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Philip Conley's Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (I John 3:14 & Revelation 12:12 – “How Do You Fight?”)

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“How Do You Fight?”

I John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”

Revelation 12:12, “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”

This morning, contests of skill and wars occur wherein the outcome remains uncertain until the final whistle or the last shot is fired. To the observer of such events, we may hope that the outcome goes one way or another, but we neither know nor can alter the eventual conclusion. To the participant of such events, one may fiercely try to swing the outcome in the direction that he wants though still not knowing how it will turn out. Years ago when the rise of DVR and other things allowed for sporting events to be recorded and watched later, one of my friends stated, “I don’t think I like that idea, because the outcome is decided already making it hard for me to root for someone when it has already finished.” When I asked him if it would help if he did not know what happened but was able to watch it without the outcome certain in his mind, he said it would make no difference. I was slightly bemused by this, knowing that his efforts in rooting for his team did not sway the outcome whether it was in progress or already complete. But, it reminded me of a richer truth. We are observers and sometimes participants in a great struggle wherein our engagement should be easier than it is, though we oftentimes make things harder on ourselves.

In the study verses above, we see some knowledge that both we and our adversary have. God in His gracious mercy has given us evidence of our standing with Him. One of the siren songs of today’s cynical world is, “How can you really know?” John tells us how we can know certain things. When people today are asked how they know they are saved (born again), they will many times say that at a certain place on a certain day, “I did ______ to get saved.” By Scriptural declaration, we did nothing to get saved (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we can state that we know we have been born again based on love experienced towards the brethren. To the child of God in general and the disciple more particularly, love in action to the kindred of Christ is a clear indication of this blessed state. God has not left us in the dark about our condition, but rather, He gave some clear markers that delineate it. Since love is the 1st of the nine fold fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the evidence of love is an evidence of passing from death unto life.

On the other hand, our adversary – the devil – knows some things too. One of the clearest things that he knows is stated above. I get asked a lot about how much the devil knows, and from Scriptural record, I do not have exhaustive information on the subject. However, I can say comfortably that he does not know what God knows (God alone is omniscient), does know the Bible (quoted from it when tempting Christ), and knows more by experience than we do (has been around longer and seen more). However, John states unequivocally that he knows the end is coming. The passage from Revelation 12 talks about him as a serpent, an adversary, and an accuser. While he knows certain things, it does not keep him from engaging all the time and at every opportunity.

Let us describe how our adversary fights first, and then proceed to how we should fight in the warfare of life. Notice what John says in conjunction to the devil’s knowledge. With the knowledge that he has, he makes concerted efforts to do the maximum amount of destruction. For whatever time he has, he is going to battle to the full. Though his power is no match for God’s, the text still says he has “great” wrath. He is a formidable foe. Two of the greatest pitfalls that we can experience in battling with him is either 1. give him too much credit (applying power and authority to him that God alone has) or 2. give him too little credit (underestimate his ability and strength of will). Though he is no match for God, he is more than capable of winning a “duke it out” contest with us when we “go it alone.” Though he knows the end is coming, he still fights and fights and fights. Since Revelation 12 calls him a serpent, here is a personal story of reflection to illustrate the point.

Growing up in South Mississippi, I had many influences in life, and one of those influences was a deacon in the church that Dad served named Alfred Cothren. Sometimes I even credit him with helping to raise me as he taught me much about life. He was avid outdoorsman, and I went hunting and fishing with him many times during my youth. He taught me how to hand grab for catfish and wrestle some really big fish. The man had no fear of anything except God. One day, I saw him grab a cottonmouth that was wrapped around the limb of a cypress tree while we were on the lake. With lightning fast hands and a grip of steel, he caught the snake right behind the head and observed him for a bit before his next move. In one swift motion, he separated the head from the body with his bare hands throwing the head one way and the body the other. He used to call this “making a 2 piece snake.” His reflection after doing this (while I sat there mouth agape) was profound, “Boy, that snake is dead. But, don’t go near the head. There’s enough in him to still bite you. It’ll hurt, we’ll have to take you to the hospital, and mama ain’t never gonna let you go with me again.”

