There are times in life when we find ourselves in the kind of situation that Joseph faced when he, while maintaining steadfast integrity before God, was falsely accused of a crime and sent to prison. As with him, circumstances sometimes converge upon us that render us helpless before our accusers, for the 'accuser of the brethren' is forever attempting to undermine the people of God.
When those times come, may we, as Joseph did, keep our eyes fastened on the One who has the power to help and to exonerate. May we continue to walk honorably before Jesus and trust Him to deliver us from our oppressor and the difficult circumstances he contrives. May we trust that in Jesus' perfect time our good will be realized and HIS GLORY will be revealed through us.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Loved and Found
November 30
We who have found Jesus as our Savior tend to congratulate ourselves in that discovery. Certainly, we’re more realistic than to think we managed it on our own, but we do think we have given more credence to His Holy Word, have attended more fully to the wooing of His Holy Spirit and responded more quickly to His call upon our lives than have others who have not found their way to Him.
While there is an element of truth in the above, the reality is that none of it would have been possible were it not for the great love the Lord has for His fallen creation. He has tried to make abundantly clear to us the magnitude of His love, but we are sometimes dull and unable to perceive such amazing love.
Our spiritual eyes are too clouded by the loves of earth to fully apprehend the incomparable love of heaven’s perfect Lamb. We are too focused on the things and the people we desire to embrace in the realm of time to clearly see or understand the amazing heart of love that caused Jesus to forsake His throne in glory (see Philippians 2:6-8) so we might one day abide around His throne in eternity.
But if we will allow ourselves to see, we will realize just why David said in Psalm 145:8, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate… rich in love.” We will understand the truth of I John 4:10 which says, “This is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” We will rejoice that we have been loved and found by Him, and pray the lost will allow Him to love and find them, too.
We who have found Jesus as our Savior tend to congratulate ourselves in that discovery. Certainly, we’re more realistic than to think we managed it on our own, but we do think we have given more credence to His Holy Word, have attended more fully to the wooing of His Holy Spirit and responded more quickly to His call upon our lives than have others who have not found their way to Him.
While there is an element of truth in the above, the reality is that none of it would have been possible were it not for the great love the Lord has for His fallen creation. He has tried to make abundantly clear to us the magnitude of His love, but we are sometimes dull and unable to perceive such amazing love.
Our spiritual eyes are too clouded by the loves of earth to fully apprehend the incomparable love of heaven’s perfect Lamb. We are too focused on the things and the people we desire to embrace in the realm of time to clearly see or understand the amazing heart of love that caused Jesus to forsake His throne in glory (see Philippians 2:6-8) so we might one day abide around His throne in eternity.
But if we will allow ourselves to see, we will realize just why David said in Psalm 145:8, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate… rich in love.” We will understand the truth of I John 4:10 which says, “This is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” We will rejoice that we have been loved and found by Him, and pray the lost will allow Him to love and find them, too.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
An Extremely Weighty Burden
November 29
Holding a grudge can become an extremely weighty burden. The longer it is carried, the heavier it becomes. Yet, many of us persist in holding on to things that we perceive as being slights toward us, insults against us or outright harm unleashed at us. It may seem like the only reasonable thing to do, given the situation, but it is not.
When we embrace to ourselves, when we take in, the negative things that come our way, we are encumbering ourselves with the kind of excess baggage that cannot possibly advantage us in any way. It can only drag us down. We must divest ourselves of it—much as a ship in a storm must cast extraneous cargo into the sea.
If we will allow ourselves to do so, we will cover the offenses against us with love, with forgiveness, and in so doing, we will be delivered from their impact. Our doing so has nothing to do with the attitude of the perpetrator of the offense. Whether or not he seeks forgiveness and restoration, we must extend it to him. If he accepts our grace, he, too, is blessed. If not, he elects to remain under the wrong's smothering weight.
Solomon writes in Proverbs 17:9, “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever keeps the matter separates himself from close friends.” The reality is that all of us are guilty at one time or another of saying or doing something that can cause offense to another. We must seek forgiveness at those times just as we must extend forgiveness when we are offended. Friends, true friends, love in spite of offense.
Holding a grudge can become an extremely weighty burden. The longer it is carried, the heavier it becomes. Yet, many of us persist in holding on to things that we perceive as being slights toward us, insults against us or outright harm unleashed at us. It may seem like the only reasonable thing to do, given the situation, but it is not.
When we embrace to ourselves, when we take in, the negative things that come our way, we are encumbering ourselves with the kind of excess baggage that cannot possibly advantage us in any way. It can only drag us down. We must divest ourselves of it—much as a ship in a storm must cast extraneous cargo into the sea.
If we will allow ourselves to do so, we will cover the offenses against us with love, with forgiveness, and in so doing, we will be delivered from their impact. Our doing so has nothing to do with the attitude of the perpetrator of the offense. Whether or not he seeks forgiveness and restoration, we must extend it to him. If he accepts our grace, he, too, is blessed. If not, he elects to remain under the wrong's smothering weight.
Solomon writes in Proverbs 17:9, “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever keeps the matter separates himself from close friends.” The reality is that all of us are guilty at one time or another of saying or doing something that can cause offense to another. We must seek forgiveness at those times just as we must extend forgiveness when we are offended. Friends, true friends, love in spite of offense.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Uncompromised Excellence
November 28
The American educational system is accused of producing students who know little but who think quite highly of themselves. The observation is that our teachers are busily building their students’ self-esteem but are not doing much in the way of actually conveying academic or spiritual knowledge to them. This, if true, is a sorry assessment of a broken system—which, by the way, was once the premier educational machine in the world.
Bill Gates, one of the world’s wealthiest men, is credited with stating, “Before a child gains self-esteem, he should have accomplished something.” Mr. Gates, in the opinion of many, is entirely correct in that observation. But, parents and teachers and administrators often differ. They feel that for a child to achieve, he must be first validated as an achiever.
Is this getting the proverbial cart before the horse? If the Lord were interjecting His opinion here, what would it be? According to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians 2:3, 4, we are to, “In humility consider others above ourselves. Each of us should look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others.” The initial portion of this scripture seems to assent to the notion of affirming our young people. But, read in its entirety, we understand that in doing so we should be looking to their interests.
It becomes ever more apparent that building self-esteem does not further the interests of youth, in the short term or in the long term. If we want their futures to be secure, we must assure that they have the tools with which to build their futures and the knowledge of how to use those tools. The proven method for conveying knowledge is that which has succeeded in the past—the insistence upon excellence. Yes, we may use every tool of modern technology to accomplish that excellence, but we must not compromise on what excellence is, not academically and certainly, not spiritually!
The American educational system is accused of producing students who know little but who think quite highly of themselves. The observation is that our teachers are busily building their students’ self-esteem but are not doing much in the way of actually conveying academic or spiritual knowledge to them. This, if true, is a sorry assessment of a broken system—which, by the way, was once the premier educational machine in the world.
Bill Gates, one of the world’s wealthiest men, is credited with stating, “Before a child gains self-esteem, he should have accomplished something.” Mr. Gates, in the opinion of many, is entirely correct in that observation. But, parents and teachers and administrators often differ. They feel that for a child to achieve, he must be first validated as an achiever.
Is this getting the proverbial cart before the horse? If the Lord were interjecting His opinion here, what would it be? According to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians 2:3, 4, we are to, “In humility consider others above ourselves. Each of us should look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others.” The initial portion of this scripture seems to assent to the notion of affirming our young people. But, read in its entirety, we understand that in doing so we should be looking to their interests.
It becomes ever more apparent that building self-esteem does not further the interests of youth, in the short term or in the long term. If we want their futures to be secure, we must assure that they have the tools with which to build their futures and the knowledge of how to use those tools. The proven method for conveying knowledge is that which has succeeded in the past—the insistence upon excellence. Yes, we may use every tool of modern technology to accomplish that excellence, but we must not compromise on what excellence is, not academically and certainly, not spiritually!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
He Is Still Optimistic
November 27
God is perfect. He is absolutely complete in Himself. He needs nothing. He needs no one. He lacks nothing. He cannot be added to. He cannot be subtracted from. He is holy. In the presence of His majesty, all mankind from the beginning of time until its end will fall on their faces before Him, proclaiming with the angels, “Holy. Holy. Holy…”
So, why are we here? Why did a Being, so perfect, so complete, so without need, elect to create a being so unlike Himself? Perhaps the aspect of that query that must be addressed is the assertion that man, at his creation, was unlike God. In reality, at his inception, man was perfect. The fatal flaw that corrupted him sprang out of his free will.
God, wanting the love of His creation to be without any strings attached, gave mankind a free will. The first man, Adam, representing all his progeny to follow, was deceived into believing he could become more like God through an act of disobedience. Since then, we have all taken that path, followed that choice, one way or another. The questions then become, ‘Why then does God suffer us to exist?’ and…
…‘Why hasn’t He eradicated our fallen kind from the planet?‘ The answers lie in the reality that He is still optimistic about us. He has high hope that in loving us enough to die in our place, we will love in return. We will love Him and we will love one another, for, as the Apostle states in I John 4:12, “…if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is perfected in us.” His desire is that we live in the perfect love that is Himself.
