• Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Writings
    • Books
    • Book Reviews
  • Q & A
  • Favorite Links
  • Contact
  • Email me
  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook

"If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free...So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed!" (John 8:31-32,36)

A Thorn, You Say?

September 20, 2017 by Beryl Smith Leave a Comment

“And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me – to keep me from exalting myself.” (2 Corinthians 12:7)

Why do we always wonder about someone else’s thorn? Theologians and Bible expositors have done that for years. What was Paul’s “thorn”? Was it his eyesight? Was it a mother-in-law? Was it some awful weakness he had in that fleshly part of his old nature? Those aren’t the questions we should be asking. The problem is not with Paul’s thorn; I think we need to be thinking about our own thorns.

What is a thorn, anyway? The Greek word for “thorn” is SKOLOPS (σκολοψ). It can mean anything pointed and is used as a metaphor for a thorn or a plague. And that tells our story. What is our thorn? Could it be a physical weakness, an ailment, a physical handicap, or could it be a weakness in our very nature – something like the “sin which so easily entangles us” that we find in Hebrews 12:1? You know, that sin of omission or commission that seems to war against us in our climb up that steep hill on our pilgrim journey to the Celestial City? Is it that sin we are exhorted to despise, lay aside and from which we should run? It unmercifully plagues us! Could it actually be our ill temper, our cursing, or some baser lust of our old, fleshly nature?

One thing is sure about Paul’s thorn: God allowed Satan to use it to attack Paul. The word “buffet” comes from KOLAPHIDZO (κολαφιζω). It can mean to beat with a fist (Jesus beating in Matt. 16:67), to treat roughly (Paul, in I Cor. 4:11), or to punish or treat harshly in general (I Peter 2:20). Those aren’t very comforting prospects, are they? But God in His providence allows it for good reasons.

In Paul’s case it was to keep him from getting the “big head” for learning some very special, heavenly, godly truths. The truths were great; but the beating he was getting from Satan to entice him to think of himself as a fantastically smart guy was something from which he wanted to be delivered. He supplicated the Lord three times for relief; but God gave him His remedy. It was the remedy that sustained Paul all the way the headman’s axe in Rome, under the sentence of that evil emperor Nero, in 67 A.D. God answered him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). [Read more…]

Christian Witness, Courage, Devotion, Discipline, Faith, Grace, Holy Spirit, Life Struggles, Mercy, Pain, Sin, Spirit, Spiritual Growth, Trials, Vocation Tagged: faith, forgiveness, mercy, prayer, Spirit, spiritual growth, suffering, trials, vocation

Unspeakable Joy

October 12, 2015 by Beryl Smith Leave a Comment

“You too now have sorrow; but I will see you again; and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you. And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. Until now, you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.”
(John 15:22-24)

It had been a three-year struggle following the Master. In these hours before His arrest, trial, betrayal, and crucifixion, Jesus endeavors to encourage His disciples. They were alone with Him now. It would not be long before He would be taken from them. I wonder if they understood His encouraging words. I wonder if we understand them now.

There are three things that sort of leap out to me, as I read these words. They are stark realities about which we should be enlightened and encouraged.

The reality of sorrow: Whether personally or in relation to those around us, we find ourselves perpetually in a struggle with “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” We see loved ones struggling with health issues, financial setbacks, family dysfunction, and work-related challenges. We ask ourselves, “Will life ever be free from trials and troubles?” Somehow we know the answer is NO. After all, didn’t Jesus say, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Like it or not, from waking in the morning to dropping off to sleep at night, we live in a world of personal, filial, and whole-world experiences that sometimes overwhelm us with sorrow. Christ’s disciples would soon experience this, when they observed their Master hanging on a gibbet on Golgotha. [Read more…]

Belief, Courage, Devotion, Discipline, Faith, Grace, Holy Spirit, Life Struggles, Mercy, Prayer, Suffering, Trials Tagged: belief, faith, Holy Spirit, joy, mercy, prayer, spirit courage, suffering, trials

Let’s Get This Straight

September 4, 2015 by Beryl Smith Leave a Comment

“For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”
(Psalm 139:13-16)

God ordained and planned your life before He spoke the Universe into existence. He ordained the day of your conception, the day of your birth, and the day of your death. God is the author of life, the sustainer of life, and the consummator of all earthly life by His providence.

