basic
foundation of the gospel
message is still
the birth, death, and
resurrection, of the Lord
Jesus Christ as God's plan for
man. "Jesus saves" is
the focus of the gospel
message.
The finished work of Jesus
revolves around the cross of
Calvary, and God's desire for
mankind to come to a saving
knowledge of Him. We
have the good news of the
gospel to share with others.
Jesus came to save, deliver,
and heal. He alone can make
one whole and forgive their
sins. Only He can help
one walk each day in the
light, as He is the light of
the world.
May our desire be to receive
truths that can set us free,
and then act on the truths
which we receive. Truth
makes free, but it is not just
receiving truth, it is what we
do with the truth which is
received. Faith without
works is dead faith. If we
know to do good, but instead
do evil, it is sin and must be
confessed.
We give thanks to our Lord who
was the perfect sacrifice, and
who still saves souls today.
There is power in the name of
Jesus. He is a God who
will never change. Our
Lord will teach us to be
"fishers of men" as we follow
Him In God's Word, we
find timeless truths for tough
times. May He be given
all glory as the way, truth,
and life.
Blessings In Christ,
Jo Ann Kelly © 2006
J. P.'s Inspirations
http://www.my.homewithgod.com/jpinspirations/