God is perfect. He is absolutely complete in Himself. He needs nothing. He needs no one. He lacks nothing. He cannot be added to. He cannot be subtracted from. He is holy. In the presence of His majesty, all mankind from the beginning of time until its end will fall on their faces before Him, proclaiming with the angels, “Holy. Holy. Holy…”
So, why are we here? Why did a Being, so perfect, so complete, so without need, elect to create a being so unlike Himself? Perhaps the aspect of that query that must be addressed is the assertion that man, at his creation, was unlike God. In reality, at his inception, man was perfect. The fatal flaw that corrupted him sprang out of his free will.
God, wanting the love of His creation to be without any strings attached, gave mankind a free will. The first man, Adam, representing all his progeny to follow, was deceived into believing he could become more like God through an act of disobedience. Since then, we have all taken that path, followed that choice, one way or another. The questions then become, ‘Why then does God suffer us to exist?’ and…
…‘Why hasn’t He eradicated our fallen kind from the planet?‘ The answers lie in the reality that He is still optimistic about us. He has high hope that in loving us enough to die in our place, we will love in return. We will love Him and we will love one another, for, as the Apostle states in I John 4:12, “…if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is perfected in us.” His desire is that we live in the perfect love that is Himself.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Love Covers Sin
November 26
It’s not always easy to love. Many people have been hurt in love, have been disappointed by those they loved so they are wary of loving. Love carries with it a component of trust that, once betrayed leaves the wronged party with his guard up and his ability to plunge whole-heartedly into a trust relationship greatly diminished.
This trust factor is important not only in personal or romantic relationships, but also in interaction with neighbors and co-workers. Even nations require a component of trust when entering into trade agreements or peace treaties or when resolving border disputes.
We might think it is impossible to ever fully trust or, therefore, to ever fully love because virtually none of us is without prior disappointment. But that’s not what the Lord requires of us. That’s not what He expects to be the basis of our decisions regarding trust or love. I Peter 4:8 gives His viewpoint which is, “Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
This verse recognizes that there may be sins we’ve borne at the hands of another, but we are not to be governed in our attitude or our behavior by our experience. We are to allow the example of Christ when He said of those who crucified Him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34), to prevail in our hearts and spirits. He died because love covers sin. He wants us to live in His love that still covers sin.
It’s not always easy to love. Many people have been hurt in love, have been disappointed by those they loved so they are wary of loving. Love carries with it a component of trust that, once betrayed leaves the wronged party with his guard up and his ability to plunge whole-heartedly into a trust relationship greatly diminished.
This trust factor is important not only in personal or romantic relationships, but also in interaction with neighbors and co-workers. Even nations require a component of trust when entering into trade agreements or peace treaties or when resolving border disputes.
We might think it is impossible to ever fully trust or, therefore, to ever fully love because virtually none of us is without prior disappointment. But that’s not what the Lord requires of us. That’s not what He expects to be the basis of our decisions regarding trust or love. I Peter 4:8 gives His viewpoint which is, “Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
This verse recognizes that there may be sins we’ve borne at the hands of another, but we are not to be governed in our attitude or our behavior by our experience. We are to allow the example of Christ when He said of those who crucified Him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34), to prevail in our hearts and spirits. He died because love covers sin. He wants us to live in His love that still covers sin.
Friday, November 25, 2011
The Bearing Of Heaven
November 25
I’m sure you don’t shop at the same places where England’s new Princess Kate acquires her splendid attire. She can, if she so chooses, send for the most famous designers of clothing in the world and they will come to her. She doesn’t have to actually shop unless she wants to do so.
There is a high expectation as to how Kate will present herself. We don’t wish to see her wearing frumpy clothes from a second-hand shop and we don’t anticipate we’ll see her attired in the same outfit another celebrity may have worn. We expect her to be uniquely herself. She has not disappointed us. She is lovely from head to toe.
Because she is polished and refined, because she is tasteful, because she is statuesque, she represents the royal family well. We’ve seen the smiles of the Queen when Kate is in her presence. We’ve seen the delight in the admiring glances of her handsome young husband, Prince William. Most of us don’t see ourselves as having such lofty personages to please—but we do. We want to gain the approval of heaven and Colossians 3:12-14 tells us how to do so…
“As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And, over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Our God is looking upon us with the hope that we shall comport ourselves as sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords should do. Not only must we carry ourselves with the bearing of heaven, but be clothed in its finest attire.
I’m sure you don’t shop at the same places where England’s new Princess Kate acquires her splendid attire. She can, if she so chooses, send for the most famous designers of clothing in the world and they will come to her. She doesn’t have to actually shop unless she wants to do so.
There is a high expectation as to how Kate will present herself. We don’t wish to see her wearing frumpy clothes from a second-hand shop and we don’t anticipate we’ll see her attired in the same outfit another celebrity may have worn. We expect her to be uniquely herself. She has not disappointed us. She is lovely from head to toe.
Because she is polished and refined, because she is tasteful, because she is statuesque, she represents the royal family well. We’ve seen the smiles of the Queen when Kate is in her presence. We’ve seen the delight in the admiring glances of her handsome young husband, Prince William. Most of us don’t see ourselves as having such lofty personages to please—but we do. We want to gain the approval of heaven and Colossians 3:12-14 tells us how to do so…
“As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And, over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Our God is looking upon us with the hope that we shall comport ourselves as sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords should do. Not only must we carry ourselves with the bearing of heaven, but be clothed in its finest attire.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving Day
We stop today to lift up our hands and our hearts and our minds and our spirits to our precious Jesus for the wondrous bounty He has bestowed upon us. We have so much for which to offer our gratitude. The abounding provision of food that is so plentiful upon our tables, and will be even more so today as we enjoy the traditional feast of this holiday, is cause for overflowing appreciation.
We thank Him for family and friends who travel near and far to spend time together, to celebrate the special joys that bind our hearts together. We thank Him for their faithfulness that causes them to stand by us, not only in our times of joy but at those low points in our lives when we need their arms to lean on and their encouragement to lift our spirits.
We thank Him for the beloved country in which we are privileged to live, for the freedom to pursue our goals and to speak our opinions. We thank Him for the privilege of exercising our right to vote so we may elect to office those individuals who share our values and support our right to express them according to our conscience. Whether our thoughts are political or religious, we may state them without fear.
But above all, we thank our glorious Savior for His “unspeakable GIFT” (II Corinthians 9:15), that incomparable sacrifice of Himself on a cruel cross in order that we might have our sins forgiven and our eternity secured. Oh, Lord Jesus, how we praise and thank You for leaving Heaven where You reign in glory (Philippians 2:5-7) to live as a sinless man who became the sacrifice for all our sin.
On this wonderful day of contemplation of the things for which we are thankful, our hearts must bow before You in praise and abounding thanksgiving for all You’ve done to assure that all the promises of Heaven are ours.
We thank Him for family and friends who travel near and far to spend time together, to celebrate the special joys that bind our hearts together. We thank Him for their faithfulness that causes them to stand by us, not only in our times of joy but at those low points in our lives when we need their arms to lean on and their encouragement to lift our spirits.
We thank Him for the beloved country in which we are privileged to live, for the freedom to pursue our goals and to speak our opinions. We thank Him for the privilege of exercising our right to vote so we may elect to office those individuals who share our values and support our right to express them according to our conscience. Whether our thoughts are political or religious, we may state them without fear.
But above all, we thank our glorious Savior for His “unspeakable GIFT” (II Corinthians 9:15), that incomparable sacrifice of Himself on a cruel cross in order that we might have our sins forgiven and our eternity secured. Oh, Lord Jesus, how we praise and thank You for leaving Heaven where You reign in glory (Philippians 2:5-7) to live as a sinless man who became the sacrifice for all our sin.
On this wonderful day of contemplation of the things for which we are thankful, our hearts must bow before You in praise and abounding thanksgiving for all You’ve done to assure that all the promises of Heaven are ours.
Because He First Loved Us
November 24
People can be thoughtless. People can be tactless. People can be ruthless. People can be absolutely cruel! There are situations from which we recoil because we don’t want to see the actions some members of humankind are capable of inflicting on others. We don’t want to know the depravity of the human heart. But we’re told to love people.
We’re told to love the worst of them, but wickedness doesn’t merely offend us, it frightens us. If we don’t confront it, if we endeavor to remain oblivious to it, if we ignore its pervasiveness, we can go merrily on our way. We can pretend sin’s scope is less than it is; we can pretend that all is right with the world. But we’re told to love people.
We can turn our eyes from seeing the devastation of war. We can stop our ears from hearing the cries of the homeless, the starving, the oppressed. We can focus on the pleasant things, the good things. We can live our lives within our secure little bubble and not allow anything that causes distress to intrude into our little corner of the world.
But, we’re told to love people. We can’t love without allowing our hearts to be invested in the objects of our love. How can we commit ourselves to caring for man when we are so put off by him? I John 4:7 shows us the only way it can be done—“We love because HE FIRST LOVED US.” We love as Christ loves, we follow His example, even unto death.