Abortion is premeditated murder. Murder is the killing of a human being with intent to kill (malice aforethought). It is condemned by God and worthy of damnation in hell. In our post-Christian culture, the murder of the unborn is subjected to the choice of the mother bearing the child. It is culturally accepted as pre-birth, partial birth, and of post birth, as seen in the damnable practice of removing a child to harvest its organs for sale. Culture willfully accepts abortion as normal solution to an unwanted pregnancy, particularly in cases of rape, incest, or the health of the mother. [Read more…]

Abortion, Christianity, Condemnation, Culture, Death, Evil, forgiveness, Grace, Judgement, Life Struggles, Mercy, Murder, Sin, Suffering, Trials Tagged: abortion, condemnation, culture, death, faith, forgiveness, grace, Judgement, mercy, murder, sin

Is Suffering Necessary for Christians?

August 13, 2015 by Beryl Smith Leave a Comment

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him,
but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict
which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”

(Philippians 1:29-30)

The mission of Jesus Christ in His incarnation was to bear witness to the truth of the Triune God, bear the penalty of the sins of many, to die in their place, to rise from the dead and ascend to His Father’s throne in Heaven. He came to redeem His people. As He suffered, so did His disciples. With the exception of John, Christ’s main followers all died as martyrs.

In a recent interview on NRB network, Ravi Zacharias was asked, “Is suffering necessary for Christians?” He provided an answer that bears repeating. He referred to suffering as “the fine tuning of one’s own life” and gave four truths we would do well to embrace: [Read more…]

Christian Witness, Courage, Eternity, Faith, Holiness, Life Struggles, Mercy, Pain, Sovereignty, Spiritual Growth, Suffering, Trials, Worship Tagged: courage, faith, life struggles, mercy, pain, sovereignty, spiritual growth, suffering, trials

Beryl Smith

AvatarBeryl has a great love for studying the Bible and Christian theology. Beryl is a 12th generation descendant of Ralph Blaisdell, an English Puritan who came to America from Bristol, England in August, 1635 on the sailing ship “The Angel Gabriel.”
Read More…

Subscribe to my Blog:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Recent Posts

  • Fresh as the Sunrise
  • East-West Separation
  • Listening To Jesus
  • A Thorn, You Say?
  • Moral Relevance – The Rabbit Trail to Dissipation

Recent Comments

  • Beryl Smith on Myopicism
  • Charles t. Smith on Sick and Angry
  • James on Myopicism
  • Dan Appel on Another Look at the Emergent Church
  • Rose Hay on Dumbing-Down the Evangelical Scene

Categories

  • Abortion
  • Belief
  • Beryl's Blog
  • Christian Vocation
  • Christian Witness
  • Christianity
  • Church
  • Condemnation
  • Courage
  • Culture
  • Death
  • Devotion
  • Discipline
  • Emergent Church
  • Eternity
  • Evangelical Church
  • Evil
  • Faith
  • forgiveness
  • free will
  • Grace
  • Heaven
  • Hell
  • Holiness
  • Holy Spirit
  • Judgement
  • Justification
  • Learning
  • Life Struggles
  • Love
  • Mercy
  • Mission
  • Murder
  • Pain
  • Prayer
  • Repentance
  • Salvation
  • Separation
  • Sin
  • Sovereignty
  • Spirit
  • Spiritual Growth
  • Spiritual Truth
  • Suffering
  • Theology
  • Trials
  • Truth
  • Vocation
  • Witnessing
  • Worldview
  • Worship

Archives

  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • February 2017
  • May 2016
  • February 2016
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • May 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012

Popular Topics

abortion belief Christianity condemnation courage culture death Divine Providence doctrine eternity Evangelical Church evil faith forgiveness free will grace heaven Holy Spirit Israel joy Judgement mercy mission multiculturalism murder postmodern Postmodern Christianity prayer regeneration revival salvation Savior separation sin sovereignty Spirit spiritual growth Spiritual Truth suffering teachers theology trials vision vocation witnessing

Copyright © 2023 · Going Green Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in