LOCKET VERSES         WEEK 35

What a marvelous assurance verse we have for today.  One of the main reasons that our witness is so vital to an unsaved world, is that in their death they have no hope.  One of the questions most asked in door to door witnessing is: "If you would die today, are you sure you would go to Heaven?"  Only the born again Christian can answer that with a calm, assured, "Yes."  The most common answers are: "I’m not sure," "I don’t know," "I think so," or "If anyone can make it, I probably will."  The Bible tells us we can KNOW so!  John 5:13, assures the believer: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life...  Our hope is a sure and certain hope based upon the promises of God and the accomplishment of Christ, on the Cross of Calvary when He paid for our sins, and in the triumph of the Resurrection.  While all men are under the sentence of death for sin, at redemption we were set free and given the sentence of life everlasting!  This precious hope of life after death is the shining jewel in our promises from God.  Every moment of every day, I have the absolute assurance that "my hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus and His righteousness!"  The Word of God is filled with HOPE for the believer.  Hope gives peace and confidence in the Lord.  This is one of the reasons that Satan tries so hard to steal this priceless jewel from us.  If he can make us doubt and question the promises of God and our security as a believer, he knows that he will have started us down the road of discouragement and despair.  When he whispers in your spiritual ear: "Are you sure you are saved?  What if there isn't really a place called Heaven," then challenge him from the Word of God and claim your full assurance of hope!  The Scripture tells us: ...have hope toward God. .that there shall be a resurrection of the dead (Acts 24:15), the hope which is laid up for you in heaven (Colossians 1:5), which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast... (Hebrews 6:19)  God stakes His very reputation on this hope of eternal life, regarding which He states: ...in which it was impossible for God to lie! (Hebrews 6:18)  If Satan or anyone else tries to tell you to doubt eternal security, they are really saying that God has lied to you in His Word.  Since we know that this can not be true, we can have absolute, positive confidence in the hope of Glory!  This assurance made Peter shout: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (I Peter 1:3)  Paul also proclaimed: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)  God, Himself, speaks: And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. (Revelation 14:13)  Praise the Lord, when we are saved and receive the righteousness of Christ, we have hope in our death!  Each night, I can rest in peace; each day I can accept what God brings to me.  My hope is real, because my God is real!

Wholesome is a good old fashioned word that we don’t hear very often anymore.  It used to be a compliment to say that a young lady was wholesome.  Now most women would turn up their noses at such a description.  It is not because the meaning of the word has changed, but because so few today would put a premium on wholesomeness.  The dictionary defines the word as meaning: "tending to promote health...favorable to morals, religion, or prosperity: salutary; free from risk."  Used in the descriptive sense, especially of a lady, the word means that she is full of health, physically and spiritually, that her morals and character are pure and evidenced by her speech and actions.  What a wonderful compliment a lady was paid by the word "wholesome."  That is the kind of tongue we are supposed to have: a manner of speech that would be favorable to morals and healthful to the listener.  It would show forth the spiritual prosperity of the speaker and be a blessing to all.  We could listen to a person with a wholesome tongue with no fear of risk to our own spirit.  But with a person who is perverse in speech, we are always in danger of "a breach in the spirit," a wounding of our spirit within.  Have you ever been around someone whose speech was such that you were never certain what words would issue forth from their mouths and noticed the unrest in your spirit.  Peace in my spirit is a precious thing to me and I do not want the ugly words of another person to rob me of it for one moment!  But to be around a person with a wholesome tongue is just the opposite, they are a blessing to your spirit and a joy to your heart.  Their words are like the healing leaves of the tree of life, they minister deep within.  When the wholesome tongue speaks in front of the unsaved, it witnesses for the Lord.  It is not just the direct words of testimony that are a witness, but every word the person speaks.  It is that very demeanor of speech that characterizes the person whose tongue is given to the Lord to speak in a lovely and pleasant way.  They can be used to bring the message of life to someone dead in their sins, that they might partake of the Tree of Life and be saved.  Then to the saved, the wholesome tongue is used to minister comfort, encouragement, and spiritual enlightenment.  It can be like the Tree of Life in dispensing nourishing fruit to the listener.  What a blessing a wholesome tongue will be, not just to the listeners, but also to the one who uses it.  It will add grace and honor to its user.  Lord, my tongue can be used either for Your Glory or for my shame.  Please train my tongue aright, that it might be wholesome and minister to others.  Let each word be like a little seed of Your Tree of Life, used by You to accomplish Your will.  Help my life to be pure and morally upright, that my tongue might speak from a heart given totally to You.  If there are angry or improper words that need to be rooted out of my life, then Lord, be a husbandman to my spirit, that my tongue would speak forth the words that would be lovely and of good report.  Give me a wholesome tongue today, guard it well, and let it be used to Your honor.  Help me to be ever conscious of the words I speak.  Let them not be arrows of wounding, but sweet missiles of love and kindness.  Don’t let it be just the words that I speak, but the manner in which I say them.  Lord, I want to honor You with my tongue today!

