How's Your Diet?

I don't often eat bread these days, there are so many things put in it to stop it going mouldy quickly. There are quite a lot of foods like this, additives and chemicals and goodness knows what else is put into food to stop it going off.

I remember as a child runner beans being put in salt to preserve them over the winter, things were put in vinegar to preserve them, apples stored away in drawers in brown paper. But mainly we ate what was in season at the time, fresh. Not so in these days, we want everything now, and we want it to last far beyond its natural life. We don’t seem to be in the least concerned about the affects all these chemicals are having on our health. But there are more and more people becoming aware and taking control of their diet, cutting out anything that has those hidden extras.

What about our spiritual health, are we aware of those hidden extras that people sneak in? We are to be discerning people; we should test everything with scripture. A lady recently told me of a book she was reading where Jesus, had taken the author to heaven and hell, so she could tell people all about them. Jesus has already revealed all we need to know in scripture. He has already revealed heaven and hell to the apostle John, it is the last book in the Bible and is called Revelation. 

Revelation21:23

God is not going to keep on telling others, He has already revealed all He is going to reveal in the Bible.

Don’t be taken in by these additives, because they will harm your spiritual health. The Word of God makes it plain that those who add to scripture and those who take away will be punished. The canon of Scripture is closed, so don’t be fooled by those who have “special revelation” from God.

Test everything anyone tells you with God’s Word. Rely only on God’s Word and not man’s opinion of it. If you don’t understand something ask the Lord, He will help you. Ask for discernment, and grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. God answer’s the prayers of the diligent seeker. 

Proverbs 30:5-6

Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Revelation 22:18-19

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

What's That Smell?

I have been to the Salvation Army Home League meeting at Ripley, this afternoon, the speaker was Major Julie Johnson, from Nottingham Memorial Hall. She spoke about fragrance, and brought quite an assortment of perfumes and objects associated with fragrance. Oil burners, and candles etc. the Home League have their own blog and so you can read some of what was spoken about this afternoon here… Heaven Sent      

She told us a story about and expensive perfume which had been bought on the internet which had been £30 cheaper than its normal price. Julie explained that she was rather reluctant to use it because it was expensive, but finally when they were going away she put it in her bag. When they arrived at their destination, the bottle was broken and its contents poured out into the bag, it wasn’t a pleasant smell. Further investigation revealed that in fact it wasn’t the genuine article but a fake.

I thought about this, the Bible tells us that we are the fragrance of Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

But there are many fakes, the genuine article stands up to the searching of scripture, but the fake is soon broken, and its contents stink. We have the Word of God, which exposes the false teachers, and the hypocrisies. The true believer, the true teacher, preacher etc. diffuses the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. The fake knows nothing of this knowledge and promotes his own agenda, taking money from the poor, sick, and the vulnerable, and those who are weak in faith. Beware of the fake who are like the Pharisees, this is how Jesus describes them.

Matthew23:27

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

The tomb may have been whitewashed to make it look presentable, but inside it stank. We are to discern these things, and if we truly love the Lord Jesus, and His Word, then we will be careful not to fall for the fake.

Don’t go by appearance, don’t go by show, test all that you see and hear with scripture, and ask the Holy Spirit to help, guide and lead you in understanding God’s Word.