December 31
It’s New Year’s Eve, the time when people gather together to ring out the old year and ring in the new with reflection and resolution. The chimes at the stroke of midnight give us a moment to congratulate ourselves on our successes and to remind ourselves regarding our failures that they are not permanent.
For some, it is merely a time to ‘get lost’ in the oblivion that alcohol provides. A poem, discolored and pressed within the pages of an old book says it well:
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In our discontented world, despair has taken hold where hate and strife have reigned for centuries untold. A people wring their hands, shed many bitter tears, and cry out to their brother who’s deaf and never hears.
The pompous and the brave strive valiantly to gain freedom’s cup for captive souls but bring them only pain. We raise our voice in protest, decry all human ill, but when the shouting’s over, the sickness lingers still.
So we’ll lose ourselves in comedy and violence on the screen, when face-to-face with tragedy we wish we’d never seen. We’ll smoke away our troubles or wash them down with wine, or cloak them very carefully within the printed line.
But we’ll keep on moving forward and never call, ‘Retreat!’ as we dance on to destruction on our gaily tripping feet.
“The Folly of Our Days” by Sandra Bamonte
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The poem states our dilemma, but it gives us no hope. For that, we must look to the Word of the Living God who assures us in Revelation 21:5-7 “…Behold, I make all things new…I am Alpha and Omega…to him that overcomes will I give all things. I will be his God and he shall be My people…”
We may face problems, but Jesus promises He will resolve them! The New Year gives man yet another opportunity to turn the turmoil of life over to Him—to the only One who can make all things new, to the ONE John refers to as the PANTOCRATOR—the One in charge of all things.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Like the Magi
December 30
No telling of the Christmas tale would be complete without the inclusion of the visit of the magi to the Christ Child. They were men who studied the skies for revelation of deep things and they studied the prophecies to discern when the signs that had been placed by God in the heavens converged with the signs that had been revealed by God through men who heard His voice.
They traversed a large, dry place to arrive at His feet (Matthew 2:1-12) and when they found Him, they worshiped Him. We, today, are like them. We live in a far-off land that seems to have no proximity to righteousness and truth. Our society has coarsened and in so doing, has distanced itself from the Savior who once made us great and free.
We have allowed ourselves to be enticed into bondage to the false gods of wealth and power. We have allowed ourselves to be deceived by “strange doctrines” Hebrews 13:8 and by “the doctrines of devils” I Timothy 4:1, so we, too must cross a desert—but our desert is one of deception—in order to find the Lord of Truth.
But, when we have found HIM, knelt at HIS feet, worshiped HIM and placed our gift of a surrendered life before HIM, we will, like the magi, have a clear vision of the ONE who is worthy of all our praise and all our adoration. We will, like them, return to our place assured that we have found the revealed One, the holy One.
No telling of the Christmas tale would be complete without the inclusion of the visit of the magi to the Christ Child. They were men who studied the skies for revelation of deep things and they studied the prophecies to discern when the signs that had been placed by God in the heavens converged with the signs that had been revealed by God through men who heard His voice.
They traversed a large, dry place to arrive at His feet (Matthew 2:1-12) and when they found Him, they worshiped Him. We, today, are like them. We live in a far-off land that seems to have no proximity to righteousness and truth. Our society has coarsened and in so doing, has distanced itself from the Savior who once made us great and free.
We have allowed ourselves to be enticed into bondage to the false gods of wealth and power. We have allowed ourselves to be deceived by “strange doctrines” Hebrews 13:8 and by “the doctrines of devils” I Timothy 4:1, so we, too must cross a desert—but our desert is one of deception—in order to find the Lord of Truth.
But, when we have found HIM, knelt at HIS feet, worshiped HIM and placed our gift of a surrendered life before HIM, we will, like the magi, have a clear vision of the ONE who is worthy of all our praise and all our adoration. We will, like them, return to our place assured that we have found the revealed One, the holy One.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Manger and the Cross
December 29
The manger and the cross are two unlikely symbols for the religion that offers hope to man in a woebegone, dreary world that is steeped in disappointment and overcome with darkness. The disappointment is in virtually everything that once inspired us to believe life is good. The darkness is of our own making, for we are immersed in the quicksand of sin that has sucked us ever deeper into the lawless quagmire we’ve created for ourselves.
We want to believe our institutions will still come up with the new invention or the new marketing scheme that will enable industry to rise out of its slump and move forward. We want to trust that our governmental leaders will succeed through innovative programs to instill confidence in us once again…but time passes and the only thing that rises is the national debt.
In desperation, we look for a place to anchor our hope for the future and we reflect upon the message of Christmas—that the Babe of Bethlehem came to give us not only hope, but also peace (Luke 2:14). We think of the Child who was born to a woman of royal blood (Luke 3:31) but whose own circumstances were humble. We think of the manger where she placed her new-born Son, and somehow we see that although it was a feeding trowel for animals, hewn of rough boards, when graced with the presence of the Babe, it has the power to lift our spirit to hope.
And the cross, emblem of torture and death, two rough, splintered boards fashioned for the sole purpose of bringing a man to a painful demise, when sprinkled with the blood of Heaven’s perfect Lamb (Revelation 13:8) becomes a beacon of light in a dreary economy, in a dismal moral abyss, in a desperate life of despair. The cross takes on the glorious light of heaven when Heaven’s Glorious Light (John 1:9, 10) is sacrificed there; and through His laying down of Himself upon that awful tree, we who are dead in sin and disappointment and loss are resurrected to new life and hope.
The manger and the cross are two unlikely symbols for the religion that offers hope to man in a woebegone, dreary world that is steeped in disappointment and overcome with darkness. The disappointment is in virtually everything that once inspired us to believe life is good. The darkness is of our own making, for we are immersed in the quicksand of sin that has sucked us ever deeper into the lawless quagmire we’ve created for ourselves.
We want to believe our institutions will still come up with the new invention or the new marketing scheme that will enable industry to rise out of its slump and move forward. We want to trust that our governmental leaders will succeed through innovative programs to instill confidence in us once again…but time passes and the only thing that rises is the national debt.
In desperation, we look for a place to anchor our hope for the future and we reflect upon the message of Christmas—that the Babe of Bethlehem came to give us not only hope, but also peace (Luke 2:14). We think of the Child who was born to a woman of royal blood (Luke 3:31) but whose own circumstances were humble. We think of the manger where she placed her new-born Son, and somehow we see that although it was a feeding trowel for animals, hewn of rough boards, when graced with the presence of the Babe, it has the power to lift our spirit to hope.
And the cross, emblem of torture and death, two rough, splintered boards fashioned for the sole purpose of bringing a man to a painful demise, when sprinkled with the blood of Heaven’s perfect Lamb (Revelation 13:8) becomes a beacon of light in a dreary economy, in a dismal moral abyss, in a desperate life of despair. The cross takes on the glorious light of heaven when Heaven’s Glorious Light (John 1:9, 10) is sacrificed there; and through His laying down of Himself upon that awful tree, we who are dead in sin and disappointment and loss are resurrected to new life and hope.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Spiritual Growth
How does God expect mankind to grow spiritually? It isn't as though there were a method for acquiring spiritual stature in place as there is for physical growth. Good food in the proper amount ajd adequate exercise enable one to attain the full potential of the physical stature that has been planted within.
There is no such mechanism in place within the human body for the attainment of spiritual maturity. The individual who is born again, who now has faith in the salvation provided by Jesus Christ feels like he is on top of the world when he gains eternal life and he may not even recognize that he needs anything else.
Though he can attain Heaven just as he is, the fact is that he will have a much more successful journey there if he finds and employs the Lord's resources for spiritual maturity. One need is that he must be established in the Word. Isaiah 34:16 says that believers are to, "Seek ye out of the Book of the Lord and read..." The truth of God is conveyed in the Bible. It must not be a mere dust collector on a shelf. The prophet says further in Isaiah 28:13 that the acquisition of wisdom will be, "...precept upon precept, line upon line; here a little, there a little..." so we know man must build upon his knowledge by drinking in the Word.
Paul tells believers in Hebrews 19:25 that they must not forsake the assembling of themselves together," they, "...exhort one another," especially as they see the signs of His return increasing. He says in I Thessalonians 5:17 that believers must, "pray without ceasing," and to the believers in Romans 8:26 he writes that their prayers must be in the Spirit who will help them when they don't know how to pray. The believer who follows these precepts will be well on his way to increasing in wisdom and spiritual stature, and he will be fully committed to sharing the sustenance of his own spiritual growth with the hungry souls he meets.
There is no such mechanism in place within the human body for the attainment of spiritual maturity. The individual who is born again, who now has faith in the salvation provided by Jesus Christ feels like he is on top of the world when he gains eternal life and he may not even recognize that he needs anything else.
Though he can attain Heaven just as he is, the fact is that he will have a much more successful journey there if he finds and employs the Lord's resources for spiritual maturity. One need is that he must be established in the Word. Isaiah 34:16 says that believers are to, "Seek ye out of the Book of the Lord and read..." The truth of God is conveyed in the Bible. It must not be a mere dust collector on a shelf. The prophet says further in Isaiah 28:13 that the acquisition of wisdom will be, "...precept upon precept, line upon line; here a little, there a little..." so we know man must build upon his knowledge by drinking in the Word.
