Original

An Original Replica

Ezekiel 16:44

"Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter."

Several years ago my wife and I had the privilege of touring a border town in Mexico. While in this area, she and I went to the market to see what we could bring back as souvenirs. It was humorous to hear the vendors talk about how their goods were the real thing. We saw fancy watches and purses, and each vendor swore that they were the real thing. Yet, when you looked a little closer, you found out that they were just a replica. They were a copy of the real thing.

God used a proverb to describe Jerusalem that said, "As is the mother, so is her daughter." This proverb was not a fairy tale story, but it was the truth. In other words, God used a proverb that was truthful to show His people what they had become.

A daughter is often a replica of her mother. This does not take away from the originality of an individual, but it is the truth. Most young ladies will become like their mother. How often have you seen a young lady who reminded you of her mother? This proverb should teach you several lessons.

First, every mother needs to beware of what she is teaching her daughter. You may not think your daughter is watching you, but I can assure you she is. There are many mothers who think they can shame their daughters away from their bad habits, but your daughter will learn from your actions more than she will from your words. With that thought in mind, what is your daughter learning from you? Would you want your daughter to turn out like you? Ladies, if there is something in your life that you would not want your daughter to do, then you need to change it. You need to live your life in such a manner that you wouldn't be ashamed if she turned out like you.

Second, every daughter needs to learn the importance of copying the right things. Just because your mother does something does not mean that you should do it. If your mother does something that is wrong, then you should not copy it; however, you should copy those things in your mother that are worthy of copying.

Third, single young ladies should live their lives in a manner as if they were a mother. You will most likely become a mother someday; therefore, you should realize that you will be what you are right now. You won't change your bad habits just because you become a mother. Now is the time to work on changing the bad habits in your life so that when you become a mother your daughter has something worthy of copying.

Fourth, young men should take a good look at a young lady's mother before marrying her. I say this guardedly, but whomever you are dating will most likely have many characteristics of her mother. A lady's mother will often show you what a young lady will become when she gets married. Though this isn't always the case, many times it is. This is why it is important for a young man to get to know the mother of the young lady he is dating.

Finally, let me encourage every parent to be careful what they are teaching their children. Though this proverb was about the mother and daughter, I believe the same can be said about the father and son. You should live your life in such a manner that you would not be ashamed of your children copying you when they are adults.

Presence

God's Presence in Your Life

Ezekiel 11:5

"And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them."

To have God's presence in one's life should be the desire of every Christian. The verse above says, "And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me,..." What a powerful statement! Ezekiel was not just talking about a desire to have God's presence, but he was testifying about having it. Yet, there were some steps he took before this happened that I would like to show you.

First, he had a good attitude. Verse 1 says, "Moreover the spirit lifted me up,..." The Scriptures didn't say that he was put down, but that he was lifted up. In other words, Ezekiel's spirit had to be one that the Holy Spirit would want to be a part of. You won't find people with God's presence on their life who are always down in the dumps. You should strive to grab God's attention by having a good attitude.

Second, he was obedient to the Spirit of God. Verse 1 continues to say, "Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate..." Notice, Ezekiel had to follow the Spirit's leading. If the Spirit of God had told Ezekiel to go to the east gate, and if he had not followed, then the Spirit of the LORD could not have fallen upon him. God's Spirit will never fall upon you if you don't obey Him. When the Spirit of the LORD speaks to your heart, He expects you to listen and obey. Why should the Spirit of the LORD fall upon you if you don't listen? The Spirit of God will never force Himself upon anyone. If, when He speaks, you don't listen, then He will quietly go away and find someone else who will be obedient. You should be sure that you have such an obedient and yielded spirit that whatever God asks or tells you to do that you do it. You'll never experience God's presence otherwise.

Third, in verses 2-3 Ezekiel went to the people. God's Spirit is not a possession for you to hold; rather, His Spirit is to be a conduit through your life. You will never get God's Spirit upon your life by sitting at home doing nothing. God's Spirit falls upon those who are doing something for God. Let me ask you, what are you doing for the LORD that would cause Him to want to place His Spirit upon you? The purpose of God's Holy Spirit's presence is to help you to help those whom He wants to help. Until you get busy serving the LORD, you will never experience God's presence in your life.

Fourth, verse 4 shows us that Ezekiel prophesied to the people. Christian, get busy spreading the Word of God to people. You can spread It through soul winning, teaching a Sunday school class, helping people who are hurting, teaching people in a nursing home, etc. When you teach God's Word, that motivates God's Spirit to help you make the needed impact on the hearts of individuals.

These four steps took place before Ezekiel could say, "And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me,..." This world needs Christians who have the presence of the LORD on their life. Better yet, your world needs someone who has the presence of the LORD upon their life. Be that person! Daily follow these four steps, and you will find that the Spirit of the LORD will work through your life. You will find that the more He works through your life, the greater impact you will have on the lives of other's.

