THE FISHERMEN'S NET NEWSLETTER
 February 2001 |
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[ Read this Fisherman's Net newsletter in French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. ]
Published by New Covenant Ministries
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February 2001 |
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[ Read this Fisherman's Net newsletter in French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. ]
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DOES YOUR HEART FEEL EMPTY? |
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JESUS WILL FILL THE EMPTINESS "I pray that out of his glorious |
CONTENTS
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"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." (Psalm 57:7)
David's prayers in the Psalms reveal so much about life . . . about what
the Lord desires from us! This is just another "revelation" of God's
desire for His people . . . He desires for their hearts to be "fixed".
Steadfast, immoveable, and stayed on God. Always in a position of prayer
and praise, always ready to humbly submit to His will, always listening to
His voice . . . "Fixed"!
Perhaps David wasn't making so much a declaration that his heart was fixed,
but just maybe he was telling his heart to remain fixed in the face of
temptation or weakness. This would be not unlike all of us! We make
choice after choice to obey or disregard the commands of the Lord; if our
hearts are "fixed" there is no question, but obedience comes naturally to
the submitted will of man.
God couldn't have found a better man to make this statement than David.
David sinned greatly against God. He had every reason to run and not deal
with his sin. But instead of covering it over, he boldly proclaimed his
determination to serve the Lord regardless of the personal cost to him.
Is your heart fixed . . . fixed for duty? Can you say in the face of
adversity that your heart's gaze is set on your Strong Tower? Is your
heart in position to praise and worship Him? Our hearts must be fixed on
Him, the main thing in all acts of devotion . . . David checks out his own
heart before entering into worship! Check your heart today . . . if it's
not fixed, pray and ask the Lord to show you the weak points. He'll never
fail to meet a request like this!
Father, thank you for your heart as seen through the Psalmist David!
Examine my heart, O Lord, and see if there is any disobedience in it. Help
me to remain steadfastly "fixed" on you in ever situation, in all
circumstances. Lord, I love You above all else . . . may my heart remain "fixed". Amen!
He was a young man of about 30 years of age.
He had only the elementary
schooling or the village synagogue.
He had no political or financial backing.
His itinerate ministry of teaching and healing was of a short
duration,
about three years
and then He was crucified at the hands
of
the religious and political authorities
who feared His growing popularity.
Rather than scatter His followers, His death was followed
by a movement of
revolutionary impact and power.
The effects of the spiritual explosion
remain a major factor in our world today
the strongest influence for
good
and for God
our world knows.
What do we do with this man Jesus?
If He is not the Son of God and Savior
of mankind,
then let us get down to the
bitter business of adjusting
to
a grim and hopeless world.
If He is,
Then let us give Him the full measure
of our loyalty and love.
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LOVEST THOU ME?
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Three times this question was asked Peter, and three times was answered by him; but in his third reply the repentant disciple's heart welled up and overflowed with a fervent gush of warm, consecrated love that dwelt deeper, stronger and more tender than he himself knew, until that moment. and he burst forth in holy eloquence, "Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee." In this simple story there are thoughts that we each may take to our hearts, and, by doing it, may learn to be more humble, loving and true. As you sit in the quiet hush of the communion service and think of your Lord and of his patient sufferings, is it not possible that you may hear his tender voice saying, "Lovest thou me?" and your heart at once responds, "Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." But again you may hear his voice, "Lovest thou me?" and it is possible you may hesitate before you answer. "Do I truly and really love my Lord? Do I love love him with a warm, consecrated heart? What does my life answer? Ah, yes, Lord, as imperfect as my life may be, I do love thee," and your heart whispers in loyal consecration, "Yes my Lord, I do love thee with my whole heart." But, like Peter, you may even hear the loving Savior's voice a third time, "Lovest thou me?" and you are almost startled. Possibly you are a teacher in the Sunday School and have tried to be faithful to that class of boys or girls. It may be you are a pastor, and each week preaching love to Christ to people whom you are to meet at judgment, and like all pastors, you feel the grave responsibility of preaching the truth, and are therefore anxious to know the truth, and you murmur in your heart, "I do love him above all else," and with a loyal heart you reply, "Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee." Now let us remember that this is the reply that Peter made to his Lord when his heart was overflowing with deep, fervid love which prepared him to give up all things for Christ's sake, and at last led him to give up his life on the cross. We all regard many things as Christian duties which Jesus did not command, but Jesus did them, and we do the same things because we love to do as Jesus did. We all regard his example equal, at least, to his command, and we would not feel like claiming to be followers of Jesus, if we refuse to do as he did. When we follow the example of Jesus, and do the things that he did, we know that we are doing right and pleasing him. In Matthew 3:13, we read that Jesus came to John the Baptist and desired to be baptized by him, qnd in verse 16 it is recorded that, having been baptized, Jesus "went up straightway out of the water," showing that the baptism occurred in the River Jordan, and the only reasonable conclusion must be that the mode was immersion. If you love Jesus with your whole heart, can you refuse to follow Jesus down into the water and be "buried" with him in holy baptism? Do you thus love him? A careful study of the gospel will show you beyond all doubt that Jesus also set his followers the example of observing the Bible Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, the only day known in the Bible as the Sabbath, the day you have always called Saturday. Jesus loved the Sabbath and observed it, and that fact alone should be enough for you and for all others who truly love him; it should be the end of all controversy. It matters not what I may write or what others may say, nor what specious arguments people may offer; it is a FACT that Jesus observed the Sabbath. Will your love for the Master prompt you to follow his example? Jesus said plainly, "The Sabbath was made for man," and does not intimate that it was made only for the Jews. God commanded all men to observe the Sabbath, but we have a higher and holier motive for Sabbath observance than blind obedience; we do not observe the Sabbath because we feel that we MUST any more than we abstain from murder or adultery or theft because we feel that we must. We love the Sabbath and observe it because Jesus loved it and observed it. We do not understand how we can truly love Jesus and reject what he loved. Reader, what will you do with "Jesus who is called the Christ," And with the Bible Sabbath which Jesus loved and observed? May God give you the grace and courage and consecration to accept the Sabbath, to love it and observe it as a faithful follower of him whom you love, and by this yielding be brought still nearer to Jesus than you have been before. "Lovest thou me?" "If ye love me keep my commandments." -Jesus (John 14:15) (Originally published by The American Sabbath Tract Society, Plainfield, NJ)
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American Sabbath Tract and Communication Council
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(written at the end of WW2)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_ \_ \_ FISH THE INTERNET- READ THE FISHERMEN'S NET NEWSLETTER \_ \_ \_ \_ .e0e. .e0e. This electronic newsletter produced by Fisherman's Net \_ \_ 0HHHH~HHHH0 Publications: a division of New Covenant Ministries. \_ \_ `HHoo ooHH' \_ \_ `HH HH' "The time is coming, says the Lord: when \_ \_ `V' I will make a new covenant." -Jeremiah 31:31-33 \_ \_ \_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
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Last update: 2005.
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