February 29
There are things we feel we must have in life. We need a roof over our heads, we need viable work to do, we must have food to sustain our bodies, we yearn for meaningful relationships with other people. But when we’ve attained our fine home because we’ve distinguished ourselves at our work, and the food of our table is more than enough to sustain life and we have forged friendships and associations and romances that satisfy, what do we yet lack?
We know we lack something because like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for forty years because they could not stay on the straight path to the Promised Land, we, too, find ourselves floundering through an aimless abyss. Even though they had manna to eat and even though we are rich and full, we still have an insatiable longing within that nothing seems able to satisfy.
Jesus addressed this very situation in John 6:32 when He said, “Verily, verily I say to you, Moses did not give you manna from Heaven, but it was My Father. It is He who gives you the true Bread of Heaven.” What is this “true Bread of Heaven” that is supplied by our Heavenly Father? What is it that can sustain life when all we endeavor to achieve and to possess leaves us feeling empty and unfulfilled?
Of course, the answer is that it is Jesus Himself who is our Bread of Life. It is only Jesus who can satisfy the inner longing of our hearts and spirits. It is only Jesus who can nurture our inner man so that no matter how the outer man may succumb to the ravages of hatred or war or simply old age, the part of us that is to be alive for evermore will be sustained and transported safely to its eternal reward.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
February 28
In I Chronicles 28:9, King David speaks candidly to his son Solomon who will assume his throne upon his death. He speaks from the heart of a wise monarch who has unified his nation and who has vanquished all her enemies. But more importantly, he speaks from the depth of a loving father’s heart.
In His words, we hear the love of our Heavenly Father and we, like Solomon, will be the better if we heed them. David says, “…know the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches hearts and understands the imagination of all thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found of you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
These words are at once a tender yet sobering reminder of the power we have over our own destiny. They affirm the desire of the Holy One to discover Himself to us as the fullness of all we need and in the entirety of all we long to have and yearn to be. Yet, as in any covenant, in any contractual relationship, there are stipulations and provisions that must be met if the agreement is to remain in effect.
Would Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, have allowed himself to be turned aside from his enormous potential by the “foreign women” who captured his imagination and caused him to abandon his high calling if he had know the disaster he unleashed upon himself in so doing? Should we not learn from his mistakes and avert similar failure to our potential through our indulgence of any distraction that might cause our being cast off as Solomon was!
In I Chronicles 28:9, King David speaks candidly to his son Solomon who will assume his throne upon his death. He speaks from the heart of a wise monarch who has unified his nation and who has vanquished all her enemies. But more importantly, he speaks from the depth of a loving father’s heart.
In His words, we hear the love of our Heavenly Father and we, like Solomon, will be the better if we heed them. David says, “…know the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches hearts and understands the imagination of all thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found of you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
These words are at once a tender yet sobering reminder of the power we have over our own destiny. They affirm the desire of the Holy One to discover Himself to us as the fullness of all we need and in the entirety of all we long to have and yearn to be. Yet, as in any covenant, in any contractual relationship, there are stipulations and provisions that must be met if the agreement is to remain in effect.
Would Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, have allowed himself to be turned aside from his enormous potential by the “foreign women” who captured his imagination and caused him to abandon his high calling if he had know the disaster he unleashed upon himself in so doing? Should we not learn from his mistakes and avert similar failure to our potential through our indulgence of any distraction that might cause our being cast off as Solomon was!
February 28
In I Chronicles 28:9, King David speaks candidly to his son Solomon who will assume his throne upon his death. He speaks from the heart of a wise monarch who has unified his nation and who has vanquished all her enemies. But more importantly, he speaks from the depth of a loving father’s heart.
In His words, we hear the love of our Heavenly Father and we, like Solomon, will be the better if we heed them. David says, “…know the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches hearts and understands the imagination of all thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found of you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
These words are at once a tender yet sobering reminder of the power we have over our own destiny. They affirm the desire of the Holy One to discover Himself to us as the fullness of all we need and in the entirety of all we long to have and yearn to be. Yet, as in any covenant, in any contractual relationship, there are stipulations and provisions that must be met if the agreement is to remain in effect.
Would Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, have allowed himself to be turned aside from his enormous potential by the “foreign women” who captured his imagination and caused him to abandon his high calling if he had know the disaster he unleashed upon himself in so doing? Should we not learn from his mistakes and avert similar failure to our potential through our indulgence of any distraction that might cause our being cast off as Solomon was!
In I Chronicles 28:9, King David speaks candidly to his son Solomon who will assume his throne upon his death. He speaks from the heart of a wise monarch who has unified his nation and who has vanquished all her enemies. But more importantly, he speaks from the depth of a loving father’s heart.
In His words, we hear the love of our Heavenly Father and we, like Solomon, will be the better if we heed them. David says, “…know the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches hearts and understands the imagination of all thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found of you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
These words are at once a tender yet sobering reminder of the power we have over our own destiny. They affirm the desire of the Holy One to discover Himself to us as the fullness of all we need and in the entirety of all we long to have and yearn to be. Yet, as in any covenant, in any contractual relationship, there are stipulations and provisions that must be met if the agreement is to remain in effect.
Would Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, have allowed himself to be turned aside from his enormous potential by the “foreign women” who captured his imagination and caused him to abandon his high calling if he had know the disaster he unleashed upon himself in so doing? Should we not learn from his mistakes and avert similar failure to our potential through our indulgence of any distraction that might cause our being cast off as Solomon was!
February 27
Psalm 91 is known as the “Psalm of Protection” because it is replete with affirmation of the Lord’s continual watch-care over His people. In a world that grows ever more tumultuous with each passing day—wars, rumors of wars, economic upheaval, hatred run rampant in the heart of a people who profess to do God’s bidding—the reassurance of His protective presence is virtually our only consolation.
How can we assure ourselves of His over-arching care when we are bombarded on every side with evidence of insurmountable problems and the threat of a catastrophic collision of mindsets and belief systems? As in every problem of life, the only viable solution, the only reasonable assurance is that which is found in the Word.
Psalm 91:14 tells us the basis for our confident expectation that the Lord God will be the Keeper of our lives and the Assurance of our well-being. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known My name.” This is a definite cause and effect promise! This is a promise whose fulfillment lies in the hand of the one who is in covenant relationship with the Father. If we are to be guarded physically and emotionally and spiritually, it will be because we comply with the terms of the covenant.
Our Father does not promise to guide us through the mayhem the world unleashes on itself through its striving for ascendancy over those whose views differ from their own, whose religious beliefs do not conform to theirs because of our goodness or our superior military might! No, His promise is to keep safe in the hollow of His hand the ones who know Him—and who in knowing Him, have fallen in love with Him! Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Only in their keeping can the promise of our protection be realized.
Psalm 91 is known as the “Psalm of Protection” because it is replete with affirmation of the Lord’s continual watch-care over His people. In a world that grows ever more tumultuous with each passing day—wars, rumors of wars, economic upheaval, hatred run rampant in the heart of a people who profess to do God’s bidding—the reassurance of His protective presence is virtually our only consolation.
How can we assure ourselves of His over-arching care when we are bombarded on every side with evidence of insurmountable problems and the threat of a catastrophic collision of mindsets and belief systems? As in every problem of life, the only viable solution, the only reasonable assurance is that which is found in the Word.
Psalm 91:14 tells us the basis for our confident expectation that the Lord God will be the Keeper of our lives and the Assurance of our well-being. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known My name.” This is a definite cause and effect promise! This is a promise whose fulfillment lies in the hand of the one who is in covenant relationship with the Father. If we are to be guarded physically and emotionally and spiritually, it will be because we comply with the terms of the covenant.
