Revival: Finding Your Bible

“Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!’ Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it.”  — 2 Kings 22:8

 

In his own words, here is the testimony of Scottish doctor, W. P. Mackay, author of the hymn, “Revive Us Again.”

 

My dear mother…had been a godly, pious woman, quite often telling me of the Savior, and many times I had been a witness to her wrestling in prayer for my soul’s salvation. But nothing had made a deep impression on me. The older I grew the more wicked I became…

 

One day a seriously injured laborer…was brought into the hospital. The case was hopeless…He seemed to realize his condition, for he was fully conscious, and asked me how long he would last…I gave him my opinion in as cautious a manner as I could…

 

“Have you any relatives who we could notify?” I continued. The patient shook his head…His only wish was to see his landlady, because he owed her a small sum, and also wished to bid her farewell. He also requested his landlady send him, “The Book…”

 

I went to see him on my regular visits at least once a day. What struck me most was the quiet, almost happy expression constantly on his face…After the man died, some things about the deceased’s affairs were to be attended to in my presence. “What shall we do with this?” asked the nurse, holding up a book in her hand.

 

“What kind of  book is it?” I asked. “The Bible of the poor man…As long as he was able to read it, he did so, and when he was unable to do so anymore, he kept it under his bed cover.”

 

I took the Bible and–could I trust my eyes? It was my own Bible! The Bible which my mother had given me when I left my parent’s home, and which later, when short of money, I sold for a small amount. My name was still in it, written in my mother’s hand…

 

With a deep sense of shame I looked upon…the precious Book. It had given comfort and refreshing to the unfortunate man in his last hours. It had been a guide to him into eternal life, so that he had been enabled to die in peace and happiness. And this Book, the last gift of my mother, I had actually sold for a ridiculous price…Be it sufficient to say that the regained possession of my Bible was the cause of my conversion…

 

After W. P. Mackay’s conversion to Christ, he penned these well-loved words:

 

“We praise Thee, O God, For the Son of Thy love; For Jesus who died and is now gone above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.”

 

Revival came to Judah under the reign of Josiah when the Book was found in 2 Kings 22. Revival will come to us when we find the Book.

 

 

Almost Great

 

“In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.”  — Job 1:22

 

William Randolph Hearst built an empire. He was the leading newspaper man in the country, and he had power to make and break lives. He acquired treasures from around the world. He owned a castle on California’s central coast that housed hes impressive collection of antiques and art.

 

Hearst had everything the powerful people of the world want, but he was deeply in debt. He had leveraged everything he could to amass his fortune, which he believed would last forever. But his empire eventually crumbled.

 

His treasures were sold at auction and his newspapers were distributed to others. By the end of his life, he was broke. The only thing he had left was a magnificent but heartbreaking memory of what could have been. His own summary of his life was this: “I am a man who could have been great but wasn’t.”

 

In contrast to Hearst is Job. He worked hard, planned strategically, and lived with integrity. His character was formidable enough to be considered for a special mission. God volunteered him for a spiritual confrontation that would serve as an example for every generation. Job spent a significant portion of his adult life suffering at the hands of Satan, but he refused to give in to mediocrity or self-destruction. In the end, God chose to reward him with twice as many blessings as he had before the struggle.

 

The key difference between William Randolph Hearst and Job is that while Hearst boldly did things his own way, Job courageously followed God’s plan. Because of that, Job was a man who could have been great…and was!

 

I wonder. Does my life resemble Hearst’s? How about you? If so, we need to seek God and his plan for our lives. We should commit ourselves to follow His plan with all our strength. God always blesses that kind of obedience.

 

Spiritual Forgetfulness

 

“be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.”  –  Deuteronomy 6:12

Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? These are the questions that have captured the attention of our generation and culture. These are the issues that have taken the church captive for a ransom that denominations will never be able to pay.

What is wrong with these questions you ask? Everything! They reveal the humanistic focus that we have yielded to in forgetting the God who made us. We live in a day when we have become so self-possessed that God has been locked out of most churches.

We should be focusing on a whole different group of questions. We should be asking: Who is God? How can I know Him? How can my life glorify Him? These are questions of eternal import.

Israel was warned against disobedience and spiritual forgetfulness in Deuteronomy 6. The chief catalyst to their disobedience and forgetfulness is mind-blowing. They would not be disobedient and forgetful because of the barrenness of their lives but because of God’s blessings on their lives!

God said, “Be careful! When you inhabit houses you did not build, harvest crops you did not plant and enjoy abundance that you did not deserve, you will be in danger of forgetting Me!” Abundance can be a dangerous thing.

It is a short step from forgetfulness to idolatry! God warned Israel that once they had forgotten Him, they would soon begin “to go after other gods.” (6:14)

Have not we in America become guilty of the same things? God has blessed our country with unparalleled abundance. It has been almost unexplainable how wealthy our country has become. With prosperity has come ungodliness. Sodom and Gomorrah would blush over our promiscuity.

 The tax collectors of New Testament times would not associate with many of the rascals in our government. God has been banned in the public square while his power has been shunned in the church. We have become spiritually  forgetful.

 

How can we guard against spiritual forgetfulness? Deuteronomy 6 tells us:

 

1. We must not test God. (6:16) If we are to avoid spiritual forgetfulness, we must not presume upon our relationship with God. We cannot take Him for granted!

 

2.  We must diligently obey the commands of the Lord. (6:17) Only obedience’s intense focus will keep us from forgetfulness.

 

3.  We must do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight. (6:18) Only when our walk matches our talk will we live free from forgetfulness.

 

4.  We must drive out the enemies living in the land. (6:19) All weights and sins must be set aside in our lives…or we will forget! (Heb. 12:1-2)

 

5. We must pass our faith and walk on to our children. (6:20-25) In sharing God’s goodness and truth with the next generation, we will guard against forgetfulness.

 

Dear Christian, we are indeed living in the last moments of history. I beg you not to approach the climax of all God’s redemptive work with a forgetful heart! Stay true. Stay focused! Stay clean!