June 30
Those of us who grew up in Twentieth Century America, those of us who were born after World War II have felt secure in large part because we have been citizens of the greatest nation that’s ever existed on the planet. There has never been a military or economic powerhouse comparable to the United States.
But if we have placed our confidence in economic or military power, we have placed it in the wrong thing. In the first decade of the Twenty-first Century, we are seeing the fallacy of our misplaced trust. If our security is wrapped in the prowess of the United States of America, we are trembling at this juncture in time.
Those of us who believe in the Living God who inhabits eternity know that our confidence must be in Him alone. Nothing else will do. David expressed this level of faith when he emerged from the army of the people of God to take on the giant Goliath who none of Israel’s brave men dared to face. David was encouraged to wear the armor of King Saul, but he refused because he was unaccustomed to it (I Samuel 17:31-39).
David, the shepherd boy, knew he and the purposes of God would be better served if he faced the daunting foe with the weapons with which he was familiar—a slingshot and five smooth stones. We, too, need to be ‘comfortable’ with our weapon—the Word of God! If it is hidden in our hearts, when the enemy assails, we shall be able to say as did David, “All this assembly shall know the Lord saves…the battle is His” I Samuel 17:47.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
June 29
Romans 13:10 gives us a heads up on how to fulfill all the requirements of the law. It says, “Love does no wrong to its neighbor, therefore it meets all the requirements of the law.” There it is in capsule form. To meet all that God expects of you for as long as you exist on the planet, simply love.
Or, perhaps it shouldn’t be stated as ‘simply love.’ Loving isn’t always simple. Do we even know what love is, let alone know how to love? We know the grammar of the word. We know it can be a noun—an emotion that is shared between or among people. We know it can be a verb—an action that expresses a profound feeling for another.
But do we understand love well enough to attach our whole duty of complying with the law of God to it? For if we do not comply, if our love is not sufficient, our eternal salvation is at stake! Can we actually say that we’ve done no wrong to our neighbor? Have we by the purity and steadfastness of our love met all God’s requirements?
The answer as regards fallen man is “No!” emphatically, on every point. But, as with all the beautiful things about the Savior God we love (at least as well as we understand the word) is that it’s not about us, it’s about Him. Though our love for Him and for others is imperfect, the perfect love of Jesus covers ‘all our sins’ Proverbs 10:12.
Romans 13:10 gives us a heads up on how to fulfill all the requirements of the law. It says, “Love does no wrong to its neighbor, therefore it meets all the requirements of the law.” There it is in capsule form. To meet all that God expects of you for as long as you exist on the planet, simply love.
Or, perhaps it shouldn’t be stated as ‘simply love.’ Loving isn’t always simple. Do we even know what love is, let alone know how to love? We know the grammar of the word. We know it can be a noun—an emotion that is shared between or among people. We know it can be a verb—an action that expresses a profound feeling for another.
But do we understand love well enough to attach our whole duty of complying with the law of God to it? For if we do not comply, if our love is not sufficient, our eternal salvation is at stake! Can we actually say that we’ve done no wrong to our neighbor? Have we by the purity and steadfastness of our love met all God’s requirements?
The answer as regards fallen man is “No!” emphatically, on every point. But, as with all the beautiful things about the Savior God we love (at least as well as we understand the word) is that it’s not about us, it’s about Him. Though our love for Him and for others is imperfect, the perfect love of Jesus covers ‘all our sins’ Proverbs 10:12.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
June 28
The explanation of the Gospel, of the Old and New Testaments is given in a nutshell in Romans 8:3,4 where it says, “What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.”
From the earliest pages of the Old Testament, the plan of salvation is set forth. We are told in Genesis 3:15 that there would be enmity between the seed of the serpent (the devil) and the seed of the woman (Jesus) and that the devil would “crush Jesus’ heel” but Jesus would “crush satan’s head.”
On the cross, it appeared that the wicked one had delivered a mortal blow to the Son of God and to the plan of salvation. The hope of glory hung ignominiously upon the cruel Roman instrument of torture and death. But at the empty tomb, when Jesus had arisen from the dead, satan’s utter defeat—the death of his rebellion against God—was shown!
When Jesus crushed the head of satan by bearing the punishment for our sins, by carrying our sins to the cross—and then rising victoriously over death, hell and the grave—He gave those who believe in Him the power to see His righteous law fulfilled in us! When we choose Christ, He sends His Spirit, who empowers us to walk in Him.
The explanation of the Gospel, of the Old and New Testaments is given in a nutshell in Romans 8:3,4 where it says, “What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.”
From the earliest pages of the Old Testament, the plan of salvation is set forth. We are told in Genesis 3:15 that there would be enmity between the seed of the serpent (the devil) and the seed of the woman (Jesus) and that the devil would “crush Jesus’ heel” but Jesus would “crush satan’s head.”
On the cross, it appeared that the wicked one had delivered a mortal blow to the Son of God and to the plan of salvation. The hope of glory hung ignominiously upon the cruel Roman instrument of torture and death. But at the empty tomb, when Jesus had arisen from the dead, satan’s utter defeat—the death of his rebellion against God—was shown!
When Jesus crushed the head of satan by bearing the punishment for our sins, by carrying our sins to the cross—and then rising victoriously over death, hell and the grave—He gave those who believe in Him the power to see His righteous law fulfilled in us! When we choose Christ, He sends His Spirit, who empowers us to walk in Him.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
June 27
The God who made you, who loves you, also knows your frame. He knows how wearying life can become and He knows how inclined believers are to incriminate Him in its trials and disappointments. When a person of faith encounters adversity, it is often his tendency to wonder why God permitted his dilemma.
God is not the one who hurls the proverbial ‘monkey wrench’ into the endeavors of man. God desires the best for His creation. He does recognize, however that life can be challenging and a man’s way can be fraught with difficulties. The Lord has a word for the one whose path is strewn with challenges.
In Isaiah 12:2 we are told, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song and is my salvation.” There is a lot of power packed into that short verse, and the part of it that conveys most comfort in a believer’s hour of trial is stated twice. Jesus is our salvation.
The Word tells us that there is no other name whereby man might be saved (Acts 4:12). In addition to saving us eternally by His love which bore our sin, His Word tells us that His perfect love casts out all our fear (I John 4:18). When we put our trust in Him, the Lord is our strength, even in our darkest trial—and He gives us a song in the midst of it!
The God who made you, who loves you, also knows your frame. He knows how wearying life can become and He knows how inclined believers are to incriminate Him in its trials and disappointments. When a person of faith encounters adversity, it is often his tendency to wonder why God permitted his dilemma.
God is not the one who hurls the proverbial ‘monkey wrench’ into the endeavors of man. God desires the best for His creation. He does recognize, however that life can be challenging and a man’s way can be fraught with difficulties. The Lord has a word for the one whose path is strewn with challenges.
In Isaiah 12:2 we are told, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song and is my salvation.” There is a lot of power packed into that short verse, and the part of it that conveys most comfort in a believer’s hour of trial is stated twice. Jesus is our salvation.
The Word tells us that there is no other name whereby man might be saved (Acts 4:12). In addition to saving us eternally by His love which bore our sin, His Word tells us that His perfect love casts out all our fear (I John 4:18). When we put our trust in Him, the Lord is our strength, even in our darkest trial—and He gives us a song in the midst of it!
Friday, June 26, 2009
June 26
There is a direct correlation between what we truly believe regarding Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and how we live our lives. Oh, yes, we may have engaged in all manner of sinfulness prior to receiving Him into our hearts, but once we have given our lives to Him, there should be a complete and discernable difference in us.
Foremost in our mind is the realization that we are no longer our own, for we have been bought with a price—the shed blood of Jesus that cleanses us of sin and shame. In I John 2:4-6, this awareness is stated very clearly. It leaves no doubt that the individual who counts himself as the Lord’s will allow Him to transform his behavior.
“He who says he knows Him but neglects to keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But, whoever keeps His Word, in him is the love of God perfected and it is in the keeping of the Word that we know we are truly in Him. The person who says he abides in Jesus will walk as He walked.”
Indeed, to walk as He walked is a formidable endeavor, for Jesus walked perfectly. He walked without ever diverging from the path of righteousness. He walked without sin. We can do that only as we put our hand in His and follow Him. The One who truly loves the Lord will allow himself to be brought from darkness into His glorious Light.