Our Father does not promise to guide us through the mayhem the world unleashes on itself through its striving for ascendancy over those whose views differ from their own, whose religious beliefs do not conform to theirs because of our goodness or our superior military might! No, His promise is to keep safe in the hollow of His hand the ones who know Him—and who in knowing Him, have fallen in love with Him! Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Only in their keeping can the promise of our protection be realized.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
February 26
Have you ever pondered the old adage, “If you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything”? If you’re like most of us, you don’t employ the sound advice contained within that admonition nearly enough. If anything, we’re far too quick to expound upon topics about which we have no authority to speak.
Our intentions may be good. Giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt we can say our only purpose in dispensing our point of view is to benefit the hearer through the wisdom we feel we have. Sometimes, we actually have a viable point to make—but if we convey it at the wrong moment, it loses its punch.
To assure that our words produce the desired impact we must follow the principle found in Proverbs 8:6 which says, “I will open my mouth and speak excellent things; the opening of my lips shall be for right things.” The Lord has further told us that there is a “time to speak and a time to keep silence,” Ecclesiastes 3:7, and it is incumbent upon us that we discern that time wisely.
Certainly, if our only purpose is to elevate ourselves in our own estimation, to behold ourselves in a lofty position in our own eyes, it hardly matters when we dispense the counsel we feel welling up within us, but if our purpose is to draw others to the Savior through our witness of His love and salvation, then we must implement His Word in His way. His way results in His will being accomplished.
Have you ever pondered the old adage, “If you don’t have something good to say, don’t say anything”? If you’re like most of us, you don’t employ the sound advice contained within that admonition nearly enough. If anything, we’re far too quick to expound upon topics about which we have no authority to speak.
Our intentions may be good. Giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt we can say our only purpose in dispensing our point of view is to benefit the hearer through the wisdom we feel we have. Sometimes, we actually have a viable point to make—but if we convey it at the wrong moment, it loses its punch.
To assure that our words produce the desired impact we must follow the principle found in Proverbs 8:6 which says, “I will open my mouth and speak excellent things; the opening of my lips shall be for right things.” The Lord has further told us that there is a “time to speak and a time to keep silence,” Ecclesiastes 3:7, and it is incumbent upon us that we discern that time wisely.
Certainly, if our only purpose is to elevate ourselves in our own estimation, to behold ourselves in a lofty position in our own eyes, it hardly matters when we dispense the counsel we feel welling up within us, but if our purpose is to draw others to the Savior through our witness of His love and salvation, then we must implement His Word in His way. His way results in His will being accomplished.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
February 25
What are the purposes of prayer? We can enumerate a few: inner peace, release from concern, obedience to the Word that admonishes us to pray, and, of course, sweet communion with God. All these sound rather altruistic and our attainment of all them should please God. But is that what HE said? Actually, not entirely.
What Jesus actually said can be found in Matthew 6:6: “When you pray, go alone into your closet and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father, Who sees in secret shall reward you openly.” Yes, we should focus on the greater good when we pray—and peace and release from fear and obedience and fellowship are all part of that—but beyond that, He desires to reward us!
Part of the reward is the peace we receive as we fellowship with Him, but beyond that, there are prayer goals that we know are part of His stated will. He has told us that it is His desire to heal the sick through our prayers. He has made it clear that He wants to use our supplications to transform lives steeped in spiritual darkness into those illumined by the light of Christ’s salvation.
He has said it is His desire to “come in to us and sup with us…” Revelation 3:20, and we know that we invite Him in when we have placed our lives at His feet and open our hearts fully to not only His salvation but His presence in our hearts. When we pray, we continue the commitment we have entered with Him. When we pray, we allow that commitment to be the cornerstone of our lives.
What are the purposes of prayer? We can enumerate a few: inner peace, release from concern, obedience to the Word that admonishes us to pray, and, of course, sweet communion with God. All these sound rather altruistic and our attainment of all them should please God. But is that what HE said? Actually, not entirely.
What Jesus actually said can be found in Matthew 6:6: “When you pray, go alone into your closet and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father, Who sees in secret shall reward you openly.” Yes, we should focus on the greater good when we pray—and peace and release from fear and obedience and fellowship are all part of that—but beyond that, He desires to reward us!
Part of the reward is the peace we receive as we fellowship with Him, but beyond that, there are prayer goals that we know are part of His stated will. He has told us that it is His desire to heal the sick through our prayers. He has made it clear that He wants to use our supplications to transform lives steeped in spiritual darkness into those illumined by the light of Christ’s salvation.
He has said it is His desire to “come in to us and sup with us…” Revelation 3:20, and we know that we invite Him in when we have placed our lives at His feet and open our hearts fully to not only His salvation but His presence in our hearts. When we pray, we continue the commitment we have entered with Him. When we pray, we allow that commitment to be the cornerstone of our lives.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
February 24
The Old Testament is replete with admonitions to prayer. One example of God’s beckoning of us to Himself and its attendant benefits is to be found in Proverbs 8:17 where it says, “If you seek Me early and diligently, you will find Me.” The intent is that we seek the Lord not only early in the day but early in life.
If we will, He assures that we will find Him, and in finding Him, we gain all that His perfect plan for us entails. In Mark 1:35, we see the Sinless One, Jesus Himself, complying with this admonition. We are told, “In the morning, before daybreak, He got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed.”
How telling it is that the Lord God incarnate, when He walked in the flesh among His people, when He was subject to the wiles and ways of the world, kept Himself spiritually strong by seeking the face of His Father before He engaged in any other pursuit through the day. If Jesus felt that HE needed to set aside the first part of the day to commune with our Heavenly Father, how much more should we!
He said before He ascended into heaven that if we believe in Him, we shall be able to do greater works than He had done (John 14:12). Should we not commune with His Spirit that we might gain His direction for our day, that we might achieve the goals He desires us to attain! If we have the ability to be His hand extended, to do the works—the miracles!—He has done, should we not appropriate the power to attain it all! The power that comes through prayer!
The Old Testament is replete with admonitions to prayer. One example of God’s beckoning of us to Himself and its attendant benefits is to be found in Proverbs 8:17 where it says, “If you seek Me early and diligently, you will find Me.” The intent is that we seek the Lord not only early in the day but early in life.
If we will, He assures that we will find Him, and in finding Him, we gain all that His perfect plan for us entails. In Mark 1:35, we see the Sinless One, Jesus Himself, complying with this admonition. We are told, “In the morning, before daybreak, He got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed.”
How telling it is that the Lord God incarnate, when He walked in the flesh among His people, when He was subject to the wiles and ways of the world, kept Himself spiritually strong by seeking the face of His Father before He engaged in any other pursuit through the day. If Jesus felt that HE needed to set aside the first part of the day to commune with our Heavenly Father, how much more should we!
He said before He ascended into heaven that if we believe in Him, we shall be able to do greater works than He had done (John 14:12). Should we not commune with His Spirit that we might gain His direction for our day, that we might achieve the goals He desires us to attain! If we have the ability to be His hand extended, to do the works—the miracles!—He has done, should we not appropriate the power to attain it all! The power that comes through prayer!
Monday, February 23, 2009
February 23
Everyone wants to be happy. Although each of us may perceive the attainment of that enviable goal in different ways, there are a few basic things we’d all include in our happiness equation. Good health and rewarding activities in which to engage along with satisfying personal relationships are “must haves” on everybody’s list.
Beyond that are the assorted financial independence and prestige and acclaim we might enjoy, but in the ultimate sense, although these can certainly make life comfortable and pleasant, there is something the Word specifies that is essential to that sense of well-being that all mankind would like to enjoy.
