“Hidden Messages beyond the Surface”
– R. Nelson
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” Romans 11:33.
ENCOURAGING WORD:
Back in the early seventies while I was in my late teens, I heard a song that had a line that went like this, “the ocean is a desert with its life underground and a perfect disguise above.” It was and still is one of my all-time favorites. It hit me the other day as I was thinking about this song how unexplored the oceans really are. So, I did research and found this information, “As of the year 2000, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated that as much as 95 percent of the world’s oceans and 99 percent of the ocean floor are unexplored. If you think about it that is incredible.” What is on the ocean floors that we don’t know about that can be very important to our well-being and even provide answers to lot of today’s questions? The ocean floor will most likely remain unexplored because of the vastness of the area in which it covers. But we can be sure that there are hidden messages tucked away deep in the depths of the ocean and what is even more mind bobbling is what is beneath that. Well, I am sure that we will never know for sure what is truly beneath the ocean floor, but it sure would be interesting to find out.
As I was pondering all this in my mind, another thought came to me. There is another surface with all kinds of hidden treasures in it, and the surface that I am talking about is the cover of what we call the Holy Bible. I believe just as there are hidden treasures in the deepest parts of the ocean, there are even more treasures hidden in the supernatural Word of God. There is a verse in the Bible that gives us this wisdom, we read in Daniel 12:4; where we are told, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Today as we hear the Word of God expanding in areas that we were never aware of before; I personally believe we are living in those days that the Bible was speaking of. Those that are reading and studying the Bible with extreme intensity are seeing revelations that have never been revealed before. I can contests to this firsthand. I have been reading and studying the Bible for about twenty-five years now and every time I open the Bible, The Holy Spirit reveals something new to me. It is quite incredible how suddenly something will jump out at me with such measurable clarity that I had not seen before. I ask myself, why did I not see that before?
So many people own a Bible and I often wonder how many of those that own a Bible actually read it. See, when you have a Bible just lying around basically gathering dust, all you see is the cover unless it is hidden away in some closet or bookcase, then in most cases you don’t even know it is there. Unless you open it up, it really is not doing you any good. We are a generation of people that do not like to do our own research. We like other people to do it for us and then we decide whether we will believe what they tell us. Well, let me say that is all fine and dandy when we are talking about something that really has no bearing on our life such as what is at the bottom of the ocean floor. But when you are talking about something that has eternal consequences, wouldn’t you think it would be something that we would all like to find out more about on their own. Herein lies the problem, there are false teachers out in the world today. Some may be right in your own church that you attend, I do not know for sure, but my advice to you is this, listen to what you are being taught, but be diligent to make sure that what they are teaching is absolute truth. It is a huge risk to depend on somebody else for your eternal fate. We read this warning from the apostle Paul in Acts 17:11; “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” The Berean Jews were those that would listen to the message taught at the synagogues, but then they would search the scriptures to make sure that what they heard was true. This scripture is also telling you not to believe what anybody else teaches you about what the Bible teaches, including me. I truly believe what I am sharing is the true and inherent Word of God, but you do not know for sure, so you need to search the scriptures to make sure that what I am telling you is the truth. I am not responsible for anybody’s salvation, nor is anybody else. My purpose is to arouse your curiosity enough so that you will do your own study. Only the Holy Spirit can save you and only by knowing Jesus Christ personally can one be saved. We read in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11; “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ is the foundation on which every Christian must build on to be saved. Without Jesus Christ, there is no hope for salvation for any of us.
Once you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and accept the Holy Spirit into your heart, all those hidden messages in the Bible will start to be revealed to you. Oh, what a joy it is when you hear the living God speak to you in a way that is clearly understood. I can tell you from experience, there is nothing more refreshing than reading the Bible and actually understanding it! You may think it cannot happen to you, but by the Word of God, I can tell you without hesitation, that God will teach you all things if you just trust and believe. Taking the ocean as another example, if you wanted to see for yourself what is at the bottom of the sea, you would have to dive in and see for yourself. Right? Then wouldn’t it only make sense, if you wanted to know for sure what is in the Bible you would also have to dive into the Word of God.
The question that I had often pondered was this, “why are people so reluctant to read the bible?” I do know the answer because I was there. Back when I was living a life of sin, I did not want to read the Bible because I did not want to hear that I was a sinner. I thought if I didn’t know for sure, then I would not be held accountable for how I lived my life. That is one of the biggest misconceptions in our world today. Let me share this Bible verse with you, Romans 1:20 closes the door on that thought, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” This verse in Romans is telling us that we will all be without excuse regardless of what we might think. So, whether you read the Bible or not, you will be held accountable for what you believe, so it might be a good idea to read and understand about God’s plan for salvation? I’ll put this into prospective to make it a bit clearer, if you are in school and you know that you are going to be quizzed on certain book, do you think that your teacher will excuse you from the test because you didn’t read the book. Same analogy about the Bible. Read it or not, you are still held accountable.