Paul tells believers in Hebrews 19:25 that they must not forsake the assembling of themselves together," they, "...exhort one another," especially as they see the signs of His return increasing. He says in I Thessalonians 5:17 that believers must, "pray without ceasing," and to the believers in Romans 8:26 he writes that their prayers must be in the Spirit who will help them when they don't know how to pray. The believer who follows these precepts will be well on his way to increasing in wisdom and spiritual stature, and he will be fully committed to sharing the sustenance of his own spiritual growth with the hungry souls he meets.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Increase
You are a reasonable person. It doesn't require a lightning bolt from heaven to get your attention. Your powers of observation are such that you have discovered the truth of the scripture that says, "There is none righteous, no not one," Romans 3:10. You understand that if there is a holy God in heaven, man needs a savior.
You have further observed enough of man's activity through the millennia of his existence to realize that none but Jesus fit the description of a savior--that He be, "...as a Lamb without spot or blemish, " I Peter 1:19.
The preceding verse states clearly what you know in the depth of your being, "...you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold...but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ..." I Peter 1:18, 19. Although salvation is a free gift (see II Corinthians 9:15), a high price was paid to purchase it for you.
With the understanding borne of the Holy Spirit having awakened you to the veracity of these truths, you further grasp the reality that once you have believed, your God has a high expectation of you. It has nothing to do with what you own or who you are. It is rooted entirely in the fact that you are to, "...increase in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man," Luke 2:52, just as Jesus did.
You have further observed enough of man's activity through the millennia of his existence to realize that none but Jesus fit the description of a savior--that He be, "...as a Lamb without spot or blemish, " I Peter 1:19.
The preceding verse states clearly what you know in the depth of your being, "...you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold...but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ..." I Peter 1:18, 19. Although salvation is a free gift (see II Corinthians 9:15), a high price was paid to purchase it for you.
With the understanding borne of the Holy Spirit having awakened you to the veracity of these truths, you further grasp the reality that once you have believed, your God has a high expectation of you. It has nothing to do with what you own or who you are. It is rooted entirely in the fact that you are to, "...increase in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man," Luke 2:52, just as Jesus did.
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Enormous Price
December 26
Our Lord and Savior came to earth for only one reason--to redeem fallen man from the consequence of sin--to buy him back from his plummet into sin. When man became separated from God in the Garden of Eden, the plan of salvation was already in place Prophetically, it is told in the same passage where it is revealed that the dragon and the beast will be worshiped by those who have not claimed Jesus as Savior.
Revelation 13:4-8 shares this woesome tale but reveals the fact that the awesome plan to reclaim God's prized creation has been in place forever. Specifically, verse 8 tells us that salvation is through, "...the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the earth." Jesus, God's sinless lamb, set the plan for your salvation in motion before the earth began.
Anyone who is among those who believe sin is of little consequence--after all, nobody is perfect; after all, this is just a small thing that can't separate me from God; after all, this isn't hurting anyone but myself; after all, a loving God wouldn't send anyone to hell--have another think coming when this verse is considered in the full weight of its implications.
If the Holy One abhors sin but loves mankind so much that He devised the plan of salvation before time began, there must be a totally horrific consequence to the sin that caused the separation of man from his Maker in the first place! If He paid the enormous price of Himself to buy you back, doesn't it behoove you to lay your blood-bought life at His feet?
Our Lord and Savior came to earth for only one reason--to redeem fallen man from the consequence of sin--to buy him back from his plummet into sin. When man became separated from God in the Garden of Eden, the plan of salvation was already in place Prophetically, it is told in the same passage where it is revealed that the dragon and the beast will be worshiped by those who have not claimed Jesus as Savior.
Revelation 13:4-8 shares this woesome tale but reveals the fact that the awesome plan to reclaim God's prized creation has been in place forever. Specifically, verse 8 tells us that salvation is through, "...the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the earth." Jesus, God's sinless lamb, set the plan for your salvation in motion before the earth began.
Anyone who is among those who believe sin is of little consequence--after all, nobody is perfect; after all, this is just a small thing that can't separate me from God; after all, this isn't hurting anyone but myself; after all, a loving God wouldn't send anyone to hell--have another think coming when this verse is considered in the full weight of its implications.
If the Holy One abhors sin but loves mankind so much that He devised the plan of salvation before time began, there must be a totally horrific consequence to the sin that caused the separation of man from his Maker in the first place! If He paid the enormous price of Himself to buy you back, doesn't it behoove you to lay your blood-bought life at His feet?
Sunday, December 25, 2011
CHRISTMAS
December 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS! REJOICE IN THE LORD!
“He who is mighty has done great things, and holy is His name” Luke 1:49.
Please bear with me as I depart from the usual format of this blog. We have spent the week establishing some of the prophetic messages of a coming Messiah and acknowledging some of those people who recognized who Jesus was when He arrived on earth as a Babe. There is another aspect of His Godhead that is pertinent to us, and that is the fact that HE IS WITH US TODAY and that HE DESIRES TO MEET US AT OUR POINT OF NEED.
About thirty years ago, as of this writing, our family lived in a ‘closed’ mid-eastern country that is very hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the entirety of the land, there was not then nor is there now one church building, although there are underground groups of believers who worship secretly. Though they are not sanctioned, they are tolerated as long as they do not become too ‘visible’ and as long as they do not attempt to proselyte.
It was Christmas Day and our small group had gathered at the home of Philip, a British physician, to worship our Lord and celebrate His birth. The haunting strains of his flute were accompanied on a keyboard by our ‘unofficial pastor’s’ wife. The Filipino guitarist added not only his skill but his touch of the Holy Spirit upon the accompaniment he provided. In spite of the tension that arose out of concern of scrutiny by the religious police, we were able to lose ourselves in worship and praise—and the songs of the celebration of His birth never sounded so sweet.
While we were thus engaged in communion with God, there came a knock at the door downstairs. A few of our men went down while those of us upstairs bound together in prayer. Our worst fears were apparently realized, for the intruders were the dreaded matawas—the religious police!
Our men greeted them graciously and spent some time conversing with them. They insisted they wanted to come upstairs to see for themselves what was going on, so, without an alternative, they were invited to do so. They would have discovered hymn books and Bibles--all forbidden--in addition to musical instruments for worship.
As they began to climb the stairs, their leader abruptly stopped and could not proceed! He spoke some words in Arabic to those who were with him, apologized to our men for having disturbed them and backed down the stairs! We had been spared a confrontation and probable imprisonment—and our joy was boundless!
Our worship and praise ascended to His throne with heightened fervency and our thanksgiving at the covering He had spread over us was mingled with no small amount of amazement at how marvelously the Lord works.
We felt like the Wise Men who had incurred the wrath of Herod in order to pursue their holy mission, and like them, we had been granted a vision of our precious King. We had dared to risk everything in order to adore Him, and like the Wise Men, we beheld His glory!
May you be encouraged to trust Jesus to meet you at your point of need. When you do, you will find as did our little band of believers on that long-ago Christmas Day, that the Book of Acts is still in the process of being written in the lives of those who lean on the Lord.
“He who is mighty has done great things, and holy is His name” Luke 1:49.
Please bear with me as I depart from the usual format of this blog. We have spent the week establishing some of the prophetic messages of a coming Messiah and acknowledging some of those people who recognized who Jesus was when He arrived on earth as a Babe. There is another aspect of His Godhead that is pertinent to us, and that is the fact that HE IS WITH US TODAY and that HE DESIRES TO MEET US AT OUR POINT OF NEED.
About thirty years ago, as of this writing, our family lived in a ‘closed’ mid-eastern country that is very hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the entirety of the land, there was not then nor is there now one church building, although there are underground groups of believers who worship secretly. Though they are not sanctioned, they are tolerated as long as they do not become too ‘visible’ and as long as they do not attempt to proselyte.
It was Christmas Day and our small group had gathered at the home of Philip, a British physician, to worship our Lord and celebrate His birth. The haunting strains of his flute were accompanied on a keyboard by our ‘unofficial pastor’s’ wife. The Filipino guitarist added not only his skill but his touch of the Holy Spirit upon the accompaniment he provided. In spite of the tension that arose out of concern of scrutiny by the religious police, we were able to lose ourselves in worship and praise—and the songs of the celebration of His birth never sounded so sweet.
While we were thus engaged in communion with God, there came a knock at the door downstairs. A few of our men went down while those of us upstairs bound together in prayer. Our worst fears were apparently realized, for the intruders were the dreaded matawas—the religious police!
Our men greeted them graciously and spent some time conversing with them. They insisted they wanted to come upstairs to see for themselves what was going on, so, without an alternative, they were invited to do so. They would have discovered hymn books and Bibles--all forbidden--in addition to musical instruments for worship.
As they began to climb the stairs, their leader abruptly stopped and could not proceed! He spoke some words in Arabic to those who were with him, apologized to our men for having disturbed them and backed down the stairs! We had been spared a confrontation and probable imprisonment—and our joy was boundless!
Our worship and praise ascended to His throne with heightened fervency and our thanksgiving at the covering He had spread over us was mingled with no small amount of amazement at how marvelously the Lord works.
We felt like the Wise Men who had incurred the wrath of Herod in order to pursue their holy mission, and like them, we had been granted a vision of our precious King. We had dared to risk everything in order to adore Him, and like the Wise Men, we beheld His glory!
