The Half-Converted Cowboy

The Half-Converted Cowboy
(A.W. Tozer)

Psalm 29:2, "Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness."

There is grief in my spirit when I go into the average church, for we have become a generation rapidly losing all sense of divine sacredness and reverence in our worship. God has been abridged, reduced, modified, edited, changed and amended--until He is no longer the high and lifted up God whom Isaiah saw! We've reduced the God of Abraham and Jacob, to a "stuffed God" that can be appealed to by anybody at any time. The religious clown on the radio can break into his fun and say, "Now we will have a minute of prayer." In the religious concert, the half-converted cowboy dressed like an idiot will say after he's twanged out some catchy numbers, "Now I'll do a holy number for you."

Christ the Word

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word...
We could spend, at least, the rest of the day on this very short first part of this verse.
“Word” here, Logos, is from the Greek, and in a few words means: thought (or reason), and (expressed) word. Think of it as that which is not seen (being thought or mind), and that which is manifest (as in, spoken or revealed)... God Who is Spirit manifest in Jesus in the flesh. (which we read later in verse 14, the Word was  made flesh.) It is what “incarnate” means; “made flesh, or embody with flesh.” The word incarnate is not, to my knowledge, found in scripture.

Water for the Thirsty

In my morning email of devotions, I received this from out of the Spurgeon Library...
"I will pour water upon him that is thirsty." Isaiah 44:3

The rule of establishing “context” compels me to read surrounding text, passages, and/or the entire chapter (at least). This is what verses 1-6 say...

Corinthian Letter

Why is the letter to the Corinthian church important for us today?

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is a critical letter for us today in that we, the corporate church like the Corinthians, are carnal and worldly. Whereas we should be growing up into Christ (maturing), most have remained “babes” to the extent that we can’t even “walk” right yet as we should. After years of church attendance, Bible reading, conferences, and retreats... we still need the “milk” because we can’t handle the “meat.” Without the “meat” we do not grow strong. Living on just the “milk” we remain part of a vast nursery. (https://ourdivineportion.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-vast-nursery.html)

Why Is It?

 Why Is it?
~Arthur Pink, 1886-1952

Psalm 36:1, "An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes!"

Why is it, that today the masses are so utterly unconcerned about spiritual and eternal things, and that they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Why is it that defiance of God is becoming more open, more blatant, more daring? The answer is, because "There is no fear of God before their eyes!" Romans 3:18

G O D

The WHOLE Bible is about GOD! Many, many Christians, down through time, have become “Jesus” worshippers to the exclusion of God the Father, especially during and after the “hippie” era. I lived through it. Some would say, “Yes, but they generated interest in Jesus.” Yes they did... some good, but a lot bad. Bad because it was from a wrong perspective and motive. The “Jesus” movement took away from God. But that’s another sermon.

Sound Doctrine

(J.C. Ryle, 1879) published by Grace Gems 

1 Timothy 6:3, "The doctrine which is according to godliness . . ." 

Sound doctrine is useless--if it is not accompanied by a holy life! It is my firm impression that we need a thorough revival of Scriptural holiness. I have had a deep conviction for many years, that practical holiness and consecration to God are not sufficiently attended to by modern Christians. Worldliness has eaten out the heart of vital piety in too many of us. The subject of personal godliness has fallen sadly into the background. The standard of Christian living has become painfully low in many quarters.