Almost

Almost is Not Enough

Jeremiah 26:24

"Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death."

There are many things you can do when almost will be enough. Almost is good enough when you play horseshoes. You can almost get a ringer, and still get points. When playing darts, you can almost hit the bullseye and get points for missing the mark. As a teacher of mine said years ago, you can almost hit a target with a bomb and still do much damage.

Almost works with many things, but it does not work when it comes to doing right. Jehoiakim almost did right with what Jeremiah said, but it was not good enough. Jeremiah stood in the courts of the LORD's house and testified against the cities of Judah because of their wickedness. When the king's servants heard these words, they returned to the king to tell the him what Jeremiah said. Some of the people wanted Jeremiah killed, for they felt his words were treasonous. Others stood and told the story about Micah testifying during Hezekiah's day, and reminded the king that instead of killing the prophet, Hezekiah got right with God. After hearing both suggestions, Jehoiakim saved Jeremiah from being killed, but he did not get right with God concerning the sins of Judah. He almost did right, but his almost was not enough to stay God's judgment.

There are many times when we can almost do right, but you must always remember that almost is not enough with God. You can't almost do right, for almost doing right is still doing wrong. It doesn't matter what your intentions were, the only thing that truly matters is did you do what you were supposed to do? Many Christians think that God will be pleased because they almost did right, only to find out that almost doing right didn't please God. God doesn't expect you to almost do right, He expects you to do right.

You can almost get saved, but almost getting saved will still send you straight to Hell. Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian, but that was not enough as he has been burning in Hell now for many years. Judas almost got saved, as he followed Christ for three years. Yet, though he kissed the door to Heaven, he still died and went to Hell because almost won't get anybody saved. You can go to church and do good your entire life, but that is not good enough with God. You must do right by accepting Christ as your Saviour if you want to go to Heaven. You can grow up in a Christian home, hear every sermon on salvation, do everything but accept Christ, and still go to Hell. Almost will never get you to Heaven. You must do what God tells you to do to get to Heaven.

Likewise, you can almost do right with the Scriptures, but if you only do almost, you are still doing wrong. Too many Christians almost do everything God tells them to do and think that God is pleased. Let me remind you, you can almost do everything, but almost is still disobedience. God doesn't expect an almost obedience, for an almost obedience is disobedience. God expects complete obedience to what He tells you to do, and nothing less.

Are you almost doing right? Have you almost done what it takes to get saved? Are you almost doing everything God tells you to do? Always remember that almost is not enough. The only way you can do enough is to completely follow everything God commands you to do. If you are doing almost, then you are not doing enough. I challenge you not to be an almost Christian, for almost Christians are disobedient Christians. Be a Christian who does everything God commands you to do, for this is the only way God will be pleased with what you do.

Signs

Signs to Good Paths

Proverbs 2:9

"Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path."

If you have ever gone to a national park or forest, you have probably seen signs that tell you to stay on the path. The reason those signs are there are because they have found those paths are the best paths to keep people from hurting themselves. Many people like to ignore the good path and try to make their own path, only to find themselves hurt or lost. Though the good path may not seem as exciting, the good path keeps you safe from danger.

It would be great if somehow there was a path that you could follow in life. Life will sometimes seem to obscure the path that you should take. If there were only signs to show the paths to take in life, it would make things much easier for all. Yet, I find that God has set up signs to show us the path to take in life. In fact, He tells us in the verse above that we can understand "every good path." In other words, if we follow God's signs to the good paths, then they will keep us from danger and hurt. Let me show you God's signs that show you the good paths.

The first sign is wisdom. Verse 7 says, "He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous:..." In God's Word you will find that God has wisdom stored for you when you need it. In other words, God has a storage unit of wisdom from which you can make a withdrawal. How do you withdraw from this storage unit of wisdom? First, you must read the Word of God, for every word is what gives you wisdom that you need. Second, you must ask God to give you wisdom in times of need. James 1:5 commands us to ask God for wisdom when we lack it. Before you do anything, you should always ask God for wisdom, for His wisdom will be like a sign that shows you the right path to take.

Second, righteousness is a sign to show you which path to take. It is amazing how righteousness will show you the right path to take in life. I often say that good always breeds good. When you make one good decision, you will find many other good decisions will come from it. One of the most important reasons you should do right all the time is because it keeps your mind clear so you can see God's signs to the right paths of life. When you do wrong, it will cloud your ability to see the right path to take. Samson did wrong, and could not see the signs to the good paths that God was trying to show him.

The result of getting God's wisdom and living right is that God guides you to the right paths of life. Verse 8 says, "He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints." There have been many times in my life when God guided me to the right path, and I believe it all comes from doing right and obtaining God's wisdom.