Our adversary is much like that 2 piece snake. Christ’s work on Calvary crushed his head just as Genesis 3:15 said it would. However there is still enough wrath left in him to bite us, send us to the hospital, and cause grief to our loved ones. Where is the power that he has? When we get too close to his head (devices). We are not ignorant of what those devices are, and by getting too close to them, we will get bitten. Why does a snake still have the ability to bite and harm someone after it is effectively dead? That is the nature and makeup of its composition. Why does the devil continue to fight though he has effectively been crushed? That is his nature and his chief desire to bring as much destruction as he can for as long as he can.

Looking at our warfare, we have the opposite picture. Having passed from death unto life, we know that we have an endless time (eternity). We have been given the hope, promise, and assurance that our joy and peace will last world without end. When one considers the transitory suffering and misery of this life, it should be of chief comfort to the suffering child of God that all the bad things will one day be swallowed up by good things that will never change, decay, or pass away. However, our warfare is not nearly as diligent as our foe’s is. He does not “take the day off” though we often do. We do not stay fiercely determined like he does. I am reminded of a dear sister years ago who had the sweetest aunt that anybody had ever met. She was full of the milk of human kindness without a cross word to say. One day, this sister asked her aunt, “You’d probably say good things about the devil wouldn’t you?” Her aunt’s reply was, “Well, he isn’t lazy!”

The ultimate but sobering point is this: due to his knowledge and our knowledge, we should fight the opposite of how we do. If you knew that your side was going to lose the war, would you want to continue shooting? He knows that he has lost, yet he fights every day like victory is possible and still hanging in the balance. We know that we have won, yet we fight every day like defeat is possible and still hanging in the balance. Friends, I must confess that I have lost many skirmishes and battles with the old snake. He has gotten the better of me many times, but I am always supremely thankful to recall to mind that my battle record will not carry or overturn the war. The war was won by the Chief Captain of our salvation. He “duked it out” alone and won! Because He won, we won! Because He lives, we live now in passing from death to life and will one day live wholly (body, soul, and spirit) with Him. If you knew that your side lost the war or would lose the war, you might want to quit shooting. But, if you knew that your side already won the war, what greater encouragement could there be to keep shooting?

Life continues to deal us curves and problems to sort through. Our adversary continues to fire darts to discourage and trouble us. However, our Elder Brother has secured for us a life that knows no pain, sorrow, or strife. Before we get down or want to give up and quit, remember that glorious truth that as many times as I have quit on Him, he has never quit on me. As dead as the serpent is, let me cut wide berths away from his devices so that I do not get burned by his fire. His wrath will remain as long as his time lasts. Let the joy and strength that we will have for eternity infuse our lives now. If we have become weary in the way, let us begin anew to fight with the vigor worthy of the Name of Him who has won the strife for us.

In Hope,
Bro Philip

Philip Conley's Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (I Corinthians 14:37 – “The Veracity of Scripture”)

Morning Thoughts,

“The Veracity of Scripture”

I Corinthians 14:37, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.”

This morning, we live in a very cynical society. People look to turn heroes into villains and soft-soap villains. The end result is a more homogenous product wherein the lines between right and wrong are blurred. This skeptical mindset about absolute truth with clearly delineated right and wrong tends to a great suspicion of the infallibility of the Holy Scriptures. Moreso than in times past, Bible believers struggle today with the nagging clouds that the world throws their way, “Is the Bible really perfect?” Too many times today, I engage in discussion with people about the Bible only to have them say something to the effect, “How can we really know? After all, that book has passed through many hands over many years. How could anyone really know if that is what it always said?” By allowing such a thought, the implication is clear. The ultimate inescapable conclusion that they come to is that it cannot be perfect. No work could be after that much time passing through so many hands. In point of fact though, the Bible is just as it should be, and it is infallible due to the preserving Providence of its Author: God Himself.

Our study verse is part of Paul’s concluding arguments to his grand discourse on spiritual gifts and the worship of the body that started in Chapter 12. He has discussed how the church ought to function in worship, and gave many warnings of pitfalls to avoid. One of the great warnings that he gave in Chapter 14 was to avoid things that might spark emotion but were void of proper order and good decorum. Though the house of God should be a place of good emotion and high spirits, what carries the day in its proper course is whether the proper blueprint for true worship has been followed. One of the things I remember from my youth was a minister who said, “Though I hope to always enjoy the house of God and my times in it, the success of the effort is not designed around my enjoyment. The success of the effort is designed around whether He is glorified in our worship.” Amen and amen. A hard lesson for man to learn is when something is “not about him.” No matter the situation in the house of God, it is not about us. It is about Him! Therefore, the proper course to follow through Paul’s reasoning is that everything is designed to honour and adore Him.