People can be thoughtless. People can be tactless. People can be ruthless. People can be absolutely cruel! There are situations from which we recoil because we don’t want to see the actions some members of humankind are capable of inflicting on others. We don’t want to know the depravity of the human heart. But we’re told to love people.
We’re told to love the worst of them, but wickedness doesn’t merely offend us, it frightens us. If we don’t confront it, if we endeavor to remain oblivious to it, if we ignore its pervasiveness, we can go merrily on our way. We can pretend sin’s scope is less than it is; we can pretend that all is right with the world. But we’re told to love people.
We can turn our eyes from seeing the devastation of war. We can stop our ears from hearing the cries of the homeless, the starving, the oppressed. We can focus on the pleasant things, the good things. We can live our lives within our secure little bubble and not allow anything that causes distress to intrude into our little corner of the world.
But, we’re told to love people. We can’t love without allowing our hearts to be invested in the objects of our love. How can we commit ourselves to caring for man when we are so put off by him? I John 4:7 shows us the only way it can be done—“We love because HE FIRST LOVED US.” We love as Christ loves, we follow His example, even unto death.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Who Is Your Neighbor?
November 23
Who is your neighbor? Is it the guy next door who waves to you as he mows his lawn? Is it the folks at church with whom you share faith and fellowship? Or is it the people at work with whom you rub elbows every day? It’s important to know just who he is because you are to love him.
In James 2:8 the Lord’s brother quotes the scriptural admonition, “’Love your neighbor as yourself’ and (thereby) you are doing right.” It is considered ‘right’ to love your neighbor. In God’s estimation, it is crucial to love your neighbor, so, who is he?
A scrupulous study of the subject would reveal the fact that in the eyes of God, everyone is your neighbor! Yes, everyone—including your enemies! In Matthew 5:44, 45, Jesus Himself said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” When you do, you will be following the example of the Lord.
Jesus, God’s only Son, left His throne in glory, came to earth as a man, bore your sin, and was humiliated by those who made themselves His enemy. Yet He loved them. He died for the sins of the haters of the gospel who revile and curse Him as much as for those who simply err in their ways. In doing so, He shows us how we, too, must love even our enemies—and be true neighbors.
Who is your neighbor? Is it the guy next door who waves to you as he mows his lawn? Is it the folks at church with whom you share faith and fellowship? Or is it the people at work with whom you rub elbows every day? It’s important to know just who he is because you are to love him.
In James 2:8 the Lord’s brother quotes the scriptural admonition, “’Love your neighbor as yourself’ and (thereby) you are doing right.” It is considered ‘right’ to love your neighbor. In God’s estimation, it is crucial to love your neighbor, so, who is he?
A scrupulous study of the subject would reveal the fact that in the eyes of God, everyone is your neighbor! Yes, everyone—including your enemies! In Matthew 5:44, 45, Jesus Himself said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” When you do, you will be following the example of the Lord.
Jesus, God’s only Son, left His throne in glory, came to earth as a man, bore your sin, and was humiliated by those who made themselves His enemy. Yet He loved them. He died for the sins of the haters of the gospel who revile and curse Him as much as for those who simply err in their ways. In doing so, He shows us how we, too, must love even our enemies—and be true neighbors.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Love--Received, Returned, Extended
November 22
Love is an elusive commodity; ask any teenager who has fallen head-over-heels for the first time. There are two important things that must be recognized whether the individual ‘carrying the torch’ is a youngster who is new at being in love or a seasoned veteran in the ‘wonderful game of love’ as the old song by ‘the Platters’ identifies it.
Those two things are the facts that in order to be love, truly love, God must be at its root and also in order to be truly love, the emotion must be reciprocal. Of course, where God is concerned, we know He loves. That fact is stated again and again in scripture—and nowhere more clearly than in John 3:16, “God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
In Psalm 31:23 God challenges His people to love Him back! Here He says, “Love the Lord, all His saints! He preserves the faithful but the proud He pays back in full.” In John 14:23 Jesus Himself says, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching and My Father will love him and we will come to him and abide with him.” The 'pay-back' to the proud is the great cost of living a life absent of the joy of loving and being loved, but the assurance of the presence of the Lord with the one who loves and obeys Him is indeed great reward.
The great stipulation to experiencing the flow of love between the One who is high and lifted up and ourselves is found in I John 4:20, 21 where the beloved Apostle says, “Anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: ‘Whoever loves God must also love his brother.’” How grateful we are that Jesus came to reveal God's heart to us by loving us with His perfect love and by giving us the joy of extending that precious commodity back to Him and to others.
Love is an elusive commodity; ask any teenager who has fallen head-over-heels for the first time. There are two important things that must be recognized whether the individual ‘carrying the torch’ is a youngster who is new at being in love or a seasoned veteran in the ‘wonderful game of love’ as the old song by ‘the Platters’ identifies it.
Those two things are the facts that in order to be love, truly love, God must be at its root and also in order to be truly love, the emotion must be reciprocal. Of course, where God is concerned, we know He loves. That fact is stated again and again in scripture—and nowhere more clearly than in John 3:16, “God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
In Psalm 31:23 God challenges His people to love Him back! Here He says, “Love the Lord, all His saints! He preserves the faithful but the proud He pays back in full.” In John 14:23 Jesus Himself says, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching and My Father will love him and we will come to him and abide with him.” The 'pay-back' to the proud is the great cost of living a life absent of the joy of loving and being loved, but the assurance of the presence of the Lord with the one who loves and obeys Him is indeed great reward.
The great stipulation to experiencing the flow of love between the One who is high and lifted up and ourselves is found in I John 4:20, 21 where the beloved Apostle says, “Anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: ‘Whoever loves God must also love his brother.’” How grateful we are that Jesus came to reveal God's heart to us by loving us with His perfect love and by giving us the joy of extending that precious commodity back to Him and to others.
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Amazing, Eternal Impact
November 21
Loving God makes an amazing impact on a life. Apart from that love, God’s love, which defines love, none of us really have any love at all. That may sound like an extreme statement, but the Word, which cannot fail and cannot lie, says, “God is love” I John 4:8. Consequently, those who don’t have the Lord cannot truly love.
Yes, they may feel an emotion they identify as love, but it is not love, cannot be love, if it does not have God who is love as its source. Just as one might possess millions of counterfeit dollars and not have any money, so one who has an emotion void of God’s love does not have any love.
How can an observer identify the genuine article? Conversely, how can he determine if the love he thinks he sees is counterfeit? In John 14:21, Jesus said, “Whoever has My commands and obeys them is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father; I, too will love him and show Myself to him.” Identifying love in another means seeing Christ in him.
Christ is seen when one obeys the commands of God, for true love desires to walk in obedience to the One who is loved. When we love the Living and True Christ, we reflect His glory to the lost and dying world around us. When they see Him in us, they are transformed by His glorious love. The impact of that transformation is eternal.
Loving God makes an amazing impact on a life. Apart from that love, God’s love, which defines love, none of us really have any love at all. That may sound like an extreme statement, but the Word, which cannot fail and cannot lie, says, “God is love” I John 4:8. Consequently, those who don’t have the Lord cannot truly love.
Yes, they may feel an emotion they identify as love, but it is not love, cannot be love, if it does not have God who is love as its source. Just as one might possess millions of counterfeit dollars and not have any money, so one who has an emotion void of God’s love does not have any love.
How can an observer identify the genuine article? Conversely, how can he determine if the love he thinks he sees is counterfeit? In John 14:21, Jesus said, “Whoever has My commands and obeys them is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father; I, too will love him and show Myself to him.” Identifying love in another means seeing Christ in him.
Christ is seen when one obeys the commands of God, for true love desires to walk in obedience to the One who is loved. When we love the Living and True Christ, we reflect His glory to the lost and dying world around us. When they see Him in us, they are transformed by His glorious love. The impact of that transformation is eternal.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
HE Is Your Life
November 20
Many of us relegate to people the love and adoration that we should reserve only for God. Deuteronomy 30:20 says, “Love the Lord your God. Listen to His voice and hold fast to Him, for the Lord is your life.” When we transfer to a mere mortal the devotion only the Lord deserves, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and distress.
If any human voice conflicts with the commands of the Holy One, we must reject its siren song. If anyone or any thing demands to be embraced to our bosom, we must remind ourselves that only those people and things that first embrace Christ should have any place near our heart, the throne room of our lives where He dwells.
Our God makes an assertion in this verse that only He is entitled to make—“…HE is your life.” We may wrap our lives around another, we may think we can’t live apart from a person or a goal or a dream, but we delude ourselves if we believe that any entity but the Sovereign Lord Himself is crucial to our existence.
It is imperative that we make Jesus Christ not only the focus but the entirety of our lives. When we do, we will not only comply with the law of God, which the Word tells us is the essence of loving Him (I John 5:3) but we will secure to ourselves the blessings of time and the treasures of eternity that He promises will come with obedience.