May you be encouraged to trust Jesus to meet you at your point of need. When you do, you will find as did our little band of believers on that long-ago Christmas Day, that the Book of Acts is still in the process of being written in the lives of those who lean on the Lord.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
As He Spoke, So Will He Speak
December 24
“Through the tender mercy of our God, the Dayspring from on High has visited us,” Luke1:74. These amazing words of Zacharias, husband of Elizabeth, father of John the Baptist, were uttered in the presence of his young cousin Mary regarding the child that she would deliver who would be Savior of the world.
Another utterance regarding the Babe came when the angel of the Lord announced His birth to the shepherds. He said, “…I bring you good tidings of great joy for all people; unto you is born this day…a Savior, which is Christ the Lord,” Luke 2:10, 11. And other words that have great import were spoken by an elderly prophet of God regarding the infant.
When Jesus was taken by Mary and Joseph to be dedicated in the temple they were greeted by Simeon to whom the Lord had revealed that he would not die until he had seen the promised Messiah. His words were profound, “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace according to Your word: for my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared before all people—a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel,” Luke 2:25-32.
Not only was the birth of Jesus prophesied in the Old Testament, but godly men who were living at the time of His birth recognized who He was because God spoke to them and told them that He was the long-awaited Messiah! As the Holy Spirit spoke to their hearts to assure them of who Jesus was, so will He speak to ours to affirm that He is indeed the Christ who came to save mankind from bondage to sin.
“Through the tender mercy of our God, the Dayspring from on High has visited us,” Luke1:74. These amazing words of Zacharias, husband of Elizabeth, father of John the Baptist, were uttered in the presence of his young cousin Mary regarding the child that she would deliver who would be Savior of the world.
Another utterance regarding the Babe came when the angel of the Lord announced His birth to the shepherds. He said, “…I bring you good tidings of great joy for all people; unto you is born this day…a Savior, which is Christ the Lord,” Luke 2:10, 11. And other words that have great import were spoken by an elderly prophet of God regarding the infant.
When Jesus was taken by Mary and Joseph to be dedicated in the temple they were greeted by Simeon to whom the Lord had revealed that he would not die until he had seen the promised Messiah. His words were profound, “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace according to Your word: for my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared before all people—a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel,” Luke 2:25-32.
Not only was the birth of Jesus prophesied in the Old Testament, but godly men who were living at the time of His birth recognized who He was because God spoke to them and told them that He was the long-awaited Messiah! As the Holy Spirit spoke to their hearts to assure them of who Jesus was, so will He speak to ours to affirm that He is indeed the Christ who came to save mankind from bondage to sin.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Magnify His Name
December 23
“My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoice in God my Savior, for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, for behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed,” Luke 1:46-48. Everyone loves to hear a ‘rags to riches’ story. We like it when a poor boy makes good, especially if he remains humble in the process.
In this amazing verse, Luke shares with us the wondrous encounter that Mary, a godly young peasant woman had with an angel of the Lord that transformed her forever. No, she didn’t acquire wealth. She didn’t wield great power. But she became the only virgin to ever give birth to a child—and that child was the Second Person of the Trinity!
Mary was somewhat confused at the proposal she received from the angel—the offer to become the mother of God. She openly shared her thoughts, her doubts, her inhibitions with him. And he assured her that it would be alright. She didn’t know how God would work it out, but she trusted Him that He would work it out. Sometimes we find ourselves in perplexing situations.
It looks one way in the eyes of all observers, and the way it appears is unfavorable to us as it was to Mary. But we know the truth and we know the One who is TRUTH so we trust Him. As Mary trusted and all generations have called her blessed, so shall His righteous ones today be blessed despite the initial appearance to the contrary. Our God shall regard our low estate and bring us into a place of blessing as we, like Mary, magnify His name.
“My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoice in God my Savior, for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, for behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed,” Luke 1:46-48. Everyone loves to hear a ‘rags to riches’ story. We like it when a poor boy makes good, especially if he remains humble in the process.
In this amazing verse, Luke shares with us the wondrous encounter that Mary, a godly young peasant woman had with an angel of the Lord that transformed her forever. No, she didn’t acquire wealth. She didn’t wield great power. But she became the only virgin to ever give birth to a child—and that child was the Second Person of the Trinity!
Mary was somewhat confused at the proposal she received from the angel—the offer to become the mother of God. She openly shared her thoughts, her doubts, her inhibitions with him. And he assured her that it would be alright. She didn’t know how God would work it out, but she trusted Him that He would work it out. Sometimes we find ourselves in perplexing situations.
It looks one way in the eyes of all observers, and the way it appears is unfavorable to us as it was to Mary. But we know the truth and we know the One who is TRUTH so we trust Him. As Mary trusted and all generations have called her blessed, so shall His righteous ones today be blessed despite the initial appearance to the contrary. Our God shall regard our low estate and bring us into a place of blessing as we, like Mary, magnify His name.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
God's Unspeakable GIFT
December 22
“It is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous” Romans 2:13. In the fullness of time, the One who wrote the law on tables of stone and gave the precepts by which man is expected to live to Moses, came to earth to fulfill the law Himself.
The Holy One, who is, “of purer eyes than to look upon sin” Habakkuk 1:13, entered the sin-filled realm where the evil one perpetrates his mischief against the gullible and the unsuspecting and He vanquished sin and the devil by living the sinless life that man could not achieve.
Further, He gave humankind the opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to write God’s immutable law on the tables of his heart. Because the Savior came, because He lived and died in the behalf of man, man now has the privilege of receiving the “unspeakable GIFT” of II Corinthians 9:15.
Because Jesus is that unspeakably wonderful GIFT, because it is the GIFT that puts all other gifts into the realm of mere refuse (see Philippians 3:8), man may go forward in the righteousness that is Christ, in the true GIFT of Christmas that transcends time and gives the man who will receive it all that is the Lord’s for eternity.
“It is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous” Romans 2:13. In the fullness of time, the One who wrote the law on tables of stone and gave the precepts by which man is expected to live to Moses, came to earth to fulfill the law Himself.
The Holy One, who is, “of purer eyes than to look upon sin” Habakkuk 1:13, entered the sin-filled realm where the evil one perpetrates his mischief against the gullible and the unsuspecting and He vanquished sin and the devil by living the sinless life that man could not achieve.
Further, He gave humankind the opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to write God’s immutable law on the tables of his heart. Because the Savior came, because He lived and died in the behalf of man, man now has the privilege of receiving the “unspeakable GIFT” of II Corinthians 9:15.
Because Jesus is that unspeakably wonderful GIFT, because it is the GIFT that puts all other gifts into the realm of mere refuse (see Philippians 3:8), man may go forward in the righteousness that is Christ, in the true GIFT of Christmas that transcends time and gives the man who will receive it all that is the Lord’s for eternity.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
His Great Mercy
December 21
“I, by Your great mercy, will come into Your house; in reverence will I bow down toward Your holy temple” Psalm 5:7. The great men of the Old Testament, like David who is quoted here, approached a God they knew was, “…high and lifted up and whose train filled His temple,” Isaiah 6:1, but they were not privileged to know Him face-to-face.
Until Jesus came, man could not fully grasp the love and compassion of God. They knew Him to be mighty in power. They understood that His hand of mercy could be moved by their prayers, but they could not begin to fathom the intimacy He desired to have with them until Jesus came to walk the dusty streets of Galilee with them.
What the humble country folk saw when they met Jesus was different from the concept they had of the lofty One who inhabits eternity. They saw His power—to heal the sick, to deliver the demon possessed, to still the waves, to feed the thousands, to raise the dead—and they knew He was no mere mortal; they knew eternity was at His beck and call.
But they also saw the compassion in His eyes and felt the love in His heart. They knew He was not so far removed from them as to be untouched by the problems and challenges they faced. They saw in Jesus the matchless heart of love that can emanate only from the God who comes as our Savior. They understood that His great mercy was perfectly revealed in the One who was born to die so man might live.
“I, by Your great mercy, will come into Your house; in reverence will I bow down toward Your holy temple” Psalm 5:7. The great men of the Old Testament, like David who is quoted here, approached a God they knew was, “…high and lifted up and whose train filled His temple,” Isaiah 6:1, but they were not privileged to know Him face-to-face.
Until Jesus came, man could not fully grasp the love and compassion of God. They knew Him to be mighty in power. They understood that His hand of mercy could be moved by their prayers, but they could not begin to fathom the intimacy He desired to have with them until Jesus came to walk the dusty streets of Galilee with them.
What the humble country folk saw when they met Jesus was different from the concept they had of the lofty One who inhabits eternity. They saw His power—to heal the sick, to deliver the demon possessed, to still the waves, to feed the thousands, to raise the dead—and they knew He was no mere mortal; they knew eternity was at His beck and call.
But they also saw the compassion in His eyes and felt the love in His heart. They knew He was not so far removed from them as to be untouched by the problems and challenges they faced. They saw in Jesus the matchless heart of love that can emanate only from the God who comes as our Savior. They understood that His great mercy was perfectly revealed in the One who was born to die so man might live.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
All the Evidence
December 20
“The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” Psalm 6:9. Here we are, mere days away from the holiday we celebrate as the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Of course, we don’t know the actual date of His birth, but some who study times and seasons speculate that it occurred in the autumn.
If it were important that we know, the day wouldn’t be veiled in obscurity. What is important and what the prophets and priests of old have made clear through the types and shadows of Christ about whom they wrote in the Old Testament and what we have seen fulfilled in the New Testament is that a Savior was promised and a Savior came.