There is a direct correlation between what we truly believe regarding Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and how we live our lives. Oh, yes, we may have engaged in all manner of sinfulness prior to receiving Him into our hearts, but once we have given our lives to Him, there should be a complete and discernable difference in us.
Foremost in our mind is the realization that we are no longer our own, for we have been bought with a price—the shed blood of Jesus that cleanses us of sin and shame. In I John 2:4-6, this awareness is stated very clearly. It leaves no doubt that the individual who counts himself as the Lord’s will allow Him to transform his behavior.
“He who says he knows Him but neglects to keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But, whoever keeps His Word, in him is the love of God perfected and it is in the keeping of the Word that we know we are truly in Him. The person who says he abides in Jesus will walk as He walked.”
Indeed, to walk as He walked is a formidable endeavor, for Jesus walked perfectly. He walked without ever diverging from the path of righteousness. He walked without sin. We can do that only as we put our hand in His and follow Him. The One who truly loves the Lord will allow himself to be brought from darkness into His glorious Light.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
June 25
The Lord wants our work to prosper. It is His desire that in all our hand finds to do, we should do it as unto God. In recognizing this, there is an immediate list of things we must not be found doing, for they are displeasing to Him and cannot be done as unto Him. Certainly, we cannot steal and then present the tithe of our effort to Him.
But in our pursuit of viable earthly goals, we should remember that we are not working in order to attain an excellent performance evaluation from the boss; we are doing our utmost to attain the highest level of our ability because we want to please our Lord. The high performance rating is a mere out-growth of laboring to please God.
There is a promise in Proverbs 16:3 that assures success to those who labor with the attainment of the approval of our Lord in mind. It says, “Commit your work to the Lord and HE shall cause it to prosper.” When we have dedicated our effort, whether in the secular work we do to earn a living or in the work of the Kingdom of Christ that we do because we have received His gift of eternal life, He wants our success.
Psalm 75:6, 7 says, “Promotion comes not from the east or from the west but from the Lord who puts down one and raises up another.” The ultimate success that the believer achieves in his life is anchored in the reality that our loving heavenly Father cares very much about the work we do and has aligned Himself with us in the attainment of the rich reward of our labor.
The Lord wants our work to prosper. It is His desire that in all our hand finds to do, we should do it as unto God. In recognizing this, there is an immediate list of things we must not be found doing, for they are displeasing to Him and cannot be done as unto Him. Certainly, we cannot steal and then present the tithe of our effort to Him.
But in our pursuit of viable earthly goals, we should remember that we are not working in order to attain an excellent performance evaluation from the boss; we are doing our utmost to attain the highest level of our ability because we want to please our Lord. The high performance rating is a mere out-growth of laboring to please God.
There is a promise in Proverbs 16:3 that assures success to those who labor with the attainment of the approval of our Lord in mind. It says, “Commit your work to the Lord and HE shall cause it to prosper.” When we have dedicated our effort, whether in the secular work we do to earn a living or in the work of the Kingdom of Christ that we do because we have received His gift of eternal life, He wants our success.
Psalm 75:6, 7 says, “Promotion comes not from the east or from the west but from the Lord who puts down one and raises up another.” The ultimate success that the believer achieves in his life is anchored in the reality that our loving heavenly Father cares very much about the work we do and has aligned Himself with us in the attainment of the rich reward of our labor.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June 24
Seeking wise counsel is a course that is indeed admonished by the Word. Avoiding ungodly counsel is also advised. Psalm 1:1 says that the man will be blessed who, “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly or of sinners or scorners.” Psalm 73:24 goes further. It says that God shall guide the believer with His own counsel.
God’s counsel is pure and righteous and has the added benefit of leading the person of faith on the path that leads not only to earthly blessing but also to eternal reward. Yet, the reality is that God doesn’t generally sit beside the seeker and impart to him of the wisdom of the ages personally. How then can anyone know when God is guiding?
How can anyone realize with certainty that the counsel he is receiving from another who is also but flesh is flowing from God’s heart? The Word is replete with assurance that those who seek the Lord will find Him, that those who yearn after righteousness will attain it. Jesus Himself assures that the Holy Spirit will be our Comforter.
The key then to recognizing God’s counsel when we hear it is the peace in our own spirit that attends it. Proverbs 16: 9 says that “a man may plan his way but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.” When the Holy Spirit affirms our way by imparting to us His peace, we know the counsel we’ve received, the plans we’ve devised, are good.
Seeking wise counsel is a course that is indeed admonished by the Word. Avoiding ungodly counsel is also advised. Psalm 1:1 says that the man will be blessed who, “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly or of sinners or scorners.” Psalm 73:24 goes further. It says that God shall guide the believer with His own counsel.
God’s counsel is pure and righteous and has the added benefit of leading the person of faith on the path that leads not only to earthly blessing but also to eternal reward. Yet, the reality is that God doesn’t generally sit beside the seeker and impart to him of the wisdom of the ages personally. How then can anyone know when God is guiding?
How can anyone realize with certainty that the counsel he is receiving from another who is also but flesh is flowing from God’s heart? The Word is replete with assurance that those who seek the Lord will find Him, that those who yearn after righteousness will attain it. Jesus Himself assures that the Holy Spirit will be our Comforter.
The key then to recognizing God’s counsel when we hear it is the peace in our own spirit that attends it. Proverbs 16: 9 says that “a man may plan his way but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.” When the Holy Spirit affirms our way by imparting to us His peace, we know the counsel we’ve received, the plans we’ve devised, are good.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
June 23
Most people aren’t designed to have abilities that overlap. The craftsman who can create beautiful designs in wood often has difficulty communicating verbally. The woman who excels at designing and sewing clothing for herself and her family may not be the one to whom people turn when they need assistance in getting their finances in better order.
Although we would like to be multi-talented and be able to ‘do it all,’ the reality is that our skills are often compartmentalized. Recognizing our shortcomings is a talent in itself. It keeps us from bungling through tasks we are ill-suited to perform. Another important ability is discerning to whom we should turn for assistance in the areas we require help.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. Just as we would not want someone who can’t add a column of numbers without getting a different total each time to balance our checkbook, neither do we want someone whose judgment is questionable to counsel us in spiritual or emotional matters. How would the Lord counsel us to determine the individual who is qualified to help us when our spirits and our emotions yearn for guidance?
When our hearts require insight in these important areas and we find ourselves at a loss regarding the way we should turn, Proverbs 12:5 counsels us. It says, “The thoughts of the righteous are honest and reliable but the counsel of the wicked is treacherous. We must discern the intent of the heart of those whom we trust, and that can be ascertained by the way they live, by the way they conduct their own affairs. If honor is their trademark, they will help us to make it ours.
Most people aren’t designed to have abilities that overlap. The craftsman who can create beautiful designs in wood often has difficulty communicating verbally. The woman who excels at designing and sewing clothing for herself and her family may not be the one to whom people turn when they need assistance in getting their finances in better order.
Although we would like to be multi-talented and be able to ‘do it all,’ the reality is that our skills are often compartmentalized. Recognizing our shortcomings is a talent in itself. It keeps us from bungling through tasks we are ill-suited to perform. Another important ability is discerning to whom we should turn for assistance in the areas we require help.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. Just as we would not want someone who can’t add a column of numbers without getting a different total each time to balance our checkbook, neither do we want someone whose judgment is questionable to counsel us in spiritual or emotional matters. How would the Lord counsel us to determine the individual who is qualified to help us when our spirits and our emotions yearn for guidance?
When our hearts require insight in these important areas and we find ourselves at a loss regarding the way we should turn, Proverbs 12:5 counsels us. It says, “The thoughts of the righteous are honest and reliable but the counsel of the wicked is treacherous. We must discern the intent of the heart of those whom we trust, and that can be ascertained by the way they live, by the way they conduct their own affairs. If honor is their trademark, they will help us to make it ours.
Monday, June 22, 2009
June 22
We often feel the sting of our humanity, for its resultant disappointment and failure attend our path. Though we strive to do our best and achieve our loftiest goals, our inability to see the end from the beginning often diminishes the return we anticipated would result from our investment of our time and energy into our striving for success.
When we are disappointed with ourselves for our failings, whether they be in the business and professional realm or in the financial realm or in the realm of our personal relationships and dealings with others, we can be heartened by the fact that the Lord has assured His people that they will be released from the product of their own foibles.
