" Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).

Many of us know those types of precious people who seem to thrive on making sure the details are right. They keep us careful, insure our safety, and strengthen our plans, and yet that same strength can lead to anxiety, troubling our souls and dominating our lives. Our verse today warns us about this facet.

Our Lord gently admonished in Luke 10:41: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things." Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazurus were longtime associates of the Lord Jesus. He had spent many hours in their home and had come to love them as close friends. No doubt Martha had often "given thought" to Christ's visits and had been "in turmoil" over the details many times. But our gracious Lord saw the circumstances controlling Martha, and He softly insisted that she not lose the thing of greatest value by sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the immediate.

And that is the admonition in our text. Nothing should absorb us so much that we attempt to solve things on our own before submiting our requests to our Lord. Jesus made it prettly clear: "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on"

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 4).

As  for me as a Christian parent, there is no greater joy than to know that my 5 children walk in the path of righteousness . Whether your a pastor, teacher, or pray warrior knows exactly how John felt. There is no greater joy to such mature believers than to know that their children--whether physical or spiritual children--are sound and growing in Christian faith and practice, understanding, and believing God's truth, obeying His truth, living the truth, walking in the truth. But there is great sadness when such a one begins to "turn away their ears from the truth"

Dear, Father grant us parents, teachers, Shepard, the words to speak into the lives of those we come into contact with, whether it be one of our children or the neighbor, or classmate, or a co-worker. That our joy would be multiplied in you for seeing one more soul come to the truth and accept you as their Lord and savior. Father uses these hands to do your labors, use these lips to bring truth into darkness and truth of your words are brighter than the sun. Grant us the legs to run the race and never quit or grow weary. May our raising and going down draw all men unto you that they might know the truth and be saved also.

When my son Yordon learned to swim, I was so excited, I begin to cry, with each accomplishment my children have made I find myself crying, tear of joy. God also as a Father knows the joy of seeing one of his children turn to him and accept the truth, that he is God and only through Jesus Christ are we saved.

And what is the truth? John's very first mention of truth was in relation to Jesus Christ, whose glory he had beheld in His incarnation as "full of grace and truth."
In fact, Christ Himself claimed, "I am the truth."  Then He also said, "Thy word is truth" . And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. To walk in the truth, bringing joy to the Father, is to believe on Christ, and then to trust and obey His word .

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)

The law of God, centered in the Ten Commandments, is holy, and just, and good and expresses perfectly the will of God for holy living.

The problem is that no man can possibly do them all. A man may keep most of the commandments most of the time, but he will inevitably fail in some of them some of the time. Since the law is a divine unit, breaking any commandment--as our text reminds us--breaks the whole law, bringing the guilty one under God's curse of death. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law. "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in the presence of the Lord.  Simply because all men, having sinned against God, and therefore lost and in urgent need of salvation. This is where God's wonderful grace comes in. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. He kept the law for us, and bore its curse for us: Thus we are saved through Christ Jesus, if we believe in and confess our sins to him and admit that we are in need of him as our savior for we sinners and can not save ourselves. He is just and quick to forgive us and accept us into the family and make us righteous by his blood not by our deeds.

"If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister." (Colossians 1:23)

Many times Christians piously say, "Why get worked up over creation, why don't you just preach the gospel?" But such a question reveals a faulty knowledge of what "the gospel" consists of, for, as has been noted many times on these pages, the gospel consists not only of the redemptive work of Christ, but His entire person and work as well. The message of the "everlasting gospel" is to "worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.". Elsewhere, the gospel includes His coming Kingdom. From creation to redemption to ultimate restoration, all is "good news," all the work and person of Christ.  Only as we recognize and believe the teachings of His Word on the entire "good news," from creation to consummation, can we hope to victoriously "continue in the faith grounded and settled

"And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10)

 God Himself allowed Job to fall into such captivity, for He told Satan: "Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.". All the sufferings which Job endured were inflicted by his captor, who hoped thereby to get him to renounce the Lord. Similarly, Peter was briefly bound in Satanic captivity. "Simon, Simon," said Jesus, "behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.".

Such bondage, however, is temporary. Job was delivered "when he prayed for his friends" and Peter when he was "converted" and went forth to "strengthen his brethren" as Christ had told him . In both cases, they continued strong in faith during their captivity, and deliverance came when they turned their concerns to others.

