Category Archives: Morning Thoughts

Philip Conley's Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (John 1:50 – “God With Us/Us With God”)

Morning Thoughts,

“God With Us/Us With God”

John 1:50, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.”

This morning, it would be impossible to say that we have seen all that we need to see. One of the surest ways for a man to fail to grow to his full potential is to think that he has “already arrived” in what he needs. The faithful disciple of the Lamb remains a student all his life. Once we think we have things figured out, we quickly find ourselves in the clutches of the devil’s devices, falling prey to his havoc. Unfortunately, the things that need to be seen and learned are pursued the least today. While various forms of entertainment and other vain jangling of the world attracts masses through its siren call, the bedrock institutions of God’s word and church are scoffed, dismissed, or ignored. While the Lord has blessed me to see great and mighty things thus far in my journey, I remain a student in the Master’s school, and my prayer for my future is that my mindset would not move from this position.

In this lesson, we read an interesting “back and forth” between a man by the name of Nathanael and Jesus. Nathanael has been gathered by Philip, and though probably with some doubts about this man Jesus that everyone is talking about (Verse 46), Nathanael goes to see Him. Upon arrival, Christ pays Nathanael a great compliment. He equates Nathanael’s life with that of moral uprightness and great honesty (Verse 47). Stunned by such an opening, Nathanael queries how Jesus could know him. After all, they have never met: or so he thinks. Christ then declares a knowledge of Nathanael’s private life by referencing an event under a fig tree. Now, I can tidily answer for the curious reader what exactly happened under the fig tree in the reference that Christ makes. It only takes three words. I don’t know. Though I have heard many theories about what this event was (some wilder than others), the main point is not what happened in this circumstance. The main point is that it was a situation that only Nathanael knew about, and the fact that Jesus tells him He is also aware and was there too was enough evidence to convince this doubtful – though upright – Jew that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah (Verse 49).

Our study verse is the tail end of this conversation between the two men, and Christ compares what Nathanael had just experienced to what he would later experience. In simple comparative language, Christ says that if Nathanael thought that Christ’s knowledge of the fig tree incident was great, just wait. It will get greater in the future. The distinction that Christ is making about Nathanael’s past experience and future expectation should give us some insight into our lives and what we hope for the future. Let us contrast the past fig tree experience with the future expectation of Nathanael’s life.

Nathanael learned something in this passage that Jacob learned in Genesis 28. The Lord is with us, even if we are not aware of it. His eye watches over us, and we are never outside of His faithful and loving gaze. The indication from the fig tree experience is that no one else save Nathanael was there, and he would have been positive that no one else knew what happened there – whatever it was. The fact that Christ knows it teaches Nathanael that this man is with him, even if his mind and spirit are not. In simple terms, God is with us, even if we are not with Him. We could say that being everywhere present and no where absent, God is always with everybody, but in the case of His children, He is with them specially. No matter the waywardness of the steps or how disobedient the behavior, His love for His own never wavers. He will never look at or say to one of His own, “I’m through with you. I’ve just had it up to here!” We should be supremely thankful that His love is perfect and unwavering to continue His faithful and loving care for us, even in the midst of our weakness and shortcomings.

The great thing to Nathanael was that His Lord and His God (now looking at him in fleshly form), was there all the time and saw everything. This should be a sobering thought to us. Years ago, I remember a sermon I heard preached when I was a young teenager. The minister said, “How would your life be if every step you took your father was attached to one hip and your mother to the other?” Plain and simple, my life would not have had some of the twists and turns that it took. Why? Mom and Dad’s presence would have kept me from some of the decisions that I made. How much more sobering should it be to us that our heavenly Father’s hand is upon us, and our Elder Brother’s hand is also upon us? Though sobering, how comforting should it be as well! Whatever the situation, He is there. No matter the problem, He is there. We many times focus on the greatness of the promise that He will never forsake us, but He will never leave us either. Though we may have to leave loved ones even though having not forsaken them (I am currently at this moment removed from my wife and children), God not only does not forsake us but never leaves us with His presence either.