In Psalm 25:3 believers are given an amazing promise which assures, ”You let none who trust in You know disappointment. You allow only those who deal treacherously or forsake Your way to be put to shame.” This is not a blank check from the Lord that promises to pay the debt of all our wrong moves in life. There may be consequences to our wrong choices or our bad investments.
It is, however a blank check from the Lord that covers all the sin and shame and disappointment of our lives. Though we may stumble into error through the foolishness of our hearts after our salvation, the price for our fall into worldly pursuits will not cost our eternal hope or our joy. The salvation Christ gave us pays for it all and releases us from the debt of our sin.
We often feel the sting of our humanity, for its resultant disappointment and failure attend our path. Though we strive to do our best and achieve our loftiest goals, our inability to see the end from the beginning often diminishes the return we anticipated would result from our investment of our time and energy into our striving for success.
When we are disappointed with ourselves for our failings, whether they be in the business and professional realm or in the financial realm or in the realm of our personal relationships and dealings with others, we can be heartened by the fact that the Lord has assured His people that they will be released from the product of their own foibles.
In Psalm 25:3 believers are given an amazing promise which assures, ”You let none who trust in You know disappointment. You allow only those who deal treacherously or forsake Your way to be put to shame.” This is not a blank check from the Lord that promises to pay the debt of all our wrong moves in life. There may be consequences to our wrong choices or our bad investments.
It is, however a blank check from the Lord that covers all the sin and shame and disappointment of our lives. Though we may stumble into error through the foolishness of our hearts after our salvation, the price for our fall into worldly pursuits will not cost our eternal hope or our joy. The salvation Christ gave us pays for it all and releases us from the debt of our sin.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
June 21
Depending upon your point of view, the scripture found in Ephesians 2:8 is among the most comforting or among the most troubling in the Word. It says, “For it is by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Those who feel ‘good’ people go to heaven by virtue of their works are blown away by the revelation in this passage. In fact, many who strive to live moral lives refuse to receive the insight revealed here. It is beyond their ability to conceive that salvation cannot be earned.
Though we must study to earn good grades, work hard to earn recognition in our profession, exceed our competition to attain promotion, invest wisely to accrue value to our investments, there is literally nothing we can do to gain eternal salvation. We do not earn salvation through our good works. It is not our just compensation for playing by God’s rules as we understand them. Salvation is His gift to us.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are covered by His grace; we are washed clean of sin by His shed blood. That thought points us very clearly to the realization of our insufficiency to attain salvation through our own efforts. This knowledge will become our devastation if we insist that our own merit saves us. This knowledge will become our hope and peace of eternal reward if we simply receive it.
Depending upon your point of view, the scripture found in Ephesians 2:8 is among the most comforting or among the most troubling in the Word. It says, “For it is by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Those who feel ‘good’ people go to heaven by virtue of their works are blown away by the revelation in this passage. In fact, many who strive to live moral lives refuse to receive the insight revealed here. It is beyond their ability to conceive that salvation cannot be earned.
Though we must study to earn good grades, work hard to earn recognition in our profession, exceed our competition to attain promotion, invest wisely to accrue value to our investments, there is literally nothing we can do to gain eternal salvation. We do not earn salvation through our good works. It is not our just compensation for playing by God’s rules as we understand them. Salvation is His gift to us.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are covered by His grace; we are washed clean of sin by His shed blood. That thought points us very clearly to the realization of our insufficiency to attain salvation through our own efforts. This knowledge will become our devastation if we insist that our own merit saves us. This knowledge will become our hope and peace of eternal reward if we simply receive it.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
June 20
From the time we are enrolled in kindergarten we are admonished to study. The last thing most children want to do is to study. They far prefer playing with their friends or indulging the bubble gum for the brain that passes as children’s programming on television. But the adults in their lives, if they are truly wise, require them to be diligent in their pursuit of knowledge.
The Word of God requires diligent application as well. We know our Heavenly Father wants us to study His Word because He tells us so in His Word! The admonitions to study are throughout the scriptures. II Timothy 2:15 says we should, “study to show ourselves approved of the Lord, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
I Timothy 4:15 states this admonition another way: “Meditate upon the things of the Lord, give yourself wholly to them that everyone may see how benefitted you are by the study of the Word.” There is one incomparable advantage to applying ourselves to the Word, to appropriating it unto ourselves, to making it part of the fabric of our lives.
Psalm 119:11 reveals this wonderful benefit, “Your Word have I hidden in my heart that I will not sin against You.” Ultimately, girding ourselves with the Word has the power to guard and keep us from sin. When we know the Word—Jesus is the Living Word of God—intimately, it is our joy to draw closer to Him, to study Him and be like Him.
From the time we are enrolled in kindergarten we are admonished to study. The last thing most children want to do is to study. They far prefer playing with their friends or indulging the bubble gum for the brain that passes as children’s programming on television. But the adults in their lives, if they are truly wise, require them to be diligent in their pursuit of knowledge.
The Word of God requires diligent application as well. We know our Heavenly Father wants us to study His Word because He tells us so in His Word! The admonitions to study are throughout the scriptures. II Timothy 2:15 says we should, “study to show ourselves approved of the Lord, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
I Timothy 4:15 states this admonition another way: “Meditate upon the things of the Lord, give yourself wholly to them that everyone may see how benefitted you are by the study of the Word.” There is one incomparable advantage to applying ourselves to the Word, to appropriating it unto ourselves, to making it part of the fabric of our lives.
Psalm 119:11 reveals this wonderful benefit, “Your Word have I hidden in my heart that I will not sin against You.” Ultimately, girding ourselves with the Word has the power to guard and keep us from sin. When we know the Word—Jesus is the Living Word of God—intimately, it is our joy to draw closer to Him, to study Him and be like Him.
Friday, June 19, 2009
June 19
Sometimes we have to work at faith. Sometimes we have to make a concerted effort to be steadfast in hope. The burdens of life can weigh us down and make us doubt. There is an old adage that says, ‘Never allow yourself to doubt in the darkness what God has shown you clearly in the light,’ but we do let ourselves doubt.
The enemy of our souls, the evil one who comes to steal, kill and destroy is attendant to our fears and frustrations. When he sees them, he pounces upon our anxiety and attempts to use it to rob us of the strength we gain by reflecting upon God’s faithfulness. The enemy of our souls wants us to feel abandoned and forsaken so he endeavors to make us forget all the Lord has done for us in the past.
Psalm 77:6 tells us what we must do to counter the enemy’s onslaught against our foundation of faith—our recollection of all the times we have been delivered from prior trials. It says, “I will call to remembrance my song in the night. I commune with my own heart as my spirit makes diligent search.” We must require ourselves to reflect upon those past dilemmas from which the Lord delivered us.
We are not told here to think about the times of joy when we have sung the praises of the Lord, but the times when Jesus has given us a song in the darkness, in the night of our distress! When we are in the throes of trial, we tend to focus on the immediate problem, but if we will indeed stir up the past, the times stored in our hearts and spirits that remind us of His faithfulness, we will renew our present hope!
Sometimes we have to work at faith. Sometimes we have to make a concerted effort to be steadfast in hope. The burdens of life can weigh us down and make us doubt. There is an old adage that says, ‘Never allow yourself to doubt in the darkness what God has shown you clearly in the light,’ but we do let ourselves doubt.
The enemy of our souls, the evil one who comes to steal, kill and destroy is attendant to our fears and frustrations. When he sees them, he pounces upon our anxiety and attempts to use it to rob us of the strength we gain by reflecting upon God’s faithfulness. The enemy of our souls wants us to feel abandoned and forsaken so he endeavors to make us forget all the Lord has done for us in the past.
Psalm 77:6 tells us what we must do to counter the enemy’s onslaught against our foundation of faith—our recollection of all the times we have been delivered from prior trials. It says, “I will call to remembrance my song in the night. I commune with my own heart as my spirit makes diligent search.” We must require ourselves to reflect upon those past dilemmas from which the Lord delivered us.
We are not told here to think about the times of joy when we have sung the praises of the Lord, but the times when Jesus has given us a song in the darkness, in the night of our distress! When we are in the throes of trial, we tend to focus on the immediate problem, but if we will indeed stir up the past, the times stored in our hearts and spirits that remind us of His faithfulness, we will renew our present hope!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
June 18
Our lives are riddled with the pock marks of our bad decisions. We who have made many mistakes know that the integrity of the fabric of our being is compromised by every wrong choice we’ve indulged. Were the cloth of our existence to be held up to the light of intense scrutiny, it would surely appear to be quite moth-eaten.
