“Where is your Heart?” - Author and Writer Ronald Nelson

BIBLE MEDITATION: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

ENCOURAGING WORD:

A while back my wife and I attended an Octoberfest celebration in our home town of Appleton, Wisconsin, back in October. For some reason this memory entered my mind. As usual, there were over 100,000 in attendance. For the most part it is an exceptionally calm event given the fact that a lot of beer is being consumed. As my wife and I were walking up and down College Ave. where the festival was being held. As in all the previous years, I couldn’t help but notice that the lines at the beer stands were all very log and deep. If you wanted a beer, you had to wait until you got up to the front row which could take a while, so many people bought two beers right away. This year as we were checking out all the tents and food stands, I couldn’t help but notice there was a Christian organization that was actually passing out free Bibles. What struck me as disturbing, but not necessarily surprising, was the fact that there were no people in line for a free Bible. As we walked by the stand that was giving out free Bibles, I noticed how many were on the table. Then on our way back around, I looked again at the table and there didn’t appear to be any less than the first time we walked by. Of all the food stands and other advertising stands that were present at the festival, I felt that this Christian stand had the most to offer anybody passing by, but yet, everybody just passed by this booth as if it didn’t exist. At this point my mind starting focusing on Bible scriptures that really put this into prospective. One that has been jumping out at me a lot lately is found in;

Matthew 7:13-14; “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” 

These two verses put into prospecive of what I had just witnessed. The narrow path to the Bibles was non-existent. Very few if any were there to receive a free Bible. The wide path to the beer was so wide you couldn't get near it. It appears to me that almost everybody has found the way to enjoy the pleasures of this life, but very few have found the way to salvation. Ask yourself this question, do you find more pleasure in a bottle of beer, or in the scriptures of the Bible? I think the answer that most people would give would be alarming. Here is a couple lyrics to a song that many like to sing too. “In heaven there is no beer, that’s why we drink it here.” You know what, there is no beer in hell either, I wouldn’t be too concerned about no beer in heaven, because most of those that drink a lot of beer in excess, most likely will not be in heaven any ways. What I would be more concerned about is hell. There will be no ice cold beer there either. If you end up there, you will be crying out a drop of water from someone’s fingertip, because it will be so hot.

We read this in; Luke 16:24; “Then he (The Rich man) cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’”

This is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus went to Paradise upon leaving this world (Notice he didn’t die, the angels carried him right to Paradise) and the rich man died and went to hell. You will find these verses in Luke 16:19-31, This is a true event because the participants have names. This story is being told by Jesus who witnessed it firsthand. So, if your life’s mission is to drink as much alcohol beverages as you can, enjoy it now, it may not last very long. Now, don’t get me wrong, having an occasional drink now and then is not a sin. It’s when you dink to the point where is changes your personality to someone that you really are not. In other words, do not drink to intoxication.

Scripture does not necessarily forbid a Christian from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. In fact, some passages of Scripture discuss alcohol in positive terms. 

Ecclesiastes 9:7’ instructs, “Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works.”

Psalm 104:14-15 states that God gives wine, “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens man’s heart.”

Amos 9:14; discusses drinking wine from your own vineyard as a sign of God’s blessing. “I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.”

Isaiah 55:1; encourages, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.”

What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness. The Bible does condemn drunkenness and its effects. Christians are also commanded to not allow their bodies to be “mastered” by anything, 1 Corinthians 6:12; “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” If you feel compelled to need a beer often or some other alcoholic beverage, such as alcoholics do, then it turns to an act of sin. We need to be wise with the decisions that we make concerning our bodies.

Drinking alcohol in excess is undeniably addictive. Scripture also forbids a Christian from doing anything that might offend other Christians or encourage them to sin against their conscience.

Matthew 18:7; “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!”

If by drinking an alcoholic beverage you cause a fellow brother to stumble in his walk with Jesus Christ, hear what it says, “woe" to that man through whom the stumbling block comes.

Matthew 18:6; “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

By sinning willfully, we may cause another brother to sin because they may not have any biblical knowledge, so they trust what you are doing is okay, and when they see a brother doing something that could cause one to fall,  “it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck,” God takes His Word very seriously.

This is huge, because many of us do not understand what this is actually saying. If you, as a true born again Christian, are out socially with unbelievers, it is not wise to drink anything alcoholic in front of them, especailly if they know that you are a Christian. Let me explain why. If the unbeliever feels it is fine to drink alcohol as a Christian because you are, you could be sending him or her a message that drinking is okay, but they most likely won’t understand that drinking to the point where it alters your true self, is indeed sinful. If you are a true witness for God, then drinking in public could lead others to believe it is okay. Here is where it can be deceiving. Maybe someone won’t become a Christian because they feel they can’t have a drink, so it is good to keep that thought in mind when entertaining non-Christians. If they are told they can drink, then they may become a believer under false pretenses. If they become a believer for that reason, then they are not a true believer. We, as Christians have to conduct ourselves in a way that serves the Lord in everything that we do. In other words, I’m sure that Jesus would not join us at a bar. It’s not where Christians should hang out. Look at it this way, before you go somewhere or do something, ask yourself this question, (Would Jesus go with me?)