In Psalm 32:2 it says, “Blessed (happy) is the man whose sin is forgiven, to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,” and this simple statement is the foundation of a life of well-being. Indeed, it is the keystone of a blessed eternity! It is so essential that the entirety of the Bible and the total focus of Christ’s sojourn on earth are rooted in man’s need for cleansing, for man’s need for forgiveness from sin.
The Word does not tell us that we need to be sin-free in order to be happy. Indeed it acknowledges that none among us are righteous in the eyes of our holy God. But He has provided a way for us to be justified of all the sin we’ve ever indulged. By receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we are washed, we are made clean, we are given the opportunity to have true happiness in life and to reign with Christ in eternity.
Everyone wants to be happy. Although each of us may perceive the attainment of that enviable goal in different ways, there are a few basic things we’d all include in our happiness equation. Good health and rewarding activities in which to engage along with satisfying personal relationships are “must haves” on everybody’s list.
Beyond that are the assorted financial independence and prestige and acclaim we might enjoy, but in the ultimate sense, although these can certainly make life comfortable and pleasant, there is something the Word specifies that is essential to that sense of well-being that all mankind would like to enjoy.
In Psalm 32:2 it says, “Blessed (happy) is the man whose sin is forgiven, to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,” and this simple statement is the foundation of a life of well-being. Indeed, it is the keystone of a blessed eternity! It is so essential that the entirety of the Bible and the total focus of Christ’s sojourn on earth are rooted in man’s need for cleansing, for man’s need for forgiveness from sin.
The Word does not tell us that we need to be sin-free in order to be happy. Indeed it acknowledges that none among us are righteous in the eyes of our holy God. But He has provided a way for us to be justified of all the sin we’ve ever indulged. By receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we are washed, we are made clean, we are given the opportunity to have true happiness in life and to reign with Christ in eternity.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
February 22
To be a believer in Christ is almost to assure that one has enemies. Yes, enemies. We would like to believe that because we have His grace and His love and His truth and His Holy Spirit that our lives would be a sweet fragrance to those around us, that they would be drawn to us and hold us in esteem.
The reality is sometimes far from that. Those of us who are blessed to live in ‘the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave’ may not endure the full burnt of the negative attitude of unbelievers as do people in Moslem lands, for example, but there are subtle forms of persecution here, too.
Being considered of lesser intelligence, being mocked for ‘clinging to guns and religion’ instead of embracing the program—to mention just a couple well-known accusations against people of faith in Christ—may make those who call His name wary of the future, unsure of when to speak and when to be silent in order to avert mockery or even overt persecution.
But, we are heartened when we read Psalm 18:3 which says, “I will call upon the Lord who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” This short passage at once affirms that He is worthy to be praised no matter our circumstances and that He will save us from anyone who would harm us because we love and praise Him! We are assured that we ‘have it all!’
To be a believer in Christ is almost to assure that one has enemies. Yes, enemies. We would like to believe that because we have His grace and His love and His truth and His Holy Spirit that our lives would be a sweet fragrance to those around us, that they would be drawn to us and hold us in esteem.
The reality is sometimes far from that. Those of us who are blessed to live in ‘the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave’ may not endure the full burnt of the negative attitude of unbelievers as do people in Moslem lands, for example, but there are subtle forms of persecution here, too.
Being considered of lesser intelligence, being mocked for ‘clinging to guns and religion’ instead of embracing the program—to mention just a couple well-known accusations against people of faith in Christ—may make those who call His name wary of the future, unsure of when to speak and when to be silent in order to avert mockery or even overt persecution.
But, we are heartened when we read Psalm 18:3 which says, “I will call upon the Lord who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” This short passage at once affirms that He is worthy to be praised no matter our circumstances and that He will save us from anyone who would harm us because we love and praise Him! We are assured that we ‘have it all!’
February 21--[LATE--SORRY!]
Ephesians 1:12 gives the believer in Christ a remarkable bit of insight into God’s desire for those who call upon the name of His Holy Child Jesus. We know the Word affirms that God will not share His glory with another, but in this passage the believer is told that “We who have placed our hope in Christ are to live for the praise of His glory.”
That phenomenal truth should impact every aspect of our lives. It should remind us that indeed, we are not our own but we are His and because we’re the Lord’s, every action that we take, every word that we speak, every cause we espouse, every thought that we think should be worthy of Him. Why?
Because He wants to receive praise and glory through us. That cannot happen if our eyes are focused upon the things of the world. If all we see has dollar signs attached to it, if all we strive for has personal aggrandizement as its aim, if all we do is focused on fashioning a perfect ‘designer life’ for our own glory, we cannot but fail—even if we attain all we pursue.
But, if we tune ourselves in to His Holy Spirit, if we surrender our talents and our energy to the purposes to which He is calling us—and we will hear Him if we but listen with our spiritual ears—when we tally the scorecard of our lives, we will know we are winners! The laurels that have accrued at our feet may not be of the type the world esteems, but they will testify to the praise of His glory!
Ephesians 1:12 gives the believer in Christ a remarkable bit of insight into God’s desire for those who call upon the name of His Holy Child Jesus. We know the Word affirms that God will not share His glory with another, but in this passage the believer is told that “We who have placed our hope in Christ are to live for the praise of His glory.”
That phenomenal truth should impact every aspect of our lives. It should remind us that indeed, we are not our own but we are His and because we’re the Lord’s, every action that we take, every word that we speak, every cause we espouse, every thought that we think should be worthy of Him. Why?
Because He wants to receive praise and glory through us. That cannot happen if our eyes are focused upon the things of the world. If all we see has dollar signs attached to it, if all we strive for has personal aggrandizement as its aim, if all we do is focused on fashioning a perfect ‘designer life’ for our own glory, we cannot but fail—even if we attain all we pursue.
But, if we tune ourselves in to His Holy Spirit, if we surrender our talents and our energy to the purposes to which He is calling us—and we will hear Him if we but listen with our spiritual ears—when we tally the scorecard of our lives, we will know we are winners! The laurels that have accrued at our feet may not be of the type the world esteems, but they will testify to the praise of His glory!
Friday, February 20, 2009
February 20
There is an old saying, “If you want something different than you’ve always had, you must do something different than you’ve always done.” The Bible gives that same counsel to those who have given their lives to Christ and desire to be His hand extended to a lost and dying world. The fact is, we will not accomplish much in the behalf of His Kingdom if we continue to wallow in the world.
The admonition to change is clearly stated in Colossians 3:8-10. It says, “Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Stop lying because you have put off the old man and his deeds and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge after the One who created him.”
This is quite direct. There is no misunderstanding of it. Your old habits and practices are not the traits that are useful in the furtherance of the Lord’s Kingdom purposes. If you persist in your natural proclivities, you may hold on to your salvation but you will not be effective in winning others to faith in Jesus. To advance His salvation, to make Him attractive to others, you must reflect His loveliness.
You must speak as He spoke, act as He acted, walk as He walked, teach as He taught, and love as He loved. When you employ His tactics, you will further His purpose—the salvation of the lost. Let them see Him, not you. When you have exchanged your ways for His ways, the light of His love will shine through you. When He is clearly visible, He is altogether lovely, and His beauty compels those He came to save into His Arc of Salvation.
There is an old saying, “If you want something different than you’ve always had, you must do something different than you’ve always done.” The Bible gives that same counsel to those who have given their lives to Christ and desire to be His hand extended to a lost and dying world. The fact is, we will not accomplish much in the behalf of His Kingdom if we continue to wallow in the world.
The admonition to change is clearly stated in Colossians 3:8-10. It says, “Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Stop lying because you have put off the old man and his deeds and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge after the One who created him.”