Our foolishness has deteriorated our being to the point that we cannot deny our inability to do things rightly, to follow a worthy path, without the guidance of the One who made us for Himself. When we apprehend that truth, when we turn fully to Jesus and confess our inability to save ourselves or to live worthy lives apart from Him, He assures us that His help is available to us.
In James 1:5 we are told, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, because He gives it to everyone who asks liberally and without reproach.” When we recognize our need, the Lord assures us that He will supply it. And we cannot help but notice how the Christ who loves us will supply the wisdom we lack!
He will grant it to us ‘liberally and without reproach.’ He won’t tell us that we’ve messed up so badly that He doesn’t trust us with wisdom. He doesn’t wag His finger at us in reprimand prior to granting wisdom to us. No. He gives His wisdom generously to those who ask and there’s no ‘I-told-you-so’ extended in its granting.
Our lives are riddled with the pock marks of our bad decisions. We who have made many mistakes know that the integrity of the fabric of our being is compromised by every wrong choice we’ve indulged. Were the cloth of our existence to be held up to the light of intense scrutiny, it would surely appear to be quite moth-eaten.
Our foolishness has deteriorated our being to the point that we cannot deny our inability to do things rightly, to follow a worthy path, without the guidance of the One who made us for Himself. When we apprehend that truth, when we turn fully to Jesus and confess our inability to save ourselves or to live worthy lives apart from Him, He assures us that His help is available to us.
In James 1:5 we are told, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, because He gives it to everyone who asks liberally and without reproach.” When we recognize our need, the Lord assures us that He will supply it. And we cannot help but notice how the Christ who loves us will supply the wisdom we lack!
He will grant it to us ‘liberally and without reproach.’ He won’t tell us that we’ve messed up so badly that He doesn’t trust us with wisdom. He doesn’t wag His finger at us in reprimand prior to granting wisdom to us. No. He gives His wisdom generously to those who ask and there’s no ‘I-told-you-so’ extended in its granting.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
June 17
Prior to submitting our lives to Christ we have an acute sense of direction—we follow after exactly what we want. There is nothing for which our eyes or our ambition long that we do not endeavor to obtain. We follow our heart in every pursuit and it matters not what means we must use to get it. But the Word tells us that our hearts are deceitful.
Our deepest longings can lead us astray and we don’t even recognize our lost condition until we open ourselves to Jesus and begin to allow the candle of His Holy Spirit to illumine the dark recesses of our longings. When this happens, we will begin to see things differently—we will begin to see not with eyes of flesh but with the eyes of His Spirit.
At that momentous point in our lives, the promise found in Psalm 25:12, 13 can begin to be realized in us: “Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? That man shall HE teach in the way he should choose and he shall dwell at ease and his offspring shall inherit the land.”
Although our ‘old man’ does not easily relinquish his position of dominion over our desires, the fact that we now want to be like Christ enables HIM to guide our lives in the way they should go. By following Him we are on the path to blessings that transcend time and tap eternity for ourselves and for our progeny.
Prior to submitting our lives to Christ we have an acute sense of direction—we follow after exactly what we want. There is nothing for which our eyes or our ambition long that we do not endeavor to obtain. We follow our heart in every pursuit and it matters not what means we must use to get it. But the Word tells us that our hearts are deceitful.
Our deepest longings can lead us astray and we don’t even recognize our lost condition until we open ourselves to Jesus and begin to allow the candle of His Holy Spirit to illumine the dark recesses of our longings. When this happens, we will begin to see things differently—we will begin to see not with eyes of flesh but with the eyes of His Spirit.
At that momentous point in our lives, the promise found in Psalm 25:12, 13 can begin to be realized in us: “Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? That man shall HE teach in the way he should choose and he shall dwell at ease and his offspring shall inherit the land.”
Although our ‘old man’ does not easily relinquish his position of dominion over our desires, the fact that we now want to be like Christ enables HIM to guide our lives in the way they should go. By following Him we are on the path to blessings that transcend time and tap eternity for ourselves and for our progeny.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
June 16
The opportunities we’ve missed are mind numbing. We all have them, and if we allow them to do so, they can drive us to distraction! The piece of property we considered purchasing that seemed awfully expensive at the time but which has quadrupled in value since we decided against buying it makes us want to kick ourselves around the block a few times every time we drive past it.
Our personal list of regrets is inexhaustible and if we ponder the items on the list we shall be arrested in any further decision making because the weight of the wrong choices we’ve already made will dampen our enthusiasm for others. We can become spiritually paralyzed and virtually helpless to be effective for the Lord if we wallow in our past mistakes.
The Word suggests a way out of the box to which we tend to confine ourselves when it’s time to make a decision and we fear stepping out of our comfort zone into the vast expanse of opportunity that He opens before us. In Proverbs 27:17 it says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” The attitudes of our friends impact us more than we realize.
It is the friends with whom we associate, the people with whom we surround ourselves who can propel us forward or hold us back in our pursuit of worthy goals. And that is not to blame another for ones own inertia! It is merely to recognize the importance of our selecting friends and emulating actions that inspire our own. If we select friends who are highly motivated to fulfill their potential, their motivation will spill over on us.
The opportunities we’ve missed are mind numbing. We all have them, and if we allow them to do so, they can drive us to distraction! The piece of property we considered purchasing that seemed awfully expensive at the time but which has quadrupled in value since we decided against buying it makes us want to kick ourselves around the block a few times every time we drive past it.
Our personal list of regrets is inexhaustible and if we ponder the items on the list we shall be arrested in any further decision making because the weight of the wrong choices we’ve already made will dampen our enthusiasm for others. We can become spiritually paralyzed and virtually helpless to be effective for the Lord if we wallow in our past mistakes.
The Word suggests a way out of the box to which we tend to confine ourselves when it’s time to make a decision and we fear stepping out of our comfort zone into the vast expanse of opportunity that He opens before us. In Proverbs 27:17 it says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” The attitudes of our friends impact us more than we realize.
It is the friends with whom we associate, the people with whom we surround ourselves who can propel us forward or hold us back in our pursuit of worthy goals. And that is not to blame another for ones own inertia! It is merely to recognize the importance of our selecting friends and emulating actions that inspire our own. If we select friends who are highly motivated to fulfill their potential, their motivation will spill over on us.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
June 15
An anecdote is told of the individual who stopped at a diner for breakfast one morning during the bleak days of World War II. When he tasted his coffee, he asked for more sugar. The waitress could not give him more because sugar was one of the commodities that were rationed during the tough days of the war.
She did have a suggestion for him, however. She told him to stir up the sugar he already had. Most people need the same advice. We put sugar into our beverage but don’t stir it. The sweetness achieved isn’t the full effect we could have if we would but stir it. It’s the same way with the spiritual gifts with which we have been entrusted.
Christians want to do God’s work but many of us feel we simply aren’t equipped for service. If only we were more polished speakers, if only we had a more compelling way with kids, if only we were more proficient writers, if only …And it boils down to only one “if only”—the one stated in II Timothy 1:6.
Here it says, “Stir up the gift of God that is in you.” The Lord who knows us is here addressing the excuses we make for avoiding service to the Kingdom of Christ. He shreds our arguments against devoting ourselves to reaching out to others with our faith by telling us we have no argument! We have what we need to serve His Kingdom well.
An anecdote is told of the individual who stopped at a diner for breakfast one morning during the bleak days of World War II. When he tasted his coffee, he asked for more sugar. The waitress could not give him more because sugar was one of the commodities that were rationed during the tough days of the war.
She did have a suggestion for him, however. She told him to stir up the sugar he already had. Most people need the same advice. We put sugar into our beverage but don’t stir it. The sweetness achieved isn’t the full effect we could have if we would but stir it. It’s the same way with the spiritual gifts with which we have been entrusted.
Christians want to do God’s work but many of us feel we simply aren’t equipped for service. If only we were more polished speakers, if only we had a more compelling way with kids, if only we were more proficient writers, if only …And it boils down to only one “if only”—the one stated in II Timothy 1:6.
