Tag: breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs – The Question Why

The question…”why, if God is good, did “this” happen?”  Sometimes it is framed as “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

Mary, the mother of Jesus, could have asked that question when Jesus was crucified.  “Why, when my Son was a carpenter, who did useful work with his hands until he was thirty and then began a ministry of teaching and healing and blessing people, why did he die on a cross?

Looking back, we now know why, but at the time, it could have been a question.

II Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

John the Baptist recognized why Jesus came.

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

But that was Jesus.  What about the rest of us?

There are promises in the Bible.  There are commands.  There are if…then clauses.   We need to be reading the Bible, praying, going to church, and examining our ways to come more in line with God’s Word.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

 

I Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Hebrews 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

“Breadcrumbs” is published at irregular times.  You can find all prior posts by putting the word “Breadcrumbs” in the search box in the upper right hand corner.

Breadcrumbs – The body of Christ

 

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

I Corinthians 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

 

 

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. This involves finding a good local church where the Lord directs each individual to go and receive as well as participate. God sees the church as a body that functions as one. This is why we need to participate in the life of the church, of the body of Christ, with attending, giving, and serving.

Thinking about the natural human body gives a good example.  Every part of the natural human body is present as part of the whole, it serves a certain part of the whole, as well as receives from the whole. The heart pumps the blood. Oxygen is given to the heart via the lungs and blood cells that carry oxygen. The nerves and muscles and organs function together. None function in isolation. As a matter of fact, if a body part is removed, that part dies, it cannot live on its own.  If God directs a person to a certain church, the life found in giving and serving, and receiving, will be there.

Regardless of whether someone “feels” that they can “make it on their own” without church, God’s viewpoint is the one that prevails. His ways are higher than our ways, his thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9).  God’s thoughts and ways are found throughout the Word of God.  Life is found in obedience to the Word of God.

Note:  Use the search function to find all other posts under the “Breadcrumbs” heading.

Breadcrumbs – You Must Be Born Again

Brooklyn Museum - Interview between Jesus and Nicodemus (Entretien de Jésus et de Nicodème) - James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum – Interview between Jesus and Nicodemus (Entretien de Jésus et de Nicodème) – James Tissot

As of today, 10.18.25, additional posts will appear from time to time under the heading “Breadcrumbs”.  This will be in addition to whatever other posting appears for the day.  If you wish to find all “Breadcrumb” posts you can put “Breadcrumbs” in the search box in the upper right hand corner.  These will be short messages, covering one point, with scriptures.

Today’s lesson is on salvation.  Jesus said to Nicodemus, “ye must be born again”.

The reason for that is that mankind lost its created position with God in the Garden of Eden; the loss of fellowship with God came through disobedience and sin.  This break in fellowship has been passed down generation after generation.

It is spiritual. It is not natural, but we can understand it in a natural sense if we understand genetics.  A genetic characteristic is passed down generation after generation; is not something someone can overcome by works.  For example, no matter how hard someone works, a person cannot change eye color through works, and neither can we change the state of sin we are born in through religious works.

A broken, fallen state, which David described as “in sin my mother did conceive me”, has been passed down from generation to generation.  The only way to escape is to be born again, to be born of the spirit of the living God; God the Father, through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  This is why Jesus said, “I am the way”.  It is only through Jesus that this can happen.  How?

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Believe…confess…be saved…be born again.