Let’s go on a visit today.  We are going to call on two houses in our neighborhood.  One is the home of Mr. Saved and the other of Mr. Wicked.  From a distance, both houses look costly, but let’s get closer.  Oh, look, how lovely, on the outside of the house of Mr. Saved.  The gardens are all in bloom and the pathways are laid with pleasant stones, all sparkling clean in the sunlight.  The door is standing open, inviting us to come right in.  How pleasant it is inside, just as clean and lovely as the outside was.  It is filled with music and happy sounds.  Joy lives here you know.  Look at the furnishings, they are absolutely lovely, so graceful and full of beauty.  Treasures?  The house is full of them: see the smiling children, feel the love that abounds, notice the peace that adorns every aspect of the home.  There are treasures that the eye can see and many more that it can not, those that are laid up in Heaven above.  This visit has been really pleasant, in fact, if we did not have another appointment, it would be hard to leave.  But there is the home of Mr. Wicked to visit.  We are getting closer to the house now.  Isn’t that strange, it seems that the sky is suddenly getting cloudy and there is quite a chill in the air.  Look at the yard!  It is full of weeds, and the bushes, they are all barren and full of dead branches.  The door appears to be locked from the inside.  Some of the neighbors say that they have seen Someone knocking and knocking on that door, but it has never been opened for Him.  It obviously took a lot of money to build this house and probably takes even more to maintain it.  Lots of people are impressed by all the luxuries that are inside, but I do not feel comfortable here, how about you?  The smiles all look fake and I can really feel the tension.  I hear that Mr. Wicked has a very large bank account, but the rumor is he is having a lot of trouble.  His family is falling apart, each one is going his separate way.  Some say it is because there is no trust here.  Mr. Wicked is the most miserable of persons.  He had looked for happiness in his riches, but they have only left him with a cold emptiness where his heart should be.  Let’s excuse ourselves and take a little walk.  I understand that you are planning on building a home yourself.  Tell me, which one of the two homes you would like to model yours after.  The house plans are available.  Yes, I agree, Plan A is lovely.  And to think that the contract for that model says, "Paid in full by Builder when chosen."  How marvelous!  You know the architectural plan is always followed to detail.  However, there is still individuality when you move in, that has all been thought of.  The Builder makes certain that the plan is able to meet all your needs.  Of course, you will have to decorate and furnish your own home.  It will require a lot of attention to detail and you will have to get rid of some of your old habits and worries that want to come and live with you.  I am certain Mr. Saved will be glad to introduce you to his Architect.  You have made a very wise choice!  I know that your home will be a joy to all that live there.  What a pleasure it must be to know that all those treasures you display in your home will be stored up in Heaven for you to enjoy there also!  I’m so glad to hear you like to entertain company, because I think you will have quite a few visitors when they hear about your lovely home!