In reaching his final arguments and conclusions, Paul hearkens back to a device that he has employed throughout this discussion: the idea of how to approach someone else doing something in the house of God. In this example, he shows how someone should be proven who claims to be spiritually minded or given a gift to prophecy. From time to time, the church may have a young man who believes he is called to preach or may be visited by someone desiring to become a part of the body who claims spirituality. How do you prove such a claim? What is the beginning point? Paul says that the starting point is the person’s assertion that what Paul had written was exactly right. Paul said that what he wrote is the very commandments of God Himself. Paul is not being proud, arrogant, or boastful. He is simply stating the truth that what he writes to the churches comes straight from God and Divine Inspiration. If someone is truly sent of God, called of God, and spiritually in tune with God, they will have to admit it too since God is not of duplicitous minds about things.

When we look at culture today, we see that man’s imagination runs wild, whereas he scoffs at absolute truth. How many people gleefully follow the superstitions of the day but doubt how accurate the Bible really is? A while back, I heard a stunning statistic. A poll was taken in this country of 20-40 year olds across the country. They were given a word association survey, and around 80% of them answered the same way when they heard the word “resurrection.” Instead of thinking of Christ, the end of time, or some comforting scene that the Bible paints for us around this subject, their response was “zombies.” People today actually prepare themselves for the so-called “zombie apocalypse” to be able to survive waves of “undead beasts” walking all over the globe. Superstition runs amok while real truth is discarded. Sad indeed!

Friends, if we are to truly grow in our development here on earth, we must begin with several foundational stones. One of those stones is that the book we call The Bible is verily the words of the Almighty. It is without fault, and it will be preserved as long as time remains. (Psalm 12:6-7, II Timothy 3:16-17) If a preacher is going to develop his gift like he should, he must stand upon and proclaim the word faithfully rather than his own thoughts and whims. When reading Paul’s discourse through this portion of Scripture, some of the things he warns against seem funny to consider. If someone from the outside saw everyone in church “doing his own thing” at the same time, he would declare the whole bunch to be crazy. (Verse 23) Yet, in my time, I have seen some lamentable behavior in the house of God due to man following his own whims rather than the word that can make us complete in our functions here on earth. Paul’s statement in our study verse upholds the veracity of Scripture and makes it the standard and filter through which things should be strained.

While talking to a co-worker yesterday, he asked me how much of the Bible I had committed to memory. I replied that I really did not know, and he said, “You seem to know it well.” Reaching back to wisdom from the past, I said, “Well Mike, it’s not hard to remember what you just read.” When his face puzzled, I told him that we learn the best through repeated behavior, and the best way to learn the Bible and remember it is through repeated passes. If this is my standard for all facets of life, then I need to be as familiar with the principles to know how to proceed through life. If it keeps me from the pitfalls and treacherous lies of the world, then I need to be versed in it to avoid the maladies that life brings. Most of all, if I want to be considered spiritually minded and a benefit to my brethren, I need to be well acquainted with the commandments of the Lord as laid down in his text.

Most of our churches have an article of faith that reads something to the effect, “We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired word of God and our only rule of faith and practice.” The verbiage may differ some, but the meat remains the same. If we claim that as a credo of belief, then everything in life must be strained through it. Anything short of that becomes our own druthers and desires. Because my druthers and desires change over time and through seasons, my life is best served by something that does not change but is forever settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89) Are we spiritually minded today? Are ministers acting as they should? To examine ourselves in answering the question, the answer must begin with thoughts like these, “This book is the commandments of God and just as flawless and perfect as He is. What it says, I will do. What it shuns, I will refrain from doing. No matter how much I don’t like it, I’m resolved to follow it.” With mindsets like this, we are better prepared to spiritual devotion and good growth in the service of our King. Do our minds affirm that the Bible is the commandments of God? Then may our steps follow so that our lives show forth good fidelity in humble service.

In Hope,
Bro Philip