Were we to do a thorough study of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah, we would see that Christ fulfilled them all to the letter. Some may consider this to be a mere coincidence, but when we realize how many hundreds of them there are, we must acknowledge that such a quirk of events—or a manipulation of them by devious schemers who contorted the facts to produce a Messiah—would be impossible!
Indeed, we are left with two conclusions—the prophets through generations of writing the messages that were veiled to them were errant scribes who didn’t get the communication recorded accurately, or Jesus is indeed, “…the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” as Peter proclaimed in Matthew 16:16. All evidence points to the latter and behooves us to believe—and to receive His mercy and His great gift of salvation.
“The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” Psalm 6:9. Here we are, mere days away from the holiday we celebrate as the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Of course, we don’t know the actual date of His birth, but some who study times and seasons speculate that it occurred in the autumn.
If it were important that we know, the day wouldn’t be veiled in obscurity. What is important and what the prophets and priests of old have made clear through the types and shadows of Christ about whom they wrote in the Old Testament and what we have seen fulfilled in the New Testament is that a Savior was promised and a Savior came.
Were we to do a thorough study of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah, we would see that Christ fulfilled them all to the letter. Some may consider this to be a mere coincidence, but when we realize how many hundreds of them there are, we must acknowledge that such a quirk of events—or a manipulation of them by devious schemers who contorted the facts to produce a Messiah—would be impossible!
Indeed, we are left with two conclusions—the prophets through generations of writing the messages that were veiled to them were errant scribes who didn’t get the communication recorded accurately, or Jesus is indeed, “…the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” as Peter proclaimed in Matthew 16:16. All evidence points to the latter and behooves us to believe—and to receive His mercy and His great gift of salvation.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Who Is A God Like You!
December 19
Jesus incurred the wrath of the religious leaders of His day. We who believe in Jesus as our Savior and Lord and who know Him to be the Second Person of the Triune Majesty cannot fathom the reasons for their rejection of Him, yet a bit of scrutiny on our part will reveal the basis of their ire.
They were angry because He told the truth about who He was. That truth flew in the face of all they had expected their Messiah to be. They wanted a conquering hero who would set them free from the tentacles of their Roman masters but Jesus came healing sicknesses of the body, mind and spirit and setting men free from bondage to sin.
We see a straight-forward assertion of their disdain in Mark 2:5-7 where Jesus has just forgiven the sins of the man sick of the palsy when the scribes reasoned against Him by saying among themselves, “Who can forgive sins but God?” Instead of rightly concluding that this One who did miracles before them was indeed God incarnate, they chose to deny Him.
May we, instead, say with the prophet Micah in Chapter 7, verse 18 of his book, “Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgressions of the remnant of His people! You do not stay angry, but delight in mercy.” Indeed, Jesus extended mercy to those who hated Him; even as He hung on the cross, He asked for their forgiveness (Luke 23:34). May we lay our offenses at His feet and receive His forgiveness.
Jesus incurred the wrath of the religious leaders of His day. We who believe in Jesus as our Savior and Lord and who know Him to be the Second Person of the Triune Majesty cannot fathom the reasons for their rejection of Him, yet a bit of scrutiny on our part will reveal the basis of their ire.
They were angry because He told the truth about who He was. That truth flew in the face of all they had expected their Messiah to be. They wanted a conquering hero who would set them free from the tentacles of their Roman masters but Jesus came healing sicknesses of the body, mind and spirit and setting men free from bondage to sin.
We see a straight-forward assertion of their disdain in Mark 2:5-7 where Jesus has just forgiven the sins of the man sick of the palsy when the scribes reasoned against Him by saying among themselves, “Who can forgive sins but God?” Instead of rightly concluding that this One who did miracles before them was indeed God incarnate, they chose to deny Him.
May we, instead, say with the prophet Micah in Chapter 7, verse 18 of his book, “Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgressions of the remnant of His people! You do not stay angry, but delight in mercy.” Indeed, Jesus extended mercy to those who hated Him; even as He hung on the cross, He asked for their forgiveness (Luke 23:34). May we lay our offenses at His feet and receive His forgiveness.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Watch the Eastern Sky
December 18
Anyone who has lived for any length of time is aware that things have changed dramatically in the last several decades. Yes, things have always changed and there is some merit to the observation that the ‘more things change, the more they stay the same.’
But in spite of the normal transitions that we expect from generation to generation and although human nature remains essentially as it’s always been, there is a palpable difference to be discerned at this period in time. People who are anticipating the second coming of Christ are, therefore, watching the eastern sky quite closely.
That doesn’t mean we’re abandoning our jobs and homes to wait on a mountaintop for His return. No, we believe He is coming soon and that His coming will be at a time that is perhaps much like this one. Evil is on the ascendancy. False religious beliefs are encroaching into areas where God’s truth once flourished, while at the same time, people who have long been in bondage to error are being set free by the power of the Holy Spirit. Some are being visited by Jesus Himself and He is personally inviting them to come to Him.
Yet, if the threats of mayhem that loom on the horizon come to pass, if the worst case scenario is played out, we will maintain our trust in the One who cannot fail. We will continue to cling to Him whose promises are yea and amen, for He has said, “The Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon or destroy you or forget His covenant with your forefathers which He confirmed to them by oath” Deuteronomy 4:31. Though evil may abound, the One who is good will remain good to His people.
Anyone who has lived for any length of time is aware that things have changed dramatically in the last several decades. Yes, things have always changed and there is some merit to the observation that the ‘more things change, the more they stay the same.’
But in spite of the normal transitions that we expect from generation to generation and although human nature remains essentially as it’s always been, there is a palpable difference to be discerned at this period in time. People who are anticipating the second coming of Christ are, therefore, watching the eastern sky quite closely.
That doesn’t mean we’re abandoning our jobs and homes to wait on a mountaintop for His return. No, we believe He is coming soon and that His coming will be at a time that is perhaps much like this one. Evil is on the ascendancy. False religious beliefs are encroaching into areas where God’s truth once flourished, while at the same time, people who have long been in bondage to error are being set free by the power of the Holy Spirit. Some are being visited by Jesus Himself and He is personally inviting them to come to Him.
Yet, if the threats of mayhem that loom on the horizon come to pass, if the worst case scenario is played out, we will maintain our trust in the One who cannot fail. We will continue to cling to Him whose promises are yea and amen, for He has said, “The Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon or destroy you or forget His covenant with your forefathers which He confirmed to them by oath” Deuteronomy 4:31. Though evil may abound, the One who is good will remain good to His people.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Because God Is Good
December 17
The most precious treasure a parent has to bequeath to his children is his faith. Yes, it would be lovely to be among the very wealthy people who possess much of earth’s treasure and who supply it to their offspring, but if a man has only one—has but temporal or eternal treasure to share—his progeny are infinitely advantaged if they receive the heavenly inheritance.
The Word indicates that when a man fears God, God Himself will assure that not only he but his children “from generation to generation” will receive the mercy of the Lord (Luke 1:50). As we see the failure of governments and institutions and financial entities all around us, there is great comfort in the promise that through all the trials that may come, our Lord and Savior will extend His mercy to His faithful ones.
And we know we are the beneficiaries of His benevolence because of His grace. We know we are incapable of pleasing Him in our own strength, but the receipt of His promises is not contingent upon our own strength. Jesus came to earth to save us because the Triune Majesty has set His heart upon us. Unworthy though we may be, He loves us.
Titus 3:5 tells us, “God saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” All of His benefits, including salvation, come because God is good, not because we are worthy. He loves us in spite of our sin and it is His delight to extend His mercy to us through all generations, if we will but place our sin-stained lives at His feet.
The most precious treasure a parent has to bequeath to his children is his faith. Yes, it would be lovely to be among the very wealthy people who possess much of earth’s treasure and who supply it to their offspring, but if a man has only one—has but temporal or eternal treasure to share—his progeny are infinitely advantaged if they receive the heavenly inheritance.
The Word indicates that when a man fears God, God Himself will assure that not only he but his children “from generation to generation” will receive the mercy of the Lord (Luke 1:50). As we see the failure of governments and institutions and financial entities all around us, there is great comfort in the promise that through all the trials that may come, our Lord and Savior will extend His mercy to His faithful ones.
And we know we are the beneficiaries of His benevolence because of His grace. We know we are incapable of pleasing Him in our own strength, but the receipt of His promises is not contingent upon our own strength. Jesus came to earth to save us because the Triune Majesty has set His heart upon us. Unworthy though we may be, He loves us.
Titus 3:5 tells us, “God saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” All of His benefits, including salvation, come because God is good, not because we are worthy. He loves us in spite of our sin and it is His delight to extend His mercy to us through all generations, if we will but place our sin-stained lives at His feet.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Receive the Precious Gift
December 16
At opposite ends of the salvation spectrum are these conflicting thoughts: first, that we have limitless time at our disposal to receive the Lord’s “…unspeakable gift” (II Corinthians 9:15) of salvation and second that once an opportunity is neglected, there will never be another.
Although, if we are to err, it would be preferable to do so on the side of caution, even if that meant fear would drive us to the Throne of Mercy and Grace rather than that we would allow His love to draw us there, we should be aware that His “compassion fails not; it is new every morning,” (Lamentations 3:22, 23).