Knowing the right path in life is not as difficult as we make it. If you will spend time studying the Word of God so you can gain God's wisdom and obey It, then you will find the signs to the right paths are much clearer to see.

Attacks

Dealing with Personal Attacks

Psalm 7:1

"O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:"

If you ever get heavily involved in the work of the LORD, you will have to deal with personal attacks. Personal attacks are never pleasant to go through, but they are a great way for God to reveal your weaknesses to you. I can testify from personal experience that personal attacks can make you a stronger Christian if you deal with them properly.

This psalm comes from a time in David's life when he was attacked by a man named Cush. We don't know what this man did, but we know from the title of this psalm that Cush attacked David with words. David was not a novice when it came to personal attacks. Saul attacked David without a cause. In fact, David had many personal enemies for no reason at all. Yet, he dealt with the personal attacks in a proper manner. This psalm shows us how he dealt with personal attacks.

First, when personal attacks come your way, you must trust in God. The verse above shows us that David immediately put his trust in the LORD. Most people want to trust man to be their defense when they need to put their trust in God. God is the only One Who can deal with your situation and help both sides. When you need to dump on someone when under personal attack, God is the One on Whom you should unload. God knows what you face, and He can help you through your situation.

Second, ask God to reveal where you have done wrong when you are under personal attack. Sometimes there may be something that you have done that has caused this attack. At other times there is something that God needs to change in you that the personal attack can reveal. I have learned my weaknesses more when I'm under personal attack than I have in any other time in life. The pressure of the situation revealed my weaknesses to me, and the pressure of the situation will reveal your weaknesses to you. Ask God to show you what you need to change when you are under personal attack.

Third, let God deal with those who are attacking you. Christian, God can deal with them better than you can. Retaliation may seem to be gratifying, but it will only cause the situation to get worse. When God deals with those who are attacking you, then He will vindicate you. Don't lower yourself to the level of those who have attacked you. Let God deal with them so that you can go to bed at night with a clear conscience.

Fourth, don't be afraid to ask God to end the attack. In verse 9 David said, "Oh let the wickedness come to an end;..." God can end the attacks if you ask Him. When you try to end them, you will act in the flesh; therefore, you must let God determine when's the best time to end the attack.

Finally, let me warn you not to become involved in personal attacks. Oftentimes you can get caught between two people whom you love, and if you're not careful you will take sides. Let me caution you to stay out of the attack business. There are plenty of other things you can do than to get involved in personal attacks. You may get involved and one day find out you are on the wrong side.

Personal attacks are a part of life. Unfortunately, they are also a part of the Christian life. Deal with them properly, and you will find yourself a better Christian for them. The ultimate goal of anything that you go through is to become a better Christian. Let God make you a better Christian because of your personal attacks.

Affliction

Your Shared Affliction

Isaiah 63:9

"In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old."

"I know what you are going through." This is a statement many people make who really understand what someone is going through. There is only one way that you can know what someone is going through, and that is to go through what another is facing. Yet, even then it is not quite true, for every situation is uniquely different.

There is only One Who can truly make this statement, and that is God. He says in the verse above, "In all their affliction he was afflicted,..." In other words, He wasn't just saying that He has gone through what someone is going through, but He is saying that He is going through it with the person who is afflicted. When they feel distress come their way, He feels the same feeling of distress trying to take over. When the situation gets tight, He feels the same tightness, for He is going through it with them. God knows exactly what you are facing because He has not only gone through it before, but He is sharing your affliction with you right now.

God says in Hebrews 4:15, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." This verse should be comforting for you as you go through your trials because it shows us that God is not a novice when it comes to your problems. You can see that He has felt every heartache and faced every trial that you have or will ever face. So, when God shares our afflictions, He has the wisdom and knowledge of how to face it, for He has gone through it before.

Christian, let me encourage you that God knows what you are facing today. He should be your counselor through your tough times, for He has faced your problems before. Many people may try to help you through tough times, but only God truly knows how to help you through it, for He has faced your situation before. There is nothing in your situation that catches God by surprise. Something you face may catch you by surprise, but God knew it was going to happen.

Furthermore, God not only knows what you are going through because of past experiences, but He also knows what you are going through because He is sharing it with you. God is there to share the yoke of heartache and trials with you. You don't have to carry the burden by yourself. He is trying to share the burden so that don't have to carry it by yourself.

I challenge you today to let God help you share your affliction. When you feel that you are at your end, remember God is there to help you carry that burden. He is the only One Who can lift your burden, but you must let Him. Run to Him and tell Him your heart's feelings, for He truly knows how you feel and how to help you. If you will look closely enough, you will see that God is along side sharing your affliction with you. What a comfort to know that you are not going through it alone!