Some secret sin has long been eating its way to the heart!

(J.R. Miller)

"You have placed our iniquities before You--our secret sins in the light of Your presence!" Psalm 90:8

It does not take a rifle-bullet to destroy a life. Men have died from little scratch-wounds.

Some shepherds once saw an eagle soar out from a crag. It flew majestically far up into the sky, but by and by became unsteady in its motions, and began to waver in its flight. At length one wing drooped and then the other, and the poor bird struggled vainly for a moment, and then fell swiftly to the ground. The shepherds sought the fallen bird, and found that a poisonous little serpent had fastened itself upon it while it rested on the crag. The eagle did not know that the serpent was there. But the reptile gnawed in through the feathers, and while the proud monarch was sweeping through the air, the serpent's fangs were thrust into its flesh, and the eagle came reeling down into the dust!

This illustrates the story of many a human life. For a time they seem quite promising; then suddenly they struggle and fall. Some secret sin has long been eating its way to the heart, and at last the proud life lies soiled and dishonored in the dust!

We need to be ever on our watch against these treacherous and insidious perils, these little, secret sins--which, unperceived, work death in the soul!

gracegems.org

Head Knowledge Or Heart Transformation?

There is no Barna survey that I'm aware of that can or has determined, with any sort of accuracy, the percentage of Christians in the world. You can, however, find statistics of this nature to prove any point you desire to make. Statistics regarding the condition of the heart are only as good as what is spoken through the mouth.
The only One capable of an accurate knowledge of every human heart is

Search the Scriptures!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and searched the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11

The Greek word translated search signifies a strict, close, diligent, curious search--the kind men make when they are seeking gold, or hunters when they are in pursuit of game. We must not be content with giving a superficial glance to one or two chapters--but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the meaning of the Word. Holy Scripture requires searching--much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babies--but also meat for strong men. The rabbis wisely say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every word.

The person who merely skims the Book of God will not profit from it. We must dig and mine until we obtain the treasure! The door of the Word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures demand to be searched. They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur--who shall dare to treat them casually? To despise them is to despise the God who wrote them. God forbid that any of us should allow our Bibles to become witnesses against us in the great day of account!

The Word of God will repay searching. God does not ask us to sift through a mountain of chaff with only here and there a grain of wheat in it--but filled with hidden treasures. Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye--it glows with splendor of revelation, like a vast temple paved with gold and roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all kinds of priceless gems!

Finally, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: "These very Scriptures testify about Me!" No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers than this: He who finds Jesus finds life, Heaven, and all things. Happy are they who, in searching the Bible, discover their Savior!

gracegems.org

Why Do Young People Leave the Church?

I've read many articles and heard several messages from pastors regarding why young men and women leave the church after or shortly after high school or college. Being concerned as well, I've even written on this subject myself. With no formal training or education in youth or young adult ministry, all I had to go on was what has been seen and done in churches and some personal experiences as well throughout my 20 plus years of being a Christian myself. 

While doing a bit of research related to youth ministries in different churches and different denominations it seemed easy to find a multitude of causes within the ministry of the church and even in the homes of young people as to why this group has drifted away from the church or even rejecting the church altogether. It was quite disappointing to find that even though many of these young adults were raised from childhood in the church there was no real connection to the church. A lack of faith, however, was all to common. 

After listening to discussions of pastors and ministry leaders that addressed the many possible errors that existed and how to locate and fix what was broken in the youth ministry, my thoughts shifted to a different question. 

Why do youth and young adults STAY in the church and serve faithfully in the ministry of our Lord?

It's quite easy to find fault and error when something isn't working or isn't productive. Could it be that a focus on why young people love the Lord and why they are devoted to His service be a more beneficial effort in figuring out this generation of seeming faithlessness?

One reason I found that young people stay in the church today and serve God faithfully was a deep and true understanding of scripture. 

In short, they have been equipped and not entertained. 

Equipped for the ministry, for the building up of the body through the ministry of the saints.

This younger generation did not stay devoted to the ministry of our Lord simply because other believers loved and cared for them more or because church was fun and cool as some would like to believe.

It was however, that........

They KNEW, that they themselves were sinners and deserved the punishment Christ endured on the cross because of their sin. 

They UNDERSTOOD that Christ endured a beating and a gruesome death on the cross and was raised from death so they could be set free from the sin that they once enjoyed so much. 

They TRUSTED that Christ loved them, and that their eternity with Christ was secured when they REPENTED and turned away from their sin and put their FAITH in Christ alone. 

They BELIEVED with all their heart that Christ not only died in their place but that they could do nothing to earn salvation. 

They regularly READ and STUDIED God's word resulting in a greater faith and love for Christ.

They were deeply THANKFUL for Gods GRACE that gave them what they didn't deserve; eternal life.

They SAW a true love for God modeled before their very eyes in those who trusted the Word and lived it out.

So the real understanding comes when we focus on the most important question, 'Why do people stay?'

Only God can bring about these things in the lives of people who have died to themselves and have put aside their own efforts to be saved.

Are you serious about putting aside your own personal desires and pursuing a life that glorifies God?