Each new day will find Him wooing us to Himself. It doesn’t matter if that day finds us hung over from an alcoholic binge the night before in the bed of a stranger, or if it finds us plotting how to spend ill-gotten gain, God’s mercy will be renewed to us that day. What such a day might also find, however, is that because of our having turned away from His will and His way, we won’t be sensitive to His wooing.
That is why we are admonished in Isaiah 55:6, 7, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord and He will have mercy on him; He will freely pardon.” Yes, the Lord’s mercy is ever toward errant man, but man, steeped in sin, isn’t looking for it; so, at the moment his spiritual eyes are open, he must receive the precious gift.
At opposite ends of the salvation spectrum are these conflicting thoughts: first, that we have limitless time at our disposal to receive the Lord’s “…unspeakable gift” (II Corinthians 9:15) of salvation and second that once an opportunity is neglected, there will never be another.
Although, if we are to err, it would be preferable to do so on the side of caution, even if that meant fear would drive us to the Throne of Mercy and Grace rather than that we would allow His love to draw us there, we should be aware that His “compassion fails not; it is new every morning,” (Lamentations 3:22, 23).
Each new day will find Him wooing us to Himself. It doesn’t matter if that day finds us hung over from an alcoholic binge the night before in the bed of a stranger, or if it finds us plotting how to spend ill-gotten gain, God’s mercy will be renewed to us that day. What such a day might also find, however, is that because of our having turned away from His will and His way, we won’t be sensitive to His wooing.
That is why we are admonished in Isaiah 55:6, 7, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord and He will have mercy on him; He will freely pardon.” Yes, the Lord’s mercy is ever toward errant man, but man, steeped in sin, isn’t looking for it; so, at the moment his spiritual eyes are open, he must receive the precious gift.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Backbone Of His Character
December 15
From the Old Testament to the New, the Lord’s compassion is asserted as a ‘given.’ It is the backbone, so to speak, of His character. From His compassion spring His mercy, His generosity, His provision, His love. The entirety of the plethora of blessings that flow from His loving hand to mankind springs from His compassion.
In the Old Testament, He led His people out of bondage in Egypt and brought them safely across the Red Sea to freedom (Exodus, Chapters 14-16), In the New Testament, we see the unfolding of the most amazing story ever told—of God becoming a Man in order to redeem mankind from his sinful state (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).
Though His compassion is demonstrated a thousand times in a thousand ways, it is always the tale of God’s loving heart doing what is needful, providing the grace, the mercy, the compassion, the love that will set man free from the awful bondage to slavery that he imposed upon himself in the garden (Genesis, Chapter 3). In Psalms 145:8, David states it thusly:
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate; He is slow to anger and rich in love.” In James 5:11, Jesus’ half-brother affirms, “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” From the beginning of the story to the end, the One who made us states His compassion for us over and over again. The great truth He wants us to glean from His message is that His love will never fail.
From the Old Testament to the New, the Lord’s compassion is asserted as a ‘given.’ It is the backbone, so to speak, of His character. From His compassion spring His mercy, His generosity, His provision, His love. The entirety of the plethora of blessings that flow from His loving hand to mankind springs from His compassion.
In the Old Testament, He led His people out of bondage in Egypt and brought them safely across the Red Sea to freedom (Exodus, Chapters 14-16), In the New Testament, we see the unfolding of the most amazing story ever told—of God becoming a Man in order to redeem mankind from his sinful state (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).
Though His compassion is demonstrated a thousand times in a thousand ways, it is always the tale of God’s loving heart doing what is needful, providing the grace, the mercy, the compassion, the love that will set man free from the awful bondage to slavery that he imposed upon himself in the garden (Genesis, Chapter 3). In Psalms 145:8, David states it thusly:
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate; He is slow to anger and rich in love.” In James 5:11, Jesus’ half-brother affirms, “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” From the beginning of the story to the end, the One who made us states His compassion for us over and over again. The great truth He wants us to glean from His message is that His love will never fail.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Judged By The Inner Man
December 14
We’ve often heard it said that talk is cheap. We’ve been told that if we really believe in a project we should, ‘put our money where our mouth is.’ Simply giving ‘lip service’ to a matter doesn’t cut it. Even if our pet project doesn’t necessitate an investment of finances, it does require an investment of our time.
If something is important to us, we must support it. The same diligence that we apply to personal and to financial matters must be employed regarding matters of the spirit. Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:13), for we will be divided in our loyalty. We must give a complete investment of our-self to matters in which we believe.
That extends well beyond our outward deference to the principles of the Kingdom of Christ. He is far more concerned with the inner man than the outer man and who we are in the depth of our being is who we truly are in the Lord’s eyes. When we give an account of ourselves before His throne, we will be judged by who we are in the inner man.
Psalm 19:14 says, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.” We cannot deceive Him by the lip service we pay to His Kingdom or the outward appearance of faith that men may see in us. It is who we really are, the aspect of our self into which we are most invested, that He will ultimately judge.
We’ve often heard it said that talk is cheap. We’ve been told that if we really believe in a project we should, ‘put our money where our mouth is.’ Simply giving ‘lip service’ to a matter doesn’t cut it. Even if our pet project doesn’t necessitate an investment of finances, it does require an investment of our time.
If something is important to us, we must support it. The same diligence that we apply to personal and to financial matters must be employed regarding matters of the spirit. Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters (Luke 16:13), for we will be divided in our loyalty. We must give a complete investment of our-self to matters in which we believe.
That extends well beyond our outward deference to the principles of the Kingdom of Christ. He is far more concerned with the inner man than the outer man and who we are in the depth of our being is who we truly are in the Lord’s eyes. When we give an account of ourselves before His throne, we will be judged by who we are in the inner man.
Psalm 19:14 says, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.” We cannot deceive Him by the lip service we pay to His Kingdom or the outward appearance of faith that men may see in us. It is who we really are, the aspect of our self into which we are most invested, that He will ultimately judge.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
In His House
December 13
There are those who assert the futility of church attendance. Never mind that the Bible itself says, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together,” Hebrews 10:25, and we know Paul had the heart of God in the matter, for all his writing was anointed by the Holy Spirit. So why do we think it’s unnecessary to go regularly? Christmas? Easter? Sure, but every Sunday!?
Perhaps a few other scripture verses might speak to the issue. Think for a moment about, “I will meditate upon Your precepts and consider Your ways,” Psalm 119:15, or “I will ponder all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds,” Psalm 77:12. Where better to meditate upon the precepts of God and to ponder His mighty deeds than in church?
Then there’s the wonderful call to celebrate Him in Psalm 104:33-34 which says, “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him as I rejoice in Him.” If these directives aren’t sufficient to prompt us to be found in His house, among His people, worshiping Him, perhaps the admonition of Psalm 48:9 can persuade us! Here David says, “Within Your temple, O God, I will meditate on Your unfailing love.”
Although the whole earth is His and there is nowhere that we may flee from His Spirit (Psalm 139:7-12), although we should give ourselves to praise and thanks to our mighty God wherever we are (Hebrews 13:15), still, being in church is an excellent place to tap the heart of the Lord and to bask in the love He lavishes upon those who’ve come to praise and worship Him.
There are those who assert the futility of church attendance. Never mind that the Bible itself says, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together,” Hebrews 10:25, and we know Paul had the heart of God in the matter, for all his writing was anointed by the Holy Spirit. So why do we think it’s unnecessary to go regularly? Christmas? Easter? Sure, but every Sunday!?
Perhaps a few other scripture verses might speak to the issue. Think for a moment about, “I will meditate upon Your precepts and consider Your ways,” Psalm 119:15, or “I will ponder all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds,” Psalm 77:12. Where better to meditate upon the precepts of God and to ponder His mighty deeds than in church?
Then there’s the wonderful call to celebrate Him in Psalm 104:33-34 which says, “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him as I rejoice in Him.” If these directives aren’t sufficient to prompt us to be found in His house, among His people, worshiping Him, perhaps the admonition of Psalm 48:9 can persuade us! Here David says, “Within Your temple, O God, I will meditate on Your unfailing love.”
Although the whole earth is His and there is nowhere that we may flee from His Spirit (Psalm 139:7-12), although we should give ourselves to praise and thanks to our mighty God wherever we are (Hebrews 13:15), still, being in church is an excellent place to tap the heart of the Lord and to bask in the love He lavishes upon those who’ve come to praise and worship Him.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sure Promises and Boundless Resources
December 12
There isn’t anyone on planet earth who hasn’t wrestled with the problems, the disappointments, the demons of life. Whether the situation that is engulfing him is professional, financial, emotional or physical, it causes distress that can hardly be borne. In fact, it cannot be borne alone.
When in the throes of difficulty, most people turn to those they can rely on for help—family, friends, organizations whose sole objective is to assist others who are in need. When the need is met, when the problem has been overcome, they rejoice together with those whose help has been steadfast at the time of challenge.
The One to whom we must never fail to turn is the One whose hand holds all other sources of help. When family or friends or organizations like the Salvation Army are ‘there’ at times of hardship and disaster, it is because they are committed to being tools for good in the extended hand of the Christ who uses willing hearts and outstretched hands to assist when needs arise.
As the Word admonishes, “I arise before dawn and cry for help; I put my hope in Your word. My eyes stay open through watches of the night that I may meditate on Your promises” Psalm 119: 147, 148. Ultimately, our hope and our help comes from the Lord, whose promises are sure and whose resources to affect them are boundless.