Many of us relegate to people the love and adoration that we should reserve only for God. Deuteronomy 30:20 says, “Love the Lord your God. Listen to His voice and hold fast to Him, for the Lord is your life.” When we transfer to a mere mortal the devotion only the Lord deserves, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and distress.
If any human voice conflicts with the commands of the Holy One, we must reject its siren song. If anyone or any thing demands to be embraced to our bosom, we must remind ourselves that only those people and things that first embrace Christ should have any place near our heart, the throne room of our lives where He dwells.
Our God makes an assertion in this verse that only He is entitled to make—“…HE is your life.” We may wrap our lives around another, we may think we can’t live apart from a person or a goal or a dream, but we delude ourselves if we believe that any entity but the Sovereign Lord Himself is crucial to our existence.
It is imperative that we make Jesus Christ not only the focus but the entirety of our lives. When we do, we will not only comply with the law of God, which the Word tells us is the essence of loving Him (I John 5:3) but we will secure to ourselves the blessings of time and the treasures of eternity that He promises will come with obedience.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The Most Important Commandment
November 19
Life requires us to keep track of so many things. Check books must be balanced, mortgage payments must be made on time, utility bills must be paid. Even laundry must be done with regularity and in a reasonable, timely fashion. To neglect these things is to add to our lives the burdens that come when we are irresponsible.
To avoid bounced checks, terse notices and penalties from unhappy lenders, the inconvenience of curtailed electric service, or even the simple matter of running out of clean underwear, we must assume the responsibility for these demands of life—as the old saying goes, “If you dance to the music, you must pay the piper.”
Though the ramification of our neglect of these matters may be that we are inconvenienced, there are greater areas of responsibility that require our utmost diligence to assume. Jesus Himself pointed these out in Mark 12:29-31. Because the Lord stated their importance, it behooves us to comply with His recommendation, to fully assent to His words.
Jesus said, “The most important commandment is this…the Lord our God is One! Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind and all your strength. The second is like it, that you love your neighbor as yourself.” If we give due diligence to these spiritual essentials, we will not have any interruption of the flow of His Holy Spirit’s power in our lives.
Life requires us to keep track of so many things. Check books must be balanced, mortgage payments must be made on time, utility bills must be paid. Even laundry must be done with regularity and in a reasonable, timely fashion. To neglect these things is to add to our lives the burdens that come when we are irresponsible.
To avoid bounced checks, terse notices and penalties from unhappy lenders, the inconvenience of curtailed electric service, or even the simple matter of running out of clean underwear, we must assume the responsibility for these demands of life—as the old saying goes, “If you dance to the music, you must pay the piper.”
Though the ramification of our neglect of these matters may be that we are inconvenienced, there are greater areas of responsibility that require our utmost diligence to assume. Jesus Himself pointed these out in Mark 12:29-31. Because the Lord stated their importance, it behooves us to comply with His recommendation, to fully assent to His words.
Jesus said, “The most important commandment is this…the Lord our God is One! Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind and all your strength. The second is like it, that you love your neighbor as yourself.” If we give due diligence to these spiritual essentials, we will not have any interruption of the flow of His Holy Spirit’s power in our lives.
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Formula
November 18
Some of us can still rattle off formulae that we learned in science class decades ago. We haven’t used them because our lives have not required the kinds of information they contain, but they are indelibly stamped upon our minds. Undoubtedly, even when we have trouble remembering our names, we’ll be able to recite ‘the formula’!
Realistically speaking, there is very little of the information that we have studied so hard to master that will actually be required of us during our lifetime. Certainly, we shall apply pertinent facts to the jobs we perform, but most of the things our high school and college teachers required us to know are simply irrelevant to our adult lives.
One area of study, however, becomes more important as we get older. There is a verse in II Timothy 2:15 that says, “Study to show yourself approved by the Lord; a workman who needs not be ashamed because he rightly handles the word of truth.” Isaiah 28:10 tells us that, “Precept must be upon precept; line upon line; here a little, there a little…” as we gather the understanding of the knowledge of the Lord.
Unlike the lessons of our days as students in school, our lessons that we have learned at the feet of Jesus must be taken into our hearts and nurtured there. As Solomon stated so eloquently of the Lord’s truth in Proverbs 3:1, 2, “Do not forget My teaching, but keep My commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” Such lessons are well to be learned!
Some of us can still rattle off formulae that we learned in science class decades ago. We haven’t used them because our lives have not required the kinds of information they contain, but they are indelibly stamped upon our minds. Undoubtedly, even when we have trouble remembering our names, we’ll be able to recite ‘the formula’!
Realistically speaking, there is very little of the information that we have studied so hard to master that will actually be required of us during our lifetime. Certainly, we shall apply pertinent facts to the jobs we perform, but most of the things our high school and college teachers required us to know are simply irrelevant to our adult lives.
One area of study, however, becomes more important as we get older. There is a verse in II Timothy 2:15 that says, “Study to show yourself approved by the Lord; a workman who needs not be ashamed because he rightly handles the word of truth.” Isaiah 28:10 tells us that, “Precept must be upon precept; line upon line; here a little, there a little…” as we gather the understanding of the knowledge of the Lord.
Unlike the lessons of our days as students in school, our lessons that we have learned at the feet of Jesus must be taken into our hearts and nurtured there. As Solomon stated so eloquently of the Lord’s truth in Proverbs 3:1, 2, “Do not forget My teaching, but keep My commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” Such lessons are well to be learned!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Road Map
November 17
Having a road map is not usually a requirement to traverse the distance between ourselves and the people who are precious to us, but sometimes it is. Visiting a best childhood friend who moved away but remained close by letters and phone calls through the growing-up years may necessitate a map when the first visit is paid to the far-off address.
There is something almost magical about seeing someone from whom one has long been separated. Naturally, you’ve both changed—neither of you are children any longer but the adult friend seems just the little kid in a grown-up body because he still extends a beautiful relationship that hasn’t been diminished by time or distance.
With the beauty of that kind of reunion in mind, we can better grasp the poignancy of Peter’s words in Acts 2:28, “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.” We couldn’t find our way to heaven on our own. The way is hidden by the darkness of our sin, but Jesus revealed the way to us.
HE, in fact, IS THE WAY! (See John 14:6.) And the way leads to His eternal presence. He assures us that there will be joy in His presence. When we are united with the Lord for eternity, we will have far greater delight than any earthly reunion could afford to us. We yearn for that glorious day when we shall be enfolded forever to His heart of love.
Having a road map is not usually a requirement to traverse the distance between ourselves and the people who are precious to us, but sometimes it is. Visiting a best childhood friend who moved away but remained close by letters and phone calls through the growing-up years may necessitate a map when the first visit is paid to the far-off address.
There is something almost magical about seeing someone from whom one has long been separated. Naturally, you’ve both changed—neither of you are children any longer but the adult friend seems just the little kid in a grown-up body because he still extends a beautiful relationship that hasn’t been diminished by time or distance.
With the beauty of that kind of reunion in mind, we can better grasp the poignancy of Peter’s words in Acts 2:28, “You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.” We couldn’t find our way to heaven on our own. The way is hidden by the darkness of our sin, but Jesus revealed the way to us.
HE, in fact, IS THE WAY! (See John 14:6.) And the way leads to His eternal presence. He assures us that there will be joy in His presence. When we are united with the Lord for eternity, we will have far greater delight than any earthly reunion could afford to us. We yearn for that glorious day when we shall be enfolded forever to His heart of love.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Made, Breathed, Given...Redeems, Guards, Guides
November 16
The origin of life is a widely debated topic. There are many opposing theories that range from the emergence of living organisms possessing the innate power to become the various sophisticated life forms that we know today to the concept of a ‘big bang’ that set life as we know it into motion.
Then there is the theory of an intelligent Creator by whose unfathomable power all life was spoken into existence. Those of us who wrestle with putting even children’s toys together are likely to subscribe to the notion of an intelligent Being who spoke and the worlds appeared—simply because we understand how important an intelligent mind is to the fabrication of even simple things.
And, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that it ‘feels good’ to be able to release ourselves into the care of One who is so much greater than we are and has so much compassion toward us. Even in times of trial, we take comfort in being able to say, as did Job in 33:4, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
We want to know that we are not just the product of a collision of particles in a primordial slime. We want to know we weren’t simply the outcome of an inexplicable explosion in space. Trusting that the Almighty has indeed made us and breathed upon us and given us life—life that HE redeems and guards and guides—gives us security in an insecure world. Knowing we are precious in the beloved makes us comfortable in our skin and comfortable in our eternal destiny.
The origin of life is a widely debated topic. There are many opposing theories that range from the emergence of living organisms possessing the innate power to become the various sophisticated life forms that we know today to the concept of a ‘big bang’ that set life as we know it into motion.
Then there is the theory of an intelligent Creator by whose unfathomable power all life was spoken into existence. Those of us who wrestle with putting even children’s toys together are likely to subscribe to the notion of an intelligent Being who spoke and the worlds appeared—simply because we understand how important an intelligent mind is to the fabrication of even simple things.
And, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that it ‘feels good’ to be able to release ourselves into the care of One who is so much greater than we are and has so much compassion toward us. Even in times of trial, we take comfort in being able to say, as did Job in 33:4, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
We want to know that we are not just the product of a collision of particles in a primordial slime. We want to know we weren’t simply the outcome of an inexplicable explosion in space. Trusting that the Almighty has indeed made us and breathed upon us and given us life—life that HE redeems and guards and guides—gives us security in an insecure world. Knowing we are precious in the beloved makes us comfortable in our skin and comfortable in our eternal destiny.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Life in Its Fullness
November 15
Spending eternity in heaven is the great blessing of all people who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is the ‘unspeakable gift’ of II Corinthians 9:15. It is the one thing that distinguishes Christianity from all other religions, for no other belief system worships a god who became a man to rescue man from sin.
We who love Jesus find Him altogether lovely. He is without the taint of the human attributes that beset us. He is pure and holy and His sacrifice of Himself enables us to be pure and holy in the eyes of a Holy God, of whom the Word says, “He is of purer eyes than to look upon evil” (Habakkuk 1:13).
The beauty of the salvation that our Lord supplies to us is the fact that we don’t have to wait for heaven to reap its benefits. The Word gives us many assurances that our blessings begin in the ‘here-and-now.’ Although there is nothing of earth to compare to the wonders of our eternal abode, it is our blessing to be able to appropriate, by faith, the help we need as we trod from our earthly habitat to our eternal home.
Paul says in Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you.” Your mortal body receives life in its fullness because He who is life dwells in the temple that you become when HE lives in you.
Spending eternity in heaven is the great blessing of all people who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is the ‘unspeakable gift’ of II Corinthians 9:15. It is the one thing that distinguishes Christianity from all other religions, for no other belief system worships a god who became a man to rescue man from sin.
We who love Jesus find Him altogether lovely. He is without the taint of the human attributes that beset us. He is pure and holy and His sacrifice of Himself enables us to be pure and holy in the eyes of a Holy God, of whom the Word says, “He is of purer eyes than to look upon evil” (Habakkuk 1:13).
The beauty of the salvation that our Lord supplies to us is the fact that we don’t have to wait for heaven to reap its benefits. The Word gives us many assurances that our blessings begin in the ‘here-and-now.’ Although there is nothing of earth to compare to the wonders of our eternal abode, it is our blessing to be able to appropriate, by faith, the help we need as we trod from our earthly habitat to our eternal home.
Paul says in Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you.” Your mortal body receives life in its fullness because He who is life dwells in the temple that you become when HE lives in you.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Why?
November 14
Why should anyone in his right mind want to turn his back upon the good things of life? Why should anyone in his right mind prefer the life of spiritual prosperity to temporal plenty? That is a perplexing question. When the ‘rich ruler’ was confronted with this choice (Luke 18:18-23), he could not bring himself to deny his wealth to embrace Christ.
Many of us hold fast to things that we know separate us from the Lord. Oh, we may not be ‘exceeding wealthy’ as was the man Luke describes, but we do have our ‘things’ that we cherish. Perhaps it is prestige. Perhaps it’s an individual who has captured our imagination. Perhaps it’s the very carnal desire for self-realization in all its forms.
We know we need a Savior. We know Jesus came to deliver us from sin. But we don’t want to be delivered just yet. We want to ‘find our self.’ We want to realize our potential. We want to possess our dream. We want to have temporal life to the fullest—yet we want Jesus, too. How can we overcome this internal conflict? How can we reconcile the fervent desires of our humanity with our yearning for the eternal?
First, we must grasp the reality that, “Through Jesus Christ, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death,” Romans 8:2. Because I’m dead to sin, I am free of its compulsions. And second, we must realize, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing; My words are spirit and life,” John 6:63. Once we choose to embrace Jesus who is life, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to relinquish all else.
Why should anyone in his right mind want to turn his back upon the good things of life? Why should anyone in his right mind prefer the life of spiritual prosperity to temporal plenty? That is a perplexing question. When the ‘rich ruler’ was confronted with this choice (Luke 18:18-23), he could not bring himself to deny his wealth to embrace Christ.
Many of us hold fast to things that we know separate us from the Lord. Oh, we may not be ‘exceeding wealthy’ as was the man Luke describes, but we do have our ‘things’ that we cherish. Perhaps it is prestige. Perhaps it’s an individual who has captured our imagination. Perhaps it’s the very carnal desire for self-realization in all its forms.
We know we need a Savior. We know Jesus came to deliver us from sin. But we don’t want to be delivered just yet. We want to ‘find our self.’ We want to realize our potential. We want to possess our dream. We want to have temporal life to the fullest—yet we want Jesus, too. How can we overcome this internal conflict? How can we reconcile the fervent desires of our humanity with our yearning for the eternal?
First, we must grasp the reality that, “Through Jesus Christ, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death,” Romans 8:2. Because I’m dead to sin, I am free of its compulsions. And second, we must realize, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing; My words are spirit and life,” John 6:63. Once we choose to embrace Jesus who is life, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to relinquish all else.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The First Step
November 13
How does one go about placing the allurements of earth into their proper perspective? How does one negate the natural compulsion to achieve status, to acquire things, to influence circumstances? How does one suppress the natural inclination that stirs within him from the earliest age?
We have all seen the willful demands of an infant. He strives to have his way and will not be denied! We have seen the ‘pecking order’ on the playground where wills clash and lines of authority are established. These traits are certainly carried into adulthood where men clash over opinions and positions.
The only way to overcome the allure of worldly wealth and power and influence is to desire in its place eternal wealth and power and influence. When one turns his focus from the temporal to the heavenly, he realizes that what he really wants is to have power before God, power to further the Kingdom of Christ.
How does one set about achieving this transcendent, eternal force that compels men’s hearts toward the Lord’s Heavenly Realm of Glory? The first step toward the life that focuses on His will and His way is stated by Paul in Romans 6:11, “Count yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.” The first step to real life is dying to self.
How does one go about placing the allurements of earth into their proper perspective? How does one negate the natural compulsion to achieve status, to acquire things, to influence circumstances? How does one suppress the natural inclination that stirs within him from the earliest age?
We have all seen the willful demands of an infant. He strives to have his way and will not be denied! We have seen the ‘pecking order’ on the playground where wills clash and lines of authority are established. These traits are certainly carried into adulthood where men clash over opinions and positions.
The only way to overcome the allure of worldly wealth and power and influence is to desire in its place eternal wealth and power and influence. When one turns his focus from the temporal to the heavenly, he realizes that what he really wants is to have power before God, power to further the Kingdom of Christ.
How does one set about achieving this transcendent, eternal force that compels men’s hearts toward the Lord’s Heavenly Realm of Glory? The first step toward the life that focuses on His will and His way is stated by Paul in Romans 6:11, “Count yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.” The first step to real life is dying to self.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Heaven's Treasure Is Ours When...
November 12
Jesus said that life doesn’t consist of the things we possess (Luke 12:15). Having an abundance of ‘things’ does not enhance our worth. Being without the ‘things’ the world values does not diminish us. Who we are, what we are, our ‘value’ lies not in any tangible commodity. Believers in Christ have a different value system.
Whether we are wealthy beyond measure and are able to indulge our desire for all the things that money can buy, or whether we are scrounging for our next meal, our worth is not evident to the eye of the beholder who thinks he can assess our worth by what we have.
If, then, the trappings of life mean nothing to our true ‘portfolio,’ what does matter? How can we assess who we are in a real, in an actual sense? The word of God gives us a very concise answer to that most besetting of questions. If we want to know our value, it must be assessed by an eternal auditing system. It is beyond the world’s ability to understand or to calculate.
In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul says, “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things, for you died to those things and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, you will be with Him in glory.” Heaven’s treasure is ours when we simply open our hearts to He who is heaven’s treasure.
Jesus said that life doesn’t consist of the things we possess (Luke 12:15). Having an abundance of ‘things’ does not enhance our worth. Being without the ‘things’ the world values does not diminish us. Who we are, what we are, our ‘value’ lies not in any tangible commodity. Believers in Christ have a different value system.
Whether we are wealthy beyond measure and are able to indulge our desire for all the things that money can buy, or whether we are scrounging for our next meal, our worth is not evident to the eye of the beholder who thinks he can assess our worth by what we have.
If, then, the trappings of life mean nothing to our true ‘portfolio,’ what does matter? How can we assess who we are in a real, in an actual sense? The word of God gives us a very concise answer to that most besetting of questions. If we want to know our value, it must be assessed by an eternal auditing system. It is beyond the world’s ability to understand or to calculate.
In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul says, “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things, for you died to those things and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, you will be with Him in glory.” Heaven’s treasure is ours when we simply open our hearts to He who is heaven’s treasure.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Veterans' Day
Today, it is our honor and privilege to honor those who have served and are serving in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. We who remain at home, safe and free, may never fully grasp the magnitude of what they have sacrificed of their time, their health, their dreams, their lives, in order that we may securely pursue our dreams and realize the full potential of our lives.
To you who have carried the Colors into far-off lands to spare us at home from tyranny and terrorism, may we say, Thank you.
