The Importance of Telling What God Has Done

“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened: He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!” -Psalm 66:16-20 (ESV)

Psalm 66, a Psalm encouraging general worship and also recounting historically the mercies and blessings of God, ends with statements urging how important it is to tell what God has done for the believer.

In Christian circles, we call this ‘giving our personal testimony.’ The Christian ought to be able to share with others what the Lord has done in bringing salvation to him/her personally and in leading the believer to live life by the Bible’s guidance and with Christian principles.

The Psalmist makes it very clear that if the believer “cherishes iniquity in his heart” the Lord will not listen to prayers the Christian makes. Of course, this does not mean that the Lord will not hear and answer the sincere prayer of repentance from sin and a plea for strength to walk in the way of the Lord. We rejoice that God “has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!”

Peter the Apostle admonished in his letter that Christians should always be able to give a testimony of what the Lord has done in their lives. Read carefully what he wrote: “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason or the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:13-17. ESV).

In my life as a minister’s wife, as a Bible teacher, and as one who has assisted in seeking to disciple new Christians—teaching them “new member classes” and other discipleship classes, I have urged them to try to put their personal testimony of salvation into a concise presentation they could tell in one, two or not more than three minutes. Persons can argue many things about beliefs, even about the Bible itself, but there is no denying what the Lord has done for a person. That is personal and unique to each believer. That is why the personal testimony is so vital in sharing the way to salvation with others.

Have you given thought to your own personal testimony? Can you tell briefly and clearly what the Lord did to save your soul? When have you shared this with an unbeliever or with a Christian who might have gone astray and needs encouragement? The Psalmist stated clearly that we should tell others about the Lord. “Come and hear…and I will tell what He has done for my soul!” Peter urged, “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” These are strong invitations—yea, even commands—God gives us to tell others what He has done for us! May we seek out and find persons with whom to share this good news during the coming week. –Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.28.2015

Honor Your Father—Father’s Day and Every Day

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” –Exodus 20:12 (ESV). “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” –Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV).

Today is Father’s Day, a day set aside to honor fathers, to remember the significant role of a father in the rearing and admonition of children, and a time for genuine appreciation for the influence of a godly father.

Oh, that all children everywhere could experience the joy and blessings of having a godly father to guide them. For those of us fortunate enough to have had such an influence in our rearing, today is a day of thanksgiving for this blessing from God. From such an earthly father children begin to learn the love and characteristics of the Heavenly Father. I had a hard-working, humble father, one who loved his children and his God. Such a legacy is transferred from one generation to another. I was fortunate to have had a husband who exemplified the commandment that honored his father and mother. He, likewise, was an honorable father, one who brought our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and did not “provoke them to anger” but loved and guided them. Today, on Father’s Day, I recall with joy this legacy of honoring a good earthly father. I appreciate deeply the influence and far-reaching spiritual benefits of what it means to have had a good father and to have been married to one who loved and instructed his children. Thanks be to God for fathers thus imbued with God’s calling to their noble task, a representative on earth of God the Father.

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.21-2015.

Benefits of Living Righteously

“The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short. The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to the evildoers. The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land. The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. Proverbs 10:27-32 (ESV),

Using Hebrew poetic parallelism, the writer of Proverbs in these verses (believed to be Solomon), gives the positive aspects of living righteously counter-balanced with the negative results of living wickedly.

As these are weighed, it follows that anyone with any judgment at all will choose the high road of righteousness. Paraphrased, we see these concepts in this light, easily compared:

The righteous fear the Lord and live a long life; those living wickedly will die young.

The hope of the righteous is joy; the hope of the wicked is to utterly fall or perish

The blameless have the Lord as their stronghold; evildoers meet destruction.

The righteous will be safe in the land; the wicked will be removed.

The righteous speaks with wisdom; the words of the unrighteous will be cut off.

The lips of the righteous utter acceptable speech; the words of the wicked are perverse.

Reading Proverbs is like having a road map or guide to right living. Following the precepts taught in Proverbs guarantees peace of mind for the follower and good will toward those encountered. Solomon was writing about tried and proven methods of conduct. Those who learned and practiced these principles would benefit himself and those with whom he came into contact.

I am not so naïve as to think that every time a good person practices what is just, right and loving that all will go well. We still have to be righteous in a world where much evil exists. But to return evil for evil is sure to lead to destruction. To fail to practice Christian principles is surely a passport to failure. In our day when many wrong choices are made in government, in leadership capacities, in nations dealing with other nations, in the fabric of home life and rearing children, and in the fellowship of our churches, we should again look at God’s way and His guarantee that if we make a sincere and concerted effort to follow His way, life will be richer, happier and certainly more bearable. Some may call me an idealist and declare that this is not possible. But if it were impossible in practical living, it would not have been written in the Word of Life. There are innumerable benefits that accrue to the one who seeks to live righteously. In Isaiah 48:17 the prophet reiterates what the writer of Proverbs teaches: “Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am that Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.’ ” This is the Lord’s way; walk in it!- Ethelene Dyer Jones 06.07.2015