There isn’t anyone on planet earth who hasn’t wrestled with the problems, the disappointments, the demons of life. Whether the situation that is engulfing him is professional, financial, emotional or physical, it causes distress that can hardly be borne. In fact, it cannot be borne alone.
When in the throes of difficulty, most people turn to those they can rely on for help—family, friends, organizations whose sole objective is to assist others who are in need. When the need is met, when the problem has been overcome, they rejoice together with those whose help has been steadfast at the time of challenge.
The One to whom we must never fail to turn is the One whose hand holds all other sources of help. When family or friends or organizations like the Salvation Army are ‘there’ at times of hardship and disaster, it is because they are committed to being tools for good in the extended hand of the Christ who uses willing hearts and outstretched hands to assist when needs arise.
As the Word admonishes, “I arise before dawn and cry for help; I put my hope in Your word. My eyes stay open through watches of the night that I may meditate on Your promises” Psalm 119: 147, 148. Ultimately, our hope and our help comes from the Lord, whose promises are sure and whose resources to affect them are boundless.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Meditate Upon It
December 11
Everyone knows someone who refuses to play by the rules. They may not break any laws in the process, but they go about living their lives in a way that often puts others at a distinct disadvantage. They are the people one must guard against in the workplace, in the marketplace, in the neighborhood, even at home.
This individual will steal your idea in a heartbeat—run to the manager and present it as his own—receiving the credit (and perhaps the promotion) you should have earned. He will charge you top dollar for a product you desire to purchase from him. He will neglect his yard causing the hard work you’ve done in yours to look less attractive. He will undermine you at every turn.
He may not always intend to cause you a problem, but he usually does. His method of comporting himself, based upon his lack of integrity, simply impacts you negatively. Because interaction with such an individual makes life so complicated and unpleasant, we yearn to have the man described in Joshua 1:8 as the one with whom we interact on a regular basis—in both our professional and in our personal world.
Of him it says, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from you. Meditate upon it day and night so you may do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” The person who bases his life upon the Word of God will deal fairly with others. You will rejoice in his success, for it will not be at the expense of your own.
Everyone knows someone who refuses to play by the rules. They may not break any laws in the process, but they go about living their lives in a way that often puts others at a distinct disadvantage. They are the people one must guard against in the workplace, in the marketplace, in the neighborhood, even at home.
This individual will steal your idea in a heartbeat—run to the manager and present it as his own—receiving the credit (and perhaps the promotion) you should have earned. He will charge you top dollar for a product you desire to purchase from him. He will neglect his yard causing the hard work you’ve done in yours to look less attractive. He will undermine you at every turn.
He may not always intend to cause you a problem, but he usually does. His method of comporting himself, based upon his lack of integrity, simply impacts you negatively. Because interaction with such an individual makes life so complicated and unpleasant, we yearn to have the man described in Joshua 1:8 as the one with whom we interact on a regular basis—in both our professional and in our personal world.
Of him it says, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from you. Meditate upon it day and night so you may do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” The person who bases his life upon the Word of God will deal fairly with others. You will rejoice in his success, for it will not be at the expense of your own.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Freedom in Truth
December 10
Reflecting a moment upon the last statement made yesterday, we might ponder the viability of such an assertion! Why would anyone, we might ask, desire to see laws established upon the principles of God, anchored in the freedom Jesus secured for man at Calvary, ever become the target of destruction?
The answer to that is simple—many people in our world do not honor the living and true God. Their allegiance is to another entity: to a false god, to a ‘god’ of wrath whose goal is to enslave mankind in bondage to his insatiable lust for power and obeisance; or to a ‘god’ of political power whose goal is to enslave mankind in bondage to penury.
We see the encroachment of these entities into ever-widening areas of the world and into ever-more-susceptible segments of society. As their impact deepens, freedom and truth and hope and joy will erode. There is one counter measure to be employed against the false gods of subjugation and poverty and that is to fortify the wall of protection that the truth of our Jesus brings to us!
As David said in Psalm 1:1, 2, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the mockers of God; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law does he meditate day and night.” When man is aware of the power of the truth, and embraces truth to his bosom, he is set free! He cannot be deceived by lies, for as Jesus said, “The truth sets you free” John 8:32.
Reflecting a moment upon the last statement made yesterday, we might ponder the viability of such an assertion! Why would anyone, we might ask, desire to see laws established upon the principles of God, anchored in the freedom Jesus secured for man at Calvary, ever become the target of destruction?
The answer to that is simple—many people in our world do not honor the living and true God. Their allegiance is to another entity: to a false god, to a ‘god’ of wrath whose goal is to enslave mankind in bondage to his insatiable lust for power and obeisance; or to a ‘god’ of political power whose goal is to enslave mankind in bondage to penury.
We see the encroachment of these entities into ever-widening areas of the world and into ever-more-susceptible segments of society. As their impact deepens, freedom and truth and hope and joy will erode. There is one counter measure to be employed against the false gods of subjugation and poverty and that is to fortify the wall of protection that the truth of our Jesus brings to us!
As David said in Psalm 1:1, 2, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the mockers of God; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law does he meditate day and night.” When man is aware of the power of the truth, and embraces truth to his bosom, he is set free! He cannot be deceived by lies, for as Jesus said, “The truth sets you free” John 8:32.
Friday, December 9, 2011
When People Aren't Fair...When Law Isn't Just
12/ 09/ 11 Addendum:
Some of us do NOT live where government is godly, where the law is just; some of us do not deal with honorable people in our daily circumstances. When this is the case...
Remember Who Your Enemy Is!
If you are facing a duplicitous co-worker who endeavors to undermine you at every turn in order that he might receive the recognition that you deserve, remember, he is not your enemy.
If you have a spouse who does not understand you, who belittles you rather than lifts you up, remember, he is not your enemy.
If you stand falsely accused, you character is being maligned, your goodness is evil spoken of, remember the false accuser is not your enemy.
If you live in an oppressive regime where you are persecuted for your faith in Jesus Christ, remember, the authorities are not your enemy.
The secret to overcoming ‘the enemy’ is to understand who the enemy is. The duplicitous co-worker, the critical spouse, the false accuser, the oppressive government officials are not your enemy; rather they are all ‘victims’ of the same ‘enemy’ who is oppressing you!
It is the ancient enemy of God who “comes to steal, kill and destroy” John 10:10, and until you recognize him, you cannot defeat him! You cannot overcome his mischief!
Remember the One who goes on to say in that same verse, “…I am come to give life and that more abundantly.”
Employ the power you have as a believer in the ONE who gives you abundant life to crush the enemy under your heel, grind him to fine powder and scatter him impotent to the wind!
In Jesus’ mighty name, we stand together to undo the work of darkness that the enemy of your soul is endeavoring to use to undermine you! In Jesus’ mighty name, we employ the same power that HE used in Luke 11:20 when He said, “I, with the finger of God, cast out evil.” That power resides in you because YOU BELIEVE IN HIM!
We employ the same matchless power that raised Jesus from the dead to move in your circumstances, in your behalf—and to glorify our awesome, almighty God in your circumstances, in you!
Some of us do NOT live where government is godly, where the law is just; some of us do not deal with honorable people in our daily circumstances. When this is the case...
Remember Who Your Enemy Is!
If you are facing a duplicitous co-worker who endeavors to undermine you at every turn in order that he might receive the recognition that you deserve, remember, he is not your enemy.
If you have a spouse who does not understand you, who belittles you rather than lifts you up, remember, he is not your enemy.
If you stand falsely accused, you character is being maligned, your goodness is evil spoken of, remember the false accuser is not your enemy.
If you live in an oppressive regime where you are persecuted for your faith in Jesus Christ, remember, the authorities are not your enemy.
The secret to overcoming ‘the enemy’ is to understand who the enemy is. The duplicitous co-worker, the critical spouse, the false accuser, the oppressive government officials are not your enemy; rather they are all ‘victims’ of the same ‘enemy’ who is oppressing you!
It is the ancient enemy of God who “comes to steal, kill and destroy” John 10:10, and until you recognize him, you cannot defeat him! You cannot overcome his mischief!
Remember the One who goes on to say in that same verse, “…I am come to give life and that more abundantly.”
Employ the power you have as a believer in the ONE who gives you abundant life to crush the enemy under your heel, grind him to fine powder and scatter him impotent to the wind!
In Jesus’ mighty name, we stand together to undo the work of darkness that the enemy of your soul is endeavoring to use to undermine you! In Jesus’ mighty name, we employ the same power that HE used in Luke 11:20 when He said, “I, with the finger of God, cast out evil.” That power resides in you because YOU BELIEVE IN HIM!
We employ the same matchless power that raised Jesus from the dead to move in your circumstances, in your behalf—and to glorify our awesome, almighty God in your circumstances, in you!
Ever Vigilant
December 9
Most people recognize the value of having a battery of law within which the citizenry of a society must abide. To venture from the constraints of the law of the land is to invite anarchy. Of course, this is written from the vantage point of one who has been blessed to live in a land where the law is established on the law of the true and living God.
When the Constitution of the United States of America was written, the men who wrote it and the men who modified it and the men who approved it were greatly influenced by the Word of God. The Bible was their guide in formulating the laws by which the new nation would be governed. Many countries do not have such a foundation.