Here it says, “Stir up the gift of God that is in you.” The Lord who knows us is here addressing the excuses we make for avoiding service to the Kingdom of Christ. He shreds our arguments against devoting ourselves to reaching out to others with our faith by telling us we have no argument! We have what we need to serve His Kingdom well.
June 14
How is it that in God’s eyes the good people among us fail as miserably as do the scoundrels and reprobates? The answer lies in the fact that the best and the worst of us are cut from the same cloth. Though one may have fashioned a stylish garment and the other produced a fashion eye-sore, the cloth is the same. It is flawed.
Yet, our Heavenly Father wants what is best for us, so He sent His Best to redeem us from ourselves. There is no person who has ever lived or will ever live who has the capacity to attain God’s high standard on his own. Because God’s will for us is beyond our ability to achieve, He achieved it for us—then presented it to us as a free Gift.
Every one of us is fallen because every one of us has a carnal mind and the carnal mind is at enmity with God. Romans 8:6 tells us that “to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is peace.” To expand upon this thought is to acknowledge that man’s carnality causes him to fear death for death is the ultimate, unconquerable enemy. Peace is impossible in the face of such insurmountable fear.
But Christ conquered death for us! When we have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord we know He has made us to be victorious over life’s problems—including the problem of our own demise! When we know that death no longer has power over us, we have peace. This peace the Bible tells us is beyond anything we can fully understand. We--all of us--can receive it and be transformed by it!
How is it that in God’s eyes the good people among us fail as miserably as do the scoundrels and reprobates? The answer lies in the fact that the best and the worst of us are cut from the same cloth. Though one may have fashioned a stylish garment and the other produced a fashion eye-sore, the cloth is the same. It is flawed.
Yet, our Heavenly Father wants what is best for us, so He sent His Best to redeem us from ourselves. There is no person who has ever lived or will ever live who has the capacity to attain God’s high standard on his own. Because God’s will for us is beyond our ability to achieve, He achieved it for us—then presented it to us as a free Gift.
Every one of us is fallen because every one of us has a carnal mind and the carnal mind is at enmity with God. Romans 8:6 tells us that “to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is peace.” To expand upon this thought is to acknowledge that man’s carnality causes him to fear death for death is the ultimate, unconquerable enemy. Peace is impossible in the face of such insurmountable fear.
But Christ conquered death for us! When we have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord we know He has made us to be victorious over life’s problems—including the problem of our own demise! When we know that death no longer has power over us, we have peace. This peace the Bible tells us is beyond anything we can fully understand. We--all of us--can receive it and be transformed by it!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
June 13
We know ourselves. We know our weaknesses and our foibles. We are aware of our proclivity to sin. We know if we were to face an earthly judge who possessed all the evidence against us, our lot would be that we would be condemned. But our Heavenly Father is not an earthly judge.
Among the most precious words of assurance and comfort in the scriptures are those found in Romans 8:1. Though we are deserving of conviction of our crimes (sins) against God and the punishment of death for those sins, we have received a stay of execution because of the One who took our place, who bore our punishment.
In this comforting passage it says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live not after the dictates of the flesh but after the Spirit.” The assurance we are given here is that when we have laid our sins at the foot of the Cross, the blood of Jesus flows down and covers them!
Every vile aspect of our lives is put under the blood of Jesus and we who are laden with the sin and stench of the most evil and perverse of our thoughts and deeds are washed clean! The blood of Jesus that found us rotting with sin washes us purer than snow—the blood cleanses us from sin and makes us fit to commune with God.
We know ourselves. We know our weaknesses and our foibles. We are aware of our proclivity to sin. We know if we were to face an earthly judge who possessed all the evidence against us, our lot would be that we would be condemned. But our Heavenly Father is not an earthly judge.
Among the most precious words of assurance and comfort in the scriptures are those found in Romans 8:1. Though we are deserving of conviction of our crimes (sins) against God and the punishment of death for those sins, we have received a stay of execution because of the One who took our place, who bore our punishment.
In this comforting passage it says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live not after the dictates of the flesh but after the Spirit.” The assurance we are given here is that when we have laid our sins at the foot of the Cross, the blood of Jesus flows down and covers them!
Every vile aspect of our lives is put under the blood of Jesus and we who are laden with the sin and stench of the most evil and perverse of our thoughts and deeds are washed clean! The blood of Jesus that found us rotting with sin washes us purer than snow—the blood cleanses us from sin and makes us fit to commune with God.
Friday, June 12, 2009
June 12
The infinite mind of God is limitless in its scope. Our finite imaginations cannot begin to fathom the depth and breadth of the inventiveness of God. That the pattern of the stars, scattered in the heavens by His hand is repeated in the tiniest cell that can be seen under a microscope is boggling to the human mind.
That among all the billions of people who have ever lived on the planet, none have the same fingerprints, let alone the same DNA is a daunting evidence of God’s unfathomable creativity. And astoundingly, He has shared the broad spectrum of His imagination with man, His greatest handiwork.
In Romans 12:6, 7 the Word affirms the fact that He has invested us with His creativity. Here He tells us, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy or ministry, or teaching or exhortation, or mercy, let us use them with diligence and cheerfulness.”
The nature of the gifts He gives is spiritual, indicating the important aspect of our lives is that which is surrendered to Him and used for His glory. The wide array of talents and abilities He has placed within us certainly may be spent upon the achievement of our own ends, but we are most blessed and He is best glorified when we use them for Him.
The infinite mind of God is limitless in its scope. Our finite imaginations cannot begin to fathom the depth and breadth of the inventiveness of God. That the pattern of the stars, scattered in the heavens by His hand is repeated in the tiniest cell that can be seen under a microscope is boggling to the human mind.
That among all the billions of people who have ever lived on the planet, none have the same fingerprints, let alone the same DNA is a daunting evidence of God’s unfathomable creativity. And astoundingly, He has shared the broad spectrum of His imagination with man, His greatest handiwork.
In Romans 12:6, 7 the Word affirms the fact that He has invested us with His creativity. Here He tells us, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy or ministry, or teaching or exhortation, or mercy, let us use them with diligence and cheerfulness.”
The nature of the gifts He gives is spiritual, indicating the important aspect of our lives is that which is surrendered to Him and used for His glory. The wide array of talents and abilities He has placed within us certainly may be spent upon the achievement of our own ends, but we are most blessed and He is best glorified when we use them for Him.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
June 11
The Lord has given us a sure-fire commitment detector that we can apply to ourselves to ascertain the devotion to Him that we profess with our lips and by our attendance at church. Certainly, these things in and of themselves may indicate our belief in Him but the reality of our love for the Lord is shown in another way.
Jesus removed all the extraneous—our activity in the behalf of the church and its programs, our volunteer work—all our ‘good works’ and identified the one thing that shows we are truly His. “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 puts it into a nutshell. Nothing else qualifies us as being truly the Lord’s own.
Paul restates this truth in Romans 7:22 where he says, “I delight in the law of the Lord in the depth of my inner being.” The believer does not give a mere nod to the truth of God, he does not simply go through the motions of serving a social gospel. The Lord and His Word, His commandments, His truth are the meat and drink of the believer. They motivate the very essence his being at the inner core of who he is.
The reward of this inner devotion is stated in Psalm 1:1, 2 which says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, of the sinners, of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law does he meditate day and night.” That level of commitment clearly indicates our love and devotion to the Lord—and it is the source of our abiding and eternal blessedness.
The Lord has given us a sure-fire commitment detector that we can apply to ourselves to ascertain the devotion to Him that we profess with our lips and by our attendance at church. Certainly, these things in and of themselves may indicate our belief in Him but the reality of our love for the Lord is shown in another way.
Jesus removed all the extraneous—our activity in the behalf of the church and its programs, our volunteer work—all our ‘good works’ and identified the one thing that shows we are truly His. “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 puts it into a nutshell. Nothing else qualifies us as being truly the Lord’s own.
Paul restates this truth in Romans 7:22 where he says, “I delight in the law of the Lord in the depth of my inner being.” The believer does not give a mere nod to the truth of God, he does not simply go through the motions of serving a social gospel. The Lord and His Word, His commandments, His truth are the meat and drink of the believer. They motivate the very essence his being at the inner core of who he is.