This is quite direct. There is no misunderstanding of it. Your old habits and practices are not the traits that are useful in the furtherance of the Lord’s Kingdom purposes. If you persist in your natural proclivities, you may hold on to your salvation but you will not be effective in winning others to faith in Jesus. To advance His salvation, to make Him attractive to others, you must reflect His loveliness.
You must speak as He spoke, act as He acted, walk as He walked, teach as He taught, and love as He loved. When you employ His tactics, you will further His purpose—the salvation of the lost. Let them see Him, not you. When you have exchanged your ways for His ways, the light of His love will shine through you. When He is clearly visible, He is altogether lovely, and His beauty compels those He came to save into His Arc of Salvation.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
February 19
We live in a society that is very “celebrity conscious.” We lavish our “heroes” with adulation—and with money. Football stars, basketball players, actors and actresses make more money for one performance than the average person will accrue in a lifetime. They live more lavishly than the rulers of by-gone empires.
We approach them, if by some happenstance our worlds touch for a brief moment, with the deference we should accord only to God Himself! And, the probability is that we will be brushed aside, at best we may be accorded an autograph. Not so with the Lord of Creation. He invites us to, “Come boldly to the Throne of Grace and there find help in time of need.”
He doesn’t require us to come with timorous or faltering step into His presence. He doesn’t expect us to grovel before Him. Jesus doesn’t have His body guards usher us away from Him. Instead of having us unceremoniously escorted out of His presence, He invites us into His inner sanctum. He tells us we may boldly enter His Throne Room where His majesty dwells!
And when we have been received—not as an autograph seeker but as a beloved child—we are further accorded the assurance that when we have placed the supplication of our heart before Him, He will extend to us the help we need! We approach Him with the same confidence a child enters a loving father’s presence—confidence that we will be lovingly received and promptly helped.
We live in a society that is very “celebrity conscious.” We lavish our “heroes” with adulation—and with money. Football stars, basketball players, actors and actresses make more money for one performance than the average person will accrue in a lifetime. They live more lavishly than the rulers of by-gone empires.
We approach them, if by some happenstance our worlds touch for a brief moment, with the deference we should accord only to God Himself! And, the probability is that we will be brushed aside, at best we may be accorded an autograph. Not so with the Lord of Creation. He invites us to, “Come boldly to the Throne of Grace and there find help in time of need.”
He doesn’t require us to come with timorous or faltering step into His presence. He doesn’t expect us to grovel before Him. Jesus doesn’t have His body guards usher us away from Him. Instead of having us unceremoniously escorted out of His presence, He invites us into His inner sanctum. He tells us we may boldly enter His Throne Room where His majesty dwells!
And when we have been received—not as an autograph seeker but as a beloved child—we are further accorded the assurance that when we have placed the supplication of our heart before Him, He will extend to us the help we need! We approach Him with the same confidence a child enters a loving father’s presence—confidence that we will be lovingly received and promptly helped.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
February 17
They say the economy is in a tailspin but there’s one time and place you’ll never prove it, and that’s dinner time at a restaurant—any evening, any restaurant. They’re always filled with customers! Even in these trying financial times, people do not confine themselves to their own thrifty kitchens. They prefer dining out.
Isaiah 1:19 tells us, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land,” and we have appropriated that promise to ourselves—big time—in our society. We’re not merely into cheap fast food joints, we’re into fine restaurant dining. We prefer eating out to preparing our meals in our own kitchens.
Even in tough financial times, we maintain our habit of eating out frequently, of eating the good of the land, but God had so much more for us in mind when He conveyed that promise to us. He has lavished our land with blessings, many of which are clearly delineated in our Constitution. They are rights for which our forefathers laid down their lives. They are concepts of freedom which we have endeavored to share with the rest of the world.
Yet we have become complacent about these inalienable rights that our founding fathers knew came to all men through the endowment of our Creator. We have lived in the privilege of them for so long that we have begun to take them for granted. We have not required the keepers of our history to assure the accurate chronicling of our nation’s special blessings. We have become satiated on the good of the land and do not value it or the Provider of it.
They say the economy is in a tailspin but there’s one time and place you’ll never prove it, and that’s dinner time at a restaurant—any evening, any restaurant. They’re always filled with customers! Even in these trying financial times, people do not confine themselves to their own thrifty kitchens. They prefer dining out.
Isaiah 1:19 tells us, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land,” and we have appropriated that promise to ourselves—big time—in our society. We’re not merely into cheap fast food joints, we’re into fine restaurant dining. We prefer eating out to preparing our meals in our own kitchens.
Even in tough financial times, we maintain our habit of eating out frequently, of eating the good of the land, but God had so much more for us in mind when He conveyed that promise to us. He has lavished our land with blessings, many of which are clearly delineated in our Constitution. They are rights for which our forefathers laid down their lives. They are concepts of freedom which we have endeavored to share with the rest of the world.
Yet we have become complacent about these inalienable rights that our founding fathers knew came to all men through the endowment of our Creator. We have lived in the privilege of them for so long that we have begun to take them for granted. We have not required the keepers of our history to assure the accurate chronicling of our nation’s special blessings. We have become satiated on the good of the land and do not value it or the Provider of it.
Monday, February 16, 2009
February 16
“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and steadfast love, even truth and faithfulness are they for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.” These are sobering words in Psalm 25:10, for many of the trials through which we are required to walk in life seem like anything but the path of mercy and love.
When we are confronted with problems that seem insurmountable, God’s truth and faithfulness seem shrouded in the fog of our dilemma, if not totally invisible to our eyes which can be blinded by doubt and discouragement. Yet, we know His Word is absolutely true. How can we reconcile what we feel, what we fear, with what we know about Him?
The first step is to acknowledge that the problem lies with us, not with the Lord. The second step is to recognize that the problem within us is rooted in the dichotomy of our spirit. Yes, we have faith, but within the same bosom, we also harbor doubt. We know that mustard-seed-sized-faith can pull down mountains, but we also know that doubt hinders the power of faith.
We are like the man whose son was tormented by a demon—the man stated regarding his conviction that Jesus could deliver his son, “Lord, I believe,” but went on to add, “help Thou mine unbelief,” Mark 9:24. And as his son was delivered, so shall we be. The Lord’s mercy and love and truth and faithfulness will prevail as we continue to faithfully “keep His covenant and His testimonies.”
“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and steadfast love, even truth and faithfulness are they for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.” These are sobering words in Psalm 25:10, for many of the trials through which we are required to walk in life seem like anything but the path of mercy and love.
When we are confronted with problems that seem insurmountable, God’s truth and faithfulness seem shrouded in the fog of our dilemma, if not totally invisible to our eyes which can be blinded by doubt and discouragement. Yet, we know His Word is absolutely true. How can we reconcile what we feel, what we fear, with what we know about Him?
The first step is to acknowledge that the problem lies with us, not with the Lord. The second step is to recognize that the problem within us is rooted in the dichotomy of our spirit. Yes, we have faith, but within the same bosom, we also harbor doubt. We know that mustard-seed-sized-faith can pull down mountains, but we also know that doubt hinders the power of faith.
We are like the man whose son was tormented by a demon—the man stated regarding his conviction that Jesus could deliver his son, “Lord, I believe,” but went on to add, “help Thou mine unbelief,” Mark 9:24. And as his son was delivered, so shall we be. The Lord’s mercy and love and truth and faithfulness will prevail as we continue to faithfully “keep His covenant and His testimonies.”
Sunday, February 15, 2009
February 15
We know that God is of purer eyes than to behold sin. We know that as Jesus hung on the cross, God turned His back on Him because at that juncture in time, Jesus was laden with an incalculable sin burden—ours. This is sobering information and it is instructive. If we want to get anywhere in prayer, we must approach our Holy God cleansed and renewed.