What was going to be greater in the future? Christ plainly told Nathanael that he would see and experience greater things that what he had to this point. The difference was that though God was and still is with this man, this man would be with his Lord in body and spirit. By coming to where Christ was and then following after Him, he was able to witness and observe things that he knew at that moment were God’s presence with him. He had to be told after the fact of God being with him under the fig tree. He was going to see and know in the moment that God was with him in the future because he was with God. Nathanael observed many great things. In the next chapter a great miracle occurs of water being turned to wine. Christ would continue to bless and heal. Nathanael watched as Christ cleansed lepers, opened the eyes of the blind, and raised the dead. Equally great, Nathanael sat at the feet of the greatest minister to ever walk the earth and hear gracious discourses from the Master Teacher. On top of that, Nathanael witnessed and felt the hands of Christ upon his feet as his Lord knelt before him to wash those feet. Nathanael – like the rest – had ample evidence of the reality of who Christ was.

The reason Nathanael saw and experienced all these things was because he first of all heeded Philip’s invitation to “come and see” this great man. Secondly, he faithfully continued following Him after this initial meeting. Had Nathanael not gone with the invitation or not steadfastly followed Christ, God would have still been with him yes, but he would not have been with God. He would not have observed the wind and waves die immediately from three simple words, “Peace, be still.” He would not have been a distributor of a multitude of food that came from 5 simple loaves and 2 small fishes. He would not have had his own basket of fragments of mementos to recall to mind this great sight. So it is with us today friends.

Dear child of God, the Lord is always with you. Never let the devil convince you to heed his doubtful songs that God has forgotten you or does not care for you anymore. He is always there, and He always sees. (Hebrews 4:12-13) Your most private moments have not gone outside of his understanding. He was there too. He is in your head and heart and fully aware of all that goes on in both. Sometimes we can look back and come to realize, “Yes, He was there. Like Jacob, I didn’t know it. But without Him there then, I wouldn’t be here now.” I am living proof of this truth. Looking back on the folly of my youth, my life’s continuance is nothing short of a miracle. He was with me when I was the polar opposite of being with Him. However, I can also personally attest to the beauty and comparative greatness of being with Him.

Some might say, “But Nathanael was with Him in flesh on earth. I can’t do that!” Though we are not able to be with Christ physically like the 1st century apostles were, we have ample opportunity to be with Him nonetheless. Christ commends His sheep in Matthew 25 for doing many wonderful things to Him. When the confused sheep ask how that possible, Christ simply and plainly declares that doing it to one of the least of His is the equivalent of doing it to Him. Christ told His disciples on the night of that last Passover and first communion that He would eat and drink with them again in the kingdom of God. Though His flesh and blood is not on the earth, we should view every opportunity at communion as a time to put our feet under His table while His Spirit comes down to partake of the rich fellowship with us. By being with His people, helping one another, and faithfully presenting ourselves at His house, we are with the Lord.

Think of the great sights that can be seen when we faithfully follow the invitation to “come and see” and then faithfully follow after the life of a disciple. I have witnessed things in God’s house and with God’s children that are indescribable. Sometimes the Spirit can be so thick and powerful that heaven itself seems to be on earth. Sometimes the times of fellowship with God’s people in His house and in His service exceeds and overwhelms any experience I have ever had with natural blood. I can truly say as some of my forebears have said, “I’m closer with the people of God and His faithful than I am with my own blood kin.” While I love them yes, I have not seen the great sights that I have seen with the disciples of the Lamb. Like Nathanael, I can say that I have seen a small amount of food feed a great number, and I have been blessed as a minister to be a distributor on such an occasion. I have witnessed the storms and cares of life seem to disappear with His simple command and presence to still the house. I have witnessed great miracles of physical healing, but even moreseo, I have witnessed the great miracle that occurs when a broken spirit and burdened heart is bound up and cheered.

My life would be radically different were it not for the Lord’s word, His church, and the fellowship of His people. I have seen great sights. Yes, I can recall great things when He was with me, but the greatest events in my life came when I was with Him. Though the world continues to darken and crumble, being with Him should never be unfashionable for the Christian soldier. The cause is worth pursuing. The name is worth holding. The sights are breathtaking friends. May our steps, our hearts, our minds, and all that we are be found with Him. We are already in Him, and He is already with us. May we go to be with Him and dwell where He dwells. As Philip said, “Come and see.” (John 1:46) As the Samaritan woman said, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:49) As Abraham’s servant said, “I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” (Genesis 24:27b) I want to see him, and I want him to tell me all things. To do that, I need to be in the right way to faithfully go and steadfastly hold on to the house of my Master’s brethren.