Lord Jesus, I ask YOU to open YOUR hand of blessing to these good people who have loved liberty better than life. I ask YOU to lavish all YOUR FINEST GIFTS UPON THEM. I ask that YOU WITHHOLD NO BLESSING OF TIME OR ETERNITY FROM THESE WHO HAVE SPENT SO MUCH OF THEMSELVES ON THE FREEDOM WE VALUE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
I ask, Jesus, that YOU cause our people to turn back to YOU again with full devotion to YOU and to YOUR KINGDOM's PURPOSES so WE WILL BE WORTHY OF THE SACRIFICES THEY HAVE MADE FOR THIS NATION and so WE WILL BE WORTHY OF THE MATCHLESS SACRIFICE YOU HAVE MADE FOR MANKIND. In Your holy name I pray, JESUS. Amen.
To you who have carried the Colors into far-off lands to spare us at home from tyranny and terrorism, may we say, Thank you.
Lord Jesus, I ask YOU to open YOUR hand of blessing to these good people who have loved liberty better than life. I ask YOU to lavish all YOUR FINEST GIFTS UPON THEM. I ask that YOU WITHHOLD NO BLESSING OF TIME OR ETERNITY FROM THESE WHO HAVE SPENT SO MUCH OF THEMSELVES ON THE FREEDOM WE VALUE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
I ask, Jesus, that YOU cause our people to turn back to YOU again with full devotion to YOU and to YOUR KINGDOM's PURPOSES so WE WILL BE WORTHY OF THE SACRIFICES THEY HAVE MADE FOR THIS NATION and so WE WILL BE WORTHY OF THE MATCHLESS SACRIFICE YOU HAVE MADE FOR MANKIND. In Your holy name I pray, JESUS. Amen.
Turn Back
November 11
Food. Shelter. Clothing. Life’s basic necessities. They’re pretty simple. Yet, many people subsist with the most meager supply of these things we can’t do without. More and more of us are coming to realize that the entities we trusted to sustain the ‘good life’ we’ve come to enjoy, to expect, are letting us down.
Businesses are failing. Giant, world-wide conglomerates are closing their doors. Employers who had supplied jobs to thousands of well-paid workers have outsourced much of their production to foreign countries. Small businesses are taxed into oblivion. Governments are bankrupt.
We are ‘tightening our belts.’ We don’t like what we see happening all around us and to us, but we are helpless to redeem the old way, the way of prosperity and blessing. While some see only an economic or political cause to today’s woe, many see a spiritual reason. We have turned our backs on the God who abundantly blessed us—and it appears because of our departure from Him—He has turned His back on us.
Perhaps with all the schemes we submit to—governmental interventions to bolster a faltering economy that seem instead to plunge us into debt that will impact generations to come—we should try the one thing we know works. Perhaps we should turn back to Jesus. Perhaps we should appropriate His promise in John 6:35, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to me will never hunger and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
Food. Shelter. Clothing. Life’s basic necessities. They’re pretty simple. Yet, many people subsist with the most meager supply of these things we can’t do without. More and more of us are coming to realize that the entities we trusted to sustain the ‘good life’ we’ve come to enjoy, to expect, are letting us down.
Businesses are failing. Giant, world-wide conglomerates are closing their doors. Employers who had supplied jobs to thousands of well-paid workers have outsourced much of their production to foreign countries. Small businesses are taxed into oblivion. Governments are bankrupt.
We are ‘tightening our belts.’ We don’t like what we see happening all around us and to us, but we are helpless to redeem the old way, the way of prosperity and blessing. While some see only an economic or political cause to today’s woe, many see a spiritual reason. We have turned our backs on the God who abundantly blessed us—and it appears because of our departure from Him—He has turned His back on us.
Perhaps with all the schemes we submit to—governmental interventions to bolster a faltering economy that seem instead to plunge us into debt that will impact generations to come—we should try the one thing we know works. Perhaps we should turn back to Jesus. Perhaps we should appropriate His promise in John 6:35, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to me will never hunger and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
Thursday, November 10, 2011
I didn't know...
I have just discovered a 'stats' page that has been part of this blog all along. As I have explored it, I have found many comments that you have posted through the years.
I am so sorry that I haven't responded to them; I simply did NOT KNOW they were there! I thought all comments would appear on the same page with the blog entry. My technological limitations have kept me from being aware of some of your kind and wonderful comments.
All I can say at this late date is, "Thank YOU!" I appreciate you and your following of this blog much more than I could ever convey.
I pray the Lord continues to use it to touch hearts and deepen faith and convey love.
May His Holy Spirit ever be present with you to guide and to guard your lives and to enrich your spirits.
I am so sorry that I haven't responded to them; I simply did NOT KNOW they were there! I thought all comments would appear on the same page with the blog entry. My technological limitations have kept me from being aware of some of your kind and wonderful comments.
All I can say at this late date is, "Thank YOU!" I appreciate you and your following of this blog much more than I could ever convey.
I pray the Lord continues to use it to touch hearts and deepen faith and convey love.
May His Holy Spirit ever be present with you to guide and to guard your lives and to enrich your spirits.
Love Compels His Answer
November 10
It is the desire of the heart of God to grant the hearts’ desires of His people. Sometimes that’s a difficult concept to accept. Sometimes we feel like the people who acknowledge that there is a true and living Creator who is ultimately in charge of the universe but, like them, we doubt He has any personal interest in us or our besetting trials.
We rationalize that He is too busy running the universe to waste His time with our complaints. Whether our struggles are with finances in a troubled economy or interpersonal relationships or health issues or the unraveling of stability in the world in which we must rear our children, we believe these matters are beneath His concern.
Were we to allow ourselves to appropriate in the depth of our being the reality that the Second Person of the Triune Majesty on High actually did walk the earth, actually did suffer and die, actually was resurrected, actually sits on the throne of Heaven—all because He loves us, perhaps the magnitude of His desire to bless us would be more easily within our grasp.
We would see the sincerity of the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ when He addressed the issue of unanswered prayer in John 16:24. He said, “Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask, and you will receive so your joy will be full.” Asking in His name requires that we not only recognize who He is and what He can do, but that we ask with the assurance that His love compels Him to answer in the believers’ behalf.
It is the desire of the heart of God to grant the hearts’ desires of His people. Sometimes that’s a difficult concept to accept. Sometimes we feel like the people who acknowledge that there is a true and living Creator who is ultimately in charge of the universe but, like them, we doubt He has any personal interest in us or our besetting trials.
We rationalize that He is too busy running the universe to waste His time with our complaints. Whether our struggles are with finances in a troubled economy or interpersonal relationships or health issues or the unraveling of stability in the world in which we must rear our children, we believe these matters are beneath His concern.
Were we to allow ourselves to appropriate in the depth of our being the reality that the Second Person of the Triune Majesty on High actually did walk the earth, actually did suffer and die, actually was resurrected, actually sits on the throne of Heaven—all because He loves us, perhaps the magnitude of His desire to bless us would be more easily within our grasp.
We would see the sincerity of the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ when He addressed the issue of unanswered prayer in John 16:24. He said, “Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask, and you will receive so your joy will be full.” Asking in His name requires that we not only recognize who He is and what He can do, but that we ask with the assurance that His love compels Him to answer in the believers’ behalf.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Joy of Your Countenance
November 9
The impetuous Apostle, Peter, makes an amazing assertion in the first of his letters where he says, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of faith, your salvation,“ I Peter 2:8, 9.
One cannot help but wonder if in Peter’s mind he goes on to say, ‘Unlike me. I knew Him, walked with Him, saw His miracles, yet had the audacity to debate Him (Matthew 16:22) on matters I did not understand, and He has loved and forgiven me. How blessed you are to have believed without the disappointment I’ve caused to our Lord.’
Yet, each of us could respond to Peter with our own tale of having let the Holy One down. Each of us could reiterate our failures to respond to the wooing of His Holy Spirit, to our moments of unresponsiveness to His Word as it tugged upon our heart, to our years, perhaps decades, of avoidance of assembling in His house simply because we knew we might be convicted of our need for a Savior if we were found there.
We, like the man who ran ahead of God during so much of his life, may say as he did in the Second Chapter of Acts, “…whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved…therefore…I will rest in hope…You have made known to me the way of life and have filled me with the joy of Your countenance…” Here Peter says as did David so many centuries before him, “…I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,” Psalm 92:4.
The impetuous Apostle, Peter, makes an amazing assertion in the first of his letters where he says, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of faith, your salvation,“ I Peter 2:8, 9.
One cannot help but wonder if in Peter’s mind he goes on to say, ‘Unlike me. I knew Him, walked with Him, saw His miracles, yet had the audacity to debate Him (Matthew 16:22) on matters I did not understand, and He has loved and forgiven me. How blessed you are to have believed without the disappointment I’ve caused to our Lord.’
Yet, each of us could respond to Peter with our own tale of having let the Holy One down. Each of us could reiterate our failures to respond to the wooing of His Holy Spirit, to our moments of unresponsiveness to His Word as it tugged upon our heart, to our years, perhaps decades, of avoidance of assembling in His house simply because we knew we might be convicted of our need for a Savior if we were found there.