ACTION POINT:
I cannot stress the point enough that we all need to study the Word of God. If we believe that the Bible is the true and inherent Word of God, we should all be curious about what God has to say to us. God has a lot to say to us, He is just waiting to get our attention! Our God is a God of Love, He is not a God that is just waiting for us to do something wrong so He can punish us. He is calling us to be His child and in doing so, He will do whatever He has to do to make us the best that we can be. God has a plan for us, just submit to His will and find out the glorious life that is awaiting you. Not only will your life be blessed, but the retirement plan is awesome…eternity in paradise! Join us today in sharing the wonderful news of the gospel and Gods glorious plan of salvation through Jesus Christ!
A Commentary from our Chaplin – R. Fritz
Hidden Messages beyond the Surface
I often wonder about what or how people are using verses in the Bible. I get serious about searching for an answer to a question that I have as soon as possible. Our Lord and Savior wants to answer our questions. We need to be patient. I usually feel confident as to who to go to for an answer, but only our Lord knows for sure. I had the opportunity to meet with somebody that I had recently met a couple of days ago. We discussed certain issues or questions that was our minds. What I didn’t expect, was the answer to a question that I was seeking from God that was answered by him. We both had our Bibles with us, and my friend suggested that we read chapters in Romans. As he was reading them, I was hearing the answer to the question I was hoping God would answer. We both got answers to our questions. We both had preconceived thoughts on who was capable to answer questions. It might be your Pastor or a friend who has a good understanding of the Bible, but only God truly knows the answer. Mathew 7:7-8 says “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” That is a quote from Jesus Christ Himself. It is a promise.It is your responsibility to search out an answer to a question that you may have.
God can communicate with us in so many ways and that He does. The Old Testament talks about Balaam and his donkey, where the Lord opened the mouth of a donkey and he spoke to Balaam. When Balaam didn’t listen, God used an animal to speak and get Balaam’s attention. Numbers 22 tells the story. We probably should not expect a donkey to talk to us, but we need to know that it did happen. I have told the story how the Lord used a number of diverse ways to communicate to me “Jesus Saves” in Colorado. We must pay attention to what is going on around us. I can tell you from experience that He uses everything imaginable to communicate to us. Our questions on what is happening in our life can all be answered in the Bible. Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 says “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us.” Our issues are not new, people have had them for thousands of years. Man might not have all the answers, But, our Lord and Savior does, he knows all. The Bible was written to answer all our questions! You might not believe it, but our issues of today are not new, they have been around for centuries.
This is what I have learned in almost twenty years being around the Lord Jesus Christ. We must first have that relationship with him. The closer we get to him, the more knowledge we gain, the more miracles I see. The Bible is Gods book of knowledge. The more we read it, the more the Holy Spirit will reveal to you and you will see things that you have not seen before even after reading the same verses that you read before. I get excited when the Holy Spirit gives me answers to questions I have about the Bible or issues in life. He is a God that wants the best for us, we need to search the scriptures and let our Lord reveal the answers to our questions. We are not watching things around us for His answer, which can come in many forms of communication. Most people do not believe that God has answered their prayers because of preconceived thoughts. Remember, God used a donkey to get Balaam’s attention in the Old Testament, He certainly can and will use everything around us to get our attention, and you should be looking at everything that is happening around you. It could very well be Gods answer to you!
In Conclusion – R. Nelson
When I read over what the Lord puts on our minds as Rick and I share God’s Word as it is revealed to us through the Holy Spirit, I am actually amazed myself. I think I can speak for both of us when I say, God is teaching us as we write what is being revealed to us through the Holy Spirit in the same way that He is using us to reach others with His message of truth and understanding. We are all learning more and more every day as we seek answers to questions that we may have. There is not a day that goes by where The Holy Spirit does not reveal a new truth to me in one way or another. I just sit back and say to the Lord, “Thank You!” There are millions of people in this world that either do not believe in God or just do not understand how powerful He is. Read again Matthew 7:7-8 and realize that this is a promise directly from the creator of the universe, there is nothing that He cannot do and nothing He will not do if you just put all your faith in Him. It falls into our hands as to whether our questions get answers. If you truly believe, your prayers will be answered, if you just pray and then hope, you may not get an answer to your prayer. John 12:46, tells us,“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness.” Belief in the Word of God without question is an absolute must if you want to understand the scriptures. The main message that we need to convey in this blog is this, not until you truly believe that the Bible is the true and inherent Word of God, will you understand the Bible with any kind of clarity and the hidden messages of the scriptures will remain a mystery to you. In other words, “if you believe, then you will receive.” The hidden messages in the scriptures are for our learning but can only be understood through the Holy Spirit as He dwells in us.Search the Word of God today and watch how the Holy Spirit will move in your life. You will truly be amazed!” Written To the glory of God, Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!