That cleansing comes through the blood of Christ. Once we are washed free of all our sin, we may approach unto the very throne of the Living and Eternal God. Like Paul, we may be entangled in the very human distractions that compel us into our old way of living, and like Paul we must die to our old nature daily.
As the psalmist recognized his need to approach God cleansed, so must we. As it says in Psalm 26:6,7, “I will wash my hands in innocence and go about Your altar, O Lord, that I may make the voice of thanksgiving heard and may tell all of Your wonderful works.”
To be fit for His use, we must be bathed in Christ’s blood, we must be cleansed from the accumulated grime of existing on this fallen planet, and we must be thankful that HE has provided the way for our cleansing. When we have been renewed and are thankful, He uses us to reveal His glory to others.
We know that God is of purer eyes than to behold sin. We know that as Jesus hung on the cross, God turned His back on Him because at that juncture in time, Jesus was laden with an incalculable sin burden—ours. This is sobering information and it is instructive. If we want to get anywhere in prayer, we must approach our Holy God cleansed and renewed.
That cleansing comes through the blood of Christ. Once we are washed free of all our sin, we may approach unto the very throne of the Living and Eternal God. Like Paul, we may be entangled in the very human distractions that compel us into our old way of living, and like Paul we must die to our old nature daily.
As the psalmist recognized his need to approach God cleansed, so must we. As it says in Psalm 26:6,7, “I will wash my hands in innocence and go about Your altar, O Lord, that I may make the voice of thanksgiving heard and may tell all of Your wonderful works.”
To be fit for His use, we must be bathed in Christ’s blood, we must be cleansed from the accumulated grime of existing on this fallen planet, and we must be thankful that HE has provided the way for our cleansing. When we have been renewed and are thankful, He uses us to reveal His glory to others.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
February 13--This is late! Sorry!
Proverbs 11:26, 27 holds a recipe for condemnation as well as one for esteem. It says, “The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is upon the head of him who sells it; for he who diligently seeks good seeks God’s favor. The reality of both aspects of this passage is evident in stressful economic times.
Although there are conflicting points of view regarding governmental bail-outs to large corporations that mismanaged their enormous assets much sympathy lies with the “little guy” who has been snared in the net of corporate greed and its resultant economic earthquake.
If jobs are lost and savings accounts are wiped out, all eyes are turned to the entity that can give respite from the world-wide upheaval—to the government. When leaders withhold the funds to keep the system afloat, they are distained. When they open the public coffers and spend tax dollars that future generations will be forced to pay to reduce the enormous debt that will be incurred, they are perceived as saviors. In the larger picture, however, the Word points us toward the Lord!
We should require both our leaders and ourselves to diligently seek God’s favor and His solution for the enormous problem before us! We must return to the God of our fathers and seek His blessing and His provision, for vain is the help of man! Instead of signing away our grandchildren’s future wealth, we should be calling for national prayer and fasting so we may hear from the Lord. He alone can direct us on the path that will lead us out of our trouble—not through the forest of debt but through the plane of His provision!
February 14--HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Galatians 6:9 addresses an issue that confronts the most stalwart of believers at some time or another in his walk with the Lord. It says, “Be not weary in well-doing for in due season you shall reap if you do not faint.” In other words, you may be tired, but don’t give up!
Our loving Heavenly Father knows our frame. He knows our natural proclivity is to spend ourselves with the intention that we shall receive speedy if not instant reward for our effort. Indeed, much of the economic woe that has been visited upon us stems from the way business has been conducted—invest then pull out quickly with the assurance of ever increasing profit!
But in his letter to the Galatians, Paul points out a truth that all of us must confront ultimately, whether in the economic realm or in the spiritual realm, and that is, our commitment must be for the long haul. If we think we can go on forever like the investors whose goal is to make a quick profit and bail out, we will be sorely disappointed with our walk of faith.
If we are to be effective for the Kingdom of Christ, we must be prepared to endure! If we are willing to stay the course, to pursue the goal to its conclusion, we will not be disappointed. If we become tired, we know that Christ has promised to be our strength. If we lose our way, He has promised to be our guide. With Him, we can do all things.
Proverbs 11:26, 27 holds a recipe for condemnation as well as one for esteem. It says, “The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is upon the head of him who sells it; for he who diligently seeks good seeks God’s favor. The reality of both aspects of this passage is evident in stressful economic times.
Although there are conflicting points of view regarding governmental bail-outs to large corporations that mismanaged their enormous assets much sympathy lies with the “little guy” who has been snared in the net of corporate greed and its resultant economic earthquake.
If jobs are lost and savings accounts are wiped out, all eyes are turned to the entity that can give respite from the world-wide upheaval—to the government. When leaders withhold the funds to keep the system afloat, they are distained. When they open the public coffers and spend tax dollars that future generations will be forced to pay to reduce the enormous debt that will be incurred, they are perceived as saviors. In the larger picture, however, the Word points us toward the Lord!
We should require both our leaders and ourselves to diligently seek God’s favor and His solution for the enormous problem before us! We must return to the God of our fathers and seek His blessing and His provision, for vain is the help of man! Instead of signing away our grandchildren’s future wealth, we should be calling for national prayer and fasting so we may hear from the Lord. He alone can direct us on the path that will lead us out of our trouble—not through the forest of debt but through the plane of His provision!
February 14--HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Galatians 6:9 addresses an issue that confronts the most stalwart of believers at some time or another in his walk with the Lord. It says, “Be not weary in well-doing for in due season you shall reap if you do not faint.” In other words, you may be tired, but don’t give up!
Our loving Heavenly Father knows our frame. He knows our natural proclivity is to spend ourselves with the intention that we shall receive speedy if not instant reward for our effort. Indeed, much of the economic woe that has been visited upon us stems from the way business has been conducted—invest then pull out quickly with the assurance of ever increasing profit!
But in his letter to the Galatians, Paul points out a truth that all of us must confront ultimately, whether in the economic realm or in the spiritual realm, and that is, our commitment must be for the long haul. If we think we can go on forever like the investors whose goal is to make a quick profit and bail out, we will be sorely disappointed with our walk of faith.
If we are to be effective for the Kingdom of Christ, we must be prepared to endure! If we are willing to stay the course, to pursue the goal to its conclusion, we will not be disappointed. If we become tired, we know that Christ has promised to be our strength. If we lose our way, He has promised to be our guide. With Him, we can do all things.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
February 12
“Truth shall spring out of the earth; righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yes! The Lord shall give that which is good and our land shall yield its increase. Righteousness shall go before Him and shall set us in the way of His steps.” Psalm 85:11, 12, 13 has a lot to say about the ’contract’ into which God has entered with man.
As with any contractual agreement, its terms are binding upon both sides and each side has rights and obligations. When one party to the agreement abrogates its terms, it becomes null and void. God always complies with His part of the agreement. Man often breaks his.
What we see here is God’s promise to convey the truth of who He is even through nature. As He says in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth testifies of His handiwork.” Besides the physical evidence of His Lordship over creation that we see around us, we have the evidence of His righteousness through His law and His abounding provision of the needs of man. Planting and harvest have not failed to yield our sustenance.
If we will but follow His precepts and comply with the godly obedience He requires of us, He shall allow us to be blessed by the spiritual righteousness and justice that will be the honor of our land and its ability to provide abundantly shall not be decreased. If we terminate our amazing contract with the Lord, however, we shall find ourselves weeping for our loss. May we who call His name embrace Him with full hearts of obedience and reverence.
“Truth shall spring out of the earth; righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yes! The Lord shall give that which is good and our land shall yield its increase. Righteousness shall go before Him and shall set us in the way of His steps.” Psalm 85:11, 12, 13 has a lot to say about the ’contract’ into which God has entered with man.