As I was collecting the passages for this series, I wrote a little note next to this verse: "mothers."  When this verse is studied, it is usually done in relationship to the person’s own heart.  It is taught, and truthfully so, that when a person’s heart is merry, their countenance will be full of joy and a pleasure to behold.  But when the person’s heart is sorrowful, their spirit is usually broken.  We know in our own lives that this is true.  When we are filled with joy, it is written all over our faces.  Just the opposite is true when we are distressed.  Even if we try to hide it from others, something in our face tells of our troubles.  Our heart can be sad, and we can still feel healthful in our spirit.  But when it is so filled with sorrow that it is breaking and we feel that nothing can possibly stop the ache, then our spirit can be easily broken.  That is when the devil comes on velvet slippers and tries to destroy what God would build in our life.  We need to be on guard in prayer and commitment when sorrow comes, as it will to all of us.  But my little note, "mothers," was to remind me that this verse has another application in our lives.  Not only do our feelings affect us, but they can deeply affect those we love, especially our children.  I am certain that you have heard the phrase: "Break his will, but not his spirit," in regards to discipline.  To see a child with a broken spirit, is one of the saddest encounters that we can have.  When we were missionaries in the inner city, I met children like that.  Their spirits were so broken that it was written all over their faces.  Their countenance was constantly sad and their hearts filled with sorrow.  I knew that only Jesus could heal the brokenness inside, and yet that very broken spirit made it difficult for them to grasp the love of Christ.  Often times these children had broken spirits because of a parent’s actions.  Many were neglected, some abused, others had experienced broken promises and unloving mothers.  It would be rare to see this in Christian mothers, truly born again by the Spirit of God and indwelt with His love.  But even Christian mothers can wound a child’s heart or cause it sorrow.  Often we take the little child’s feelings too lightly and do not pause to consider the affect our words or actions have on them.  It should sting us to the quick to remember the times we have spoken too harshly or judged too quickly, even resorted to anger.  Each time our child says, "Mommy, I need you," their heart is crying out to us.  They are asking for comfort and security for their heart need.  How often have we given them a crust when they needed a full portion of our time and attention?  How often have we wounded their hearts?  We can not tell when that wounding will be applied to their spirit.  I have seen the face of a child suddenly "fall," because of the response of their mother.  Think of a little child all excited to share one of their child adventures with their mother.  Running breathlessly into the house, full of anticipation, literally tingling with excitement, saying in their heart, "Just wait until I tell Mom, she will be so excited."  But then the first response is: "What do you think you are doing, running into the house like that?  Bet you didn’t even wipe your feet.  Can’t you see that I am busy?  Just leave me alone and go to your room!"  Can you see the little face change, the smile fade away, the sorrow reach to the heart?  One day when my boys were little, I thought about this and made an important decision.  I knew that the dishes would still be there if I waited five minutes to hear a story, in fact tomorrow there would be just as many again.  But that little life could not wait.  Tomorrow they would not be the same.  Each moment was a gift from God, to be used for His glory.  My mom used to tell me that in ten years the children would not remember if I had vacuumed that day, but they would remember how I had treated them.  I have seen mothers slap their children in anger and justify it to themselves; speak words to them that they would never use in public and not even stop to feel guilty.  God will hold us accountable for all the wounds applied instead of His planned-for beautiful blossoms of love.  On the other hand, have you been in the home of a mother whose life is filled with cheer and the love of Christ.  Have you looked on the faces of her children?  They reflect in their countenance the merry hearts that their mother has helped to build.  Their minds and spirits are open to the love of Christ and their spirit is whole, not broken.  What a great responsibility we have as mothers, as wives and as women.  Our attitudes affect all those around us.  Each day we have the opportunity to build with constructive building blocks of love.  Let us make certain that we don’t miss these opportunities and tear down or destroy instead, even break a heart and spirit in the process.  Spirits are hard to mend, once they are broken.  Let’s be builders today!

This verse does not read: "Better is little than great treasure."  It does say: Better is little with the fear of the LORD...  The vital ingredient is the fear of the Lord, not the amount of treasure we have.  The writer of Proverbs is not saying that God wants you to be poor, but that we need the right priorities in life.  There can be the person who has great earthly treasures of money and possessions WITH the fear of the Lord, and have great joy and blessing.  There have been many wealthy people who are totally dedicated to the service of the Lord, whom God has blessed beyond the bounds of earthly expectation, in terms of their finances and personal lives.  The secret was that their great treasure did not become a burden and care that produced trouble.  The blessing was because that treasure was given to God.  Two people can have modest, but adequate incomes, with normal earthly treasures, and have completely opposite heart attitudes.  One can have constant worry and preoccupation with the things of the world that never give him peace and joy.  The other can be committed to the Lord and find peace and joy with the same treasures, direction for his life and a calm assurance of blessing.  In California, we lived in a group of homes called a housing tract.  All the homes were built by the same builder, and were of about the same price.  There were five model plans with as many exterior finishes to make them appear a little different.  But basically, all of the people in the tract lived in similar houses.  That meant that most of them had similar incomes and possessions.  Even the cars were usually models of the same year.  Only within the houses was there a difference.  When the owners were Christians with the proper fear of the Lord, their home was a blessing to visit.  But the same home down the street, with a family that did not love God, could be filled with contention and strife.  Then there is the classic example of the poor family with hardly any treasures of this world, who love the Lord with all their hearts.  Their family is filled with treasures that no one can steal away.  Across town may be a big mansion, with fancy cars out front, but empty hearts within, because they do not know the Lord.  Be careful not to look to your possessions for comfort and joy.  Only look to the Lord.  We are warned over and over again in the Scriptures not to be preoccupied with worldly care.  Two of the most famous passages from the New Testament are: Therefore take no thought (Be not anxious), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (Matthew 6:31-32)  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. (Matthew 13:7,22)  Did you notice that the Matthew 13 reference refers to a saved person!  A saved but unfruitful Christian, who was entangled among the cares of the world.  In contrast to the warnings about the cares of the world, we are encouraged in the Scripture to have the fear of the Lord as a prime priority in our life.  ...his mercy is on them that fear God from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50)  ...he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:35)  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)  ...what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him... (Deuteronomy 10:12)  Let’s heed the warnings and the encouragements of the Bible today.  Let’s be happy with our treasures of earth and Heaven!