The reward of this inner devotion is stated in Psalm 1:1, 2 which says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, of the sinners, of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law does he meditate day and night.” That level of commitment clearly indicates our love and devotion to the Lord—and it is the source of our abiding and eternal blessedness.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
June 10
Where should believers find themselves? Should they abandon their usual recreational haunts of movies and restaurants and social gatherings in order to be in church or at home reading the Bible or praying on their knees? Perhaps some believers will.
For the most part, however, the answer to the question of where people of faith should be is that they should be in the presence of God wherever they are. That is not to suggest that they must be quoting scripture to or wagging a finger in the face of errant sinners wherever they find them.
Rather that they should allow the light of the Christ within them to radiate from them whether they are at work or at play or at home. Not only will that inner light illumine those round about those who believe, it will also light their own way along the path to where the Lord wants them to be at any given point in time. Wherever they go, they will travel in the radiance of His presence with them that leads them to His fullness.
In Hebrews 10:22 and 23 believers are assured that they are to, “…draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...hold fast to our profession of faith without wavering, for He is faithful who promised.” In other words, those who believe should find themselves near Him with unfeigned, unwavering faith in their hearts. Why should they abide in His presence? Because He is faithful; He will lead them to where He desires them to be.
Where should believers find themselves? Should they abandon their usual recreational haunts of movies and restaurants and social gatherings in order to be in church or at home reading the Bible or praying on their knees? Perhaps some believers will.
For the most part, however, the answer to the question of where people of faith should be is that they should be in the presence of God wherever they are. That is not to suggest that they must be quoting scripture to or wagging a finger in the face of errant sinners wherever they find them.
Rather that they should allow the light of the Christ within them to radiate from them whether they are at work or at play or at home. Not only will that inner light illumine those round about those who believe, it will also light their own way along the path to where the Lord wants them to be at any given point in time. Wherever they go, they will travel in the radiance of His presence with them that leads them to His fullness.
In Hebrews 10:22 and 23 believers are assured that they are to, “…draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...hold fast to our profession of faith without wavering, for He is faithful who promised.” In other words, those who believe should find themselves near Him with unfeigned, unwavering faith in their hearts. Why should they abide in His presence? Because He is faithful; He will lead them to where He desires them to be.
June 9
Do you ever feel that you’re standing alone against an array of the enemy’s devices? Do you ever feel that the evil one has orchestrated his minions to assail and undo you as you endeavor to traverse the narrow path that leads to life? You knew that the broad path would lead you away from the Lord’s will, but you thought the narrow, less traveled route would be direct and secure.
The reality is that the more you strive to follow the way that Jesus opens before you, the more likely you are to encounter opposition to your progress. The evil one does not give up; he does not relinquish his grip on you when you abandon your sin and turn your back upon his seductive lures. In fact, he pursues you more intently when you’re no longer one of his dupes.
Where does that realization leave you as a believer? How does The Lord expect you to counter the onslaught of the enemy against you? How can a mere mortal wage warfare against God’s ancient foe and emerge victorious from the encounter? The answer is found in Romans 8:27 where the Word assures that you are not alone in your battle against the enemy of your soul.
Paul’s words here give great comfort and assurance to the battle-weary warrior! Paul says, “He who knows the hearts of men knows the mind of God and it is the Spirit who intercedes before God in the behalf of the saints according to God’s will.” It is the Holy Spirit who knows your heart and assures you will be victorious over the minions of the enemy! HE will help you to achieve the victory that God desires to give you!
Do you ever feel that you’re standing alone against an array of the enemy’s devices? Do you ever feel that the evil one has orchestrated his minions to assail and undo you as you endeavor to traverse the narrow path that leads to life? You knew that the broad path would lead you away from the Lord’s will, but you thought the narrow, less traveled route would be direct and secure.
The reality is that the more you strive to follow the way that Jesus opens before you, the more likely you are to encounter opposition to your progress. The evil one does not give up; he does not relinquish his grip on you when you abandon your sin and turn your back upon his seductive lures. In fact, he pursues you more intently when you’re no longer one of his dupes.
Where does that realization leave you as a believer? How does The Lord expect you to counter the onslaught of the enemy against you? How can a mere mortal wage warfare against God’s ancient foe and emerge victorious from the encounter? The answer is found in Romans 8:27 where the Word assures that you are not alone in your battle against the enemy of your soul.
Paul’s words here give great comfort and assurance to the battle-weary warrior! Paul says, “He who knows the hearts of men knows the mind of God and it is the Spirit who intercedes before God in the behalf of the saints according to God’s will.” It is the Holy Spirit who knows your heart and assures you will be victorious over the minions of the enemy! HE will help you to achieve the victory that God desires to give you!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
June 9
Do you ever feel that you’re standing alone against an array of the enemy’s devices? Do you ever feel that the evil one has orchestrated his minions to assail and undo you as you endeavor to traverse the narrow path that leads to life? You knew that the broad path would lead you away from the Lord’s will, but you thought the narrow, less traveled route would be direct and secure.
The reality is that the more you strive to follow the way that Jesus opens before you, the more likely you are to encounter opposition to your progress. The evil one does not give up; he does not relinquish his grip on you when you abandon your sin and turn your back upon his seductive lures. In fact, he pursues you more intently when you’re no longer one of his dupes.
Where does that realization leave you as a believer? How does The Lord expect you to counter the onslaught of the enemy against you? How can a mere mortal wage warfare against God’s ancient foe and emerge victorious from the encounter? The answer is found in Romans 8:27 where the Word assures that you are not alone in your battle against the enemy of your soul.
Paul’s words here give great comfort and assurance to the battle-weary warrior! Paul says, “He who knows the hearts of men knows the mind of God and it is the Spirit who intercedes before God in the behalf of the saints according to God’s will.” It is the Holy Spirit who knows your heart and assures you will be victorious over the minions of the enemy! HE will help you to achieve the victory that God desires to give you!
Do you ever feel that you’re standing alone against an array of the enemy’s devices? Do you ever feel that the evil one has orchestrated his minions to assail and undo you as you endeavor to traverse the narrow path that leads to life? You knew that the broad path would lead you away from the Lord’s will, but you thought the narrow, less traveled route would be direct and secure.
The reality is that the more you strive to follow the way that Jesus opens before you, the more likely you are to encounter opposition to your progress. The evil one does not give up; he does not relinquish his grip on you when you abandon your sin and turn your back upon his seductive lures. In fact, he pursues you more intently when you’re no longer one of his dupes.
Where does that realization leave you as a believer? How does The Lord expect you to counter the onslaught of the enemy against you? How can a mere mortal wage warfare against God’s ancient foe and emerge victorious from the encounter? The answer is found in Romans 8:27 where the Word assures that you are not alone in your battle against the enemy of your soul.
Paul’s words here give great comfort and assurance to the battle-weary warrior! Paul says, “He who knows the hearts of men knows the mind of God and it is the Spirit who intercedes before God in the behalf of the saints according to God’s will.” It is the Holy Spirit who knows your heart and assures you will be victorious over the minions of the enemy! HE will help you to achieve the victory that God desires to give you!
Monday, June 8, 2009
June 8
We labor diligently for ourselves and for those we love. This is laudable. We apply ourselves most heartily to those tasks we enjoy doing. This is understandable. In Genesis 29, the Bible tells of Jacob who worked for seven years to attain Rachel as his bride. When her father insisted he marry her older sister Leah first, Jacob gladly worked another seven years to marry the woman he loved.
We are a lot like Jacob who worked hard to gain the object of his heart’s passion. What is the passion of our hearts? Do we labor for worldly gain that shall fade away sooner than we can imagine? Do we labor in order to lay up treasure for our progeny when we don’t really know if tomorrow will come for us or for them?
In Colossians 3:23-24, we are told exactly what it is that should motivate our labor. It says, “Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it all as unto the Lord and not for men, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance which is your true reward.”
When we realize we are laboring in the Lord’s behalf—representing Him to everyone who recognizes our commitment to Jesus and observes our diligence to the tasks before us—we will perform to the utmost of our ability because our goal is not to aggrandize ourselves but to attain the delight of the One we love, to receive Jesus’ approval.
We labor diligently for ourselves and for those we love. This is laudable. We apply ourselves most heartily to those tasks we enjoy doing. This is understandable. In Genesis 29, the Bible tells of Jacob who worked for seven years to attain Rachel as his bride. When her father insisted he marry her older sister Leah first, Jacob gladly worked another seven years to marry the woman he loved.