More serious is the case of those who are in bondage because of sin. Nevertheless, Christ died to set them free, "that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

Christ died to set the captives free, but they must first be told and then gently led to freedom by those who care for their souls. "The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

"We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3:20-21)

Two vivid contrasts are highlighted in this text: We now have a vile body that will be changed into a glorious body. Our Lord Jesus will fashion us after the pattern of His own body.

There is ample evidence, both in Scripture and in our own experience, that our present physical bodies are "vile." The English word seems more intense than the Greek, which simply means "lowly" or "humble." Christ humbled himself when he took on our flesh . The Virgin Mary saw herself in a "low estate" as she compared herself to the wonder of what was happening to her.

But one glorious day, the Lord Jesus will change our sinful bodies into that which is reflective of His own body. "Beloved, now are we the sons and daughters of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when Jesus shall appear in the clouds , we shall be like him and be with him; I personally can not wait for that hour to shade this sinful body to have instead a glorious body of Christ.

"For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written. That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." (Romans 3:3-4)

Many Christians are so intimidated by the arrogant unbelief of the supposed intellectuals of the world that they either reject or compromise or ignore the difficult teachings of Scripture. This is a grievous mistake, for all of God's "sayings" are "justified" and He will surely "overcome" all those who presume to "judge" Him and His Word.

The only reason to believe in evolution, for example, is the fact that most such intellectuals believe it. There is no real evidence, either in the Bible or in science, for evolution or any other form of unbelief, yet many professed believers in Christ seem to have "loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:43). Therefore they assume that God does not really mean what He says in His Word, thereby making faith in His Word "without effect."

God's truth is not determined, however, by taking a vote, or by the opinions of skeptics, or by metaphysical speculation. It is determined by God Himself, and none other, "for the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. His word is true and we must never doubt that, he does tell us to taste his word and see how sweet it is, in my despair, I cried out to the Lord and He heard me and did deliver me. Funny how my Father has never failed me but daily I have failed him and yet he still loves me, and desires to sit and reason with me, a sinner like me a Master Chief of sinners. Knowing this gives me great comfort, that my God loves me and desires to make me more like Jesus and less like me.

"Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him." (Numbers 15:31)

Under the Mosaic law, there was ample provision for forgiveness of sins committed unintentionally. "If any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, and it shall be forgiven him."
In this Christian dispensation, many would say that this harshness of God's law has been replaced by His love. There is abundant pardon for all, since Jesus died for all our sins. Now, all we need is to confess our sins, and He will forgive us, but, "if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God?.

Even assuming this warning applies specifically only to those who have wilfully renounced faith in Christ, the question still remains whether one with true saving faith will wilfully sin against the known will of God, as revealed in His Word. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Brothers and sisters let us be mindful of our Father's will and be in line with at all times, let us daily come to our Father and seek what his perfect will is for us and our family. That we might be glory to the Father and bring honor to Him who has redeemed us through the blood of the lamb.  For we can not say we love the Lord our God and not keep his commandments for if we do, our words are lies and the truth can not be found in us.  Let not our lips be filled with anything that is not of God. Oh heavenly Father, seal my lips if my words are not in line with your perfect will, cause my hands and feet not bring forth labor if it does bring honor and glory to your name.  For Father I'm bought with price that I can never repay the blood of the Lamb of God, so let my life speak of him, let my words and my deeds come before your throne as a sweet aroma.  Oh father search me and if sin be found in me remove that which does not glorify you.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

God’s great love for us was not a sentimental, feel-good "love," as the term is used today, but was sacrificial on our behalf. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Soon after Christ rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples, who were "glad, when they saw the Lord." But doubting Thomas was not present, and demanded to see proof before he believed. Several days later Jesus reappeared, and desired to remove all stumbling blocks to faith. "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God."  Our Redeemer deserves all praise from redeemed sinners: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"

Isaiah's great prophecy of Christ's first advent identified "his name as Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

 The peace He brings is personal, as we see in our text: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." But it is also effective in society at large, a fact borne out in verse 5 of "Crown Him with Many Crowns."

Crown Him the Lord of peace, Whose peace a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease, And all be prayer and praise!
His reign shall know no end, And round His pierced feet
Fair flowers of Paradise extend Their fragrance ever sweet.

"Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." The King of this kingdom is none other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As the angel announced the birth of Christ, he prophesied: "And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."  And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.