Does this verse surprise you?  How often have you heard people say that there is no hell, that the Bible never teaches that there is.  There are many cults that teach there is no literal hell.  And of course, the unsaved person hates to admit that there could be a hell, so foolishly says that a loving God would never teach of such a place.  Not only does God teach of such a place, but He gives us ample warnings to prevent anyone from going there if they will but believe!  What a simple and direct verse this is.  No hard to understand words, no hidden meanings, just clear and straight forward language.  There are no long lists of "do’s and don’t's" included here, just one simple directive: The way of life is found by seeking the things that are above.  Does that bring a New Testament verse to mind?  Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)  That is the theme verse for a children’s Bible club program I have often used.  By learning that verse, I trusted that the children would learn at a young age to set their priorities on the things of God and His righteousness!  In Colossians 3:2-4, we have further explanation: Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.  There are three marvelous reasons given in these verses for setting our affections on the things that are above: 1) As born again children of God, we are dead to the old life of sin and death that would tie us to the earth, 2) Christ is our life, and 3) We will be in Glory one day.  Romans 6:6 tells us: ...our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  The only way that we can have victory in our earthly Christian life is to account our old man dead, so we will not be so easily tempted to go back to serve our old sins.  Then we need to daily remind ourselves that "Christ is our life."  What an important commitment and pledge that is!  If Christ is our life, then all other areas will fall into perspective.  If Christ is our life, then the pursuit of worldly pleasures can not be!  If Christ is our life, then everything we do will be for His glory!  We need to be reminded that one day we will live and reign in Heaven.  If we keep that goal constantly before us, then we will "run the race’ here on earth with our sights steadfastly set on the riches of God.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)  If we are wise Christians then our way of life will be based upon that which is above, in the glories of Heaven.  Praise the Lord, we have departed from all penalty of hell beneath.  Let’s keep our minds departed from sin and the things that would cause us to live the same way as those who are not bound for Glory.

Did you ever hear the expression: "He’s turning a deaf ear."  That old saying means that a person is refusing to listen to what is being said to him.  Even though he has normal hearing, he has turned off his imaginary hearing aid so that he will not hear what is being said to him.  We see this in little children who sometimes exhibit "mother deafness" to the commands of their mothers.  I can remember how I worked on helping my first child to overcome this.  We would play a game where we would sit cross legged facing each other.  I would tell him something and he would have to repeat it back word for word.  He was very small when I did this, and I was trying to teach him to listen carefully and think about what he heard me say.  When God speaks to our hearts, we must be certain not to turn a deaf ear or turn off our spiritual hearing aid.  If we are wise, then we will listen intently, even if what we hear is a reproof to us in our life.  We need reproofs of the Lord, so that we can ask His help to correct those areas of our life that are not pleasing to Him.  We get so used to ourselves, that we do not often notice our own shortcomings, failures and sins.  We need the reproofs of life that will open our spiritual eyes as well as ears to each of those areas.  When we sit face to face with the Lord each day, and He speaks distinctly to our hearts, we need to make certain that we are receiving every word, understanding it, and are willing to act on it in a positive way.  If we are not wise, we will refuse to listen and the end will be folly for us.  God’s way is always best, His reproofs always right.  Many times during a sermon, as the Word of God goes forth and the Holy Spirit uses His convicting power in hearts, people start to tune it out.  Sometimes, even Satan will come and put mufflers over their ears so that they will not hear.  The amazing thing is that spiritual deafness is a direct cause of another condition: hardness of the heart.  There seems to be a direct link between the ears of a believer and his heart.  If we are wise and use our ears to hear the reproofs of life, our hearts will be healthy.  I don’t want to be hard hearted.  Nor do I want to be like a stubborn little child and refuse to listen to what I am being told.  I want to be a tender hearted and obedient child of God.  That will require some concentrated listening.  One of the things that a teacher watches for in a student is their listening ability, sometimes called part of their attention span.  There is always that child whose attention is easily distracted, who will not be able to listen carefully to the lesson.  If you ask them to repeat a question or to give an answer in class, they will be completely at a loss, for they did not hear what was being said to them.  The teacher’s job is to help them realize their problem and overcome it.  It is a hard task and requires much diligence.  The Lord is our teacher, He has the lessons of life to instruct us in.  Satan will try to distract us in every way that he can.  The only way that we can have victory is to increase our spiritual attention span.  We need to spend a longer time each day in Bible study and prayer, listening to our Master teacher.  We need humble hearts to listen and to hear the reproofs of life, as pride is the greatest "muffler" of all.  Proverbs 15, verse 33, affirms this as it states: The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom: and before honour is humility.  Lord, help me to have a humble and receptive heart, with a listening spiritual ear, to respond to Your instructions.  Teach me, Lord, even if it is hard for me to hear Your evaluation of my life.  Teach me, so that I can be a wise student in the classroom of life.  Help me to remember verse 32: He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.  Open my ears, Lord, that I may hear!