We are a lot like Jacob who worked hard to gain the object of his heart’s passion. What is the passion of our hearts? Do we labor for worldly gain that shall fade away sooner than we can imagine? Do we labor in order to lay up treasure for our progeny when we don’t really know if tomorrow will come for us or for them?
In Colossians 3:23-24, we are told exactly what it is that should motivate our labor. It says, “Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it all as unto the Lord and not for men, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance which is your true reward.”
When we realize we are laboring in the Lord’s behalf—representing Him to everyone who recognizes our commitment to Jesus and observes our diligence to the tasks before us—we will perform to the utmost of our ability because our goal is not to aggrandize ourselves but to attain the delight of the One we love, to receive Jesus’ approval.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
June 7
The Lord is Himself the answer to our every question, the supply for our every need, the fulfillment of our every hope, the great Gift we each yearn to open. Attaining Jesus, is to have everything, for He is the fullness of our desire, the fulfillment of our faith, the reward of our surrender of ourselves to His loving hand.
He did not come for an elite group. He did not spend Himself for a select few. The Word makes it clear that anyone who wants Him may have Him. He is no respecter of persons so He does not discriminate by nationality or race or wealth or gender or politics. He opens His arms wide to embrace everyone who will receive Him.
In the ancient world, to be fat was thought to be an indication of God’s favor. Only those who could not afford food were thought to be lean. Even in that day, the Lord was trying to dispel that erroneous notion. In this regard, He said, “The poor and afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord…”Psalm 22:26. Notice His inclusion of the poor and afflicted.
He goes on to say in that same verse, “May your hearts be quickened now and forever,” for it is in becoming alive to that truth that we are enlightened to the complete provision the Lord has made for everyone who will receive. He here apprises us that even those considered unblessed are in reality held securely in His hand of blessing if their hearts will but receive Him.
The Lord is Himself the answer to our every question, the supply for our every need, the fulfillment of our every hope, the great Gift we each yearn to open. Attaining Jesus, is to have everything, for He is the fullness of our desire, the fulfillment of our faith, the reward of our surrender of ourselves to His loving hand.
He did not come for an elite group. He did not spend Himself for a select few. The Word makes it clear that anyone who wants Him may have Him. He is no respecter of persons so He does not discriminate by nationality or race or wealth or gender or politics. He opens His arms wide to embrace everyone who will receive Him.
In the ancient world, to be fat was thought to be an indication of God’s favor. Only those who could not afford food were thought to be lean. Even in that day, the Lord was trying to dispel that erroneous notion. In this regard, He said, “The poor and afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord…”Psalm 22:26. Notice His inclusion of the poor and afflicted.
He goes on to say in that same verse, “May your hearts be quickened now and forever,” for it is in becoming alive to that truth that we are enlightened to the complete provision the Lord has made for everyone who will receive. He here apprises us that even those considered unblessed are in reality held securely in His hand of blessing if their hearts will but receive Him.
June 6
Rising early. Working late. Having little time for friends and family. Being immersed in work 24/7. If we tally the cost of worldly success, the price is usually paid in this coinage. We know it’s steep. We know the acquisitions that result from the spending of it will often disappoint us. Yet we persist in doling out the ‘change’ that we hope will ‘change’ our lives for the good.
We are concerned that were we to simply stop the treadmill and step off we would be perceived as losers—not only in the eyes of everyone we know but more importantly, in our own. And that is not to say we want to abandon all sense of responsibility; rather to place duty somewhere a bit lower on our list of priorities. But, we know doing so would result in another list of problems.
How can we align our responsibilities aright? How can we invest ourselves appropriately in order to attain the necessities of life along with some of its luxuries without compromising our eternal reward? As always, the ultimate answer to this question, as to every other, lies in the Word of God. As always, His focus in upon the true treasure that transcends time and spends in eternity!
In I Corinthians 2:7 we are told, “…what we are setting forth is the wisdom of God, once hidden but now revealed by God Himself and devised for our glorification.” The only wisdom set forth in the scriptures is that which is oriented around Christ. If we possess the earth’s wisdom and its incumbent treasure we have no glory if we have spent ourselves upon its attainment yet have not the unspeakable Gift of eternal salvation.
Rising early. Working late. Having little time for friends and family. Being immersed in work 24/7. If we tally the cost of worldly success, the price is usually paid in this coinage. We know it’s steep. We know the acquisitions that result from the spending of it will often disappoint us. Yet we persist in doling out the ‘change’ that we hope will ‘change’ our lives for the good.
We are concerned that were we to simply stop the treadmill and step off we would be perceived as losers—not only in the eyes of everyone we know but more importantly, in our own. And that is not to say we want to abandon all sense of responsibility; rather to place duty somewhere a bit lower on our list of priorities. But, we know doing so would result in another list of problems.
How can we align our responsibilities aright? How can we invest ourselves appropriately in order to attain the necessities of life along with some of its luxuries without compromising our eternal reward? As always, the ultimate answer to this question, as to every other, lies in the Word of God. As always, His focus in upon the true treasure that transcends time and spends in eternity!
In I Corinthians 2:7 we are told, “…what we are setting forth is the wisdom of God, once hidden but now revealed by God Himself and devised for our glorification.” The only wisdom set forth in the scriptures is that which is oriented around Christ. If we possess the earth’s wisdom and its incumbent treasure we have no glory if we have spent ourselves upon its attainment yet have not the unspeakable Gift of eternal salvation.
Friday, June 5, 2009
June 5
Blessings. So much of human desire is embraced in that word. So much hope, so much promise, so much anticipation. Although we who believe realize that the greatest blessings we can hope to enjoy are the things of heaven, not the temporary trappings of earth, we cannot but feel our hearts tug toward realization of temporal fulfillment.
The Lord in His Word seems to nod His head in assent that these longings are not outside His desire to fulfill. In II Chronicles 16:27 we are told, “Honor and majesty are found in His presence; strength and joy are in His sanctuary.” These four words speak to the essence of all for which we long. If we have them, we have it all.
‘Honor’ speaks to the esteem we seek among our fellow men. We want people to hold us in high regard. We strive to earn their admiration through our physical or mental prowess—through the things these attributes accrue to us. Certainly the word ‘majesty’ affirms the financial success we attain and the wonderful things it affords to us. We exercise our innate gifts in order to reap the benefits they make available to us.
‘Strength’ bespeaks the power incumbent with worldly success and ‘joy’ is the emotion in which we yearn to abide with its attainment. The ‘how’ of achieving these things may elude our finite minds, but God shares that secret with us, for He wants us to have them. If we abide in His presence, are found among those who worship Him, we shall find His rich temporal and eternal reward.
Blessings. So much of human desire is embraced in that word. So much hope, so much promise, so much anticipation. Although we who believe realize that the greatest blessings we can hope to enjoy are the things of heaven, not the temporary trappings of earth, we cannot but feel our hearts tug toward realization of temporal fulfillment.
The Lord in His Word seems to nod His head in assent that these longings are not outside His desire to fulfill. In II Chronicles 16:27 we are told, “Honor and majesty are found in His presence; strength and joy are in His sanctuary.” These four words speak to the essence of all for which we long. If we have them, we have it all.
‘Honor’ speaks to the esteem we seek among our fellow men. We want people to hold us in high regard. We strive to earn their admiration through our physical or mental prowess—through the things these attributes accrue to us. Certainly the word ‘majesty’ affirms the financial success we attain and the wonderful things it affords to us. We exercise our innate gifts in order to reap the benefits they make available to us.
‘Strength’ bespeaks the power incumbent with worldly success and ‘joy’ is the emotion in which we yearn to abide with its attainment. The ‘how’ of achieving these things may elude our finite minds, but God shares that secret with us, for He wants us to have them. If we abide in His presence, are found among those who worship Him, we shall find His rich temporal and eternal reward.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
June 4
How many of us have children who have let us down at some point in their lives due to something they have done or something they have been unwilling to do? Our love for our children is not diminished when they disappoint us, however our love takes on an element of yearning for their compliance with what we know is good for them.
We nurture our children and at each juncture along the road to their maturity, we hope to see them making the right turn. When they proceed on a course that our older, wiser minds recognize as being a wrong path, we anguish for them. We know they will encounter heartache they needn’t face if they would simply follow the advice of the wise.