As with any contractual agreement, its terms are binding upon both sides and each side has rights and obligations. When one party to the agreement abrogates its terms, it becomes null and void. God always complies with His part of the agreement. Man often breaks his.
What we see here is God’s promise to convey the truth of who He is even through nature. As He says in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth testifies of His handiwork.” Besides the physical evidence of His Lordship over creation that we see around us, we have the evidence of His righteousness through His law and His abounding provision of the needs of man. Planting and harvest have not failed to yield our sustenance.
If we will but follow His precepts and comply with the godly obedience He requires of us, He shall allow us to be blessed by the spiritual righteousness and justice that will be the honor of our land and its ability to provide abundantly shall not be decreased. If we terminate our amazing contract with the Lord, however, we shall find ourselves weeping for our loss. May we who call His name embrace Him with full hearts of obedience and reverence.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
February 11
Deuteronomy 10:20, 21 is an amazing declaration of God’s dealings with man. Here He says to His people, “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him only and by His name you shall swear. HE is your praise, HE is your God; HE has done great and mighty things which your eyes have seen.”
First, man is to hold the Lofty One who inhabits eternity in fear—in reverential awe. His people are to serve Him and relate to one another honorably because they count Him holy. They would not dishonor Him by betraying one another. The Lord God deserves all praise—first of all because of WHO HE IS and secondly because HE has proven Himself to them by amazing things He has done for them.
The relationship laid out here is one that has followed throughout both the Old and the New Testaments. God has never wavered in His requirement that mankind honor Him and serve Him only. He will not share His glory with another and He will not abide the worship of false gods, be they pagan deities or the modern gods of self aggrandizement and carnal lust and monetary gain and their attendant power over people and circumstances.
He still requires our praise—and because He loves us and understands our frail frame, He has not required us to comply without giving us great evidence of His worthiness. Whether by parting the Red Sea and delivering His people on dry ground or by hanging on a cross to deliver His people from their sin, our great and glorious Savior God has shown us His majesty, His care, His provision, His love. Worthy is He of all He requires of us!
Deuteronomy 10:20, 21 is an amazing declaration of God’s dealings with man. Here He says to His people, “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him only and by His name you shall swear. HE is your praise, HE is your God; HE has done great and mighty things which your eyes have seen.”
First, man is to hold the Lofty One who inhabits eternity in fear—in reverential awe. His people are to serve Him and relate to one another honorably because they count Him holy. They would not dishonor Him by betraying one another. The Lord God deserves all praise—first of all because of WHO HE IS and secondly because HE has proven Himself to them by amazing things He has done for them.
The relationship laid out here is one that has followed throughout both the Old and the New Testaments. God has never wavered in His requirement that mankind honor Him and serve Him only. He will not share His glory with another and He will not abide the worship of false gods, be they pagan deities or the modern gods of self aggrandizement and carnal lust and monetary gain and their attendant power over people and circumstances.
He still requires our praise—and because He loves us and understands our frail frame, He has not required us to comply without giving us great evidence of His worthiness. Whether by parting the Red Sea and delivering His people on dry ground or by hanging on a cross to deliver His people from their sin, our great and glorious Savior God has shown us His majesty, His care, His provision, His love. Worthy is He of all He requires of us!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
February 10
The people of the ancient world worshiped a pantheon of gods. Some religions today still do. The Hebrews were alone among the long-ago tribes who declared that there is one God. More correctly stated, the One True and Living God declared Himself to them and they received Him.
Their meticulous keeping of His Word enables us to have the most closely scrutinized work ever examined—the Holy Bible. There is no other book of antiquity of which so many ancient manuscripts exist. With each new fragment of scripture that archaeologists locate, the evidence that the Word of God is irrefutable becomes ever more convincing.
From the earliest pages of His revelation of Himself to the most recent findings, scholars discover that what He said about Himself in the beginning is yet proclaimed in the most recently discovered information about Him. As Deuteronomy 4:39 boldly states, “Know this in your heart today and consider it for all time, that the Lord your God is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath. There is none else.”
Were all the ancient manuscripts to be destroyed, were there never another confirming fragment to be found, were every Bible to be burned in an effort to blot out the God of our Salvation, we would still have the witness of His Holy Spirit in our hearts that will ever proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! There has never been another god—in antiquity or among men today—who speaks to hearts and affirms His Lordship by love.
The people of the ancient world worshiped a pantheon of gods. Some religions today still do. The Hebrews were alone among the long-ago tribes who declared that there is one God. More correctly stated, the One True and Living God declared Himself to them and they received Him.
Their meticulous keeping of His Word enables us to have the most closely scrutinized work ever examined—the Holy Bible. There is no other book of antiquity of which so many ancient manuscripts exist. With each new fragment of scripture that archaeologists locate, the evidence that the Word of God is irrefutable becomes ever more convincing.
From the earliest pages of His revelation of Himself to the most recent findings, scholars discover that what He said about Himself in the beginning is yet proclaimed in the most recently discovered information about Him. As Deuteronomy 4:39 boldly states, “Know this in your heart today and consider it for all time, that the Lord your God is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath. There is none else.”
Were all the ancient manuscripts to be destroyed, were there never another confirming fragment to be found, were every Bible to be burned in an effort to blot out the God of our Salvation, we would still have the witness of His Holy Spirit in our hearts that will ever proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! There has never been another god—in antiquity or among men today—who speaks to hearts and affirms His Lordship by love.
Monday, February 9, 2009
February 9
Romans 12:1 says that Christians are to offer themselves to the purposes of the Lord. Our offering is to be so complete as to be counted as a sacrifice of ourselves. We are not to literally be slain for Him as were the animal sacrifices of old. The Word tells us in this passage that we are to be “living sacrifices.”
We are to be totally alive to Christ. In other words, we are to die to the things within ourselves that stand between us and Him—that’s the sacrifice! We empty ourselves of self that we may fill ourselves with Jesus. How do we advantage ourselves by doing that?
In essence, the advantage is both eternal and temporal. We know that when we own Jesus as our Savior and Lord we are the recipients of all to which He’s heir. We gain His Spirit, His truth, His love, His power and we become vessels in His hand by whom He may scatter seeds of His Kingdom throughout the sphere of our influence.
And beyond that, we know that as we “give, it shall be given to us, pressed down, shaken together and running over” will He pour into our lives of all that is His. We know that as we measure our love and service to His Kingdom, He will measure His blessings upon us. Commensurate with our own willingness to give of Him to others, He will give of Himself to us.
Romans 12:1 says that Christians are to offer themselves to the purposes of the Lord. Our offering is to be so complete as to be counted as a sacrifice of ourselves. We are not to literally be slain for Him as were the animal sacrifices of old. The Word tells us in this passage that we are to be “living sacrifices.”
We are to be totally alive to Christ. In other words, we are to die to the things within ourselves that stand between us and Him—that’s the sacrifice! We empty ourselves of self that we may fill ourselves with Jesus. How do we advantage ourselves by doing that?
In essence, the advantage is both eternal and temporal. We know that when we own Jesus as our Savior and Lord we are the recipients of all to which He’s heir. We gain His Spirit, His truth, His love, His power and we become vessels in His hand by whom He may scatter seeds of His Kingdom throughout the sphere of our influence.
And beyond that, we know that as we “give, it shall be given to us, pressed down, shaken together and running over” will He pour into our lives of all that is His. We know that as we measure our love and service to His Kingdom, He will measure His blessings upon us. Commensurate with our own willingness to give of Him to others, He will give of Himself to us.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
POSTING FOR February 8
II Corinthians 2:14 and 15 tells us that we are “always triumphant in Christ,” and that we, “manifest the savor of His knowledge everyplace we go, that we are the sweet-smelling fragrance of Christ unto God to both the saved and to the lost.”