Let me share a story that took place a few years ago. When I first committed my life to serving Jesus, I went in all the way, which meant staying completely away from alcohol or any other acts of sin that I was addicted to. I had a bunch of friends that I would golf with, and after the round of golf we would go into the club house for some refreshments after golf. I would always have coke or some other soft drink. Everybody else had a beer and never once did I say it was wrong or give them the insinuation that it was. They could all handle a beer or two without altering their mind. I once asked the guys, “what would you think if I had a beer?” One guy replied, it would bother him to see you drink alcohol. He had such a high respect for me with my commitment to serve the Lord that they didn’t want me to set a precedence that it was okay for a Chrisian to drink alcohol. I was an example to him. So, for a long time I went without any alcohol whatso-ever. I will say now, that when I am in this group, I will have an occasional beer, but just one. But when I am with people that are outsides of this group and don’t know much about me other than the fact that I am a Christian, I will not order a beer. That’s what it means when it says, “do not cause a person to stumble,” stay the course that God would prefer that you follow. Be as perfect of an example as you can be in the presence of others, especially unbelievers. To make this simple is this, have a beer if you really enjoy one, but watch out who is watching you. I can personally say, if I had enough alcohol, that would alter my personality. I’m afraid I would become what I use to be. I said goodbye to that man a long time ago, and I don’t ever want to feel that way again.

In light of these principles, it would be extremely difficult for any Christian to say he is drinking alcohol in excess to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31; “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

I don’t see where having a beer could ever bring glory to God, however, I don’t believe it is a sin either, but it could lead to sin. Jesus changed water into wine. It even seems that Jesus drank wine on occasion, how strong of as wine, we will never know.  

John 2:1-10; “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

Don’t ever think that drinking alcohol is okay because Jesus did. If that is the way you feel, then make sure that you live the rest of your life in the same way, as Jesus did. You can’t pick and choose what ways of life you want to live, and then ignore the ones that you don’t like. That is what organized religions do.

In New Testament times, the water was not very clean. Without modern sanitation, the water was often filled with bacteria, viruses, and all kinds of contaminants. The same is true in many developing countries today. As a result, people often drank wine (or grape juice) because it was far less likely to be contaminated.

In; 1 Timothy 5:23; “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

Paul instructed Timothy to stop drinking water exclusively (which was probably causing his stomach problems) and instead drank wine. In that day, wine was fermented (containing alcohol), but not necessarily to the degree it is today. It is incorrect to say that it was grape juice, but it is also incorrect to say that it was the same thing as the wine commonly used today. Again, Scripture does not forbid Christians from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. Alcohol is not, in and of itself, tainted by sin. It is drunkenness and addiction to alcohol that a Christian must absolutely refrain from. Alcohol, consumed in small quantities, is neither harmful nor addictive for most people—the exception being are those who struggle with addiction. Some doctors advocate drinking small amounts of red wine for its health benefits, especially for the heart. Consumption of small quantities of alcohol is a matter of Christian freedom. Drunkenness and addiction are sin. However, due to the biblical concerns regarding alcohol and its effects, due to the easy temptation to consume alcohol in excess, and due to the possibility of causing a brother to stumble, it is often best for a Christian to abstain from drinking alcohol.

We also read in; Isaiah 5:11; “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may follow intoxicating drink; who continue until night, till wine inflames them!”  

What do we think it means when the Bible says “woe”, it’s not a good thing. Isaiah 5:22 also reflects on the topic of alcohol, “Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink.” Here are a few other woe statements found in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 5:20-21; “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent (intelligent) in their own sight!”

Our world is full of this type of personality. Everybody seems to know so much, but when you peel back the onion, they are as ignorant as a rock. I come across people quite often that think they know all about God and His Word that have never opened a Bible. Their intelligence definitely comes from the world, not the Word of God.

Romans 12:2; tells us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

The only way to find that acceptable and perfect will of God for your life is to be in the Word of God daily. Anything that you hear outside of Biblical teaching may be false doctrine concocted by teachers that claim to be servants of the most high, when in reality they are demonically indwelled people parading around as an Angel of light.

We read in; 2 Corinthians 11:14; “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” Satan, himself can appear as an angel of light, and if you are not grounded in the truth of the Bible, you will be deceived as many are today.