We, like the man who ran ahead of God during so much of his life, may say as he did in the Second Chapter of Acts, “…whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved…therefore…I will rest in hope…You have made known to me the way of life and have filled me with the joy of Your countenance…” Here Peter says as did David so many centuries before him, “…I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,” Psalm 92:4.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Persevere
November 8
James, the half-brother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, had good reason to be acquainted with sorrow. Of course, the obvious example is the fact that he had watched his good and honorable sibling die the cruel death of a criminal. But the more subtle and wrenching sorrow he bore was that of his own rejection and disdain for his brother.
James, as well as Jesus’ three other half-brothers (and perhaps his half-sisters) were very slow to perceive the unique nature of this God-Man with whom they had grown up. They considered Him to be an aberrant individual—an embarrassment to the family at best or a demoniac at worst.
Yet after Jesus’ resurrection, at which time He appeared to James (I Corinthians 15:7), James the Scoffer became James the Believer! James went on to play a very prominent role in the establishment of the early Church. He was held in high regard by Peter and Paul, who were considered to be the greatest of the Apostles.
This man, first scandalized by Jesus came to full devotion to Him—not as brother but as Savior. He went on to martyrdom for his commitment to Jesus and he said of the suffering imposed upon believers, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials … because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance,” James 1:2, 3.
James, the half-brother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, had good reason to be acquainted with sorrow. Of course, the obvious example is the fact that he had watched his good and honorable sibling die the cruel death of a criminal. But the more subtle and wrenching sorrow he bore was that of his own rejection and disdain for his brother.
James, as well as Jesus’ three other half-brothers (and perhaps his half-sisters) were very slow to perceive the unique nature of this God-Man with whom they had grown up. They considered Him to be an aberrant individual—an embarrassment to the family at best or a demoniac at worst.
Yet after Jesus’ resurrection, at which time He appeared to James (I Corinthians 15:7), James the Scoffer became James the Believer! James went on to play a very prominent role in the establishment of the early Church. He was held in high regard by Peter and Paul, who were considered to be the greatest of the Apostles.
This man, first scandalized by Jesus came to full devotion to Him—not as brother but as Savior. He went on to martyrdom for his commitment to Jesus and he said of the suffering imposed upon believers, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials … because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance,” James 1:2, 3.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Many of you...
Although there are no scripture references noted in this poem, it is based upon the story of Job in the Old Testament.
Many of you are going through trials of the magnitude of those Job endured. May his story--of hope, of God's absolute affirmation of him as a man of faith, and of the total restoration of all he had--help you to hold on to the unfailing WORD as he did, to trust in the Almighty King of kings and Lord of lords as he did.
Many of you are going through trials of the magnitude of those Job endured. May his story--of hope, of God's absolute affirmation of him as a man of faith, and of the total restoration of all he had--help you to hold on to the unfailing WORD as he did, to trust in the Almighty King of kings and Lord of lords as he did.
Come Forth As Gold
November 7
Thou man of Uz, thou just and good, thou blameless in God’s sight How blessed have been thy years of God—in thee He doth delight. In thee the Lord hath made His boast before His angel dark-- The evil one doth then refute the Lord’s high praise remark.
“Not without cause Thy servant Job doth fast adhere to Thee! Thy hedge, the shelter of Thy wing, Thy blessings full and free
Cause him to bow before Thy face and bend unto Thy will. Draw back Thy hand—let me assail—see if he love Thee still!”
So God withdrew His hedge from round both Job and all his kin
Allowed the waster to destroy where boundless wealth had been! His children’s deaths, his wife’s despair, the cup of blessing dry, In anguish cries she out to Job, “Why not curse God and die!” Why not the final blow upon this anguished living death? Why not take all this poor man has, including life’s last breath?
Ah, Job, my heart goes out to thee—I read thy tale and weep. The wretched sores that scourge thy flesh, though only surface deep,
Probe far into thy heart and mind! They rot not just thy flesh, But gnaw away thy trust in God and put thy faith to test!
Thy friends with counsel void of love come at thee with their rod-- Correction laid upon thy sores, purportedly from God! They neither see nor understand that God is by thy side, That through thy very darkest hour, He yet with thee abide. Their minds have failed to apprehend how God man’s faith doth try--
Like gold placed in refiner’s fire that it may purify!
Like thee, O Job, so we today, afflicted, tempest-tossed At times feel stricken by God’s hand, cast off from Him and lost!
But we, too, need to stand the test, to trust and never bend; To know our Lord is by our side, our constant Help and Friend. To know that like Job long before, in his trials’ fiery blast We, too, shall come forth as pure gold when this brief test is past. And when from flesh our life depart, our earthly sojourn o’er, Like Job, in victory we’ll stand, more blessed than e’er before!
Thou man of Uz, thou just and good, thou blameless in God’s sight How blessed have been thy years of God—in thee He doth delight. In thee the Lord hath made His boast before His angel dark-- The evil one doth then refute the Lord’s high praise remark.
“Not without cause Thy servant Job doth fast adhere to Thee! Thy hedge, the shelter of Thy wing, Thy blessings full and free
Cause him to bow before Thy face and bend unto Thy will. Draw back Thy hand—let me assail—see if he love Thee still!”
So God withdrew His hedge from round both Job and all his kin
Allowed the waster to destroy where boundless wealth had been! His children’s deaths, his wife’s despair, the cup of blessing dry, In anguish cries she out to Job, “Why not curse God and die!” Why not the final blow upon this anguished living death? Why not take all this poor man has, including life’s last breath?
Ah, Job, my heart goes out to thee—I read thy tale and weep. The wretched sores that scourge thy flesh, though only surface deep,
Probe far into thy heart and mind! They rot not just thy flesh, But gnaw away thy trust in God and put thy faith to test!
Thy friends with counsel void of love come at thee with their rod-- Correction laid upon thy sores, purportedly from God! They neither see nor understand that God is by thy side, That through thy very darkest hour, He yet with thee abide. Their minds have failed to apprehend how God man’s faith doth try--
Like gold placed in refiner’s fire that it may purify!
Like thee, O Job, so we today, afflicted, tempest-tossed At times feel stricken by God’s hand, cast off from Him and lost!
But we, too, need to stand the test, to trust and never bend; To know our Lord is by our side, our constant Help and Friend. To know that like Job long before, in his trials’ fiery blast We, too, shall come forth as pure gold when this brief test is past. And when from flesh our life depart, our earthly sojourn o’er, Like Job, in victory we’ll stand, more blessed than e’er before!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
More to the Story
November 6
Job, the good and honorable man who walked uprightly before God, was put to a great test when the evil one challenged the Lord to do so. Much of that horrific experience was further clouded by Job’s friends whose words of counsel fell like blows upon this broken man.
Even words that seem to be of a positive nature, such as those found in Job 8:21, “God will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy,” are really his friends’ way of saying that his trial will end, his plight will be removed, his hope shall be restored, if he will but confess his sin and become right before God.
These men, who are themselves steeped in, at the very least, the sin of judging a righteous man with perverted justice, have taken upon themselves a role that only God can assume—that of seeing and judging a man’s heart. God, who allowed Job’s misery, knew it did not spring out of any wrong-doing on Job’s part.
Job’s foolish counselors presumed that it did. We must not allow ourselves to fall into the temptation of judging another. Things are not always as they appear. Those who seem to be blessed, as those who seem to be sorely tested, may not be receiving the apparent blessing or trial from God. As with Job, there may be more to the story.
Job, the good and honorable man who walked uprightly before God, was put to a great test when the evil one challenged the Lord to do so. Much of that horrific experience was further clouded by Job’s friends whose words of counsel fell like blows upon this broken man.
Even words that seem to be of a positive nature, such as those found in Job 8:21, “God will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy,” are really his friends’ way of saying that his trial will end, his plight will be removed, his hope shall be restored, if he will but confess his sin and become right before God.
These men, who are themselves steeped in, at the very least, the sin of judging a righteous man with perverted justice, have taken upon themselves a role that only God can assume—that of seeing and judging a man’s heart. God, who allowed Job’s misery, knew it did not spring out of any wrong-doing on Job’s part.
Job’s foolish counselors presumed that it did. We must not allow ourselves to fall into the temptation of judging another. Things are not always as they appear. Those who seem to be blessed, as those who seem to be sorely tested, may not be receiving the apparent blessing or trial from God. As with Job, there may be more to the story.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Oil of Joy
November 5
How does God evidence His approval of those who please Him? Shall we look for them in the upper echelons of power? Will they be living in fine mansions? Are their stock portfolios accruing them incalculable wealth? Perhaps. Some of God’s choicest servants are among the political and business elite.
A prime example of that might be John D. Rockefeller, a devoted Christian man, who was at one time the wealthiest man in the world. He founded Standard Oil and became so successful that he was able to spend much of his long life in philanthropical pursuits.