Where the ideas of man or the harsh impositions of an untrue ‘god’ are the basis of law, law becomes harsh, unreasonable, cruel. Where the governance of a people is based upon anything but the guidance that springs from the heart of God, there is inevitably an element of tyranny to one degree or another in the imposition of those laws.
When the law of God is the basis of the law of a nation, the people may say as did David in Psalm 119:97, “Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long.” We who enjoy the freedom established upon the truth of our holy God must be ever-vigilant to guard it, for there are forces that seek nothing so much as they desire its destruction.
Most people recognize the value of having a battery of law within which the citizenry of a society must abide. To venture from the constraints of the law of the land is to invite anarchy. Of course, this is written from the vantage point of one who has been blessed to live in a land where the law is established on the law of the true and living God.
When the Constitution of the United States of America was written, the men who wrote it and the men who modified it and the men who approved it were greatly influenced by the Word of God. The Bible was their guide in formulating the laws by which the new nation would be governed. Many countries do not have such a foundation.
Where the ideas of man or the harsh impositions of an untrue ‘god’ are the basis of law, law becomes harsh, unreasonable, cruel. Where the governance of a people is based upon anything but the guidance that springs from the heart of God, there is inevitably an element of tyranny to one degree or another in the imposition of those laws.
When the law of God is the basis of the law of a nation, the people may say as did David in Psalm 119:97, “Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long.” We who enjoy the freedom established upon the truth of our holy God must be ever-vigilant to guard it, for there are forces that seek nothing so much as they desire its destruction.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Working Faith
December 8
Some people feel that life has left them standing by the way-side while others charge ahead to the realization of goals and dreams they can only continue to wish to attain. Many are enabled on their path to self-realization by the freedom some countries afford their citizens to pursue and achieve their heart-felt goals; others are not so fortunate as to have that freedom.
But in the realm of the spirit; in the abode where the Living and Eternal Christ dwells, there is an assertion that substantiates a believer in the pursuit of goals and endeavors that reflect the will of the Savior who dwells within his heart. There is a plan, set in motion the moment He receives Christ that cannot be thwarted.
Paul delineates that plan very concisely in Ephesians 4:11-13 where he states, “It was Jesus who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and some to be teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we reach unity in the faith…” He has a job for each of us to do that He knows will be performed well because He has given us the skill set to do it to His specifications.
Paul goes on to tell us in this passage that this provision is to assure that those who enter the household of faith be “…built up in the knowledge of the Son of God, mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” It is not the desire of the God who loves us, who assumed the fashion of a Man and bore our sins on the cross, that we remain infantile in our knowledge and worship of Him. He desires that we be mature--so through our mature, united faith, others will be edified in His Kingdom.
Some people feel that life has left them standing by the way-side while others charge ahead to the realization of goals and dreams they can only continue to wish to attain. Many are enabled on their path to self-realization by the freedom some countries afford their citizens to pursue and achieve their heart-felt goals; others are not so fortunate as to have that freedom.
But in the realm of the spirit; in the abode where the Living and Eternal Christ dwells, there is an assertion that substantiates a believer in the pursuit of goals and endeavors that reflect the will of the Savior who dwells within his heart. There is a plan, set in motion the moment He receives Christ that cannot be thwarted.
Paul delineates that plan very concisely in Ephesians 4:11-13 where he states, “It was Jesus who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and some to be teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we reach unity in the faith…” He has a job for each of us to do that He knows will be performed well because He has given us the skill set to do it to His specifications.
Paul goes on to tell us in this passage that this provision is to assure that those who enter the household of faith be “…built up in the knowledge of the Son of God, mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” It is not the desire of the God who loves us, who assumed the fashion of a Man and bore our sins on the cross, that we remain infantile in our knowledge and worship of Him. He desires that we be mature--so through our mature, united faith, others will be edified in His Kingdom.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Rest on His Assurances
December 7
There is speculation that leaders in the United States should have been aware that a Japanese attack was imminent. The U.S. had been doing things that were considered provocative, so to have been taken by surprise on this date in 1941 is most incredulous to ‘conspiracy theorists’ who believe some people in high places relished the prospect of a sneak attack so our entry into World War II would be undisputed.
Be that as it may, we will continue to speculate as long as history books are being written and men’s motives for their actions are weighed and evaluated long after their impact has been felt. Yet there can be no dispute—the world of the mid Twentieth Century was far different because the Allies won the conflagration than it would have been had Germany and Japan been victorious.
We can only stand in awe of the God who has had His hand on the affairs of men from time immemorial and be grateful to Him that He has allowed the events of time to proceed toward the end that He has had in His heart since He fashioned man. As Paul states so eloquently in his letter to the believers at Philippi, “God, who began a good work, will carry it until completion at the day of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:6.
Whether that ‘good work’ is global in nature or whether it is in the life of an individual believer, we who have placed our time and our eternity into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ may rest on His assurances that it is His good pleasure to do us good. He will maneuver and conform circumstances toward the end that those who trust Him will spend eternity ruling and reigning with Him (II Timothy 2:12).
There is speculation that leaders in the United States should have been aware that a Japanese attack was imminent. The U.S. had been doing things that were considered provocative, so to have been taken by surprise on this date in 1941 is most incredulous to ‘conspiracy theorists’ who believe some people in high places relished the prospect of a sneak attack so our entry into World War II would be undisputed.
Be that as it may, we will continue to speculate as long as history books are being written and men’s motives for their actions are weighed and evaluated long after their impact has been felt. Yet there can be no dispute—the world of the mid Twentieth Century was far different because the Allies won the conflagration than it would have been had Germany and Japan been victorious.
We can only stand in awe of the God who has had His hand on the affairs of men from time immemorial and be grateful to Him that He has allowed the events of time to proceed toward the end that He has had in His heart since He fashioned man. As Paul states so eloquently in his letter to the believers at Philippi, “God, who began a good work, will carry it until completion at the day of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:6.
Whether that ‘good work’ is global in nature or whether it is in the life of an individual believer, we who have placed our time and our eternity into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ may rest on His assurances that it is His good pleasure to do us good. He will maneuver and conform circumstances toward the end that those who trust Him will spend eternity ruling and reigning with Him (II Timothy 2:12).
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Blue Ribbon Believers
December 6
Do you ever feel that you’re being taken back to ‘square one’? You have the distinct awareness that you’ve covered the same ground before. One thing believers must keep in mind is that our God desires that we be perfected in our walk with Christ. We may content ourselves with a second place ribbon, but He wants the blue for each of us.
Consequently, He requires His people to traverse territory they’ve already covered if they have diverged from the right path, taken a wrong turn, or tarried at an inappropriate stopping point. He has told the faithful that His Word is a ‘light to their path and a lamp to their feet,’ (Psalm 119:105), and He wants them to move forward in that light.
In I Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul equates the Christian walk to a race. He points out that though many run, only one receives the prize. He is stating clearly that we are in competition with the world system, with ungodly people, and if we are to achieve mastery, we must adhere to the ground rules our Lord has given to us.
We cannot embrace the worldly ways if we are to achieve the heavenly prize. Though the course may be challenging, the brother of Jesus tells us, “Perseverance must finish its work so you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4). Jesus wants us to reach our heavenly goal in victory—not in second place.
Do you ever feel that you’re being taken back to ‘square one’? You have the distinct awareness that you’ve covered the same ground before. One thing believers must keep in mind is that our God desires that we be perfected in our walk with Christ. We may content ourselves with a second place ribbon, but He wants the blue for each of us.
Consequently, He requires His people to traverse territory they’ve already covered if they have diverged from the right path, taken a wrong turn, or tarried at an inappropriate stopping point. He has told the faithful that His Word is a ‘light to their path and a lamp to their feet,’ (Psalm 119:105), and He wants them to move forward in that light.
In I Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul equates the Christian walk to a race. He points out that though many run, only one receives the prize. He is stating clearly that we are in competition with the world system, with ungodly people, and if we are to achieve mastery, we must adhere to the ground rules our Lord has given to us.
We cannot embrace the worldly ways if we are to achieve the heavenly prize. Though the course may be challenging, the brother of Jesus tells us, “Perseverance must finish its work so you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4). Jesus wants us to reach our heavenly goal in victory—not in second place.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Instruct a Wise Man
December 5
‘Nobody tells me what to do!’ ‘I think for myself.’ ‘I make my own decisions.’ ‘I bear the consequences of my choices.’ ‘What I do affects no one but myself.’ Ever heard any of those assertions? Most of us have heard them at a time when we were endeavoring to offer unsolicited advice.
Most of us have learned that unsolicited advice should remain unextended, for it rarely achieves its intended result and often causes strife where we’d hoped for good will to be its outcome. We wrestle with ourselves before concluding to keep our counsel to ourselves because we sincerely want to advantage the hearer by our insight.
Sometimes we forget that it takes a level of maturity to be able to receive any lesson that hasn’t been learned through ones own involvement. Sometimes we forget that many of our own lessons were learned at the ‘School of Hard Knocks’; we forget that others are enrolled there and learn their ‘A,B,Cs’ of life through its tough curriculum.
The Bible gives us valuable insight into just who might be willing to receive our hard-won counsel. Proverbs 9:9 says, “Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.” The individual who is wise and righteous desires to grow in these attributes, and he will value a word to the wise.
‘Nobody tells me what to do!’ ‘I think for myself.’ ‘I make my own decisions.’ ‘I bear the consequences of my choices.’ ‘What I do affects no one but myself.’ Ever heard any of those assertions? Most of us have heard them at a time when we were endeavoring to offer unsolicited advice.