In Proverbs 4:6, the Lord addresses the consequence of diverging from the path He has set before His people. He says, “Forsake not wisdom and she will keep and defend and protect you. If you love her, she will guard you.” God’s Word imparts to anyone who will read it of the wisdom of the ages, of the truth that is eternal. The consequence of ignoring it is to stumble into a path that leads to futility.
He wants His children to embrace His truth to their hearts, for Jesus is TRUTH. When someone opens his heart to truth, he must thereby receive the Lord Jesus Christ as His Savior and as the One on the throne of his life. When He receives Jesus, the delight of the God of Creation is complete in him. God’s heart yearns to know that fullness of joy in each of us. Oh, that we might please Him as we yearn for our children to please us!
How many of us have children who have let us down at some point in their lives due to something they have done or something they have been unwilling to do? Our love for our children is not diminished when they disappoint us, however our love takes on an element of yearning for their compliance with what we know is good for them.
We nurture our children and at each juncture along the road to their maturity, we hope to see them making the right turn. When they proceed on a course that our older, wiser minds recognize as being a wrong path, we anguish for them. We know they will encounter heartache they needn’t face if they would simply follow the advice of the wise.
In Proverbs 4:6, the Lord addresses the consequence of diverging from the path He has set before His people. He says, “Forsake not wisdom and she will keep and defend and protect you. If you love her, she will guard you.” God’s Word imparts to anyone who will read it of the wisdom of the ages, of the truth that is eternal. The consequence of ignoring it is to stumble into a path that leads to futility.
He wants His children to embrace His truth to their hearts, for Jesus is TRUTH. When someone opens his heart to truth, he must thereby receive the Lord Jesus Christ as His Savior and as the One on the throne of his life. When He receives Jesus, the delight of the God of Creation is complete in him. God’s heart yearns to know that fullness of joy in each of us. Oh, that we might please Him as we yearn for our children to please us!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
June 3
Your God delights in you. He may take great joy in every other person on the planet but that does not lessen in any way the incomparable delight He has in you. His love for you in no way reduces the greatness of His love for others. This is a difficult concept for the finite mind to grasp. Exclusivity is part of what we expect in meaningful relationships.
The idea of finding the right one with whom to spend a lifetime means all other candidates must be weeded out. As much as our morals have been compromised and as much as our attitude toward relationships has been modified from “one man with one woman for one lifetime” we still basically adhere to the idea of exclusivity in romantic relationships.
Although the Lord sees us as individuals, it is obvious He also sees those of us who profess faith in Him as one body, one entity. He sees us as ‘the church,’ and it is the church for which He died. He told Peter the ‘body of Christ’ was established upon the unshakable truth he uttered, “We believe and are sure that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” He said the gates of hell could not prevail against that bit of insight.
He also said that the Lord, “takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory.” Into the ugliness of our sin, Jesus imparts the beauty of His salvation to those who are humble enough to receive it. He also assures those who stare wretchedly at the gaping jaws of devouring sin that they shall have victory. When we own that beauty, that victory, His delight in us is complete.
Your God delights in you. He may take great joy in every other person on the planet but that does not lessen in any way the incomparable delight He has in you. His love for you in no way reduces the greatness of His love for others. This is a difficult concept for the finite mind to grasp. Exclusivity is part of what we expect in meaningful relationships.
The idea of finding the right one with whom to spend a lifetime means all other candidates must be weeded out. As much as our morals have been compromised and as much as our attitude toward relationships has been modified from “one man with one woman for one lifetime” we still basically adhere to the idea of exclusivity in romantic relationships.
Although the Lord sees us as individuals, it is obvious He also sees those of us who profess faith in Him as one body, one entity. He sees us as ‘the church,’ and it is the church for which He died. He told Peter the ‘body of Christ’ was established upon the unshakable truth he uttered, “We believe and are sure that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” He said the gates of hell could not prevail against that bit of insight.
He also said that the Lord, “takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory.” Into the ugliness of our sin, Jesus imparts the beauty of His salvation to those who are humble enough to receive it. He also assures those who stare wretchedly at the gaping jaws of devouring sin that they shall have victory. When we own that beauty, that victory, His delight in us is complete.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
June 2
How often we have trusted the wrong person. Whether we have succumbed to the high pressure tactics of a car salesman and purchased a vehicle we really couldn’t afford or whether we have allowed ourselves to be persuaded of the undying fidelity of one who professed to love us forever then let us down, we have felt the sting of betrayal and the anguish of self-recrimination at our foolishness in being deceived.
These kinds of mistakes tend to make us leery of ever trusting again. Of course, we can’t simply retreat into the shell of our lives and exclude contact with others. We can’t require ourselves to drive an antiquated vehicle because we’re afraid to buy a new one. We can’t deny ourselves the joy of loving because we fear being unloved in return.
How can we resolve our dilemma—that of yearning for the joy of fulfillment in the people and experiences that life brings our way but distaining the anxiety reaching out for it may produce in our lives? As with every quandary in which we find ourselves, this one has its resolution in the unfailing Word of the Living God if we will but appropriate it.
In Philippians 4:13 we are given the key that unlocks the door of our ability to love and to trust those whom we love as well as to overcome every challenge life may hurl our way. It says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” All things. Nothing is impossible. He who dwells within us is greater than all that challenges us.
How often we have trusted the wrong person. Whether we have succumbed to the high pressure tactics of a car salesman and purchased a vehicle we really couldn’t afford or whether we have allowed ourselves to be persuaded of the undying fidelity of one who professed to love us forever then let us down, we have felt the sting of betrayal and the anguish of self-recrimination at our foolishness in being deceived.
These kinds of mistakes tend to make us leery of ever trusting again. Of course, we can’t simply retreat into the shell of our lives and exclude contact with others. We can’t require ourselves to drive an antiquated vehicle because we’re afraid to buy a new one. We can’t deny ourselves the joy of loving because we fear being unloved in return.
How can we resolve our dilemma—that of yearning for the joy of fulfillment in the people and experiences that life brings our way but distaining the anxiety reaching out for it may produce in our lives? As with every quandary in which we find ourselves, this one has its resolution in the unfailing Word of the Living God if we will but appropriate it.
In Philippians 4:13 we are given the key that unlocks the door of our ability to love and to trust those whom we love as well as to overcome every challenge life may hurl our way. It says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” All things. Nothing is impossible. He who dwells within us is greater than all that challenges us.
Monday, June 1, 2009
June 1
One thing people of faith often overlook is the fact that they need to be renewed regularly in the inner man. Even the great Apostle Paul recognized that his lapses into the patterns of thinking and acting that are characteristic of the “old,” unregenerate man were persistent. You do it, too. No matter how well-intentioned you or I may be, we succumb to this unless we allow His intervention.
In Psalm 51:10 we are afforded an insight into our need and into the provision the Lord has made for it. The Psalmist’s cry must be ours. Like him, we must turn to the Author and Finisher of our faith and say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me.”
When we have allowed Jesus to give us a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone, when we have allowed Him to assume Lordship of our lives by allowing Him to reign within our heart, we have given Him the authority to transform our lives from the destructivity of the flesh to the productivity of the spirit.
Yet when He has, when we have allowed Him access and control, we still must give Him the latitude to renew our spirit regularly, for the lure of our old habits and our old life will seduce us again if we neglect to subject ourselves to His mind and to His heart for a daily infusion of Himself into our inner man.
One thing people of faith often overlook is the fact that they need to be renewed regularly in the inner man. Even the great Apostle Paul recognized that his lapses into the patterns of thinking and acting that are characteristic of the “old,” unregenerate man were persistent. You do it, too. No matter how well-intentioned you or I may be, we succumb to this unless we allow His intervention.
In Psalm 51:10 we are afforded an insight into our need and into the provision the Lord has made for it. The Psalmist’s cry must be ours. Like him, we must turn to the Author and Finisher of our faith and say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me.”
When we have allowed Jesus to give us a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone, when we have allowed Him to assume Lordship of our lives by allowing Him to reign within our heart, we have given Him the authority to transform our lives from the destructivity of the flesh to the productivity of the spirit.
Yet when He has, when we have allowed Him access and control, we still must give Him the latitude to renew our spirit regularly, for the lure of our old habits and our old life will seduce us again if we neglect to subject ourselves to His mind and to His heart for a daily infusion of Himself into our inner man.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)