But possessing the wealth of a Rockefeller is not the primary evidence of God’s favor upon a man’s life. To discover what is indicative of God’s satisfaction with ones life we may read Hebrews 1:9 which says, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore, God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
God does not esteem great wealth to be evidence of His abiding presence, of His lavish blessing upon a life. The Almighty does not consider political power to be a worthy gift to bestow upon His people. He knows that true wealth is eternal and that no earthly power begins to approximate the unfathomable might HE wields in His little finger. No, His great reward to the man who walks righteously is that he walks in joy.
How does God evidence His approval of those who please Him? Shall we look for them in the upper echelons of power? Will they be living in fine mansions? Are their stock portfolios accruing them incalculable wealth? Perhaps. Some of God’s choicest servants are among the political and business elite.
A prime example of that might be John D. Rockefeller, a devoted Christian man, who was at one time the wealthiest man in the world. He founded Standard Oil and became so successful that he was able to spend much of his long life in philanthropical pursuits.
But possessing the wealth of a Rockefeller is not the primary evidence of God’s favor upon a man’s life. To discover what is indicative of God’s satisfaction with ones life we may read Hebrews 1:9 which says, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore, God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
God does not esteem great wealth to be evidence of His abiding presence, of His lavish blessing upon a life. The Almighty does not consider political power to be a worthy gift to bestow upon His people. He knows that true wealth is eternal and that no earthly power begins to approximate the unfathomable might HE wields in His little finger. No, His great reward to the man who walks righteously is that he walks in joy.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Live and Share
November 4
God’s expectation is that we shall live our faith and share our faith. We are to be ‘doers’ of the law, not mere ‘hearers’ of the law, Romans 2:13. What we have of the Lord must take up its abode in our heart, not just in our head. When the truth touches our spirit, when we are transformed, that change must be evident in how we live.
James 1:23-25 goes on to say, “If any man be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his face in a glass who sees himself then goes his way, forgetting how he looks. Likewise, anyone who looks into the perfect law of liberty must continue in it…”
If one says, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do,” (James 2:18), he is substantiating the truth he has already pointed out in verse17, that being, “Faith without works is dead.” If we are alive in our spiritual rebirth, it will be evident in our earthly walk.
We will love the law of God. We will extol His truth. We will realize the great price the Lord Jesus Christ paid in order that our eyes of understanding might be opened and we will count His immutable Word to be the dearest thing we possess. We will be like the philanthropist whose great joy is in sharing his immense treasure with others.
God’s expectation is that we shall live our faith and share our faith. We are to be ‘doers’ of the law, not mere ‘hearers’ of the law, Romans 2:13. What we have of the Lord must take up its abode in our heart, not just in our head. When the truth touches our spirit, when we are transformed, that change must be evident in how we live.
James 1:23-25 goes on to say, “If any man be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his face in a glass who sees himself then goes his way, forgetting how he looks. Likewise, anyone who looks into the perfect law of liberty must continue in it…”
If one says, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do,” (James 2:18), he is substantiating the truth he has already pointed out in verse17, that being, “Faith without works is dead.” If we are alive in our spiritual rebirth, it will be evident in our earthly walk.
We will love the law of God. We will extol His truth. We will realize the great price the Lord Jesus Christ paid in order that our eyes of understanding might be opened and we will count His immutable Word to be the dearest thing we possess. We will be like the philanthropist whose great joy is in sharing his immense treasure with others.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Blessings Beyond
November 3
Some people are creatures of habit. Everything they do, indeed, everything they think, is rooted in prior experience. Every decision they make, every action they take is based in what they know has worked for them in the past. They may be perceived as being in a rut, but to them it’s simply a matter of following the tried and true path.
The Bible acknowledges the value of maintaining a true course. In Proverbs 11:3 it says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” The contrast presented here cannot be more clear. The individual who is upright will be guided by his choices while the unfaithful will be undone by his.
The man who is upright in his ways can say confidently with David, “In my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever,” Psalm 41:12. The watch-care of the Holy One over those who endeavor to walk before Him with a pure heart of surrender to His law and to His Spirit will ever be in place. He will always hold His faithful people securely.
He asserts in Isaiah 57:2, “Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest even as they lie in death.” The word of the Lord keeps those in perfect peace who walk after Him and peace extends to their final journey. He has a habit of bestowing blessings that go beyond life’s last moment and encompass the breadth and scope of eternity.
Some people are creatures of habit. Everything they do, indeed, everything they think, is rooted in prior experience. Every decision they make, every action they take is based in what they know has worked for them in the past. They may be perceived as being in a rut, but to them it’s simply a matter of following the tried and true path.
The Bible acknowledges the value of maintaining a true course. In Proverbs 11:3 it says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” The contrast presented here cannot be more clear. The individual who is upright will be guided by his choices while the unfaithful will be undone by his.
The man who is upright in his ways can say confidently with David, “In my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever,” Psalm 41:12. The watch-care of the Holy One over those who endeavor to walk before Him with a pure heart of surrender to His law and to His Spirit will ever be in place. He will always hold His faithful people securely.
He asserts in Isaiah 57:2, “Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest even as they lie in death.” The word of the Lord keeps those in perfect peace who walk after Him and peace extends to their final journey. He has a habit of bestowing blessings that go beyond life’s last moment and encompass the breadth and scope of eternity.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
He's Secured the Good Things
November 2
To be blameless before God holds great reward. But being blameless before God is an impossibility in our humanity. We are a fallen people. The curse we took upon ourselves in the garden (Genesis 3:15-19) dogs our heels today. Does the fact that we are not blameless relegate us forever to a place where we cannot be blessed by God?
No! Because of Jesus’ amazing love for man, all men may reap the blessings of Heaven’s great reward. The one, the only treasure a man can possess eternally is that of the salvation Jesus purchased at the great price of His shed blood. The stripes He bore, the thorns He wore, the nails that tore His flesh—secure our blessings.
As Psalm 84:11 says, “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” He is a sun, that life-giving force without which we cannot survive. He is a shield that guards us from our own waywardness.
His desire to supply mankind with favor and honor, with every good thing, compelled Him to pay the price to secure them at Calvary! Therefore, the man who wears the robe of righteousness that He supplies, the man who wears HIS integrity, may, “…walk securely…” Proverbs 10:9, knowing His provision secures man’s reward.
To be blameless before God holds great reward. But being blameless before God is an impossibility in our humanity. We are a fallen people. The curse we took upon ourselves in the garden (Genesis 3:15-19) dogs our heels today. Does the fact that we are not blameless relegate us forever to a place where we cannot be blessed by God?
No! Because of Jesus’ amazing love for man, all men may reap the blessings of Heaven’s great reward. The one, the only treasure a man can possess eternally is that of the salvation Jesus purchased at the great price of His shed blood. The stripes He bore, the thorns He wore, the nails that tore His flesh—secure our blessings.
As Psalm 84:11 says, “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” He is a sun, that life-giving force without which we cannot survive. He is a shield that guards us from our own waywardness.
His desire to supply mankind with favor and honor, with every good thing, compelled Him to pay the price to secure them at Calvary! Therefore, the man who wears the robe of righteousness that He supplies, the man who wears HIS integrity, may, “…walk securely…” Proverbs 10:9, knowing His provision secures man’s reward.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
I've Got Your Back
November 1
Perhaps you’re dealing with an individual at work whose shifty behavior requires that you be forever on your guard regarding any interaction you might have with him. Perhaps you have a spouse whose inconvenient memory lapses necessitate your continual ‘checking up’ on the successful completion of any responsibility he assumes.
It would be wonderful if everyone simply completed the tasks designated to him so you could go about yours, knowing confidently that something outside your sphere would not rear its head at some point in the future to cause you a problem. Nobody wants to be an unsuspecting dupe, so you stay on guard—and being forever alert is tiring.
There is a place of rest you can have as you shoulder the oversight of tasks that are not your own, for the Lord says in Proverbs 2:7, 8, “God holds victory in store for the upright; He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.”
He’s saying in essence, ‘I’ve got your back.’ You, therefore, can abide in the confidence of knowing you needn’t keep your finger on the pulse of every task of everyone around you. God will assure that you are protected from the consequences of their oversights, for as II Chronicles 29:17 says, “…God…(is) pleased with integrity.”
Perhaps you’re dealing with an individual at work whose shifty behavior requires that you be forever on your guard regarding any interaction you might have with him. Perhaps you have a spouse whose inconvenient memory lapses necessitate your continual ‘checking up’ on the successful completion of any responsibility he assumes.
It would be wonderful if everyone simply completed the tasks designated to him so you could go about yours, knowing confidently that something outside your sphere would not rear its head at some point in the future to cause you a problem. Nobody wants to be an unsuspecting dupe, so you stay on guard—and being forever alert is tiring.
There is a place of rest you can have as you shoulder the oversight of tasks that are not your own, for the Lord says in Proverbs 2:7, 8, “God holds victory in store for the upright; He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.”
He’s saying in essence, ‘I’ve got your back.’ You, therefore, can abide in the confidence of knowing you needn’t keep your finger on the pulse of every task of everyone around you. God will assure that you are protected from the consequences of their oversights, for as II Chronicles 29:17 says, “…God…(is) pleased with integrity.”
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