In Hope,
Bro Philip

Philip Conley's Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Hosea 10:12 – “It is Time”)

Morning Thoughts,

“It is Time”

Hosea 10:12, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

This morning, Scripture continues to amaze in its freshness and relevance. Over the years reading and studying the Bible, it has been astounding to me to see how instep Scripture is with life, and yet the world continues to play catch up – if at all – all the while thinking they are in tune or ahead of the curve. Friends, the Bible has always and will always blow the world away in its superiority. Nothing today is truly new, as man continues to find new ways to repackage the same old things. Yet, something as old as the Bible continues to be a treasure trove of new and old things that can truly transform lives and provide comfort through the maladies of life. A Book like no other, its vibrancy stems from the fact that it has an Author like no other: God Himself. As I study it, however, I find that different things in it hit me more profoundly than other passages do at different times. As a young father, I find the passages on fatherhood to be more profound than I did prior to fatherhood. Likewise with married life. Passages talking about husbands and their responsibilities took my breath away more than they ever had before shortly before and after my wife and I tied the knot. Such is the case with verses like our study verse this morning. Though the vibrancy and relevance never truly fades, its effect charges through the door of our lives and challenges us to look deeply into our lives for examination.

The book of Hosea in general contains dark themes and images. The Lord’s man had a charge that I am glad that I did not. His cross to bear was tough. The Lord instructs him to take a wife of whoredoms and bear children with her, all the while she continues to flirt with her wicked lifestyle. The point that the Almighty is serving to His prophet is that he would understand experientially what God felt. Like as Hosea’s wife continued to break his heart by her wayward liaisons, the Lord’s people Israel continued to grieve Him by following after other nations and their idols. As our heavenly Husband that has married us, He felt pain and grief by our misdeeds, and Hosea understood this better having lived the same in his own house. His message had the weight and teeth of understanding to tell the people just how far they had rolled off the rails.

However, the book of Hosea is not chock full of dark images, themes, and tones to the exclusion of bright glimpses and rich promises. In fact Paul quotes from Hosea 14:13 in his grand declaration of the resurrection in I Corinthians 15. Our study verse is one of those bright moments in the midst of exhortation. Very briefly, let us examine some of the other expressions leading up to the theme “It is Time” that opens up the thought of a rich and comforting promise. God compares His exhortation to the people to the way a gardener tends his plot. Things must be sown before something can be reaped, and breaking must be in attendance for profitability. In our lives, we cannot honestly expect good things to come in our lives when we constantly input evil things. No one would expect a good crop by sowing few seeds or sowing spoiled seed. Likewise, we should not expect truly good and profitable spiritual ends when we constantly input spoiled and tainted seeds. We must input righteousness (good dealing, honest mindset, and upright decorum) to expect to reap in mercy. Someone might say, “Oh but preacher, God can still bless good things to come out of bad circumstances right?” He can, and sometimes He does. However, to expect the Lord to arrive and clean up our mess when He has given us the tools to do better is like expecting Him to be the worldwide nanny servicing the spoiled brats of a household. As Paul would warn, “God is not mocked…” (Galatians 6:7b). We should expect to reap after the same manner that we have sowed.

To fulfill the reaping of mercy, we must break away the things that offend and stand in the way. Breaking up fallow ground in a garden provides the seed with a good environment to nurture in. With the ground packed and clodded together, the seed struggles to produce the desired fruit according to its nature. Likewise, the seed planted within the child of God needs the flesh around it broken with the affections and lusts thereof to properly bring forth the mercy that we desire to receive and should desire to impart to others. Having gone through the gardening analogies, what is the Lord’s aim in using them? His aim is simple: it is time.

