Ironworks

And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies             washed with pure water.   Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)   Hebrews 10:21-23 God wants you to be assured. Unfortunately, some of the brethren have not really felt so assured in their salvation. The Hebrew writer instructs us to draw near to God with a true heart. This is a heart that is characterized as one having full assurance of faith. We can have that confidence when we faithfully check our lives according to the Scripture. Paul wrote in 2 Cor 13:5: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? Individuals can convince themselves of many things, but the Christian with a clear heart and authentic faith will look at

Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 2 Kings 5:14-15             There is much back story to this healing, starting in 2 Kings 5:1. Naaman was captain of the host of the King of Syria, and he was also a leper. No matter how many battles he won or how much treasure that he took as spoil, he was still a leper. He suffered the pain and the shame that went with it. In his desperation, he went to the prophet Elisha who instructed him to dip in the Jordan River seven times. It seems rather simple but the diseased man at first would not do so. He reasons that the waters in Syria are better. It is not until

  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children . Hosea 4:6 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Isaiah 5:13 Hosea’s prophecy against Israel testified of the coming fall to the Assyrians in 722 B.C. Many problems led to this, but Hosea chose to focus on their ignorance. Isaiah spoke of the same problem that besieged Judah before they were led off into Babylon (606-536). One of the main reasons they went into captivity is because they rejected knowledge. It was certainly available, but they rejected it. I fear that this lack of knowledge is of the utmost risk for the body of Christ. We are all members of one body. We are the bride of Christ and the church of the Living God. May we all u

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 2 Tim 1:3-5             What do you think about when you think of the term legacy? You may think of historical figures in this nation. You may think about different organizations that have stood the test of time. When you think about yourself? Do you associate this word with your life? This is certainly a struggle for many as they go through life and make decisions. Sometimes this struggle is more often associated with failure than success. This can lead us to question just what kind of legacy we might leave.             I write to you to call to mind the only legacy that eternally mat