Most of us have learned that unsolicited advice should remain unextended, for it rarely achieves its intended result and often causes strife where we’d hoped for good will to be its outcome. We wrestle with ourselves before concluding to keep our counsel to ourselves because we sincerely want to advantage the hearer by our insight.
Sometimes we forget that it takes a level of maturity to be able to receive any lesson that hasn’t been learned through ones own involvement. Sometimes we forget that many of our own lessons were learned at the ‘School of Hard Knocks’; we forget that others are enrolled there and learn their ‘A,B,Cs’ of life through its tough curriculum.
The Bible gives us valuable insight into just who might be willing to receive our hard-won counsel. Proverbs 9:9 says, “Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.” The individual who is wise and righteous desires to grow in these attributes, and he will value a word to the wise.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Growing Demands Strong Meat
December 4
Other than the fact that Jesus is referred to as “the Bread of Life,” and as “Living Water,” perhaps the most referenced source of sustenance in the Word of God is milk. Understandably so. Observe any young creature at the breast of its mother and we cannot help but recognize the vital role played by this sustaining nutriment.
In his first letter, the Apostle says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” I Peter 2:2. The ability to suckle is innate. Newborns don’t have to be taught how to receive life-giving sustenance. Believers must be like them, knowing instinctively that our life depends upon the word of truth.
But as the young child who receives nutrition exclusively from the breast for his first months of life must go on to rice cereal and pureed fruits and vegetables, so the believer must go on. In Hebrews 5:13, 14, Paul says, “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature…trained to distinguish good from evil.”
He continues in Hebrews 6:1, “Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.” The ‘milk of the word’ has served its purpose in us as does mothers’ milk for infants. Going on to maturity requires heartier fare. Growing in faith, as growing in body, demands strong meat (Hebrews 5:14) and mature faith will allow the believer to truly discern good from evil.
Other than the fact that Jesus is referred to as “the Bread of Life,” and as “Living Water,” perhaps the most referenced source of sustenance in the Word of God is milk. Understandably so. Observe any young creature at the breast of its mother and we cannot help but recognize the vital role played by this sustaining nutriment.
In his first letter, the Apostle says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” I Peter 2:2. The ability to suckle is innate. Newborns don’t have to be taught how to receive life-giving sustenance. Believers must be like them, knowing instinctively that our life depends upon the word of truth.
But as the young child who receives nutrition exclusively from the breast for his first months of life must go on to rice cereal and pureed fruits and vegetables, so the believer must go on. In Hebrews 5:13, 14, Paul says, “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature…trained to distinguish good from evil.”
He continues in Hebrews 6:1, “Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.” The ‘milk of the word’ has served its purpose in us as does mothers’ milk for infants. Going on to maturity requires heartier fare. Growing in faith, as growing in body, demands strong meat (Hebrews 5:14) and mature faith will allow the believer to truly discern good from evil.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
The Promised Wisdom
December 3
In Psalm 90:12, David speaks in the Lord’s behalf when he says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The years, months, weeks and even the hours of our existence flee away with great rapidity. Our celebrations—birthdays, holidays, special events, so anticipated, are gone in a twinkling.
Those anticipated moments such as a wedding, the birth of a first child, promotion to a hard-sought position…things that make life worth the daily struggle…are hardly realized before they are relegated to the realm of memory, until they become a mere, fleeting recollection in our moments of reminiscing.
But, if we stop as David admonishes us to do, if we actually ponder the days that have slipped so quickly away, we take from our contemplation a sense of profound realization that all our moments of glory, anticipation, celebration, joy have left us without lasting advantage. In that realization comes the promised wisdom.
With the revelation of the inability of the temporal to satisfy, comes our yearning for something that will—and with that yearning comes the search for eternity’s treasure. When we are awakened to our utter inability to find what our hearts long to possess in the things time offers, we are ready to receive Jesus, eternity’s incomparable gift.
In Psalm 90:12, David speaks in the Lord’s behalf when he says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The years, months, weeks and even the hours of our existence flee away with great rapidity. Our celebrations—birthdays, holidays, special events, so anticipated, are gone in a twinkling.
Those anticipated moments such as a wedding, the birth of a first child, promotion to a hard-sought position…things that make life worth the daily struggle…are hardly realized before they are relegated to the realm of memory, until they become a mere, fleeting recollection in our moments of reminiscing.
But, if we stop as David admonishes us to do, if we actually ponder the days that have slipped so quickly away, we take from our contemplation a sense of profound realization that all our moments of glory, anticipation, celebration, joy have left us without lasting advantage. In that realization comes the promised wisdom.
With the revelation of the inability of the temporal to satisfy, comes our yearning for something that will—and with that yearning comes the search for eternity’s treasure. When we are awakened to our utter inability to find what our hearts long to possess in the things time offers, we are ready to receive Jesus, eternity’s incomparable gift.
Friday, December 2, 2011
By His Grace
December 2
God dwells in perfection. He is perfection. He is enveloped in light. He is light. He exudes mercy. He is mercy. He possesses all goodness. He is goodness. The reality of who He is exceeds anything we have the ability to imagine, for we are steeped in corruption; we are weighted down by sin.
It is rather like there is a quicksand of negativity that grasps us and sucks us and swallows us deeper and ever more completely into itself. We are helpless to escape from its grasp because its tentacles are so much a part of who we are that we hardly recognize they are there. We are so addicted to sin that we enjoy it.
We don’t fight against it because we look forward to it, we plan for it, we run to it. Given our proclivity to indulge sin, it seems there is virtually no way we can escape it. Indeed, nothing within ourselves can free us, but the Lord has sent a search and rescue team to find us and to deliver us! Jesus found us and the Holy Spirit beckons us into the Arc of Safety the Lord has supplied!
Praise God! “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in trespasses and sin! It is by His grace you have been saved” Ephesians 2:4-5. Can there be any lovelier words than those? He who is perfect light, who abides in goodness, extends His mercy to rescue we who are laden with sin—just because HE loves us! Thank You, JESUS!
God dwells in perfection. He is perfection. He is enveloped in light. He is light. He exudes mercy. He is mercy. He possesses all goodness. He is goodness. The reality of who He is exceeds anything we have the ability to imagine, for we are steeped in corruption; we are weighted down by sin.
It is rather like there is a quicksand of negativity that grasps us and sucks us and swallows us deeper and ever more completely into itself. We are helpless to escape from its grasp because its tentacles are so much a part of who we are that we hardly recognize they are there. We are so addicted to sin that we enjoy it.
We don’t fight against it because we look forward to it, we plan for it, we run to it. Given our proclivity to indulge sin, it seems there is virtually no way we can escape it. Indeed, nothing within ourselves can free us, but the Lord has sent a search and rescue team to find us and to deliver us! Jesus found us and the Holy Spirit beckons us into the Arc of Safety the Lord has supplied!
Praise God! “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in trespasses and sin! It is by His grace you have been saved” Ephesians 2:4-5. Can there be any lovelier words than those? He who is perfect light, who abides in goodness, extends His mercy to rescue we who are laden with sin—just because HE loves us! Thank You, JESUS!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Boundless and Endless
December 1
The Living and Eternal God is wooing you to Himself. He loves you so much that He allowed the Second Person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ, to endure not only the agony of an excruciating death but also, the mundanity of the life of an ordinary peasant for thirty years in order that you might become aware of how completely He loves you.
Even before Jesus appeared in the flesh, the prophets told of the love of God for His creation. In Isaiah 62:5, it is stated, “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so does your God rejoice over you.” In Jeremiah 31:5 you are told, “I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with loving kindness.”
How long will the Holy One of the ages persist in His love? Unrequited love usually has a termination point. If you continue to refuse His heart, how long until it is withdrawn and you are left without the option of receiving that precious, priceless, eternal love? The answer to that is found in Hosea 2:19, 20, which says, “I betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion and in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.”
He loves you, He will persist in loving you, “From everlasting to everlasting…” Psalm 103:17 goes on to assure, “His love is with those who fear Him and His righteousness is with their children’s children.” How precious to know that His love is boundless and endless, even if we reject Him. But, oh what precious assurance that if we will but love Him in return, our children will, for all generations, be secure in the hollow of His hand.
The Living and Eternal God is wooing you to Himself. He loves you so much that He allowed the Second Person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ, to endure not only the agony of an excruciating death but also, the mundanity of the life of an ordinary peasant for thirty years in order that you might become aware of how completely He loves you.
Even before Jesus appeared in the flesh, the prophets told of the love of God for His creation. In Isaiah 62:5, it is stated, “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so does your God rejoice over you.” In Jeremiah 31:5 you are told, “I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with loving kindness.”
How long will the Holy One of the ages persist in His love? Unrequited love usually has a termination point. If you continue to refuse His heart, how long until it is withdrawn and you are left without the option of receiving that precious, priceless, eternal love? The answer to that is found in Hosea 2:19, 20, which says, “I betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion and in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.”
He loves you, He will persist in loving you, “From everlasting to everlasting…” Psalm 103:17 goes on to assure, “His love is with those who fear Him and His righteousness is with their children’s children.” How precious to know that His love is boundless and endless, even if we reject Him. But, oh what precious assurance that if we will but love Him in return, our children will, for all generations, be secure in the hollow of His hand.
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