So, let me ask you, “where is your heart”? The answer that you give yourself will be clear evidence of where you stand with Jesus Christ. Receiving Jesus Christ does not mean that you cannot enjoy life, God wants us to have life and have it more abundantly. The following verse is very clear as to how you find that perfect balance in life,

Matthew 6:33; “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” 

I’ll end with these Words by the Apostle Peter who really sums it all up.

Serving for God’s Glory

1 Peter 4:7-5:14; “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Here Peter is speaking to the Christians concerning the end of days, which I might add, we are clearly in. Also, those that are in reference here are the Jewish messianic believers, and the Gentile believers. We as the Body of Christ, are to have fervent love for one another. Sadly, I don’t see this among the Christian believers. God has given each true believer a gift that we should use to minister to others, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. I would have to say that todays so-called Christas are missing the mark on this one. I can see this as I minister to the glory of God. I have lost most of my unbelieving friends, but more depressing to me is the fact that there are many so-called Christians that care for me either. Most people that say they serve God, think that they are above everybody else that also serves God, so they don’t want to hear what each other has to say, because they don’t want to feel inferior to another Christian. They feel that they need to compete with each other as to how much more knowledge that they have. A real true believer in Jesus will feel an immediate bond to another Christian if they are truly born again. 

Suffering for God’s Glory

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”

This is the part of being a Christin that nobody really enjoys. God has promised the true believer that we will suffer persecution as well as being put through fiery trials as it states in the verse that I just read. Most everybody will suffer some kind of affliction throughout life. There are those that will suffer from self-inflicting matter, such as murder, and other ways of breaking the law, which should be the case. Then there are those that will suffer just because of their commitment to Jesus Christ. (No other reason) In our world in many areas, it is a bigger crime to serve Jesus Christ than to commit some other breaking of the law. Here is another verse that we as Christians don’t necessarily like to hear, but it ends on a very comforting note;

John 33:16; “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Jesus is promising Christians that we will go through trials in this life, but we need not worry, because Jesus has already overcome all the tribulation that we will suffer. This is not referring to the great tribulation by the way, Christians will not be here during that time.

Shepherd the Flock

“The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”

We, as born again believers should be a witness to Christ in everything that we do. We should set the example for others to follow. We should witness by our walk and when necessary, talk! I know a lot of people don’t feel comfortable talking, so if you are one of those, make sure that you witness by your walk. You can do this by how you react to certain situations that come up. Where most people will fly off the edge, we need to react rationally and calmly in the same way as Jesus would have. After all, we are to transform into the image of Jesus Christ and one of the best ways is to remain calm under any circumstances that may hit you. I’m not saying that this is easy, but it is what we should strive for. 

2 Corinthians 3:18; “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” It’s obvious that we will never transform into the same likeness of Jesus Christ this side of heaven, but that should be our goal. 

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Where it say in the last few verse, “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Know this, I believe God hates pride more than any other sin. Pride brings about much sin. Here are a few verses that most people will avoid,

Mark 7:20-23; “And He (Jesus) said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Notice pride is on this list. Pride has brought about many tragedies in our world since the beginning of time, starting with Satan.

Isaiah 14:12-15; “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart:‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,To the lowest depths of the Pit.”

It is obvious that Satan had so much pride that he felt he could be honored as the most high just like God. That is where pride most likely started. Read again what Satan said, “‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”

And what did God say to him? Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.” This will be the same destination for those that put pride before wisdom.  

Proverbs 16:18; “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 29:23; “A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.”

Back in my younger days, I was quite proudful. I thought I was pretty good, but what I don’t realize was this, everything that I had was given to me by God and I didn’t give Him the glory He deserved. So the day finally came where He took it all away from be and brought me down to earth. I praise God that He did, otherwise I don’t think that I would have ever trusted in Jesus Christ the way I do today. Many of us have to be knocked down before God will pick us up. I could get into story after story in the Bible where God had to knock someone down before He could use them. A couple of names just to give you an idea of who they were, Moses, King David, The Apostle Paul, King Nebuchadnezzar, The Patriarch Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob and the list goes on and on. These are pretty big names where the Bible is concerned.    

Farewell and Peace

1 Peter 3:10-11; “For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.”

Philippians 4:9; “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

I could go on forever sharing the Word of God, because as I use verses to support what I teach, they always bring up another lesson that I could expand on. I feel like I could write another book, but most people will not open a book and read it where they may be more apt to read a short teaching on line.

I’ll end with this; you will find blessing beyond anything that you can imagine when you truly submit your life over to Jesus Christ!  The retirement plan is also very good! So, seek His face today and call out His name and ask Him to come into your heart. He is just waiting to hear from you! It’s your move. The choice is yours! 

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all." 

May God bless you all and take care! Amen!