Fw: sound teaching

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2016 7:39 AM
Subject: sound teaching

In 2 Timothy 4 the apostle Paul is close to his own death.  He's writing some final words of exhortation to his younger disciple, Timothy.  One of these struck me this morning: (verse 3) "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."  I have been concerned that people are not reading the Bible, especially the New Testament, and accepting its words.  Instead they'd rather listen to people who are popular in the current culture....even the Christian culture who attempt to redefine those words.  One example comes from other the letter Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Timothy).  In chapter 2 of that letter Paul provides teaching in verses 11-14 about the role of women in the church.  The instruction is that women should not teach or exercise authority over men in the church and the timeless reason given is that Adam was formed first...before Eve (verse 13).  In verse 14 Paul goes on to recount "and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor."  Clearly this context goes beyond the local church at Ephesus.  It's roots go to the formation of mankind.  There is something different about God's design and intent for men and women that has nothing to do with equality (Galatians 3:28) between them but everything to do with God's sovereign plan.  Some truths are not comfortable in contemporary culture, but culture must not be allowed to redefine scripture.

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blessings,

Rob Smith

Fw: following well

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2016 7:38 AM
Subject: following well

Much is said about "leadership" and far less is said about "following well".  In 2 Timothy, Paul emphasizes to his young disciple that following well is a key to leadership.  Verse 10 commends Timothy for following Paul's 'teaching, conduct, aim in life, faith, patience, love and steadfastness'.  Disciplines of a healthy spiritual life that reflect what we feed on in our hearts and minds, what we do with our energy and time, and the attitudes we bring that help us succeed for the advancement of God's Kingdom...that's what Paul is emphasizing.  We need a model to follow and to realign with daily because we tend to drift away.  And the promise for following well: persecution!  Clearly the apostle is teaching his disciple that we are on foreign soil, doing battle with an enemy on his turf.  But Paul also encourages Timothy, reminding him in verse 11 "...which persecutions I endured, yet from them all the Lord rescued me."

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Are you following well?  It is the first step before you can lead.

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blessings,

Rob Smith

Fw: ground rules

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 7:37 AM
Subject: ground rules

Before starting a game it's important to know the ground rules.  Ground rules are the special rules that need to be followed on a particular field and if both teams don't know what they are it can lead to disputes and confusion.  In 2 Timothy, chapter 2, Paul provides Timothy with the ground rules for being an effective disciple using three illustrations: a soldier, an athlete and a farmer.  After he provides these illustrations Paul exhorts Timothy to think carefully about them and trust the Lord to give him understanding.  As I considered the picture that Paul provided these three ideas seem to form: The soldier is always aware of the chain of command that he serves and is focused on his mission.  The athlete knows that he must compete within the rules of his sport to win fairly.  The farmer must work hard...very hard to see results.  "Focus, rules, hard work".  For the follower of Jesus that translates to: Prioritize the mission to reflect and share the Gospel, remembering Jesus who made it possible.  Know the Gospel...how we are all sinners and how Jesus paid the price to redeem us and made salvation available to all.  Work hard to share the Gospel and reflect it in daily living.

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These are the ground rules that lead to Heaven!

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2Tim 2:³ Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. ⁵ An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

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blessings,

Rob Smith

Fw: investing

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 7:28 AM
Subject: investing

Investing our money is a pretty big deal.  We look to get a good return and we look to preserve our money and we look to make sure we have money for emergencies.  How would God invest if He were to invest money?  What does God invest in?  We are reading 2 Timothy this week and there is an interesting verse in the first chapter:(Verse 14) ^"By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."  Paul is writing Timothy, his younger disciple and encouraging him to follow his example in sharing the Gospel and being willing to suffer that God's message of salvation would be spread.  In this verse he reminds Timothy and us that when we responded in faith to His outreach of grace and plan of love by bowing before Christ and allowing Him to wash us of our sin...God entered our life and placed a deposit...a deposit of the Holy Spirit within.  He made an investment in you and now He wants that investment to produce a return.  It does no good to hide money in the ground and it does no good for God's investment to be buried within ourselves.  Paul exhorts Timothy earlier in the chapter to "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you..." (from verse 6).  We, too, who have received God's deposit need to "fan into flame" the gift God has given and show that His deposit is returning interest...producing dividends...showing a world in darkness that there is truth that can live within and transform lives.

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Ephesians 1:¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit

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blessings,

Rob Smith

Fw: looking up

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2016 7:52 AM
Subject: looking up

Recently we learned that a key part of the definition of "glorify" is to "lift up".  I was watching the new movie "Ben Hur" with Shirley yesterday and towards the end of the movie we saw the crucifixion scene of Jesus...on the cross.  It occurred to me that even in death He was "lifted up"...glorified.  To look on Jesus you had to look up to see Him on the Cross.  It reminded me that God turned the tables on Satan that day when an awesome death became the means by which an awesome gift of life was made possible to man.  In a sense we all stand at the ground level...at the foot of the Cross.  Before we can be saved we must look up and see Jesus.  We look up to see Him on the cross and we look up to see He has risen from the position of death and we look up to hear Him calling to us so that we also would be lifted up.

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John 3:¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

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blessings as you look up today!

Rob Smith

Fw: more than fruit

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rob Smith <toanosmith@yahoo.com>
To: Rob Smith <rsmith@mycwa.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2016 9:31 AM
Subject: more than fruit

We raise fruit trees for the fruit.  That's their ultimate purpose.  The fruit becomes our food and it seems obvious that the fruit is equal with its purpose.  But fruit trees have other benefits:  They can be beautiful just as they stand...they can provide homes for wildlife...their wood can be transformed into homes and furniture...their shade shield's from the sun's intensity.

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As believers in Christ we seek to be fruitful.  We know that the ultimate is to lead others to faith...to be fruitful spiritually.  But as I considered the beauty of trees the other day it occurred to me that there is daily beauty in being a Christian.  We are beautiful as we stand...gracious in our care...forgiving in our nature...sheltering in our protection of the vulnerable.  Ultimately we long to bear fruit...the sweet fruit of salvation in others.  But just as a forest of tall trees is beautiful apart from the pine cones and acorns they produce there is beauty and glory for the Lord as we move through our days.  The tree in the picture is the actual church location for friends we met in Kenya...talk about a purposeful tree!

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Psalm 72:¹⁶ May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
    like the grass of the field!

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blessings,

Rob Smith

Standing

So much of life is about perspective.  It occurred to me during a walk in the woods yesterday that where we "stand" is important.  Do we live our lives mostly concerned about our "standing" among other people or do we live our lives concerned mostly about our "standing" before almighty God?  It is much easier to live a life of comparison with others than submission to God.  The comparison life drives us to find our worth by trying to be better than others, have more than others, outperform others.  And we have the benefit of deciding for ourselves just how we're doing.  So our yardstick is other fallen creatures like ourselves and our judge is our biased self appraisal.  It may be more difficult, but focusing on our standing before God seems a better way.  We are humbled as our imperfections become obvious in His light and we become aware that we can only be "right" as He has made it possible through the salvation path forged by the Son.  And when it comes to our standing with other people, that tends to work out the right way when we are conscious of our standing with our Maker.

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Deuteronomy 29:10 You are standing today all of you before the Lord your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel

blessings,

Rob Smith