In farming and gardening, we see and understand there are certain times for things. Almanacs and other tools provide information on when to plant different seeds, and the farmer/gardener is best suited to bring forth an ideal crop by following those times. Consider where Israel was during this time. Long periods of languishing had ensued, and Hosea had lived in a form of hell to understand what God saw and experienced. Dark, dark times. Does that sound familiar? People chasing their own desires and fulfilling their own pleasures. Sound familiar? One might be inclined to think, “This season is wrong for a crop. Nothing good can come now.” The Lord’s message is exactly the opposite. Right now! It is time! Seeking the Lord needs no calendar date or time restriction. Every minister has heard older souls bemoan their younger selves in frittering away so much time before renewing their zeal and effort in seeking the Lord. No minister has heard an older soul lament the fervent time they spent in serving the Lord from an early age. Consider two examples: 1. John the Baptist and 2. Naomi. Both of them were Israelites and blessed to be born into a land that God favored with His presence. Yet, John the Baptist died early by execution from a wicked man for simply standing up for the truth. Naomi lived to be an old woman who had ups and downs through her life. John the Baptist fulfilled his course through faithfulness and righteousness. Naomi forsook her land and came back empty, bitter, and heartbroken. Yes, she had joy again before her life ended, but many years of her life’s experience were ruined by chasing after the world (Moab). Both are housed in heaven now, and will experience no less of its fullness than you or I. Yet, I would rather have the faithful life of John the Baptist, even if it costs me everything than the heartbreak of Naomi from the world’s destruction.

Think about the here and now. Are things really all that different today than in Hosea’s day? Is there anything new under the sun? Life today is spent chasing vain dreams, finding empty promises, and gathering great disappointments and regrets. The prize of today is replaced tomorrow by something different but equally empty. Children’s toy boxes are full of items that were “the thing” one day and forgotten the next. Life is full of such empty pursuits and prizes. I am reminded of the scene from Ben-Hur when Pontius Pilate crowns Judah Ben-Hur with the laurels after he wins the chariot race, “You are the people’s one true god for the time being. Permit us to worship.” He then then states, “I crown their god.” What was Pilate saying in the scene? What so many others today say. By the deeds of today or the pursuits of today, someone/something becomes someone’s god for that day. Just as the victory in the chariot race is not worthy of worship, so is nothing today worthy of serving/seeking outside of the Lord.

At what time or season should He be sought? A farmer knows that planting generally happens in the spring, harvest in the fall, with select things grown in the winter. However, the Lord’s service knows no specific season or time. Notice the phrase – it is time – is present tense. The phrase cannot be uttered about past successes or future expectations. It is uttered about the right now. What if dark times beset us? It is time. What if our days are filled with the sunshine of comfort and pleasures? It is time. Whether old or young, rich or poor, male or female, Jew or Gentile, it is time. For how long? The answer to that question opens the door to a great promise that the Lord manifests. This service endures until the Lord comes and rains righteousness on us. To the people that Hosea had been speaking to, the message may have seemed dark and hopeless, but the Lord renews His affection and promise that He is coming and righteousness is coming with Him.

The righteousness that He has will be freely and fully rained upon us/given to us. Paul looked forward to that day in II Timothy 4:8 as he described it as a “crown of righteousness.” Nothing that happens will stay or keep this event from coming to pass. Dark times on the earth will not prevent it. Our waywardness will not prevent. The devil cannot stop it. It is coming. By implication, therefore, it is still time right now to seek Him. He is coming, but now it is time. Paul told the Romans our service should be right now, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11) We are nearer that salvation and deliverance than we have ever been, but now it is time. Paul says it is high time. Life is not hopeless friends. There is much to do, and He is worthy of living for and following after.

Friends, nothing would delight our adversary more than to keep us steeped in our own wayward actions and decisions, and prevent our eyes from gazing upon that great consummation when the Lord rains righteousness and delivers us up. Evil men try to foster the mindset of terror and dread in what they do. Corruption seeks to sear us and make our love wax cold. Every day we must fight the hardening that this old flesh enjoys doing. Seeking Him is not a “what I once did” or “what I will do.” Seeking Him must be a what I am doing. I cannot serve Him today through future sermons I will preach, nor can I serve Him today through past successes/failures in preaching. I can only serve Him today through my sowing and breaking today, hoping to reap mercy through the effort. If we are waiting before we do something or living based on something that we have previously done, we are living in the “it will be the time” or “it was the time” mentalities. We have lived many days, and He is coming one day. We can only serve Him today.

In Hope,
Bro Philip