This is an awesome revelation of the Lord’s expectation of us. He has not made us merely to enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit during our sojourn in this Vale of Tears, nor has He made us only to bask in the blessedness of Heaven when He calls us home!
He has assigned us a vital task to perform in the interim between our salvation experience and our home-going and that is to represent Jesus before every life that touches ours. When people look at us, they should see the sweetness of the Lord, they should experience His compassion, they should feel His love because we are the savor of His presence.
When we exude Christ to all those round about us, we not only evidence His faith, His love, His healing power, His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness to the lost who perish for a lack of Him, but we also glorify Him afresh in the eyes of believers who are encouraged by the reality of Him that they see in us. And it is unto God that the fragrance of our devotion to Jesus arises!
II Corinthians 2:14 and 15 tells us that we are “always triumphant in Christ,” and that we, “manifest the savor of His knowledge everyplace we go, that we are the sweet-smelling fragrance of Christ unto God to both the saved and to the lost.”
This is an awesome revelation of the Lord’s expectation of us. He has not made us merely to enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit during our sojourn in this Vale of Tears, nor has He made us only to bask in the blessedness of Heaven when He calls us home!
He has assigned us a vital task to perform in the interim between our salvation experience and our home-going and that is to represent Jesus before every life that touches ours. When people look at us, they should see the sweetness of the Lord, they should experience His compassion, they should feel His love because we are the savor of His presence.
When we exude Christ to all those round about us, we not only evidence His faith, His love, His healing power, His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness to the lost who perish for a lack of Him, but we also glorify Him afresh in the eyes of believers who are encouraged by the reality of Him that they see in us. And it is unto God that the fragrance of our devotion to Jesus arises!
February 7
Those of us who profess faith in Christ must cry out as did the father in the throng that followed Jesus. The man explained that his son was tormented by seizures that caused him to fall to the ground and froth at the mouth. When the Lord asked if he had faith to see his son healed, he said, “Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief.” (Mark 9: 24)
What we all yearn for, what this distressed father yearned for is the hope expressed in Psalm 29:11, “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” We know there is no one else to whom we may turn in our distress but Jesus, but our fear is that He, too, will disappoint us.
It is almost as though we are too afraid to proclaim His power in our circumstances right now—the best we can hope for is that ultimately He will have compassion upon us and deliver us from the trial that has beset us. What we don’t seem to grasp is that the promise in Psalm 29:11 is on-going!
The fact that it says He will give us strength, that He will bless us with peace does not negate the promise that He is always with us, that He will never fail or forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5) When the father asked Jesus to heal his son, the Lord did not tell him He would do so later—He touched and healed him NOW!
Those of us who profess faith in Christ must cry out as did the father in the throng that followed Jesus. The man explained that his son was tormented by seizures that caused him to fall to the ground and froth at the mouth. When the Lord asked if he had faith to see his son healed, he said, “Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief.” (Mark 9: 24)
What we all yearn for, what this distressed father yearned for is the hope expressed in Psalm 29:11, “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.” We know there is no one else to whom we may turn in our distress but Jesus, but our fear is that He, too, will disappoint us.
It is almost as though we are too afraid to proclaim His power in our circumstances right now—the best we can hope for is that ultimately He will have compassion upon us and deliver us from the trial that has beset us. What we don’t seem to grasp is that the promise in Psalm 29:11 is on-going!
The fact that it says He will give us strength, that He will bless us with peace does not negate the promise that He is always with us, that He will never fail or forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5) When the father asked Jesus to heal his son, the Lord did not tell him He would do so later—He touched and healed him NOW!
Friday, February 6, 2009
February 6
II Peter 1:1-10 has some remarkably encouraging advice for the believer. Because Peter, the impetuous apostle is the author of this book, we know he understands our tendency to be focused on worldly things rather than on the Lord’s high purposes. It was he who informed Jesus that He should never experience the cross. It was he, who, but for the Lord’s grace, would have fallen away when he, because of fear, denied Jesus three times.
Like Peter, we tend to see things from a worldly perspective, so his counsel is especially pertinent to us. He gives us the understanding of how to elevate our thinking from the fleeting and temporal to the eternal. Here he admonishes his readers that they are blessed with the grace and peace that the Lord desires to impart to people of faith.
Then he goes on to indicate further steps toward realization of the divine promise and power HE has invested within each of us. Peter reminds us that through Christ we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness…in order that we may be “partakers of the divine nature.” We are not to gloat in this, however. Rather, we are to cultivate within ourselves those attitudes that enable the divine nature within us to grow!
How do we do that? Peter says it is by, “adding to our faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness, love.” He further states that if we nurture these qualities within ourselves, we will not be “barren or unfruitful in the things of Christ; we will not be like those who lack these attributes and cannot see the spiritual truths for the temporal distractions. Peter assures us that if we will grow in these godly attributes, we shall never fall.
II Peter 1:1-10 has some remarkably encouraging advice for the believer. Because Peter, the impetuous apostle is the author of this book, we know he understands our tendency to be focused on worldly things rather than on the Lord’s high purposes. It was he who informed Jesus that He should never experience the cross. It was he, who, but for the Lord’s grace, would have fallen away when he, because of fear, denied Jesus three times.
Like Peter, we tend to see things from a worldly perspective, so his counsel is especially pertinent to us. He gives us the understanding of how to elevate our thinking from the fleeting and temporal to the eternal. Here he admonishes his readers that they are blessed with the grace and peace that the Lord desires to impart to people of faith.
Then he goes on to indicate further steps toward realization of the divine promise and power HE has invested within each of us. Peter reminds us that through Christ we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness…in order that we may be “partakers of the divine nature.” We are not to gloat in this, however. Rather, we are to cultivate within ourselves those attitudes that enable the divine nature within us to grow!
How do we do that? Peter says it is by, “adding to our faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness, love.” He further states that if we nurture these qualities within ourselves, we will not be “barren or unfruitful in the things of Christ; we will not be like those who lack these attributes and cannot see the spiritual truths for the temporal distractions. Peter assures us that if we will grow in these godly attributes, we shall never fall.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
February 5
“Thou weary traveler, thou journeyer from earth’s sweet dust unto earth’s sweet dust, come lay thy weary head upon MY breast. Come unto ME and I will give you rest.” These words were penned decades ago by a young, unknown poet who even at a tender age realized that the sojourn of man upon this planet is prone to wear him down, but it is Jesus’ good purpose to endue him with strength.
The Word affirms the Lord as the source of all we need to navigate our way from the threshold of life to the threshold of eternal life. Psalm 28:7,8 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts confidently in Him and I am helped. Therefore, I greatly rejoice and praise Him with song. He is the stronghold of my salvation.”
Were life not fraught with toils and snares as John Newton declares in his beautiful hymn, “Amazing Grace,” we might be unaware of our profound need for all the Lord supplies, but reality sets in almost daily and we see clearly that we need His strength and His help to be imparted to us. The first step toward realizing that help is to “trust confidently in Him.”
His Word states that He doesn’t intend to share His glory with anyone. As long as we think it is our own strength and our own ingenuity that attain success and overcome problems, we will have only ourselves on whom to rely. But when we decide to trust Jesus and all He’s supplied, He becomes our Provider, our Healer, our Teacher, our Savior in Whom is all we need
“Thou weary traveler, thou journeyer from earth’s sweet dust unto earth’s sweet dust, come lay thy weary head upon MY breast. Come unto ME and I will give you rest.” These words were penned decades ago by a young, unknown poet who even at a tender age realized that the sojourn of man upon this planet is prone to wear him down, but it is Jesus’ good purpose to endue him with strength.
The Word affirms the Lord as the source of all we need to navigate our way from the threshold of life to the threshold of eternal life. Psalm 28:7,8 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts confidently in Him and I am helped. Therefore, I greatly rejoice and praise Him with song. He is the stronghold of my salvation.”
Were life not fraught with toils and snares as John Newton declares in his beautiful hymn, “Amazing Grace,” we might be unaware of our profound need for all the Lord supplies, but reality sets in almost daily and we see clearly that we need His strength and His help to be imparted to us. The first step toward realizing that help is to “trust confidently in Him.”
His Word states that He doesn’t intend to share His glory with anyone. As long as we think it is our own strength and our own ingenuity that attain success and overcome problems, we will have only ourselves on whom to rely. But when we decide to trust Jesus and all He’s supplied, He becomes our Provider, our Healer, our Teacher, our Savior in Whom is all we need
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
February 4
When we are sorely tried and our strength is depleted, it is then, more than ever, that we must fasten our eyes upon our Savior, upon the One who has promised to perfect His strength in our weakness. We must not allow ourselves to languish in brokenness—we must rise, hand in hand with Him, and go on to victory!
As we do, we proclaim the words of Psalm 18:1, 2: “I love You, O Lord, my strength. You are my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. You are my God, in whom I trust; You are my salvation and my strong tower.” First and foremost, the psalmist proclaims his love for the Lord.
The Word tells us in I John 4:18 that, “Perfect love casts out fear,” and if we recognize His perfect love for us and our love for Him in return, we will not be afraid. Fear has a paralyzing affect upon the person of faith. It is a thief who steals first our confidence in the Lord and then our hope that He will perform His promises in our behalf.
When we affirm His love and know His integrity is rooted in His love for us, we can stand strong on the rock of the confidence His love inspires. We can make Him our fortress and strong tower to Whom we may flee from the assault of the enemy. We may trust that His salvation is sure and that no earthly trial can wrest us away from His arc of safety.
When we are sorely tried and our strength is depleted, it is then, more than ever, that we must fasten our eyes upon our Savior, upon the One who has promised to perfect His strength in our weakness. We must not allow ourselves to languish in brokenness—we must rise, hand in hand with Him, and go on to victory!
As we do, we proclaim the words of Psalm 18:1, 2: “I love You, O Lord, my strength. You are my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. You are my God, in whom I trust; You are my salvation and my strong tower.” First and foremost, the psalmist proclaims his love for the Lord.
The Word tells us in I John 4:18 that, “Perfect love casts out fear,” and if we recognize His perfect love for us and our love for Him in return, we will not be afraid. Fear has a paralyzing affect upon the person of faith. It is a thief who steals first our confidence in the Lord and then our hope that He will perform His promises in our behalf.
When we affirm His love and know His integrity is rooted in His love for us, we can stand strong on the rock of the confidence His love inspires. We can make Him our fortress and strong tower to Whom we may flee from the assault of the enemy. We may trust that His salvation is sure and that no earthly trial can wrest us away from His arc of safety.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
February 3
“My soul melts for heaviness; strengthen Thou me according to Thy Word. Remove from me the way of lying and grant me Thy law graciously.” These heart-wrenching words in Psalm 119: 28, 29 convey an anguish of spirit borne out of deep emotional turmoil and physical duress. Though our avenue to this point may be far different from that of the psalmist, our empathy with his frame of mind is acute.
We have all experienced the depth of longing from which he cries to the Lord for help, and if we will employ his technique for attaining it, we, too, shall see the hand of God move in our behalf as the psalmist did. Throughout this passage, the longest in the Bible, we see the affirmation of the power of the Word.
Vs. 49: “Remember the Word…upon which You cause me to base my hope.” Vs.105: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Vs. 116: “Uphold me according to Your Word that I may live and let me not be ashamed of my hope.”
Vs. 169: “Let my cry come near to You; give me understanding according to Your Word.
The psalmist further acknowledges that if his deliverance is to be realized, he must turn from the treachery of lies and make the Lord’s steadfast TRUTH his fortress of refuge! Like the psalmist, we must realize that there is no scheme of man that will work for us in an ultimate sense. To attain the help and the victory for which we long, we must stand on the Word, on His immutable Law, and trust the One who proclaims it!
“My soul melts for heaviness; strengthen Thou me according to Thy Word. Remove from me the way of lying and grant me Thy law graciously.” These heart-wrenching words in Psalm 119: 28, 29 convey an anguish of spirit borne out of deep emotional turmoil and physical duress. Though our avenue to this point may be far different from that of the psalmist, our empathy with his frame of mind is acute.
We have all experienced the depth of longing from which he cries to the Lord for help, and if we will employ his technique for attaining it, we, too, shall see the hand of God move in our behalf as the psalmist did. Throughout this passage, the longest in the Bible, we see the affirmation of the power of the Word.
Vs. 49: “Remember the Word…upon which You cause me to base my hope.” Vs.105: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Vs. 116: “Uphold me according to Your Word that I may live and let me not be ashamed of my hope.”
Vs. 169: “Let my cry come near to You; give me understanding according to Your Word.
The psalmist further acknowledges that if his deliverance is to be realized, he must turn from the treachery of lies and make the Lord’s steadfast TRUTH his fortress of refuge! Like the psalmist, we must realize that there is no scheme of man that will work for us in an ultimate sense. To attain the help and the victory for which we long, we must stand on the Word, on His immutable Law, and trust the One who proclaims it!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
If anyone had a tumultuous life it was David. Called by God to be King over His people Israel, David was relentlessly pursued by the current king who did not intend to relinquish his throne. David also endured scorn from his older brothers, and eventually betrayal from his own son and dire consequences from his own unfortunate choices.
In many ways, he was like us. Maligned by those who don’t respect us and undone by our own foolishness. In Psalm 6:3,4 He cries out with much the same anguish we have felt when the circumstances of our lives converged upon us. David, from the same sense of disappointment and failure and frustration that we have felt, wrings out his heart before the Lord.
“My soul is exceedingly troubled! How long, O Lord, until You return and deliver me? How long until You speak peace to me? O my God, deliver my life for the sake of Your steadfast love and mercy.” That these words come from the depth of despair is obvious. Words like these come only after much effort has been made and much disappointment has been experienced. These words emerge from a spirit bogged down in hopelessness.”
David goes on to remind the Lord that HE receives no glory in the destruction of His own people. We may say as David said in verses 9 and 10, “The Lord has heard my prayer; He will receive my supplication and my enemies will be scattered and vexed in a moment.” When the God of creation undertakes in the behalf of His oppressed ones, His help is unfailing and His child is delivered! As with David, HE will turn our defeated spirit to victorious praise!
In many ways, he was like us. Maligned by those who don’t respect us and undone by our own foolishness. In Psalm 6:3,4 He cries out with much the same anguish we have felt when the circumstances of our lives converged upon us. David, from the same sense of disappointment and failure and frustration that we have felt, wrings out his heart before the Lord.
“My soul is exceedingly troubled! How long, O Lord, until You return and deliver me? How long until You speak peace to me? O my God, deliver my life for the sake of Your steadfast love and mercy.” That these words come from the depth of despair is obvious. Words like these come only after much effort has been made and much disappointment has been experienced. These words emerge from a spirit bogged down in hopelessness.”
David goes on to remind the Lord that HE receives no glory in the destruction of His own people. We may say as David said in verses 9 and 10, “The Lord has heard my prayer; He will receive my supplication and my enemies will be scattered and vexed in a moment.” When the God of creation undertakes in the behalf of His oppressed ones, His help is unfailing and His child is delivered! As with David, HE will turn our defeated spirit to victorious praise!
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